Republican Congressman Rob Wittman on Thursday called the US killing of three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman “a very, very unfortunate incident”, claiming that the US military is trying to “determine exactly what happened”. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those Indian families who lost their loved ones there in that situation,” Wittman told the South China Morning Post. “I know that our United States military is looking into that to try to determine exactly what happened there, but...

A Malaysian mother of two broke down in tears as she begged for leniency from the sharia High Court in Melaka for attempting to have sex with another woman’s husband last year. According to Sinar Harian, the accused, Siti Iqbar Mazlan, 35, during the proceedings before Judge Abu Bakar Daud on Thursday said that she regretted her actions and also apologised to the man’s wife, Puteri Norfatimah Ishak, 25. According to the charges, Siti Iqbar and Hairul Mokhsin Zaini, 24, were found to have...

Prices for some new homes in Hong Kong have rebounded by as much as a third from the housing market’s lowest level a few years ago amid robust demand, according to analysts. Developers have priced new units this year in Tseung Kwan O, Wong Chuk Hang and Tai Wai between 7 and 36 per cent higher than those sold in the same projects or in the same districts in previous years, data tracked by JLL showed. The consultancy said that on average, prices for the first sales in new developments this year...

Hong Kong’s heritage advisers have endorsed designating a nearly 180-year-old temple and the city’s only mosque inside a prison as statutory monuments. The Antiquities Advisory Board proposed at a meeting on Thursday that Hung Shing Temple in Wan Chai and Stanley Mosque in Stanley Prison be elevated by the Antiquities Authority to the city’s highest tier of legal heritage protection. Both buildings currently have Grade 1 historic building status. Although one board member questioned whether the...

A viral stress-relief “Natasha” doll trending on Chinese social media has been deemed “absolutely diabolical” by members of Hong Kong’s Black community. Resembling a small child, the most popular version is dark-skinned and features exaggerated racial characteristics. Buyers have filmed themselves beating, stretching, boiling and stomping on the toy. The viral stress-relief “Natasha” doll trending on social media in China. Photo: HKFP screenshots. “No design is created, marketed, and sold in isolation of thought and purpose. The design, manufacturing, and selling of a Black baby doll to abuse at one’s whims is at the root of the existence of movements like Black Lives Matter,” Monique Franz, a writer and founder of Kinsman Avenue Publishing – a non-profit which advocates for underrepresented voices – told HKFP. Monique Franz, a writer and founder of Kinsman Avenue Publishing. Photo: Monique Franz. “By inviting people to take out their stresses on a Black body, we invite populations to abuse our Black bodies at their whims, robbing us of our actual humanity. While this is a game to others, Black people are experiencing widespread global abuse, which is the result of portrayals of us in such degrading ways,” added Franz, who is African-American. Jayne Jeje, an African-American entrepreneur and advocate based in Hong Kong. Photo: Jayne Jeje. Made from slow-rising memory foam or soft thermoplastic rubber, the dolls remain freely available on e-commerce sites such as Taobao, and have been trending on social media platforms like RedNote and Douyin. Jayne Jeje, an African-American entrepreneur, advocate, and long-term Hong Kong resident, told HKFP that such trends do not come out of nowhere. “There seems to be an endless fascination with Black hair, Black skin, Black lips, Black bodies, and Black culture, yet people are shocked when we speak up,” she said. “Some of the viral videos are absolutely diabolical. I’d find them offensive no matter who was being depicted, but this is deeply personal because I am proud of my beautiful dark skin. I refuse to accept the idea that it is something to be squeezed, slapped, mocked, or turned into entertainment for the masses,” she added. Spotted in Hong Kong Londiwe Ngubeni – a South African actress and vocalist who lives on Lantau – told HKFP that she spotted a child with a Natasha doll at a Mui Wo supermarket. “At first, I thought she simply liked the toy. Then she began stretching, squeezing, poking the eyes and hitting the doll. When I asked why, she said it was a ‘stress reliever.’ How is relieving stress by hurting a brown baby doll acceptable?” Londiwe Ngubeni, also known as MsLolo, a Hong Kong-based actress, vocalist and model. Photo: Londiwe Ngubeni. Ngubeni said she was furious and disappointed. The child “said her friend had given it to her. What message are we teaching children when dehumanising a Black child becomes a plaything?” Londiwe Ngubeni spotted a child with a Natasha doll at a Mui Wo supermarket. Photo: Londiwe Ngubeni. She urged manufacturers and retailers to be held to account over “products that reinforce racist attitudes.” Innocent Mutanga of NGO Africa Center Hong Kong said the trend “risks normalising the dehumanisation of Black bodies… This is particularly disturbing as this dehumanization is directed towards Black children, demonstrating a lack of empathy for Black people, no matter the age.” He said the China Consumers Association and State Administration for Market Regulation had stepped in to remove violent videos, with schools in mainland China banning the doll. Although Mutanga said guidance was issued to e-commerce sites in mainland China, the product was still available on Taobao when HKFP checked on Thursday. Innocent Mutanga. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Mutanga urged teachers, parents and community leaders across the Greater Bay Region to link up with the Africa Centre to step up education, as people may lack “exposure to African cultures and histories.” “Natasha” dolls remain available on China’s shopping platform Taobao, on June 11, 2026. Photo: HKFP screenshot. Chinese social media has played host to similarly abusive trends involving Black children before. In 2022, a BBC investigation found that children in sub-Saharan Africa were being paid to perform in Chinese online videos that often involved degrading or abusive content.

Two Hong Kong officials have condemned “groundless accusations” against a recent update to the city’s homegrown national security law, which empowers the chief executive to certify any criminal case as a national security offence. Secretary for Security Chris Tang speaks at LegCo. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Secretary for Security Chris Tang told the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Thursday afternoon that he noticed some people had misunderstood or “deliberately misinterpreted” the subsidiary legislation. They tried to intimidate the public by claiming that the subsidiary law would widen the scope of national security offences, turning minor offences into national security crimes, he said. The security chief called the accusations “false, misleading, deceptive, and scaremongering” and said some people were attempting to incite hatred towards the government. “Some people delivered alarmist remarks, saying that the government can randomly certify any acts of the public as national security offences. Those people may have ulterior motives or are cruel-hearted, hoping to incite others’ hatred of the HKSAR,” Tang said in Cantonese. Also speaking at LegCo, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said he noticed “some media outlets with ulterior motives, foreign forces, and fugitives” had made “groundless accusations” against the national security law. The two ministers delivered their remarks during LegCo’s first meeting to review the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation, a subsidiary legislation of the homegrown national security law, commonly known as Article 23. Authorities enacted the subsidiary law through the “negative vetting” mechanism, which allows the law to be gazetted and to take effect before legislative scrutiny. The law came into effect on Tuesday, one day after the government tabled the bill in LegCo. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam at LegCo. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Lam, the justice chief, said that the subsidiary legislation was necessary to further explain articles in the Beijing-imposed national security law and Article 23, which stipulate that the chief executive should have the power to determine whether a criminal case involves national security. In its proposal, the government cited the “legislative intent” of the Beijing-imposed national security law, saying that offences endangering national security include not only the four types of offences under the national security law, but also “other offences endangering national security under the law of the HKSAR.” Lam said the recent legislative update was intended to further define “other offences endangering national security under the law of the HKSAR,” and it did not introduce any new power or new offences. Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee said the new subsidiary legislation “is purely to make the law even clearer.”

China to legislate on preschool education

China to legislate on preschool education

The US military had attacked the Palau-flagged tanker on Wednesday after accusing it of not complying with directions.

Twenty people died and 120 others were injured in the explosion at the Erawan shrine 11 years ago.

US President Donald Trump claims Washington and Tehran have reached a ‘great settlement’ and are finalising documents

SpaceX’s IPO could challenge pension funds as concerns grow over its valuation and governance structure under Musk.