Banks race to ramp up AI defenses as deposits fall after cyberattacks

Before she addresses the world from behind the White House briefing room podium this week, 42-year-old Katie Zacharia has a story that stretches far beyond Washington’s power corridors. Years before US President Donald Trump appointed her as his new press secretary, she lived in Beijing, worked at one of China’s leading law firms, and learned enough Chinese to occasionally surprise people. Her reported experience in China spans international law and a communications role with a non-profit...

The revamped Huanggang checkpoint is a “critical milestone” for the connectivity of the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong’s leader has said, as the city and Shenzhen count down to its launch on Monday. Speaking at a ceremony on Sunday, Chief Executive John Lee-Ka Chiu said the Huanggang control point was a “landmark project” built and shared through the joint efforts of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. “Hong Kong unveiled its first five-year plan last month to proactively align with the national 15th five-year...

The Coalition argues fewer, higher-skilled migrants would strengthen the economy and ease housing pressures.

The Apec finance ministers’ meeting in Hong Kong this month will focus on fiscal policies that support livelihoods, digital infrastructure financing, inclusive finance and young financial talent, underlining the city’s role as an international financial centre, the finance chief said. “These four priorities are areas of strength for Hong Kong and fields in which we can make an active contribution,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po wrote in his weekly blog on Sunday. “Hosting the finance...

Buying a round of beers will punish your wallet in some cities more than others. Use our interactive to see how much the cost of your favourite froth has risen over time.

Admission scores for physiotherapy degree programmes at three Hong Kong tertiary institutions fell by as much as 10 per cent this year compared with 2025, amid gloomy career prospects in the sector, the latest data shows. The decline prompted the professional body for physiotherapists to call on the government to halt healthcare funding cuts in the next budget, saying they had contributed to a jobs crunch in the sector. Across four institutions, 23 per cent of students admitted to physiotherapy...

Materials scientist and chemist Antonio Facchetti, formerly of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, has joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as a chair professor in its newly established department of materials. Facchetti, who was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering last year for his “contributions to the engineering of commercially viable electronic materials and devices”, researches semiconductors, dielectrics for thin-film and...

Months before the Imperial Japanese Navy surprise attacked Hawaii, Qantas would take delivery of its first Catalina PBY boat planes on the island.

Curtin University vice chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne expressed deep concern about the merger and said the institution is planning to oppose the proposal.

A woman has been questioned in court whether sending an emoji meant she left “the possibility open” for boundaries to be broken.

A controversial decision by Hong Kong authorities to award a lifeguard and first aid services contract worth more than HK$122 million (US$15.6 million) to a company previously found to have failed to provide the required staffing at swimming pools has sparked concerns over whether public funds are being used prudently. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department on Saturday defended the decision, saying it was satisfied with Spotlight Enterprises’ performance over the past two years and that it...

Locals have accused council of ignoring the concerns of residents after the release of a new master plan for a redevelopment in Liverpool.