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Americas

Ecuador recaptures most-wanted gang leader ‘Fito’ in army operation

Notorious drug lord, whose 2024 escape triggered widespread violence, was apprehended after a months-long manhunt.

Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar after being recaptured. Photo: Ecuadorean Army via AFP

South Asia

Indians turn to US$500 therapy, avoid Boeing as fear of flying soars post-crash

Since the June 12 crash, ‘people don’t want to hear about Dreamliners’, as many travellers shun Air India and seek alternative airlines.

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A firefighter stands next to the crashed Air India plane in Ahmedabad on June 13. Photo: Reuters

Travel

Insiders say Taipei is a city that ‘reveals itself in layers’

Tastemakers tell us about the Taiwanese capital’s latest hotspots and the under-the-tourist-radar classics they keep returning to.

A peaceful sanctuary in nature, 0km in Da’an has been built around a cluster of renovated 1930s wooden dormitories. Photo: Mavis Teo

China Business

Hong Kong stocks decline as HKMA currency move stokes rate concerns

Banks and developers pace losses; HKMA had forewarned that intervention to halt local currency weakness would tighten liquidity and pressure rates.

Exchange Square in Central. Photo: Sam Tsang

United States & Canada

US man who spent nearly 50 years on death row executed

Richard Jordan, Mississippi’s longest-serving and oldest death row inmate, was put to death by lethal injection.

The gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. There have been 25 executions in the United States this year. File photo: AP
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Basketball

China’s Yang Hansen taken 16th overall in NBA draft, heading to Portland

Yang had been tipped to go early in the second round, but his stock had risen after working out for several teams.

Yang Hansen reacts after being selected 16th by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA draft. Photo: AP

Watches

Jump-hour watches are making a comeback thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre and others

These artfully mechanical timepieces are experiencing a renaissance, blending vintage charm with modern precision to captivate a new generation of watch collectors.

Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Convergence in rose gold. Photo: Handout

Banking & Finance

Richard Li’s FWD files for Hong Kong listing amid slew of jumbo IPO deals

Insurer will get a market value of HK$48.3 billion based on its IPO price of HK$38 each, before an overallotment option.

FWD’s corporate logo atop its main building in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters

Money

Hong Kong steps into currency market to defend local dollar’s peg

The city’s de facto central bank sold US$1.2 billion worth of US dollar to buy Hong Kong dollar at HK$7.85 per dollar.

Pedestrians in Central on May 25, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee

Law and Crime

Legal Tales | Interstate mediation in a multipolar world: how can Hong Kong best play a role?

Hosting the International Organization for Mediation is a strong first step for Hong Kong on the road to providing a lasting contribution to international law.

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The International Organization for Mediation is based in Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee
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People

Pessimism rising in Japan as 70% say country is in decline: survey

According to an Ipsos poll, the percentage of Japanese who think their country is on a downward trend has increased by 30 points since 2016.

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Pedestrians cross a road in Tokyo. Only two countries – France and Turkey – reported a higher share of respondents believing their nation is in decline. Photo: EPA-EFE

Asia Opinion

Opinion | How Trump’s Iran strikes doomed his North Korea strategy

Trump, who sold himself as the answer to deadlock on the Korean peninsula, has sabotaged his chances of a breakthrough by attacking Iran.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on February 25. Photo: TNS

Basketball

Flagg joins Mavericks, second-youngest top pick in NBA draft after LeBron

Teenager just eight days older than LeBron James was when taken by Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.

Cooper Flagg (right) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

Hong Kong Observatory may cancel No 1 typhoon signal between 2pm and 5pm

But the forecaster says squally showers are still expected in the city throughout the day.

The Hong Kong Observatory may cancel the No 1 typhoon warning signal between 2pm and 5pm on Thursday. Photo: Nora Tam

China Economy

China’s top lawmakers review first report on new tech-driven growth model

Beijing promises AI breakthroughs and fairer treatment for foreign firms in push for “new quality productive forces”.

A machinist debugs humanoid robots at Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing, China. Photo: Xinhua
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Trending in China

China dad berated for locking naked son in iron cage, claims pen prevents wandering

Father of toddler from family of six children, born to mother with ‘cognitive disability’, says child was naked because of the heat.

A father in China has been slammed for locking his naked toddler son in an iron cage then claiming the pen was used to prevent the child wandering. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Military

US strike on Iran highlights China’s need for strategic bombers, analysts say

Warplanes seen as ‘irreplaceable’ for the PLA to operate across continents ‘even in an era when other long‑range strike options exist’.

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The US Air Force used B-2 stealth bombers to strike Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Politics

What’s next after 5 years of national security law in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong has put economic development and livelihood issues at the top of the agenda since the return to stability.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Business

Dubai and Abu Dhabi vie to attract Chinese luxury property buyers

Chinese buyers’ inquiries for UAE property jumped by 125 per cent quarter on quarter in the first three months of the year, according to Juwai IQI.

Chinese buyers accounted for 14 per cent of Dubai home sales in the first three months of the year. Photo: EPA-EFE

United States & Canada

James Bond gets a new director: Denis Villeneuve

‘Die-hard Bond fan’ Villeneuve says the Bond character is ‘sacred territory’.

Amazon MGM Studios will take creative control of the James Bond franchise following a landmark joint venture agreement with longtime producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Photo: AFP
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Tech

Tencent-owned Supercell to launch titles like Clash Royale as WeChat mini games

The video game Brawl Stars is already available within WeChat, while Clash Royale will exclusively launch on the messaging app in September.

Tencent-owned Supercell, maker of the popular mobile game Clash of Clans, is bringing its titles to WeChat as mini games.

Health & Environment

Japan quake swarm and volcano reignite fears linked to viral manga prediction

Airlines are cancelling flights to Japan due to reduced demand attributed to anxiety over the disaster prediction.

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Plumes of smoke rise from Mount Shinmoe in Kyushu during an eruption on October 11, 2017 – the volcano’s first in six years. The same volcano erupted again in June 2025 amid heightened seismic activity across southern Japan. Photo: Kyodo

Middle East

Iran’s ‘paper tiger’ leadership will fall, Nobel peace laureate Ebadi predicts

The lawyer, who is known for her work defending human rights, thinks Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will be toppled in a peaceful revolution.

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An Iranian carries a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-Israeli rally in Tehran on June 20, 2025. Photo: AFP

Business

China’s drug innovators bank on AI to hasten discovery to commercial success

A deal between Shenzhen-based XTalPi and US firm DoveTree shows Chinese biotech AI capabilities are gaining recognition.

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Artificial intelligence assistant in a biotechnology experiment. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Food & Drink

5 new coffee shops in Hong Kong to visit in July 2025 for your caffeine fix

Coffee lovers have plenty of new spots to discover around Hong Kong, from cosy neighbourhood hideaways to bold, art-strewn shops.

Sol is a drink on the “Noc.turnal Night Menu” at NOC’s new location in Tai Koo that blends the flavour of malt hops with vanilla, finished with a hint of decaf espresso. Photo: NOC
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Middle East

CIA says US bombing set Iran’s nuclear programme back for ‘years’

The US spy agency cited new intelligence, in a statement supporting Trump’s claim that the facilities had been completely destroyed.

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A satellite overview shows the damaged Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility near Qom, Iran, on Tuesday. Image: Maxar Technologies via Reuters

Comment

Editorial | Answers needed on driverless bus crash in Hong Kong

Incident at Hong Kong airport comes as more unmanned vehicles are taking part in trials on city roads.

An image circulating online shows the aftermath of the incident, which occurred at a T-junction marked with a yield line near Terminal 1. Photo: Handout

Comment

Editorial | Li rises to occasion at ‘Summer Davos’ with way forward for world

Amid tariff wars and global conflicts, premier says China will continue to build as a consumption-driven economy, defend free trade and multilateralism.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin on June 25, 2025. Photo: AFP

China Economy

‘Summer Davos’ calls for China’s firms to move manufacturing abroad for success

Executives say China’s companies should fully relocate production to secure supply chains against tariffs, trade restrictions as they expand.

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Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of TCL, speaks at a World Economic Forum panel in Tianjin. Photo: Handout

China Opinion

Opinion | China is taking Silicon Valley’s market ‘hacks’ to a whole new level

From ‘blitzscaling’ to leveraging network effects, China is using these same methods to dominate supply chain and disrupt markets.

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Companies and industrial hubs like Hangzhou are implementing a “whole of society” approach towards developing and deploying emerging technologies. Photo: Shutterstock