China logged an overall increase in travel during the just-concluded Chinese New Year break compared with last year’s holiday period, but analysts said spending per capita stayed flat. The country saw 596 million domestic trips over the extended public holiday that ended on Monday, a year-on-year increase of 95 million, Xinhua reported. About 17.8 million cross-border trips were logged over the same period, it added. Chinese New Year is a crucial period for the travel sector as hundreds of...

China has doubled down on its hard line against any nuclear escalation in Ukraine and called for restraint as Russia claimed that Britain and France were planning to give Kyiv nukes. Asked about Moscow’s accusation towards the two European nations, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged all sides to avoid actions that could cause misunderstandings or escalate tensions. “We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and avoid any moves that may lead to...

The Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for family reunions, but this year a growing number of young Chinese people chose to avoid going home. This year’s Spring Festival holiday took place between February 15 and 23, which is the longest break in recent years. The tradition of family reunion during the holiday also leads to the annual chunyun, or Spring Festival travel rush, which is known as the world’s largest human migration. This year’s chunyun lasts 40 days from February 2 to March...

Hong Kong’s financial chief has defended his latest budget against public criticism over the lack of sweeteners, stressing that the government must balance its finances with long-term investments for the city’s benefit. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Thursday he would brief credit-rating agencies and the International Monetary Fund next month on his budget, including the proposed HK$150 billion (US$19.2 billion) transfer from the Exchange Fund to support infrastructure projects. His...

Hong Kong’s early childhood education sector will receive its lowest level of subsidy in more than a decade as the number of preschools falls to a 13-year low, with the government cancelling two grants for kindergartens in the new school year. According to the annual budget announced on Wednesday, the early childhood sector will receive only HK$4.5 billion (US$575 million) from the government in the 2026–27 financial year, representing a 6.6 per cent drop from the current year. “This is mainly...

A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar missing since his release from a Buffalo jail into the custody of US Border Patrol has been found dead on a downtown street, according to city authorities on Wednesday. Police officers in the upstate New York city located the body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, on Tuesday evening, the Buffalo Police Department said. Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when US Border Patrol agents dropped ‌him off at a coffee shop miles from his home following his...

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), which operates Asia’s third-largest stock exchange, reported a record-high annual profit for the second straight year, thanks to higher market turnover and robust listing activity, it said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday. Net profit in 2025 increased 36 per cent to HK$17.75 billion (US$2.28 billion), or HK$14.05 per share, from HK$13 billion a year earlier, which was also a record. The result beat market expectations of HK$17.44 billion. The bourse...