Beijing has dropped yet another political bombshell by declaring that Hong Kong must drastically revamp its electoral systems to ensure only “patriots” hold key positions in all three branches of government as well as the city’s statutory bodies.But Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, who laid down the principles and directives in a closed-door meeting on Monday, stopped short of spelling out the plan’s concrete elements, raising more questions than…

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying presents a heightened risk of committing national security offences given his financial might, political ideology and personal associations, a High Court judge has suggested in explaining her decision to deny him bail.Madam Justice Anthea Pang Po-kam handed down a 10-page ruling on Tuesday laying out her reasoning for remanding Lai in custody, five days after the 73-year-old founder of the tabloid-style Apple Daily newspaper – who stands accused of…

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), Hong Kong’s top accounting regulator, said it has begun an investigation into the financial statements of Convoy Global Holdings, and singled out its auditor for failing to raise the red flag on the financial advisory firm’s state of accounts.Convoy, which released its results for 2017 through 2019 on February 18 to fulfil its obligation to resume trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, should have its accounts put under scrutiny “without delay” because…

There are stronger signs that China’s next aircraft carrier will be fitted with an advanced type of aircraft launch system, with official confirmation of a test flight of a carrier-based early warning plane.State broadcaster CCTV confirmed in a report on the weekend that the KJ-600, the country’s first domestically developed fixed-wing early warning aircraft, had a test flight in Xian, Shaanxi province, in late January.The KJ-600 is designed to operate from an aircraft carrier but its weight…

A relative of Queen Elizabeth was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 months in prison for sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral castle in Scotland.Simon Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore, had admitted assaulting the woman in a bedroom at Glamis Castle in February 2020.Bowes-Lyon, 34, who is a first cousin twice removed of the queen, pleaded guilty last month, saying he was “greatly ashamed of my actions which have caused such distress to a guest in my home.”“I did not think I was capable of…

China’s manufacturing and technology hub of Guangdong province has set an ambitious target to expand its population – including permanent residents and migrants – to 130 million by 2035, in spite of a sharply dropping national birth rate.The total would be a 13 per cent increase from 2019’s population of 115 million. But some demographers say such a goal – adding an average of roughly 1 million people a year – is too aggressive.The plan was outlined in the Territorial Special Planning of…

The Chinese military has given two of its combat vehicles a major makeover to improve their ability to take on Indian troops in high-altitude warfare, according to a Chinese defence technology magazine.On its official WeChat social media account on Saturday, the magazine said the track chassis on a number of howitzers and anti-tank missile carriers had been replaced with wheel bases to allow for quicker deployment over mountainous terrain.“The change of chassis was no coincidence – it was…