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Entertainment

Meet Charlie Puth’s new wife, Brooke Sansone – who he met ‘before the fame’

Congratulations are in order for Charlie Puth, who just tied the knot with his now wife, Brooke Sansone.

Charlie Puth and Brooke Sansone are happy newlyweds. Photo: @charileputh/Instagram
United States & Canada

Titan sub malfunctioned just before fatal Titanic dive: scientific director

Days before the experimental vessel imploded, an issue caused passengers to ‘tumble about’, and it took an hour to get them out of the water.

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Debris from the Titan submersible is seen on the sea floor in June 2023. Photo: US Coastguard/Pelagic Research Services via Reuters
China

Trump likelier than Harris to threaten China with tariffs: analysts

Duelling campaign rhetoric belies broad bipartisan consensus, former American trade officials say, with Indo-Pacific ties hanging in balance.

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2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Uniondale, New York, on Wednesday. The former US leader has long championed trade tariffs against China. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Diplomacy

EU and China trade negotiators fail to strike deal on electric vehicle imports

While both sides commit to further talks, European Commission plans to impose duties on Chinese EV imports to counter Beijing car subsidies.

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An electric vehicle by the Chinese car maker Geely at a trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany last week. EU-China talks on EV pricing reached an impasse Thursday in Brussels. Photo: Xinhua
Middle East

Hezbollah chief denounces Israeli attacks as sonic booms rattle Beirut

Hassan Nasrallah admits his group has suffered a major blow, saying the pager and radio explosions could be considered a declaration of war.

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Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised speech from an undisclosed location on Thursday. Photo: Al-Manar via AFP
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Society

What are the odds? Hong Kong’s Mark Six draws same 5 numbers twice a row

Internet users express shock soon after results announced, with some questioning its probability and whether it was unprecedented worldwide.

One unit won the top prize of HK$8 million (US$1.02 million), 1.5 units won the second prize of HK$38,400 while as many as 489 unit​s won the third prize of HK$19,200. Photo: Sun Yeung
Comment

Editorial | US interest rate cut is welcome but many challenges remain for China

China – including Hong Kong – is not out of the woods yet, even with the 50 basis point reduction by America’s central bank.

A sign posted outside a Jordan real estate agency says it is a good time to enter the market after the US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate. Photo: Jelly Tse
Society

Hong Kong officials concerned over pranksters renaming schools on Google Maps

Changes range from manga character’s name to ‘psychiatric hospital’, but authorities not amused as wrong labels pop up on Uber, Lalamove.

The trend first emerged earlier this week in Taiwan, with authorities on the self-ruled island warning such acts online could constitute a violation of defamation laws. Photo: Shutterstock
Politics

Beijing IT chief backs Hong Kong to build ‘new productive forces’ in new deal

Jin Zhuanglong says agreement will bring Hong Kong, Beijing authorities closer on advanced manufacturing, new energy, biomedicine and more.

Chief Executive John Lee (second from left) and industry and IT minister Jin Zhuanglong (second from right) at a signing ceremony for the deal. Photo: ISD
China EVs

At 17% cheaper, Nio’s Onvo SUV to rival Tesla’s market-leading Model Y in China

New models have continued to chip away at Model Y’s dominance on the mainland, where deliveries slumped 17 per cent this year through July.

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Nio unveiled the Onvo L60 sport-utility vehicle in Shanghai in May 2024. Photo: Daniel Ren
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Southeast Asia

Python grabs Thai woman, squeezes her two hours before she can be freed

Encounters with snakes are not uncommon in Thailand, and last year 26 people were killed by venomous snake bites.

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Firefighters display a reticulated python captured in Benjasiri Park in Bangkok. The reticulated python is the largest snake found in Thailand. Photo: AP
Boxing

Joshua bids to emulate Ali as 3-time champ by beating Dubois in front of 95,000

The 2012 London Olympic champion is looking to complete his late-career rebuild by beating his compatriot and reclaim the IBF belt at Wembley.

A win for Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois on Saturday would mean climbing the mountain once again, but a defeat could mean hanging up his gloves. Photo: Reuters
Politics

‘No one is happy’: China’s move to lift retirement age unpopular among workers

Uncertainty over further changes and concerns over economy and jobs market are fuelling discontent over the decision.

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The retirement age is gradually being raised as the country grapples with a looming demographic crisis and an older population. Photo: AFP
Society

Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival expands to 5 days, ditches plastic cups

Event to be held from October 23 to 27 at the Central Harbourfront, featuring more than 300 booths of food and drinks from dozens of countries, regions.

The event will feature more than 300 booths with food and drinks from dozens of countries and regions. Photo: Eugene Lee
Tech

Chinese memory chip maker YMTC achieves design breakthrough despite US sanctions

Chinese flash memory giant YMTC has made a small leap in its chip design architecture, thanks to closer ties with domestic semiconductor tool providers.

YMTC has narrowed the gap with advanced products in the market in terms of “bit density”. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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Opinion

My Take | Taiwan’s Lai shows cleverness can be an embarrassing thing

Claim by island leader that Beijing should challenge Moscow, by force if necessary, to take back lost territories is borderline infantile distraction.

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te waves during his inauguration in Taipei on May 20, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Football

AFC Champions League 2: Hong Kong misery continues as Eastern thumped by Sydney

Eastern the second Hong Kong team to lose opening AFC Champions League 2 fixture, following limp defeat for Lee Man on Wednesday.

Eastern’s crestfallen players come to terms with conceding a cheap second goal to Sydney. Photo: AFP
Law and Crime

Hong Kong judge urges ‘severe’ sedition penalties, jails 2 under Article 23 law

Chu Kai-pong and Chung Man-kit jailed for up to 14 months for displaying anti-government slogans.

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Chief Magistrate Victor So says the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance stipulates a maximum sentence for sedition that is more than triple the length of its now-repealed predecessor. Photo: Jelly Tse
Diplomacy

Why Philippine warning of South China Sea war may not be cause for serious alarm

Manila’s defence chief said towing away a grounded ship would be an act of war, but one analyst said that is ‘not a good option’ for China.

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The BRP Sierra Madre was grounded on the reef in 1999. Photo: Reuters
Society

Hongkongers mourn closure of toy giant that helped make 75 years of memories

Closure comes to light as reseller reveals it is bidding on items from Oriental Trading Company Hong Kong that are up for grabs at warehouse.

A reseller has shared images of items going up for bidding, with many of the toys believed to have come from Oriental Trading Company Hong Kong Limited. Photo: Facebook/大福行夜冷
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Global Economy

Dump or buy more? China’s holding of US debt in spotlight after Fed’s rate cut

Continued diversification of reserve portfolio may be in order, but into what, and at what speed, are pressing questions.

Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, announced a cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
China Opinion

Opinion | Targeting China will just poison ties without helping the US

As US lawmakers push bills to decouple from China, it’s worth remembering the consequences from the last time bilateral ties were severed.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Big Tech

ByteDance’s lifestyle app Lemon8 gains popularity in US as TikTok faces possible ban

Lemon8, a social app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is increasing in popularity in the US as the company’s flagship short video platform TikTok faces a potential ban.

The Lemon8 application seen on a smartphone is this arranged photo taken March 31, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
Health & Environment

University of Hong Kong opens first clinical trials centre with private hospital

Collaboration with Gleneagles will make use of university’s ‘100 years of experience’ in research, medical school dean says.

Medical school dean Wallace Lau (centre) and Gleneagles CEO Kenneth Tsang (far right) at the opening of the centre. Photo: Elson Li
Tennis

Hong Kong’s Wong through to Hangzhou Open 2nd round after China’s Wu retires hurt

In what had been billed as their Asian Games rematch, Wong won the first set 6-3 before Wu cried off with what looked like a low-back injury.

Coleman Wong Wong will now face fourth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16. Photo: SCMP/Edmond So
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K-drama

Love Next Door midseason recap: Jung So-min, Jung Hae-in outshone

Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in play the romantic leads in this Netflix drama, but the supporting characters’ stories are more interesting.

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Jung So-min as Baek Seok-ryu in a still from Netflix drama Love Next Door.
Diplomacy

Malaysia’s king Sultan Ibrahim visits China to mark 50 years of ties

Analyst says monarch’s first official overseas trip is likely to focus on implementing existing deals rather than announcing new projects.

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Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and his family are the rulers of Johor, the southern Malaysian state just across from Singapore. Photo: EPA-EFE
Law and Crime

Prosecutors accuse former Hong Kong ex-opposition lawmaker of inciting riot

Lam Cheuk-ting, 46, instigated clash at Yuen Long MTR station on social media, with white-shirted group ‘defending homeland’, court hears.

A group of white-shirted men wielding rods are seen chasing and striking others in Yuen Long MTR station during the 2019 social unrest. Photo: Handout
Arts & Culture

Mural paintings make a bullet-scarred neighbourhood ‘proud’

Civil war and gang violence left a Central American neighbourhood scarred. Painting huge murals on housing blocks heralds a brighter future.

A woman and a child by a mural in Zacamil, San Salvador. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong

Lawmaker Ho calls for closer monitoring of Hong K0ng’s national sports bodies

The New People’s Party member also suggests a better look at NSA finances and the introducing a sports arbitration mechanism for disputes.

Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong, a lawmaker and a member of the New People’s Party, says the introduction of a sports arbitration mechanism was important for Hong Kong’s sports development. Photo: Facebook/Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong