Company owned by Hong Kong justice chief Teresa Cheng’s husband sued for price fixing, bid-rigging over air-conditioning works worth HK$2 billion
Competition Commission begins legal action against ATAL Building Services Engineering, set up by Teresa Cheng’s husband Otto Poon, and Shun Hing Engineering Contracting Company. ⌘ Read more

Kevin Spacey granted bail after ‘strenuously’ denying sex charges
The actor is accused of four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. A plea hearing is scheduled for July 14. ⌘ Read more

South Korea’s nuclear expansion plans in bid to meet climate targets
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government says nuclear energy should be part of country’s net-zero path along with renewable sources, while maintaining the target of the previous administration to cut emissions by 40 per cent. ⌘ Read more

World Cup 2022: tents in desert, no air cons, for fans as Fifa guests hog Qatar’s hotel rooms. An ‘opportunity’ to get an ‘authentic taste of Qatari camping’, official says
An ‘opportunity’ to get an ‘authentic taste of Qatari camping’, the World Cup hosts’ head of accommodation says as he unveils a solution to Qatar’s shortage of hotel rooms, most of which are reserved for Fifa guests. ⌘ Read more

Married Chinese and Asians are 15 per cent less likely to die of any cause than unmarried counterparts, survey finds
China-Asia study of more than half-a-million people concludes that marriage has the potential to make you live longer. ⌘ Read more

Chinese shipyard ready to launch Type 003 aircraft carrier, satellite images show
The dry dock has been flooded so the vessel can be floated, and banners with political slogans and flags can be seen on the warship. ⌘ Read more

China-India border: state media marks second anniversary of Galwan Valley clash in lead-up to new talks
CCTV military channel publishes three-minute video salute to four dead PLA soldiers on social media, drawing 4.36 million views on Weibo by noon on Thursday. ⌘ Read more

Thailand wants selfie-taking tourists to stop abusing famous tree on island
The uninhabited Koh Khai Hua Roh islet in Trat province can only take in five tourists at a time, but it has lately been beset by overtourism. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Thailand mulls longer hours for pubs, bars as Covid cases drop
In an effort to bolster the economy Thailand may allow bars, pubs and other entertainment venues to remain open beyond midnight as the tourism-reliant nation unwinds pandemic-era restrictions. ⌘ Read more

‘Charming danger’: Chinese social media meltdown as 290 million view post about a poisonous tree flower popular with photo enthusiasts
Chinese selfie lovers have been told to avoid the poisonous oleander plant after a blogger fell sick within hours of touching it. ⌘ Read more

Ukraine war: German, French, Italian leaders in Kyiv to show solidarity
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi have arrived in Kyiv on their first visit since the Russian invasion. ⌘ Read more

Customers should not take rapid Covid tests on premises of Hong Kong nightspots, health experts warn, as new rule comes into effect
Professor Ricky Chiu warns patrons of bars, pubs, clubs to avoid taking tests on premises, cites risks of coronavirus transmission. ⌘ Read more

WeChat suffers glitch that stopped users from paying for lunch deliveries before noon
Users of the Tencent app have been flocking online to complain that the payment function of WeChat failed to respond on Thursday morning. ⌘ Read more

Senior state officials laud ‘one country, two systems’ policy for Hong Kong, voice confidence in city’s prosperity and ‘quality democracy’
Huang Liuquan, HKMAO deputy director, says anyone betting on demise of city has ‘never won’. ⌘ Read more

Chinese destroyer on long-distance exercises in Sea of Japan, to deter ‘attack on Taiwan’
Japan’s Defence Ministry said 3 ships were spotted on Sunday travelling toward Sea of Japan. Global Times reported the mission was part of China’s military build-up aimed at deterring a foreign intervention in the event of an attack on Taiwan. ⌘ Read more

UK signals it could exit Europe’s human rights convention after Rwanda deportation ruling
Britain’s government has refused to rule out abandoning a European human rights pact after a judge dramatically blocked its plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, sparking fury among Conservatives. ⌘ Read more

Going for a night out? What you need to know about Hong Kong’s new Covid rapid-test rule for bars and clubs
The Post answers questions on authenticity of test results and authorities’ policy direction ⌘ Read more

North Korea expands restoration at nuclear test site to second tunnel: report
South Korean officials said this week that North Korea was poised to conduct a nuclear test “at any time” and that the timing would be decided by Kim. ⌘ Read more

Vancouver’s housing crisis not caused by dirty money, inquiry finds
The three-year public inquiry into money laundering in British Columbia was prompted in part by public speculation that Asian criminals were driving up housing prices in Vancouver. ⌘ Read more

South Korea delays Nuri rocket launch amid glitches, heavy winds
Nation had intended to send up its home-grown spacecraft for a second time, to launch satellites, but there were problems with fuel sensors. ⌘ Read more

Shanghai reopening: half-open restaurants and retail stores mar city’s pledge to return to 100 per cent normality by June 30
Half-opened service businesses are spoiling the facade of normalcy that Shanghai’s authorities are trying to project after claiming tentative success at containing the Omicron’s spread. ⌘ Read more

China vows to crack down on online racism, spurred by new details of video featuring Malawi children
Malawian foreign minister says her country feels ‘disgusted, disrespected and deeply pained’ by video in which children repeat demeaning words in Chinese. ⌘ Read more

Saudis trolled as embassy in Washington now on ‘Jamal Khashoggi Way’
Washington DC’s local government changed street signs in honour of the Saudi dissident who was strangled to death and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. ⌘ Read more

Elon Musk’s Boring Co is feuding with Texas over driveway regulations amid construction in rural town
The company’s dealings with the rural town of Bastrop are an illustration of how Musk’s businesses push the boundaries of or simply ignore regulations. ⌘ Read more

Black Death’s ancient origins traced to lake in Central Asia
The findings counter theories that the disease – that killed tens of millions of people in the mid-14th century – might have first emerged in China. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: North Korea reports another infectious disease outbreak amid Covid battle
North Korea did not report the number of people affected, or elaborate what the disease was, but only referred to it as an outbreak of an “unidentified intestinal epidemic.” ⌘ Read more

China’s rare ‘butterfly explosion’ at risk from ‘crazy’ tourism, ecologist warns
As visitors rush to ‘dance with the butterflies’, ecologist warns about how overtourism in the 1960s damaged another butterfly habitat. ⌘ Read more

Quirky China: an animal activist performing ‘mermaid’, not any old iron man and the temple of doom
Quirky China: a medical student turns performing ‘mermaid’ to protect sea animals, an iron man does his daily exercises in a park and a temple thief becomes a laughing stock. ⌘ Read more

In India, thousands protest ‘bulldozer justice’ against Muslims
Protests erupted in Indian cities condemning the demolition of homes and businesses belonging to Muslims. Critics call it “bulldozer justice” aimed at punishing activists from the minority group. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong raises key interest rate by 75 basis points in lockstep with Federal Reserve hike overnight
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) raised the city’s base rate by 75 basis points to 2 per cent, following the Fed’s most aggressive hike since 1994. ⌘ Read more

Western outcry over Hong Kong’s anti-doxxing laws smacks of hypocrisy
Data privacy is a global concern, with many countries developing legislation to protect individuals’ personal details. Yet, in Hong Kong, such laws are suspected of masking a hidden agenda. ⌘ Read more

‘No basis’ for attack fears in China’s new rules for PLA activities
Regulation covers PLA missions from disaster relief to humanitarian aid and peacekeeping, as well as its response to political crises at home and overseas. ⌘ Read more

Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden’s top Covid-19 adviser, tests positive
The US top scientist, 81, is experiencing mild symptoms, and will work from home while he recovers. ⌘ Read more

Suspects confess to killing and dismembering UK journalist and Brazilian guide, media report says
Reporter Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira have been missing for a week in the Amazon rainforest, sparking an ongoing search and investigation. ⌘ Read more

Top US human rights official decries ‘transnational repression’ campaign by China
Uzra Zeya, undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, says federal government lacks funding to meet all requests for protection; China denies targeting dissidents overseas. ⌘ Read more

US Federal Reserve makes historic interest hike to combat inflation, may repeat in July
The increase of 75 basis points is the biggest since 1994, with the central bank’s chief saying a 50 or 75 point raise could come next month to cool prices. ⌘ Read more

Joe Biden unveils US$1 billion in new weapons for Ukraine
The package includes anti-ship and artillery launchers, as well as additional ammunition for rocket systems. ⌘ Read more

Ukraine parades new French Caesar howitzer
The heavy artillery system highly prized for its accuracy is part of the new arsenal of modern weaponry provided to Kyiv by multiple allies. ⌘ Read more

US military looks to allies to tackle ‘significant logistics challenge’ in Indo-Pacific
Deputy defence secretary Kathleen Hicks says US has to develop ‘combat-credible capability that can deter aggression’. ⌘ Read more

Ukraine war: Japanese man arrested over Vladimir Putin straw doll nailed to shrine tree
Mitsunobu Hino, 72, is accused of trespassing and making holes in a sacred tree to put up a figure with a note wishing death to the Russian leader. ⌘ Read more

China’s party congress promotions to emphasise political security
Appointments are expected to sharpen focus on potential threats to the state and draw a line under the corruption scandals of recent years. ⌘ Read more

Rainbow toys seized in Saudi ‘homosexuality’ crackdown
Items targeted in raids include rainbow-coloured bows, hats and pencil cases – the colours send a ‘poisoned message’ to children, a local news report said. ⌘ Read more

Xi Jinping tells Vladimir Putin all parties should ‘promote a proper solution’ to the Ukraine crisis
Chinese, Russian leaders speak for a second time since the start of Putin’s war. ⌘ Read more

Sanctioned hardline former Xinjiang chief Chen Quanguo moves to rural affairs role for ‘last job before retirement’
Chen Quanguo, the most senior official sanctioned by the US over alleged human rights abuses, is expected to spearhead a crackdown on rural gangs in his new post. ⌘ Read more

Cathay Pacific to hire 4,000 staff by the end of 2023 as part of ambitious recruitment drive, CEO Augustus Tang says
Across the Cathay Pacific Group, a total of 8,000 new staff will be hired from now to the end of next year, CEO says. ⌘ Read more

Thailand’s opposition party files no-confidence motion against ‘flawed’ PM, elections just months away
Opposition parties hope to bring down Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s 17-party government, but his parliamentary majority of 253 seats verses 208 means he is likely to prevail, say analysts. ⌘ Read more

US and allies must stay focused on Ukraine during ‘pivotal’ moment, Pentagon chief says
‘We cannot afford to let up and we cannot lose steam. The stakes are too high,’ US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Western countries promised Nato-standard weapons but Ukraine will need support to transition. ⌘ Read more

Yahoo joins Facebook owner Meta in testing metaverse tech in Hong Kong
The US internet company says it will hold virtual concerts and exhibitions on a metaverse platform, after Facebook owner Meta announced similar plans. ⌘ Read more

EU launches fresh legal action against Britain over post-Brexit changes
EU says UK’s unilateral decision to remove customs checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from rest of UK is violating international law, but European Commission insists on joint solution outside courts. ⌘ Read more

Alien hunters detect mystery radio signal from direction of Earthlike planet
Narrowband signal picked up by FAST from direction of the star Kepler-438 meets initial criteria for extraterrestrial intelligence, preprint says. ⌘ Read more