Hong Kong police arrest 2 women after sewage-soaked puppy found in bin, put down
Business

Hong Kong police arrest 2 women after sewage-soaked puppy found in bin, put down

Golden Retriever pup, suffering from terminal canine distemper, found in rubbish bin drenched in sewage and chilli oil Hong Kong police have arrested two women on suspicion of animal cruelty after a sick three-month-old Golden Retriever was found dumped in a rubbish bin in Mong Kok, covered in sewage, and later euthanised. Inspector Yip Ho-lam said on Tuesday that police opened an investigation Saturday morning after a street cleaner discovered the puppy inside a bin in the alley behind 104 Hak Po Street. Officers from the animal crime investigation team later took over the case. “The puppy was immediately handed over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for medical treatment and care. Following an examination, it was identified as a three-month-old Golden Retriever. It had no identification microchip and was in poor health,” Yip said. After reviewing CCTV footage and seeking help from local veterinary clinics, police tracked the suspects to a residential unit in Ho Man Tin and arrested two women, aged 28 and 39, on Monday morning. They were released on bail and must report to police in mid-June. During a search of the flat, officers discovered three additional dogs.

May 12, 2026
Moore Threads and Guangyun Intelligence Partner to Build Domestic Physical AI Foundation with Sovereign Compute and Simulation
Technology

Moore Threads and Guangyun Intelligence Partner to Build Domestic Physical AI Foundation with Sovereign Compute and Simulation

Moore Threads and Guangyun Intelligence have formed a strategic partnership to build a high-confidence synthetic data solution for embodied AI, combining Moore Threads' domestic GPU compute power with Guangyun's self-developed simulation platform.

May 12, 2026
Tencent T15 and Adobe Scientists Launch AI Animation Startup: ‘Big Companies Make Printers, We Make the Soul of AI Video’
Technology

Tencent T15 and Adobe Scientists Launch AI Animation Startup: ‘Big Companies Make Printers, We Make the Soul of AI Video’

Former Adobe Research scientists—including a former Principal Scientist who developed image deblurring used by the FBI—have co-founded an AI animation startup with Tencent T15. Their first product targets professional animation studios, having raised tens of millions of dollars from investors including Qiji Chuangtan.

May 12, 2026
China backs Hong Kong courts, ignores calls to free Jimmy Lai ahead of Trump visit
Business

China backs Hong Kong courts, ignores calls to free Jimmy Lai ahead of Trump visit

Beijing reaffirms support for Hong Kong judiciary as foreign ministry calls former media boss ‘principal mastermind’ of 2019 anti-government protests China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed its “firm support” for Hong Kong’s judicial authorities when asked whether Beijing would consider releasing jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying ahead of US President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit starting Wednesday. “[Jimmy] Lai Chee-ying is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the riots that shook Hong Kong,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing, when asked whether Beijing would consider Lai’s release if Trump raised the issue during talks with Chinese officials. “Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs. The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong judicial authorities in performing duties in accordance with the law.” Guo’s remarks came a day before Trump’s much-anticipated visit to China, which had previously been delayed and is taking place at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. The summit comes amid a US-Iran ceasefire and will mark the first time a US president has visited China since 2017, when Trump travelled there during his first term.

May 12, 2026
In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines
Business

In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’ Crucially, there was now an extraterritorial element: China could deny exports not only to direct buyers, but also restrict products made in third countries if they contained Chinese-origin rare earth content or controlled inputs. “It’s not the most fun thing for a diplomat to say that I’ve been shepherding a steadily declining relationship on a daily basis for the last four years and trying to manage decline … but it’s hard to disagree,” Porter said.

May 12, 2026
Opposing Taiwan independence is in America’s own interest
Business

Opposing Taiwan independence is in America’s own interest

During Trump’s visit, Washington has an opportunity to send a restrained but clear signal that it is willing to work with China to manage risks This could be the moment when a clear US stance against Taiwan independence would carry the lowest cost and yield the highest return. If the Taiwan Strait spirals out of control, China and the US would risk a systemic confrontation affecting finance, supply chains, energy markets and military security. This would serve neither China’s interests nor those of the US, and certainly not those of Asia or the wider world.

May 12, 2026
Dela Rosa’s flight turns Philippine Senate into battleground for ICC accountability
Business

Dela Rosa’s flight turns Philippine Senate into battleground for ICC accountability

Dela Rosa evading the ICC arrest and the Senate leadership coup could mark a turning point for a Duterte camp under siege, analysts say Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first national police chief and one of the most recognisable faces of his “war on drugs”, narrowly escaped arrest on Monday after officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) tried to serve the ICC warrant inside the Senate. He was caught on camera running up a flight of stairs and along a corridor inside the Senate building, hours before the ICC unsealed the warrant.

May 12, 2026
Hong Kong gold push delivers record US$732 million ETF inflows in April
Markets

Hong Kong gold push delivers record US$732 million ETF inflows in April

As investors hedge against global risks, Hong Kong’s gold ETF inflows reinforce its emergence as a key trading centre Hong Kong’s push to become a gold trading hub is beginning to bear fruit, with the city recording a surge in gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows in April as geopolitical tensions fuel investor demand for the yellow metal, according to industry participants. Physically backed gold ETFs in Hong Kong attracted a record US$732 million last month, according to the World Gold Council. That represented 41 per cent of Asia’s US$1.8 billion inflows and 11 per cent of the global total of US$6.6 billion. The CSOP Gold ETF, which listed in April on the Hong Kong stock exchange, debuted with assets under management of about US$720 million, making it the city’s largest local physical gold ETF to date. Five gold ETFs with combined assets of HK$28 billion (US$3.6 billion) were listed as of April, exchange data showed. These products give investors a straightforward way to trade gold, much like buying and selling stocks. The CSOP Gold ETF directly holds 4.7 tonnes of physical gold stored in Hong Kong, offering investors the option to redeem bullion.

May 12, 2026
Spain reports new hantavirus case as outbreak grows to 11
Business

Spain reports new hantavirus case as outbreak grows to 11

World Health Organization chief says there is currently ‘no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak’ A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, Spain’s health ministry announced on Tuesday as the World Health Organization said it has now confirmed 11 cases, including three people from the cruise who died. The passenger with the new confirmed case of hantavirus was in quarantine in a military hospital in Madrid, where 13 other Spanish nationals evacuated on Sunday – who all tested negative for the virus – also are staying. With the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected. The director-general of the World Health Organization, who was in Madrid, said all 11 confirmed cases are among passengers or crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship, including three people who died. Nine of the 11 cases have been confirmed as the Andes virus. “These numbers have changed little over the past week thanks to the governments of multiple countries and partners,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said.

May 12, 2026
Melania, Rush Hour director returns to China with Trump’s delegation
Business

Melania, Rush Hour director returns to China with Trump’s delegation

Brett Ratner, director of the documentary Melania and the Rush Hour franchise, is travelling to China as part of US President Donald Trump’s delegation, sources familiar with the filmmaker’s plans have told the South China Morning Post. During the three-day trip, which begins on Wednesday, Ratner intends to advance preparations for the action-comedy franchise’s latest sequel, Rush Hour 4, including meetings with crew members, actors and potential Chinese film distribution partners. He is also...

May 12, 2026
Brazil’s visa-free entry for Chinese visitors sparks rise in South America travel demand
Markets

Brazil’s visa-free entry for Chinese visitors sparks rise in South America travel demand

Search volume for Brazil-related keywords has increased by more than 15 times, providing a boost to China’s long-haul travel products Travel agencies are seeing a notable rise in inquiries and bookings for trips to South America by tourists from mainland China after Brazil’s visa-free entry policy for visitors from the mainland took effect on Monday – and they also remain upbeat about the market’s growth potential. Coupled with the buzz of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, outbound travel from Chinese visitors to the Americas is expected to experience a surge as the summer travel peak approaches, said Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency Tongcheng Travel. As of noon on Tuesday, the search volume for Brazil-related keywords had jumped more than 15 times in the six days since the announcement of the visa exemption versus the previous six-day period, Tongcheng Travel found. The three most searched destinations were Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. Brazil announced on May 7 that Chinese visitors are eligible for short-term visa-free entry with a maximum stay of 30 days per entry. Searches for flights to Brazil saw an immediate upsurge on several travel platforms following the news.

May 12, 2026
JD.com swings back to profitability in first quarter though profits tumble 53%
Innovation

JD.com swings back to profitability in first quarter though profits tumble 53%

The subdued results came after the firm reported its first quarterly loss in the fourth quarter last year amid an ongoing price war Chinese online shopping giant JD.com reported a 53.2 per cent year-on-year decline in first-quarter profit to 5.1 billion yuan (US$750.2 million) due to protracted competition on the e-commerce and food delivery fronts. The company was able to swing back to profitability after posting a loss in the previous quarter. Under non-generally accepted accounting principles which excludes one-off costs and non-cash items, JD.com posted a net income of 7.4 billion yuan in the March quarter, compared with 12.8 billion yuan a year ago. Net revenue rose 4.9 per cent year on year to 315.7 billion yuan in the period, according to the company’s earnings result released on Tuesday. That was higher than the 1.5 per cent increase seen in the previous quarter. The subdued results came after the Beijing-based firm reported its first quarterly loss in the fourth quarter last year amid an ongoing price war in food and on-demand delivery that throttled revenue across the sector and coincided with dampened consumer demand after Beijing scaled back a national subsidy programme.

May 12, 2026