Hong Kong Times

Bern and Washington affirm they will not exploit exchange rates for competitive gain while acknowledging central bank intervention to manage volatility

Gold Tops $3,800 an Ounce as U.S. Shutdown Fears Fuel Safe-Haven Surge

Bullion reaches a new record high amid expectations of Fed rate cuts and mounting risk from a looming government funding lapse

Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024

Younger travellers, rising demand and sustainability investments fuel an industry surge

China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence

The move fuels debate over technology transfer, supply chain sovereignty, and industrial strategy in Europe

With AI, Ads will never be the same

Delta Airlines Safety Video reimagined

Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025

The bibliophile district claims the top spot in Time Out’s global rankings for its bookstores, cultural vibe and evolving community

Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China

At least 17 killed in Taiwan, massive evacuations in southern China, and coastal areas brace against powerful storm surge

Super Typhoon Ragasa, the year’s most powerful tropical cyclone, barreled towards millions of people in southern China

Super Typhoon Ragasa, the year’s most powerful tropical cyclone, barreled towards millions of people in southern China after killing at least 14 people in Taiwan and leaving scores more missing, and lashing Hong Kong with ferocious winds...

Heavy rain from Super Typhoon Ragasa burst a lake on the east coast of Taiwan, with the deluge breaking a bridge and causing flooding in surrounding villages

This happened at the Fullerton Hotel Ocean Park in Hong Kong a couple hours ago

Ragasa is indeed a super Typhoon

Storm surges from Super Typhoon Ragasa caused huge waves and floods

A viral video from Hong Kong shows a family swept by a giant wave during Super Typhoon Ragasa

The child’s scream — 'Help!'

WATCH: Storm surge from Typhoon #Ragasa in Tseung Kwan O, a neighborhood in Hong Kong, China enters a restaurant & completely wipes it out

Super Typhoon Ragasa Batters Hong Kong with Flooding, Storm Surge and Structural Damage

Waves crash through hotel lobbies, sea levels rise above three metres, residents shelter as typhoon lashes the city

Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk

New large-scale research combining genetic and observational data shows that even light drinking raises the likelihood of dementia

U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly

Justice Department seeks spin-off of Google’s ad exchange and publisher tools in bid to restore competition. If this move succeed — trust and integrity will be restored in the fully manipulated and commercial influenced search results.

Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite

United Nations projects nearly one-fifth drop in Vietnam’s U.S. exports with significant impact on GDP and export sectors

Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show

European firms and governments take bolder roles at TADTE 2025, pointing to a shift in defence cooperation amid China-Taiwan tensions

President Lee Warns U.S. Demands Could Push South Korea Toward Financial Crisis

Lee Jae Myung says $350 billion investment deal with the U.S. risks 1997-style collapse unless safeguards like currency swaps are included

Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role

Constitutional Court finds no procedural flaws in law allowing military to take on civilian functions; critics warn of creeping authoritarian return under Prabowo

Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok

President Trump confirms a U.S. investor group, including Ellison, Dell and Murdoch, is preparing to acquire TikTok’s American operations from Chinese ownership by December

Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules

New regulations force biometric verification or face account deletion; lawmakers say anti-fraud goal, critics warn of exclusion risks

Wow: Erika Kirk forgives the killer of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson.

"Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do." "That young man. I forgive him."

Rise of Huge Balconies in Chinese Homes Fuels Urban Lifestyle Shift

The increasing trend of huge balconies in residential buildings reflects shifting living preferences in China amidst urbanization.

Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI

Tongyi DeepResearch, with 30B-parameter scale agent and enhanced WebAgent framework, challenges proprietary tools with efficient performance

Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests

US$9-10 billion in flood control fund misuse ignites the “Trillion Peso March”, while China’s Scarborough Shoal reserve claim stirs national alarm

New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia

Study finds pilocarpine-diclofenac drops improve near vision rapidly, with effects lasting up to two years

Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports

Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin among those affected after provider’s systems are hit overnight

Japan’s ‘Death-Tainted’ Homes Gain Appeal as Prices Soar in Tokyo

In a market where Tokyo condos average over ¥100 million, stigmatized ‘jiko bukken’ properties are increasingly seen as affordable alternatives

Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle

Tennis legend opens up about life after exit, substance abuse, panic attacks and prostate cancer in *Heartbeats*

Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace

Growing migration of leading scientists reflects China’s ability to move faster than U.S. tech firms in AI strategy, funding and flexibility

JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability

Recent observations rule out hydrogen-rich atmospheres and suggest nitrogen-dominated possibilities, with further data expected by end-2025

Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway

White House move raises costs for skilled foreign workers while offering fast-track residency for million-dollar investors

DeepSeek Claims R1 Model Trained for only $294,000, Sparking Global Debate Over China’s AI Capabilities

Hangzhou-based DeepSeek reveals low training cost using Nvidia H800 chips, while U.S. officials investigate alleged use of banned GPU models

SoftBank Vision Fund to Cut Nearly Twenty Percent of Staff in Bold AI Strategy Shift

Vision Fund slashes roles amid strong recent results to focus resources on infrastructure, foundation models and AI projects like Stargate

Intel’s Next-Gen Manufacturing Gets a Lifeline from Nvidia’s Strategic $5B Deal

Nvidia’s investment and product partnership may secure Intel’s 14A process by aligning custom x86 CPUs, NVLink designs and critical customer volume

Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte plan to present medical and photographic proof in a U.S. defamation lawsuit against American activist Candace Owens, who spread false claims that Brigitte was born male.

DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone

Both companies’ AI models earned gold-medal scores at the International Mathematical Olympiad, solving five out of six problems in natural language within the time limit

World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December

Twice-weekly one-aircraft service becomes world’s longest direct route, surpassing prior records

New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional

Over seventy percent of interactions are non-work related as weekly users pass seven hundred million

China Bans Nvidia AI Chips as Beijing Accelerates Drive for Semiconductor Independence

Regulator orders major tech firms to halt purchases of Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D, citing strength of domestic alternatives

HKG Times