HK$260 million equates to, if the numbers are similar to last time out, about HK$59,239 per ballot.
Hong Kong to hold ‘patriots only’ Election Committee polls in November
A small-circle election for the powerful electoral body that chooses Hong Kong’s chief executive will be held on November 22 this year.
hongkongfp.com
The regime evidently feels Joshua Wong's profile is still too high to let him out of prison. Wong is approaching the end of 4 years and 8 months inside for involvement in a primary election – which, and it feels important to mention this, was not then illegal in Hong Kong.
Joshua Wong to plead guilty, face second nat. security jail term in September
Activist Joshua Wong is set to plead guilty and face sentencing for a foreign collusion charge in September.
hongkongfp.com
"When I first saw the Meersbrook robots, they had been decorated. Someone had put handwritten name tags on them all. This way you could distinguish them, recognise them, humanise them even." – @seanmorl.com #cyberpunk nowthenmagazine.com/articles/why...
Why Do I Hate The Delivery Robots?
Full conscription into the machine war has expanded to Sheffield. I went to meet our mechanical overlords in Meersbrook Park.
nowthenmagazine.com
Halliburton in West Papua It is already a conflict and militarized region * resource extraction has long been tied to: * military presence * displacement * infrastructure expansion So this “technical oil deal” sits inside a much bigger geopolitical and human context.
Halliburton Indonesia signs agreement on idle wells in Papua
By Romel S Gurky Oilfield services company Halliburton Indonesia has signed a confidentiality agreement with PT
petromindo.com
Of course the PRC would *never* enact a "Made in China" plan that they kinda stop talking about after a few years as it doesn't meet its targets... hongkongfp.com/2026/04/27/c...
China threatens countermeasures if EU enacts 'Made in Europe' plan
Beijing slammed on Monday an EU plan aimed to bolster the bloc's industries against fierce competition from China, vowing countermeasures if it is enacted.
hongkongfp.com
Sure, Brent crude prices are up 60% but maybe there's a silver lining – is this the time for the long-awaited buggy-whip manufacturing resurgence?
Andy Weir went to the effort of finding out the tone mark on a character's surname, why *should* Andy Weir look up the tones on a given name, or how Hanyu Pinyin capitalizes and doesn't hyphenate them? Andy Weir's already meeting you foreigners halfway.
![Photo of redacted text from the novel Project Hail Mary: Next I carry Commander Yáo to the airlock. [...] "Yáo Li-Jie," I say. I don't know how I remembered his given name. It just came to me in the moment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:s2nhsxtpejpp5ctlsipx266e/bafkreif25zlvbgu4pkh2iyc5jbws4pvv4y6ranscakkv4tdj7nbbxq6etm)
a national security trial with bail allowed? and a jury? and a judge not hand-picked by the prosecution? It'll never catch on.
Joel Chan@kjoules.org · 5mo agoDay 2 recap of the national security trial in London, in which the court heard that a UK Border Force officer was given tasks from an HKETO employee who was a retired officer from the Hong Kong Police Force www.bbc.com/news/article...
This piece touches on HKers’ sympathies for Ukraine stemming from 2019 (and I’d argue 2014 too). The situation is different obviously, but you can also understand why some HKers choose to fight - and die - for Ukraine
Global Voices@globalvoices.org · 5mo agoNid sees parallels between Ukraine’s resistance and Hong Kong’s own struggles. “We’re both being occupied by a neighboring power that’s gradually eroding our political autonomy and assimilating us.”
58.07% voter turnout in Nepal... is, somewhat incredibly, the lowest since 1991. kathmandupost.com/politics/202...
58.07% turnout in peaceful polls as Nepal seeks stability after political upheaval
Voter turnout, as per the preliminary report, is the lowest since the 1991 democratic elections.
kathmandupost.com
"it announces the policy of “transforming outdated customs and traditions” [移风易俗] and “promoting a new culture of civility and progress” (id.) ... appears to reflect the common stereotype that all ethnic minorities are “backward” and to curtail their distinctive cultural and religious practices."
NPC 2026: China to Enshrine Xi-Era Ethnic Policy in New Law
China's new assimilationist ethnic policy mandates forging a common Han-centric Chinese culture and identity, while muting minority identity expression.
npcobserver.com
Hot take: most of the students who you laughed at for majoring in critical theory or comparative lit dense in French theory are more prepared for the 21st Century than computer scientists and engineers.
man that China-Iran 25-Year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is really paying off huh
this is all a smokescreen for there not really being a hospital ship going to Greenland
1/5 Bloomberg: "The scale of the problem is staggering. Trade data released Thursday showed a record $112 billion gap between what China reported exporting to the US and what US Customs said actually arrived last year." www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
China’s $112 Billion Cargo Gap Shows Record US Tariff Evasion
Phantom importers, sky high tariffs and suspiciously cheap shipping offers are fueling a surge in trade fraud, leaving law-abiding American businesses to foot the bill.
bloomberg.com
I know you think human rights are good but what if we showed you a boring museum and a train that goes quite fast
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP@hongkongfp.com · 5mo agoThe Hong Kong government is organising exchange tours to mainland China as part of a project to rehabilitate protesters and activists who have been jailed. 🔗 buff.ly/RlHd8iq
or as it's otherwise known, the absolute state of the union
"Alysa Liu won a gold medal in Milan. But the deeper victory belongs to a family that refused to be silenced and to a daughter who turned a story of surveillance and intimidation into one of resilience and triumph." bitterwinter.org/the-winter-o...
The Winter Olympics Story Beijing Does Not Want You to Read
U.S. gold medalist Alysa Liu and her Chinese family have a story of dissent, standing up for the Uyghurs, and being harassed by CCP spies.
bitterwinter.org
Could not finish the Michael Gove episode of Armando Ianucci's radio show/podcast. Just ugh. Slimy.
Marxist activists went to jail for labor organizing but it’s fine. Healthcare has famously been not affordable for most people but that’s not relevant to Americans
To be clear, Handy Prince Andy's been arrested for Naughty Admin, not for any of the nonce stuff. In case any rich men were worried.
I got recommended the CIA's YouTube ad for PLA whistleblowers. Pretty good, actually. Well made. Here's the info screen at the end.
Evil beyond measure means, of course, that it's impossible to describe what he did wrong.
HK Hemlock@hkbiglychee.bsky.social · 6mo agoWhat did Jimmy Lai do, exactly?
When we say CCP politics often can’t be distinguished from MAGA and ultranationalists, we mean stuff like this:
"FCC President Morgan Davis said they had 'no comment at this time,' whilst HKJA Chair Selina Cheng said she was 'unable to speak freely about the sentencing.'"
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP@hongkongfp.com · 6mo agoNeither the Hong Kong Journalists Association nor the local Foreign Correspondents' Club has posted statements on Monday's jailing of media tycoon Jimmy Lai. In full: buff.ly/e4l2eHc
Disappointed to learn Bad Bunny wore Zara, effectively promoting the brand to millions. Although Zara has made admirable strides to address labor conditions, fast fashion can never be ethical because it depends on rapid production and cheap prices, which results in worker exploitation.
