Hong Kong

A landmark floating restaurant that fed Cantonese cuisine and seafood to Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise and millions of other diners was towed from the Hong Kong harbor front on June 14 after being closed by the pandemic.

The parent company of Jumbo Floating Restaurant couldn't find a new owner and lacked funds to maintain it after months of COVID-19 restrictions.

Global stock markets and Wall Street futures advanced yesterday after the downturn in China's service industries eased and news reports said the Biden administration might lift U.S. tariffs on some Chinese imports.

London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices gained to stay close to $120 per barrel.

A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement was anointed the business hub's new leader on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.

John Lee, 64, was the only candidate in the Beijing-backed race to succeed outgoing leader Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam announced Monday that she will step down in June, ending a divisive term that saw democracy protests squashed and strict pandemic curbs plunge the business hub into international isolation.

Ending months of speculation, Lam confirmed she would not seek a second term when a committee made up of the city's political elite chooses a new leader next month.

Hong Kong's national security law has created a "human rights emergency", Amnesty International said on June 30, a year after China imposed it on the city to crush a pro-democracy movement.

China’s Deputy National Security Minister left his country via Hong Kong and sought refuge in the US

Four Turkish artists will join the London Climate Action Week (LCAW) with an online art exhibition, organizers said on June 18.

Selva Özelli, Semine Hazar, Fatma Kadir and İlhan Sayın are joining this year's first part of the LCAW, which will run from June 26 to July 4, according to a statement by Özelli.

Özelli prepared and curated seven new art shows for the event.

Hong Kong media tycoon and outspoken pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to more jail time on May 28 over his role in an anti-government protest in 2019, as authorities step up a crackdown on dissent in the city.

Hong Kong came in 3rd

China has sharply reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislature in a setback for the democracy movement. The changes were announced on March 30 after a two-day meeting of China's top legislature.

China's top legislature approved amendments to Hong Kong's constitution on March 30 that will give Beijing more control over the makeup of the city's legislature.