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Hantavirus outbreak: UK to isolate cruise ship passengers in ex-Covid hospital

There are around 24 British passengers and crew, as well as two people from Ireland, on board the MV Hondius UK health authorities are gearing up to receive about 24 people from a virus-hit cruise ship, who will be isolated in a hospital once used for Covid-19 patients, NHS officials said Saturday. They are currently on board the Dutch ship, the MV Hondius, due to anchor off Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday. Most of the nearly 150 people on board will be evacuated and flown home to their home countries after weeks at sea, in a carefully prepared repatriation effort. Among them are about 24 British passengers and crew, as well as two people from Ireland. “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency, on arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing,” NHS England North West and NHS Cheshire said.

May 9, 2026

Business

Elderly woman tries to shove younger one out of priority seating on MTR train

Older woman pushes younger one’s face, grabs her hair and shakes her head, according to viral video clip An elderly woman tried to fight a younger one over priority seating inside an MTR train carriage in Hong Kong, with a clip capturing the dispute going viral on Saturday. In the clip posted on the social media platform Threads, the elderly woman in one of two adjacent priority seats is seen forcefully trying to remove the younger woman beside her. The older woman pushes the younger one’s face, grabs her hair and shakes her head, while using her foot to push her leg. The younger woman does not hit back or verbally engage her, according to the clip. A fellow passenger seated next to them asks the elderly woman to let go of the younger one, but in vain. A photograph accompanying the same post showed the older passenger hiding her face and most of her torso behind the back of the younger one.

May 9, 2026

Business

Hungary’s new PM Peter Magyar sworn in, ending Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule

Magyar’s centre-right party defeated authoritarian Orbán last month, which will allow it to roll back many of his policies Hungary’s Peter Magyar took his oath of office on Saturday to become the country’s new prime minister, ending Viktor Orban’s 16 years of autocratic rule. Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party defeated Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz in a stunning blow last month, gaining more votes and seats in Parliament than any other party in Hungary’s post-Communist history. The win, which gave Tisza a two-thirds parliamentary majority, will allow it to roll back many of the policies that gave Orbán a reputation among his critics as a far-right authoritarian. In a speech to lawmakers in Hungary’s Parliament after being sworn in, Magyar said he would not use his office to “rule” Hungary, “but to serve my homeland”. “I’m not standing here because I’m different from anyone else in the country,” Magyar said. “I stand here because millions of Hungarians decided that they want change.

May 9, 2026

Business

Trump heads to China weakened as Xi gains leverage ahead of summit

US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest part of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we look at how Trump’s weakened hand could tilt summit talks. When next week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was first...

May 9, 2026

Business

100 Hong Kong-linked ships ‘stranded in Strait of Hormuz’ amid Middle East war

Industry leader says figure suggests 2,300 seafarers trapped in strait, with sector’s biggest priority being keeping them supplied Richard Hext, chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, told the South China Morning Post on Friday that it was very risky to sail vessels through the strait due to the risk of attack, even though the United States and Iran had recently reached a temporary ceasefire. The United States-Israel war against Iran has sparked a global fuel crisis and disrupted supply chains as the narrow waterway handles about 20 per cent of the world’s oil. “If you have a ship that is stuck inside the Strait of Hormuz, it’s very risky to try and sail it out, because there’s a chance that someone will fire at the ship,” Hext said. He said the Hong Kong-linked ships stuck in the waterway were either registered in the city or managed or owned by Hong Kong companies. “So if it’s 100 ships, and you calculate about 23 seafarers on each ship, then that is 2,300 seafarers who are stuck on the Hong Kong ships,” he added.

May 9, 2026

Business

Beijing urges France to respect one-China principle during high-level talks

Top diplomat Wang Yi tells visiting French senior adviser the countries should strengthen a partnership ‘free from external interference’ Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, held talks in Beijing with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wang said the foundation of Paris-Beijing ties lay in “solid political mutual trust”. He expressed hope that France would “refrain from any form of official interaction with the Taiwan authorities and send no wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces”, the foreign ministry statement said. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States and France, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons. Wang said China had long viewed Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world and supported European integration and the growth of the European Union.

May 9, 2026

Business

US-Iran war no closer to ending as Gulf clashes flare

Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz since a ceasefire began a month ago ⁠The US and Iran appeared no closer on Saturday to finding an end to their war after the two sides traded fire in the Gulf amid a tenuous ceasefire, while a US intelligence analysis concluded Tehran could withstand a naval blockade for months. Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz since a ceasefire began a month ago, and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed ‌attack on Friday. Washington has been awaiting Tehran’s response to a US proposal that would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme. Speaking in Rome on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was expecting a response that day, although an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said Tehran was still weighing its response. Sporadic clashes continued on Friday between Iranian forces and US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported. The Tasnim news agency later cited an Iranian military source saying the situation had calmed but warning more clashes were possible.

May 9, 2026 · 2 dk okuma

Business

Meet China’s moon porter for Chang’e-8 mission: a 4-wheeled robot with 2 arms

The AI-powered ‘extraordinary’ rover is set to pick up and install gear developed by teams from around the world on the lunar south pole China is sending a new kind of explorer to the moon – with a humanoid upper body and four wheels. The 100kg (220lbs) robot will transport, deploy and install instruments and sensors at their designated lunar locations after the Chang’e-8 probe lands. It is also tasked with collecting samples of the moon’s surface. “This will be a novel demonstration of humanoid robotics on the moon and by China. We are very proud of this design,” she said. Gao directs the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre which developed the robot in collaboration with 30 universities and space organisations in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas.

May 9, 2026

Business

Hong Kong home market maintains upwards momentum as eager buyers snap up new flats

All 154 units at the Lime Spark project sold out as of 4.30pm, while 93 per cent of 158 flats available at Highwood Phase 2 found buyers Hong Kong homebuyers snapped up new flats on offer on Saturday, fuelling optimism that the bull run in the city’s property market will continue. All 154 units at Sun Hung Kai Properties’ Lime Spark project sold out as of 4.30pm, while 147 homes, or 93 per cent of the 158 flats available at Henderson Land’s Highwood Phase 2 project, found buyers, according to real property agents. “Home prices have climbed by nearly 8 per cent this year, and prospective buyers are likely to find that a delay in purchasing will force them to pay higher prices,” said Louis Chan Wing-kit, vice-chairman of Centaline Asia-Pacific and president of its residential division. “The strong momentum has prompted them to make their [purchase] decisions sooner rather than later. In the primary market, we have seen a buying spree amid residents’ increasing demand for homes.” The sales frenzy on Saturday was in line with market expectations as Hong Kong’s home market had already shown signs of an upwards cycle early this year.

May 9, 2026

Business

Heroism and grief: 6 residents’ stories from Wang Fuk Court fire hearings

Read the powerful accounts of six residents, among 24 who appeared before independent committee investigating deadly Tai Po blaze Stories filled with tragic bravery, outrage at heedless officials and horror as loved ones perished were among those shared by 24 residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court estate, as they testified at a public hearing investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades. Over multiple sessions that began on March 19, some told the presiding committee how their repeated efforts to raise bid-rigging and safety concerns about the estate’s exterior renovation fell on deaf ears, well before the 43-hour inferno destroyed seven of its eight buildings on November 26 last year. The South China Morning Post highlights the stories of six residents revealed amid four rounds of hearings that concluded on May 8, and which will resume in mid-June. Sdanni Yip Ka-kui left his flat – 1701 in Wang Tai House – at around 3pm on November 26 to find out more about the fire that had broken out at the adjacent Wang Cheong House. His wife, Pak Shui-lin, stayed at home, and Yip had no idea he would never see her again.

May 9, 2026

Business

‘Not decoupling’: what US-China trade data signals ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Declining trade flows come as Trump heads to Beijing – but analyst says US remains dependent on some Chinese goods China’s merchandise exports to the US fell 10.2 per cent year on year to US$133.4 billion in the first four months of 2026, according to data released on Saturday by the General Administration of Customs. Imports from the US also declined 10.9 per cent to US$45.8 billion over the same period, bringing the bilateral trade surplus to a cumulative US$87.7 billion for the year so far. In line with that, shipments to the US climbed 11.3 per cent year on year to US$36.8 billion last month, bucking the trend from January to March. Imports from the US also increased 9 per cent to US$13.7 billion, bringing China’s bilateral trade surplus to US$23.1 billion for April, up from US$16.8 billion the previous month. But recent US Commerce Department data showed that mainland China had fallen to the fourth-largest contributor to the US goods trade deficit after Taiwan, Vietnam and Mexico – its lowest ranking since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001. “Supply chains are diversifying, not decoupling,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis.

May 9, 2026

Business

Wanted ‘Hong Kong Parliament’ member may be deported from Thailand

Zhang Xinyan arrested for overstaying visa and is reportedly set to be deported to mainland China A wanted member of the overseas group “Hong Kong Parliament” has been arrested in Thailand for overstaying her visa and is reportedly set to be deported to mainland China. The organisation said on Friday that Zhang Xinyan, who took part in what it called a parliamentary election and was sworn in as a member last year, was recently arrested in Thailand for overstaying her visa. In a reply to the South China Morning Post on Saturday, a Hong Kong government spokesman declined to comment on media reports about law enforcement actions in other jurisdictions. But he stressed that authorities would spare no effort in pursuing national security fugitives. The activist organisation claimed that Zhang held refugee status granted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), adding that she had been told she would be deported to the mainland.

May 9, 2026