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Nepal’s famed climber and 9 others die in avalanche in Pakistan
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Nepal’s famed climber and 9 others die in avalanche in Pakistan

Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, died in an avalanche Celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, died in an ‌avalanche during an expedition in Pakistan, his company said on Saturday. “Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad ⁠Peak,” his expedition organising company Elite Exped said on social media. “We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not ‌survive,” it added, without giving details. Purja, 43, and ⁠nine others ⁠had been missing since Thursday after being struck by an avalanche ‌on the 8,051-metre (26,414-foot) Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain, a technically difficult ‌climb ‌in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. Officials said the bodies of Purja and other climbers were located in a difficult site and had yet to be retrieved. Purja, who served with British special ‌forces as a Gurkha, completed the record-breaking feat in ⁠six months in 2019.

August 1, 2026
Hong Kong gauges public views on 50:50 split for public flats, subsidised sale homes
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Hong Kong gauges public views on 50:50 split for public flats, subsidised sale homes

Total supply of public housing will reach 196,000 flats over the next five years, government minister says Hong Kong authorities are gauging public feedback on a possible shift in the supply ratio of public rental flats to subsidised sale homes to an even 50:50 split, the housing minister has said. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin told a planning forum on Saturday that the total supply of public housing would reach 196,000 flats over the next five years. Under measures outlined in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s 2024 policy address, the Housing Authority – Hong Kong’s biggest public housing provider – aims to transition its production target from a 70:30 ratio of public rental-to-subsidised sale flats to a 60:40 split. However, Ho said authorities were collecting public feedback to explore whether there was a basis to adjust the ratio further to 50:50. “We previously adopted a 70:30 ratio – 70 per cent public rental housing and 30 per cent subsidised sale flats – as the ratio was used to clear the long waiting queue for public rental housing as quickly as possible,” she said.

August 1, 2026
Pain or gain? US moves to decouple its defence industry from China’s rare earths
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Pain or gain? US moves to decouple its defence industry from China’s rare earths

Directive seen as a long-overdue enforcement crackdown meant to inflict short-term contractor pain for long-term national security gain Far from a radical policy shift, industry observers view the directive as a long-overdue enforcement crackdown designed to inflict short-term contractor pain for long-term national security gain. While contractors face immediate hurdles to requalify suppliers and find non-Chinese alternatives, US analysts said the market adjustments were manageable, though delivery timetables for future military hardware could slightly stretch. They also warned that true strategic independence needed sustained, long-term capital investment in non-Chinese midstream processing. Signed on July 20 by US President Donald Trump, the executive order significantly tightens the conditions under which the Department of Defence can issue waivers for defence-critical imports from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. US defence procurement rules strictly prohibit sourcing from adversary states certain “covered materials” – ranging from rare earth magnets to newly added inputs like gallium and germanium – with exemptions available under waiver conditions.

August 1, 2026
Germany storm leaves 1 dead, 3 seriously injured
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Germany storm leaves 1 dead, 3 seriously injured

The man died when a falling tree struck him at eastern Germany’s Amselgrund, a scenic valley popular with hikers A man has been killed and three people seriously injured after a severe storm struck the Saxon Switzerland region in the eastern German state of Saxony, police said on Friday. There were no reports of missing people, said a spokesman for the Dresden Emergency Services Control Centre. According to the control centre, a 38-year-old man lost his life near the Felsenbühne open-air theatre in Rathen when a falling tree struck him. Ten other people were injured, according to the centre, and 40 people were evacuated. The search will continue on Saturday, the spokesman said. The Amselgrund – a scenic valley popular with hikers – and Lake Amsel remain closed. “The situation on the ground is very unclear,” said a police spokesman. The darkness was hampering the work of the emergency services. A clear picture of the situation would probably only emerge once it was light again, said the police spokesman. A police helicopter was in the air equipped with a thermal imaging camera. The health resort of Rathen lies directly on the Elbe river, close to the well-known Bastei rock formation.

August 1, 2026
Hong Kong garrison holds reception marking 99th anniversary of PLA’s founding
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Hong Kong garrison holds reception marking 99th anniversary of PLA’s founding

Rear Admiral Lai Ruxin says troops will bolster defence capacity to safeguard Hong Kong’s stability, while carrying out its duties according to law The Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) celebrated the 99th anniversary of the military’s founding on Saturday with a reception at the barracks on Stonecutters Island, with a top officer pledging to expand its role in promoting patriotic and defence education across the city. Speaking at the reception at the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks, garrison political commissar Rear Admiral Lai Ruxin said troops would resolutely obey the command of the Communist Party of China, while bolstering its defence capacity to safeguard Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity. “Particularly in patriotic and defence education, [the garrison] will continue to leverage its unique advantages and endeavour to make more contributions,” Lai said. The commissar said the garrison resolutely acted in accordance with the “one country, two systems” governing principle and carried out its duties in strict accordance with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, and the laws of the People’s Republic of China on the garrison’s role.

August 1, 2026
Sweden doubles prison terms for gang-related crimes
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Sweden doubles prison terms for gang-related crimes

Sweden has struggled to contain gang violence, with criminal networks often recruiting teenagers to carry out contract killings Sweden has introduced tougher penalties for gang-related offences, allowing courts to impose prison sentences up to twice as long as before, as the country cracks down on organised crime. Under the new law, which took effect on Saturday, gang members convicted of certain offences can face sentences up to double the previous maximum. For example, a gang member caught carrying a firearm previously faced a maximum prison term of four years but can now receive up to eight years, according to Swedish news agency TT. The tougher sentencing rules also apply to juvenile offenders, although the legislation retains provisions allowing reduced sentences for minors. Sweden has struggled for years to contain gang violence, with criminal networks increasingly recruiting teenagers to carry out contract killings.

August 1, 2026
Chinese test pilot who landed plane safely after cabin leak given first-class merit award
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Chinese test pilot who landed plane safely after cabin leak given first-class merit award

PLA Navy flier Yang Yong tells state broadcaster he was forced to stay at altitude for several minutes despite the extreme danger he faced Chinese President Xi Jinping has honoured a veteran naval test pilot with a first-class merit award for defence science and technology. Yang featured in a documentary that aired this week on state broadcaster CCTV and described a life-threatening incident in which his plane lost pressure at an altitude of 10,000 metres (33,000 feet) following a leak in the cabin. “If the aircraft does not descend, the cabin pressure will completely dissipate. If the pilot becomes incapacitated, the aircraft will lose control and [the situation will] become uncontrollable,” Yang said. But he was not able to make an immediate descent because a civilian flight path lay directly below him, forcing him to maintain his course for 13 minutes before he could land. “My physical sensations were getting worse, but unless instructed otherwise, we had to maintain our current altitude,” he said. “As I descended, my physical sensations gradually returned, including my hearing.”

August 1, 2026
Boy, 14, among 57 arrested in crackdown on triad-linked debt collection ring
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Boy, 14, among 57 arrested in crackdown on triad-linked debt collection ring

Hong Kong police also dismantle prostitution venue, drug den and three illegal gambling parlours in operation Police said on Saturday that the operation, launched last month, had dismantled an illegal debt collection syndicate, along with a prostitution venue, a drug den and three illegal gambling parlours. Fifty-seven people, aged 14 to 70, were arrested and some of them had triad backgrounds, police said. Inspector To Hing-lui said officers identified a triad-controlled illegal debt collection syndicate following an investigation, intelligence analysis and a review of surveillance footage. The investigation found that the syndicate specifically recruited young people eager to make “quick cash” to take part in illegal debt collection through messaging apps and everyday social settings. After securing debt collection orders via online groups or referrals from criminals, core members would use messaging groups under their management to subcontract the work to the young recruits for a fee ranging from HK$500 to HK$800. Common collection tactics included splashing red paint, and making harassing phone calls or threats via WhatsApp.

August 1, 2026
Japan ends rescue at quake-hit shopping centre after explosion kills 7
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Japan ends rescue at quake-hit shopping centre after explosion kills 7

Officials said there should be no more people unaccounted for after rescuers searched the shopping centre in Kashima Japan’s Kumamoto prefectural government said on Saturday it has ended rescue operations at an Aeon shopping centre where seven workers died in an explosion shortly after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture four days earlier. Officials said there should be no more people unaccounted for after local police and firefighters, joined by the Self-Defence Forces and others, searched the shopping centre in Kashima. Its second floor collapsed in a possible gas explosion after about 200 people had been evacuated following Tuesday afternoon’s earthquake. Across the prefecture, 36 people, including those at the shopping centre, were killed in the quake and 11 were seriously injured. Efforts to restore water and other infrastructure are continuing, with some 69,400 households still without water amid scorching heat. According to the prefecture, more than 9,000 people were evacuated as 3,429 houses were damaged, including 181 destroyed, in the temblor, which registered the maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Uki and Hikawa.

August 1, 2026
Why China’s JL-3 made waves with first submarine-based missile test in over 40 years
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Why China’s JL-3 made waves with first submarine-based missile test in over 40 years

The weapon is capable of striking targets in the continental US from Chinese waters, making it a key element of Beijing’s nuclear strategy The July 6 launch – in which a dummy warhead travelled 8,000km (5,000 miles) – was China’s first confirmed submarine-based missile test since 1982, and the first known firing from a nuclear-powered submarine. The type of missile used has not been officially confirmed, but a report in the Global Times – a newspaper owned by the party mouthpiece People’s Daily – suggested it was a JL-3, which can be fired from nuclear-powered submarines. The intercontinental-range ballistic missile is expected to become a key pillar of China’s nuclear arsenal by boosting its ability to strike back in the event of an attack. The JL-3 made its first public appearance at a giant military parade in Beijing last September.

August 1, 2026
As China’s catch-up era ends, what’s standing in the way of tech innovation?
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As China’s catch-up era ends, what’s standing in the way of tech innovation?

Rigid metrics and deference to authority are stifling the country’s innovation drive, leading scientists warn In a dialogue held at the Shanghai Academy of Natural Sciences (SANS) last month, leading scholars discussed the hurdles China faces with Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine. Lu Bai, a neurobiologist and the president of SANS, noted that China had been able to use Western scientific advances to make swift progress across multiple fields for decades, but this model of catching up was becoming less viable. “The path is narrowing for two reasons: first, resistance from the external environment is growing; second, China has reached a stage where there’s not much left to simply replicate,” said Lu, according to a transcript of the dialogue published on July 27 by The Intellectual, a social media account he co-founded. Lu said scholars had identified China’s rigid institutional system, which prioritises metrics over creativity, and an ingrained deference to authority as the core challenges slowing the country’s tech and scientific momentum.

August 1, 2026
Hong Kong leader to hold town hall on Sunday to gather views on twin blueprints
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Hong Kong leader to hold town hall on Sunday to gather views on twin blueprints

While leader has held public session for policy address in previous years, Tuen Mun meeting is first face-to-face exchange with residents over five-year plan Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers will hold the first district consultation session to gather views on his coming policy address and the city’s inaugural five-year plan in Tuen Mun on Sunday. Only government-chosen residents and district representatives were invited to the exchange at the venue, sources said on Saturday. Lee would also only address media inquiries after the next district session to be held the following Sunday, they added. While the city leader has held town halls to collect the views of residents in previous years, the current round will simultaneously gather opinions on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan. The plan is aimed at better aligning the city’s development with the national blueprint for 2026 to 2030. The two-month public consultation will end on August 14, and Lee has pledged to release the plan by the end of the year.

August 1, 2026