The National picks the most striking images from around the world
Updated: April 08, 2026, 10:37 AM
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Updated: April 08, 2026, 10:37 AM

HSBC and a consortium led by Standard Chartered have been awarded Hong Kong’s first stablecoin issuer licences, marking the city’s latest step towards embracing cryptocurrency’s most-traded cash substitute in its bid to become a global digital asset hub. “The two applicants have experience in traditional financial and risk management, which fits the mission of stablecoins

Hong Kong housing authorities have spent HK$34 million (US$4.3 million) on recovery efforts following the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, including removing damaged scaffolding, conducting structural assessments and strengthening works. The Housing Bureau said on Thursday evening that the HK$34 million expenditure was the main reason for the 22.1 per cent increase in the

More than 150 Hong Kong civil servants have been dismissed for serious misconduct or criminal convictions over the past three financial years, with the police force accounting for the largest number of cases. In a written reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry on Thursday, the Civil Service Bureau said 151 civil servants were dismissed for serious

The Hong Kong government must ensure its massive HK$1.8 billion (US$229.8 million) subsidy for diesel to mitigate record-high oil prices for the transport sector is not exploited by fuel companies through discount manipulations, an industry leader and a lawmaker have cautioned. Their warnings came shortly after authorities announced a two-month, HK$3-per-litre (38 US cents) diesel
Illness after eating oysters continues to be a problem Published: April 10, 2026, 12:01 am Hong Kong has reported a sharp decline in foodborne outbreaks in 2025 compared to the year before, according to recently released data. The data includes outbreaks related to food premises and businesses that were reported to the Centre for Food

Jardine Matheson is giving up its remaining office space in FWD Tower at Taikoo Place and plans to relocate staff back to Jardine House in Central as part of operational consolidation, sources said. The group’s primary office at Jardine House, part of its own property portfolio, “is now undergoing renovations to create a modern workspace

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades will hold its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire

Clashes over the screening of a controversial, award-winning Hong Kong coming-of-age documentary at an Italian film festival have escalated, with the director accusing the secondary school at the centre of the dispute of “blatantly lying” about the arrangement for the showing. Acclaimed filmmaker Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting slammed Ying Wa Girls’ School over the documentary’s screening

Hong Kong bus company boss Martin Lau feels overwhelmed as he attempts every option possible to minimise mounting losses wrought by runaway fuel prices. He has done everything he can think of, from trying to reduce services to doing his own repairs on his fleet of more than 20 coaches. Lau, managing director of ABC

Founded in 2023 by Brian Yue and Claire Bi, the Cheng Lan Foundation operates at the intersection of private collecting and public engagement. Courtesy Cheng-lan Foundation A new generation of art patrons and collectors in Hong Kong is not only willing to support the city’s art ecosystem’s expansion but want to actively shape it. They

A proposed increase in the Hong Kong government’s borrowing cap for its bond programmes to HK$900 billion (US$115 billion) will be sufficient to finance infrastructure projects over the next three years, officials have said, while leaving the door open to further rises in the long run if needed. Andrew Lai Chi-wah, permanent secretary for financial

Workplace sexual harassment complaints in Hong Kong have jumped by 38 per cent year on year, according to the equality watchdog. The Equal Opportunities Commission recorded 315 such complaints in 2025, up from 228 the previous year, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said in a written response to legislative inquiries on Thursday. Employment‑related harassment

Hong Kong spent HK$1.13 billion (US$144.27 million) on the Legislative Council election last year, or nearly 35 per cent more than on the previous poll, with authorities citing rising technology expenses, staff salaries and venue rentals for the increased expenditure. In a written response to lawmakers’ inquiries that came to light on Thursday, the Registration

Gasgoo Munich- On April 8, Qingtao (Kunshan) Energy Development Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Qingtao Energy”) officially filed an IPO application with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, aiming to become the first solid-state battery stock on the exchange. Image source: Qingtao Energy prospectus Founded in June 2016, Qingtao Energy focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, and sales

Hong Kong police have launched a search for a man who posed as a customer and snatched two Pokemon trading cards worth HK$250,000 (US$31,917) from a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui. The force said the man entered Light TCG, a ground-floor shop on Granville Road, on Thursday and asked to view two rare Pokemon collector
Getting an investment banking internship or graduate job in New York requires a lot of forward planning. If you’re unlucky or just late to the party, you could try for an off-cycle internship or take a chance on opportunities abroad. An ex-Morgan Stanley analyst who did the latter revealed on a podcast this week that

Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has launched a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) trading platform aimed at connecting mainland Chinese manufacturers with international markets by leveraging the city’s testing and certification systems. Leung, also vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said on Thursday that the platform, an independent third

Two concerts by Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK have been cancelled in Hong Kong due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK. Photo: ONE OK ROCK. The cancellation comes as Japanese artists find their events axed across China amid diplomatic tensions, yet coincides with the local government’s push to sell Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs has seized about 10,000 suspected counterfeit football jerseys and other unlicensed goods worth an estimated HK$64 million (US$8 million) ahead of the World Cup finals in June. During the 19-day operation code-named “Dawnbreaker”, conducted by the Customs and Excise Department, three people aged 25 to 56 were also arrested on suspicion of

Investment banking fees across Asia-Pacific excluding Japan reached US$5.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, with China’s Citic Securities ranking as the region’s top earner. The total in the first three months fell 5 per cent from a year earlier, as growth in equity capital markets underwriting was offset by weaker debt capital market