After Beijing removed the arrivals quarantine a week earlier, China on Sunday restored high-speed rail service between Hong Kong and the mainland for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak began. The re-opening follows last month’s stunning U-turn on the “zero-COVID-19” policy in the wake of unprecedented protests and a day after officials reported almost […] Read more
The closure of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily is a sign that press freedom is under threat in the semi-autonomous region, according to a representative of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. “The threat is clear, very clear that we have to learn lessons from Apple Daily,” Ronson Chan, chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told […] Read more
Embattled Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily said Wednesday it will cease operations from midnight — just hours after police arrested another employee for allegedly breaching a controversial national security law. The pressure on Apple Daily leading up to its closure has raised concerns over press freedom in Hong Kong — a semi-autonomous region under Chinese rule. […] Read more
Hong Kong senior executives of financial companies and their overseas affiliates who are fully vaccinated can now apply for an exemption from the three-week compulsory quarantine, the markets watchdog said. A maximum of two senior executives per each financial company licensed by the city’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and two of their overseas affiliates […] Read more
China on Thursday tried to draw parallels between the U.S. riot on Capitol Hill and pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong that took place two years ago. Chinese state media avoided sharing too much opinion on the news, though state-backed tabloid Global Times showed photos of the chaos in both riots and highlighted what it said […] Read more
The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory on Hong Kong based on China’s implementation of a national security law widely seen as eroding freedom in the once-autonomous city. “Since the imposition of national security legislation on July 1, the PRC unilaterally and arbitrarily exercises policy and security power in Hong Kong,” the State Department […] Read more
Malaysia’s police sought help from Hong Kong authorities in its 1MDB probe that includes the hunt for Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the billion-dollar scandal. The police have sent letters and information to their Hong Kong counterparts to seek help in the investigation, Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said in Kuala Lumpur […] Read more
Health authorities in Hong Kong recorded zero infections on Tuesday as the city leader defended the decision to reopen theme parks when protests had been banned because of the coronavirus threat. With no cases of local transmission for five days in a row the Covid-19 tally remains at 1,107, with four related deaths. Speaking ahead […] Read more
China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, on Thursday approved the proposal to impose a new national security law for Hong Kong, and paves the way for the legislation to be finalized and implemented in the city. The NPC voted 2,878 to 1 in favor of the bill, which will pave the way for its Standing […] Read more
Two more patients in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, as another case was confirmed. The confirmation brought the city’s tally of infections to 22, and it could reach 24 if the two preliminary cases are confirmed. It came after leading microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung declared a community outbreak. The two patients who […] Read more
