Lithium deposits formed by ancient volcanic activity may lie beneath parts of China’s battery manufacturing heartland, particularly along the southeastern coast, according to a new study. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, geologist Duan Zheng said that “potential targets for clay-type lithium deposits in southeastern China overlap with lithium battery industrial clusters in East and South China”. “Local supplies could significantly reduce transport costs and supply-chain risks,”...

South Korea wants to take back wartime command of its troops from the United States within the next two years, but analysts say Washington is refusing to commit to a date to keep a hold on a military it sees as vital to countering China. The dispute is over wartime operational control, known as OPCON, which the US has held since shortly after the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950. If fighting were to break out again under the current arrangements, designated South Korean units would be assigned...

Hong Kong lawmakers have raised concerns about the hefty cost of developing a flagship tech hub and a neighbouring wetland park near the city’s border with mainland China, as the government seeks to secure a fresh HK$27 billion for the second round of works. During a Legislative Council development panel meeting on Tuesday, government officials explained the HK$27.2 billion proposal. It covers forming 175 hectares (432 acres) of land at the San Tin Technopole, establishing more than one-third of...

Warning: graphic content follows. Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s dismembered remains were found inside a rural village flat that reeked of disinfectant when police arrived at the scene three days after the model’s alleged murder, a court has heard. A police detective involved in the investigation said on Tuesday that officers cordoned off the 600 square foot rental flat in Tai Po’s Lung Mei village on the evening of February 24, 2023, after he found human remains and an array of...

Hong Kong lawmakers have been given a pay rise retroactive to October 1 after a one-year pay freeze, bringing their monthly basic salary to more than HK$110,000. Outgoing and newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers meet the press on December 9, 2025. Photo: HKFP. Sing Tao Daily reported on Tuesday morning that legislators had received an unannounced 1.6 per cent pay rise, although the Legislative Council updated figures on its website. Following the pay rise, lawmakers will receive a basic monthly salary of HK$110,053, an increase of HK$1,740. The maximum medical allowance will also be increased by 1.6 per cent to HK$38,500 per year. The basic salary of Legislative Council President Starry Lee is double that of other lawmakers, bringing her basic monthly salary to HK$221,060. Chan Chun-ying, chairman of LegCo’s House Committee, receives 1.5 times the basic monthly salary of other lawmakers, earning HK$165,800 per month after the pay rise. Lawmakers who currently serve as members of the Executive Council, including Kenneth Lau, Stanley Ng and Gary Chan, earn less compared to other legislators. Their monthly basic salary will rise from HK$72,530 to HK$73,690. ‘Justify their pay’ Hong Kong’s legislature was expanded from 60 to 70 seats in 2012. In 2021, Beijing overhauled the electoral system for the legislature, expanding it to 90 seats. Most traditional opposition figures remain in prison, have left politics, or have fled into self-imposed exile. Hong Kong legislator Starry Lee shakes hands with other lawmakers after being elected as Legislative Council president on January 8, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Earlier in October, Rita Fan, the first president of Hong Kong’s legislature after the 1997 Handover, said on RTHK that it was costing too much to sustain 90 lawmakers in the Legislative Council, citing the opinions of “a friend.” Sing Tao Daily reported on Tuesday that Fan’s remarks were widely discussed in political circles, and the public expected lawmakers’ performance to better “justify their pay.” Earlier this year, Hong Kong approved a 2 per cent pay rise for civil servants, judges and judicial officers, and a 1.3 per cent pay rise for top ministers and other political appointees.

A Hong Kong political commentator charged with revealing details of a national security probe has testified that he did not believe an investigation was underway. Wong On-yin’s YouTube Channel. Photo: Screenshot, via YouTube. Wong Kwok-ngon, known by his pen name Wong On-yin, continued his testimony at the District Court on Tuesday. The 72-year-old, who is representing himself, was arrested last December after publishing two YouTube videos discussing a meeting with national security police that took place the day before. Revealing details of a national security investigation is a crime under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO), the city’s homegrown security law known locally as Article 23. National security police had brought him in to discuss a press conference about the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire, which had occurred days earlier, at which Wong was scheduled to speak. In response to the prosecution’s questions, Wong confirmed that he did say in his video that he met the officers at Mong Kok Police Station, and that he described their ages and appearances. But he said he had put in considerable thought before publishing the videos, and that it was his judgement that police were not carrying out an investigation. Wong said he believed the meeting’s purpose was just for officers to stop the press conference from going ahead. District Court in Wan Chai. File photo: HKFP. Wong added that officers asked him what he planned to talk about during the press conference – which was eventually called off – and whether he had collaborated with any organisations. Therefore, he did not think there was a problem with talking about the meeting, he said. He also told the court that police handed him a confidentiality agreement during the meeting, but that he “basically did not look at it.” Media reports Tuesday marked the 12th day of the trial, in which Wong is representing himself. During the first day of his testimony, he told the court that he held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law. On Tuesday, Wong also said he did not consider it an act of disclosure when the information being discussed was already known to the public. Wong On-yin. Photo: Screenshot, via YouTube. Wong said the media had already reported the news that he had been taken in by national security police. When asked by the prosecution whether what he said in the videos – including the people he met with and what was discussed – went beyond what was reported in the media, Wong agreed. Wong also faces a sedition charge in relation to 30 commentary videos he posted between January and December last year. Tuesday’s hearing began with Wong playing four videos from his YouTube channel that were not among those 30. In those four videos, Wong talked about topics such as the Wang Fuk Court fire. For example, he spoke on controversies in renovation projects and the removal of four investigative articles by state-backed outlet Ta Kung Pao about the construction at the housing estate. He told the court he wanted to give a more complete picture of his commentary, and that he had never incited the public to take part in any action. The trial will continue on Wednesday.

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