Hong Kong authorities should act as a “visible hand” to break down barriers erected by vested interests and revive growth momentum through reform under its maiden five-year plan, a former Beijing official overseeing the city’s affairs has said. Deng Zhonghua, former deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, also said on Saturday that Hong Kong must empower emerging industries through deregulation and improve mechanisms for sharing the benefits of development in...

Israel’s military launched an operation in the occupied West Bank on Friday it said would last several days and include searches and building demolitions, after gunmen killed two soldiers days ahead of Israeli elections featuring security as a key focus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight race to keep his job in Tuesday’s vote, having campaigned on promises to keep Israelis safe, and he and his right-wing allies visited the scene of the attack to pledge an even harder line on...

The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung rented a village house flat under false pretences and bought a meat mincer and multiple saws as he allegedly prepared for the model’s killing, a court has heard. More evidence emerged regarding how three of Choi’s former in-laws allegedly planned her murder and the disposal of her body as the High Court trial entered its fourth week. Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 31, his father, Kwong Kau, 68, and elder brother,...

China is challenging India’s long-held dominance of the African market for antimalarial drugs in 12 of the continent’s hardest-hit countries, according to a new study. Last year, Chinese exports of antimalarial drugs reached US$89.3 million, nearly matching India’s US$89.6 million, according to Indian market research company Sol Gravitas. The gap has closed significantly since 2021, when Indian exports stood at US$121 million compared with US$62.6 million for China. Separately, the study...

About 16,000 Hong Kong residents have signed up for a joint exam to drive taxis or ride-hailing cars, the transport chief has said. Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the allocation arrangement for the 10,000 ride-hailing vehicle permits would be announced in November, with the government considering increasing the odds for certain drivers in the lottery draw. “We are pleased to see the enthusiastic response to the joint examination....

Drinking water has been scarce for over a decade in Taiz, but the problem has reached crisis levels in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels besiege Yemen’s third-largest city in their escalating conflict with government forces. The needs of Taiz’s more than 1 million residents are now barely being met, humanitarian groups say, as access to wells is limited, desalination plants run low on fuel and water delivery trucks are largely prevented from entering the city. Families are rationing...

Hong Kong customs officers seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks in the first three quarters of this year, the department chief has said as he revealed plans to roll out more advanced contraband detection equipment at additional border checkpoints to ease manpower pressure. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat told a radio programme on Saturday that the seizure amount in the first nine months this year nearly matched the 2025 annual total. He said that of the 600 million sticks...