Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

10% year-on-year sales boost expected for Hong Kong eateries on handover holiday
Hong Kong’s restaurant industry is anticipating a 10 per cent boost in business on Tuesday compared to last year, with an industry leader noting that the increased number of over 3,800 eateries offering discounts to celebrate the city’s handover...

Original Birkin Bag Sells At Auction For Record $10Mn
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The original bag custom-made for actress Jane Birkin, which became one of the era-defining designs of the 20th century, was sold in Paris yesterday for a record €8.6mn ($10.04mn), auctioneer Sotheby's said. According to...

SG-founded eSIM provider Airalo becomes unicorn after $220m CVC-led funding
Singapore-founded travel eSIM provider Airalo has raised $220 million in a funding round led by European private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, lifting its valuation above $1 billion and making it the latest entrant to the region’s unicorn...
Australians in '$280 million Euro summer surge' — and emerging holiday hotspots
European summer spending is set for a rebound, one of Australia's biggest banks predicts, with travellers also looking to other destinations to escape the winter at home. ANZ says customers travelling to Europe across June, July, and August will...

Tourists to Japan spooked after comic book predicts doomsday
TOKYO — Viral rumours of impending disaster stemming from a comic book prediction have taken the sheen off Japan's tourism boom, with some airlines cancelling flights from Hong Kong, where passenger numbers have plunged. Japan has seen record...

Last Hong Kong pro-democracy party that held street protests disbands
Photographers take pictures of the members of the League of Social Democrats scuffling with police outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the national security trail for the pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2023. (AP...

SL Government to Curb Generous Tax Holidays under IMF Reforms
By: Staff Writer July 06, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has agreed to halt the approval of new tax concessions under the Port City Act and the Strategic Development Projects (SDP) Act, as part of a broader reform agenda under the International Monetary...

Travel plans on hold? Manga predictions stir Japan trip doubts
Viral rumors of impending disaster stemming from a comic book prediction have taken the sheen off Japan's tourism boom, with some airlines canceling flights from Hong Kong, where passenger numbers have plunged. Japan has seen record numbers of...
Getting real on Good Class Bungalow prices
[SINGAPORE] Some time last year, a 30-year-old bungalow in Peirce Hill owned by Kelly Chen, the wife of failed Three Arrows Capital co-founder Kyle Davies, was quietly put on the market at an asking price of S$45 million. No deal materialised...

Travel Food Services IPO opens on July 7: Check out 10 key things to know from RHP before investing
Travel Food Services IPO date of subscription is scheduled for Monday, July 7, and will close on Wednesday, July 9. Travel Food Services IPO price band has been fixed in the range of ₹1,045 to ₹1,100 per equity share of the face value of Re 1. The...

Hong Kong eatery run by the disabled needs new partner to keep mission going
Hong Kong’s social enterprises empowering vulnerable communities are struggling to survive amid a dire economy. In the first of a two-part series, the Post looks at how a Singapore-based catering business is trying to chart a new path forward for...

National Security Law for Hong Kong heralds fifth anniversary
Illustration: Liu Rui/GT June 30 marks the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Monday that the law has...

Over 2.85m HK vehicles cross Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge northbound
A view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, June 9, 2025. /VCG A view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, June 9, 2025. /VCG As of 9 a.m. Monday, the number...

StarCruises’ Star Voyager makes its maiden voyage to Hong Kong
StarCruises marked a glorious return to Hong Kong with the inaugural arrival of its vessel Star Voyager on Friday, 27th June. The vessel’s arrival heralded the beginning of a vibrant 2025 cruise season from one of the world’s premier cruise hubs....

First Half: Mainland Investors Pile $90bn Into Hong Kong Shares
Investors from the Chinese mainland have reportedly ploughed a record $90 billion into Hong Kong shares in the first half of 2025. The Hang Seng Index has risen by a formidable 21% over the first six months of this year, lured by lower valuations...

Hong Kong’s Latest National Security Taboos: 4th of July and a Video Game
Following the Hong Kong authorities’ ban of the allegedly “seditious” mobile game “Reversed Front: Bonfire,” the Hong Kong education bureau warned teachers against participating in U.S. Independence Day celebrations in the city. The latest...
Guangdong vehicles to be allowed into Hong Kong urban areas ‘in phases’ as gov’t vows to strengthen safeguards
Vehicles from neighbouring Guangdong province in mainland China will be allowed into Hong Kong’s urban areas “in phases” in a move to ease travel arrangements, transport chief Mable Chan has said, adding that authorities are drafting application...

Building A Mainstream Hit-Song Brand: How Zhejiang Satellite TV's The Treasured Voice Season 6 Expands The Value Of Music Variety Shows
(MENAFN- GetNews) “I will wait for withered trees to bud, and for new blossoms to bloom...” As China's national college entrance exam (Gaokao) approached on June 6, Zhejiang Satellite TV partnered with Xinhua News Agency to release an encouraging...

Star Entertainment's Hong Kong backers threaten to soon exit Brisbane casino deal
(Corrects timing of shareholder approval to this month) By Shivangi Lahiri and Rishav Chatterjee Australia's Star Entertainment said on Monday that its Hong Kong-based investors had threatened to imminently withdraw from a deal for Brisbane's new...

How Hong Kong is wooing Muslim tourists with halal menus
At Chinesology restaurant in Hong Kong, culinary director Saito Chau creates char siu with Wagyu beef instead of pork, and uses "a secret sauce" to replace the rose cooking wine in the glaze. For him, the dish is not just another modern spin on a...