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Hong Kong urged to revive growth, drive reforms with government’s ‘visible hand’
Hong Kong authorities should act as a “visible hand” to break down barriers erected by vested interests and revive growth momentum through reform under its maiden five-year plan, a former Beijing official overseeing the city’s affairs has said. Deng Zhonghua, former deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, also said the city had to adopt a reform-oriented approach to empower emerging industries through deregulation. Hong Kong also needed to address “deep-rooted...
Abby Choi trial so far: ex-father-in-law lied to rent village flat, bought mincer
The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung rented a village house flat under false pretences and bought a meat mincer and multiple saws as he allegedly prepared for the model’s killing, a court has heard. More evidence emerged regarding how three of Choi’s former in-laws allegedly planned her murder and the disposal of her body as the High Court trial entered its fourth week. Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 31, his father, Kwong Kau, 68, and elder brother,...
How competition between Chinese and Indian firms could reshape African drug markets
China is challenging India’s long-held dominance of the African market for antimalarial drugs in 12 of the continent’s hardest-hit countries, according to a new study. Last year, Chinese exports of antimalarial drugs reached US$89.3 million, nearly matching India’s US$89.6 million, according to Indian market research company Sol Gravitas. The gap has closed significantly since 2021, when Indian exports stood at US$121 million compared with US$62.6 million for China. Separately, the study...
Moonshot tweaks the hack out of latest AI model
Moonshot AI has reduced the cyber-offensive capabilities of its newest model, the Chinese startup said on Saturday, as fears grow that increasingly autonomous artificial intelligence could turbocharge hacking. Beijing-based Moonshot announced the curbs while introducing Kimi K3.1 Pro, which it describes as its most capable three-trillion-parameter-class open-weight model. The company plans to publish the model's weights – files allowing outside developers to run and modify it on their own systems – by November 4. Moonshot said it removed cyber-related data from the training corpus and reinforcement-learning environments used to develop the model while retaining general coding skills. "We aim not to release open weights that would extend the absolute frontier of cyber capability," the company said. Governments, technology companies and security researchers are growing increasingly concerned that AI could make sophisticated hacking easier and cheaper. Models that can write code, operate software tools and complete long, multi-step tasks may help users identify weaknesses in programs and automate parts of cyberattacks. China proposed export controls last week that would ban exports of AI-driven malware-generation and mutation technology and restrict AI-assisted vulnerability-discovery tools. The draft measures, which remain open for public comment, cite the risk that such capabilities could be used against critical infrastructure, defence-industrial and core government systems, or to bypass security protections. Moonshot said open-weight models can improve security by helping more organisations inspect and secure their own software, including older systems that receive little attention. Unlike proprietary, closed-weight AI systems, however, open-weight releases make central oversight more difficult. Once the files are widely distributed, the original developer has less ability to restrict access, monitor use or update safeguards than with a hosted service. K3.1 Pro scored 81 percent on its internal cyber benchmark, compared with 90.5 percent for a similar version without the risk-reduction measures, the company said. The test involved finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities in a controlled environment. Moonshot said the comparison showed that filtering cyber-related data reduced the model's offensive cyber performance, although it still outperformed its predecessor. The results have not been independently verified. K3.1 Pro has a one-million-token context window, allowing it to process very large amounts of text at once. Moonshot also released a faster version, K3.1 Pro Highspeed, which it said runs at two to three times the speed of the standard model. (Reuters) Edited by Azam Khan
16,000 sign up for exam to drive taxis or ride-hailing cars in Hong Kong
About 16,000 Hong Kong residents have signed up for a joint exam to drive taxis or ride-hailing cars, the transport chief has said. Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the allocation arrangement for the 10,000 ride-hailing vehicle permits would be announced in November, with the government considering increasing the odds for certain drivers in the lottery draw. “We are pleased to see the enthusiastic response to the joint examination....
Over 5,000 rescuers deployed after M7.0 earthquake hit China's Xizang
Rescue operations are now in the critical "golden period." More than 5,000 personnel from various rescue teams have been deployed across the affected area, conducting door-to-door and site-by-site searches.
China-Europe freight train trips on eastern corridor hit record high
The number of China-Europe freight train trips through the network's eastern corridor reached a record high so far this year, while the range of goods transported has increasingly shifted toward higher-value, technology-intensive products.
Hong Kong customs seizes 600 million illicit cigarettes in first 9 months of 2026
Hong Kong customs officers seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks in the first three quarters of this year, the department chief has said, as he revealed plans to roll out more advanced contraband detection equipment. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat told a radio programme on Saturday that the seizures in the first nine months this year nearly matched the 2025 total. He said that of the 600 million sticks seized, 200 million were destined for other locations but were...
2026 Baoji Marathon: A warm welcome on and beyond the course
The 2026 Baoji Marathon is set to kick off on October 25, with the host city giving runners a warm welcome through complimentary traditional breakfasts and special offers beyond the racecourse. Participants can use their race bibs to claim vouchers, enjoy discounts on shopping and entertainment and gain free entry to selected tourist attractions.