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Halloween revelers in Shanghai on Sunday. Video shared on social media and geolocated by NBC News shows dozens of police officers crossing a road near Zhongshan Park where Halloween revelers gathered in recent days. My 6-year-old was wearing a hat with a pirate emblem, and they even asked him to take it off,” read one comment Sunday from a Shanghai resident on Chinese social media platform Weibo. There was no official announcement of an outright ban or clear restrictions on Halloween activities from Shanghai officials, but local businesses reported receiving notices. Halloween-related activities appeared to go ahead as planned at Shanghai Disneyland and another theme park, Happy Valley.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: HONG KONG — Police, Publishing, Getty, Shanghai, NBC News, Police, Shanghai Information, Reuters Locations: HONG KONG, Shanghai, China, Zhongshan Park, Weibo, Jing, Zhongshan

☆ This crypto business just acquired a Swiss asset manager to take their business to the next level
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The acquisition of Crypto Finance Asset Management by Matrixport is taking the crypto financial services hub into new markets. The new acquisition is an entry point to the European crypto asset management marketKeen to maximize what it offers its investors, Matrixport has gone one step further through the 100% equity acquisition of Crypto Finance (Asset Management) AG (CFAM), a licensed Swiss crypto asset manager. Previously part of the Deutsche Börse Group-owned Crypto Finance Group, following the all-cash acquisition, CFAM will be renamed to Matrixport Asset Management (MAM). Through the acquisition, Matrixport gains entry into the European crypto asset management market. With such an array of services available, the acquisition enables clients access to innovative crypto asset management products.

Persons: Matrixport, Keen, CFAM Organizations: Crypto Finance, Management, Asset Management, Deutsche Börse, Matrixport Asset, Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, MAM, US Securities, Exchange, underwriters, APEX Group, Insider Studios Locations: Swiss, Europe, Hong Kong, Matrixport

With most of the population gone, residents of one village in Japan have come up with a novel plan to make it less lonely — replacing people with puppets. Fewer than 60 people live in Ichinono, and most of them are past retirement age as younger people have moved away for jobs or education. So, using old clothes, fabrics and mannequins, residents have stitched together their own population of puppets to keep them company. “We’re probably outnumbered by puppets,” Hisayo Yamazaki, an 88-year-old widow, told the Agence France-Presse news agency. Hisayo Yamazaki standing next to the puppets outside her house in Ichinono.

Persons: “ We’re, Hisayo Yamazaki, Philip Fong, Yamazaki, ” Organizations: Agence France, Presse, Getty, Internal Affairs Ministry Locations: Japan, Ichinono, AFP

“If the North Koreans are actually sending troops to fight with the Russians, then clearly the level of Russian willingness to support North Korea, to help defend North Korea, is going to be equivalent,” he told NBC News in an interview Thursday. “And that really, in many ways, supplants China as North Korea’s most important protector.”Ukraine says 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, could join fight starting SundayThe U.S. and its ally South Korea say 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia, with the total expected to reach 12,000. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday in a post on X that the first North Korean soldiers were expected to be deployed in combat zones as early as Sunday. The entry of North Korean troops into the Ukraine war could also lead to even further escalation of the conflict. “I think that the North Korea move is a big part of that, frankly,” Bremmer said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, ”, Ian Bremmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kim, Putin didn’t, We’ll, “, Kim Yong, Lloyd Austin, Bremmer, Xi Jinping, ” Bremmer, Lin Jian, Wang Yi, Xi, Putin Organizations: U.S, North, Getty, Eurasia Group, NBC News, Korean, Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s, Directorate of Intelligence, Ukrainian, Centre, Strategic Communication, Security, Putin, United Nations, South Korean Defense, U.S ., South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, South Korean National Intelligence Service, AFP, Foreign Ministry, Foreign, Kremlin Locations: HONG KONG — North, Ukraine, Washington, Korea, Russia, China, Pyongyang, Beijing, New York, Koreans, North Korea, North, ” Ukraine, South Korea, Vietnam, Russian, Kursk, Russia’s Far, Kazan, U.S, Korean, Washington . South, Moscow, North Korean, Japan

☆ Global institutional investors not back in Hong Kong yet: CIO
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGlobal institutional investors not back in Hong Kong yet: CIOQi Wang, Chief Investment Officer of UOB Kay Hian Wealth Management, says "big money" hasn't returned to Hong Kong yet, despite recent strength and new listings on the market.

Persons: Qi Wang, UOB Kay, hasn't Organizations: Global, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Management Locations: Hong Kong

BEIJING — The United States will judge China “on its actions, not just its words,” U.S. “It’s very important that we have these channels of communication,” Burns said in an exclusive interview in Beijing on Wednesday. “We want to be responsible for our own people, but also for the world as we conduct this relationship,” Burns said. During their summit last year, the two leaders said there should be more people-to-people exchanges between their countries, including in academics, business and tourism. It’s a very challenging relationship,” Burns said.

Persons: China “, China Nicholas Burns, Burns, ” Burns, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Xi Jinping, It’s, ” Janis Mackey Frayer, Jennifer Jett Organizations: China, U.S, NBC, Pacific, Ukraine, Chinese Commerce Ministry, United Nations, Biden, Embassy, Foreign Ministry, American Chamber of Commerce Locations: BEIJING, United States, China, U.S, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Asia, Pacific, South, Taiwan, Washington, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, Gaza, Israel, California, Shanghai

HONG KONG — Scientists have discovered dinosaur fossils for the first time in Hong Kong. The bones were “scattered, fragmented, and weathered” when unearthed in a UNESCO-listed geopark in the Chinese territory’s Port Island, authorities said in a separate handout. “Experts infer that the dinosaur may have been buried by sand and gravel after its death, later exposed to the surface by floods, and then reburied at the discovery site,” it said. Hong Kong has previously found many plant and animal fossils, including ostracod and ammonite fossils from about 400 to 190 million years ago, but this is the first time dinosaur fossils have been unearthed in the city, the handout said. “The discovery of this dinosaur fossil is considered very lucky,” it said, noting that despite Hong Kong’s Jurassic to Cretaceous geological layers, which could contain dinosaur fossils, local researchers had not found any in more than a century of geological surveys.

Persons: Hong Kong Organizations: HONG KONG —, UNESCO Locations: HONG, Hong Kong, Port Island, Hong

☆ First-ever dinosaur fossils discovered in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Karina Tsui | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Dinosaur fossils have been discovered for the first time in Hong Kong, on a remote island in the financial capital’s countryside. Hong Kong’s Secretary of Development Bernadette Linn said that “the discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong,” the statement read. The dinosaur fossils will also be on public display at Hong Kong’s Heritage Discovery Centre from Friday onwards. Hong Kong's Antiquities and Monu/APExperts in paleontology say the landmark discovery is a big deal for Hong Kong, a city with a complex geological history and ever-changing weather patterns. The only “dinosaur-era things” Hong Kong has found so far are plants and fish, he said.

Persons: Bernadette Linn, ” Michael Pittman, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Pittman, ” Pittman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries, Conservation Department, Kong’s, Hong Kong’s, Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global, Hong Kong’s Heritage Discovery, Vertebrate Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kong's, AP, Chinese University of Hong, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Port Island, Port, Hong Kong’s UNESCO, Hong Kong's Port Island, China, Yunnan, Jiangxi province, East Asia

☆ A K-pop star was photographed kissing a woman. Fans decided he should be fired for it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Larissa Gao | Larissa Gao Is An Associate Social Newsgathering Reporter Based In Hong Kong. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Within two days of his return, SM Entertainment said Seunghan was out again, leading fans to post triumphant videos showing them dancing in front of the funeral wreaths. “Many fans, mostly international fans, want him back in the group.”SM Entertainment did not respond to an emailed request for comment. “He made those teenage mistakes.”This is far from the first time that K-pop idols have fallen afoul of fans for having personal relationships. In March, Karina from Aespa, another SM Entertainment group, apologized for letting fans down after Korean media revealed her relationship with actor Lee Jae-wook. International fans are less invested in K-pop stars both emotionally and financially, said Stephanie Choi, a faculty expert on K-pop music at the University at Buffalo.

Persons: Seunghan, ” Seunghan, Shotaro, Anton, ” Tarryn McMurray, Arianna, ”, Jung, Yeon, “, RIIZE, sunbae, Yuki Shu, ” Hye Jin Lee, ” Lee, “ We’re, Karina, Aespa, Lee Jae, EXO’s Chen, HyunA, Dawn, ’, ” McMurray, Stephanie Choi Organizations: SM Entertainment, Getty, NBC News, Annenberg School for Communication, Journalism, University of Southern, Pentagon, Cube Entertainment, University at Buffalo, USC Locations: Korean, Seoul, Japan, United States, South Korea, British, Wisconsin, Seunghan, University of Southern California

Consistent with U.S. policy, Harris has also declined to say whether she would use military force to defend Taiwan. Instead she emphasizes the importance of military communications with China and supporting Taiwan’s ability to defend itself. Tariff talkThough Trump talks far more about China on the campaign trail than Harris does, neither of them have said much about how they would manage ties with Beijing. Biden has maintained and in some cases expanded tariffs on Chinese imports that Trump introduced as president, citing national security concerns. If she wins, Harris is expected to continue Biden’s targeted tariffs and restrictions on key Chinese tech sectors.

Persons: Trump, Xi, Harris, Biden, Wu Xinbo, ” Organizations: Washington, Wall Street, United States ’, Beijing, Trump, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Center for American Studies, Fudan University, “, Asia Society Policy Institute Locations: Taiwan, China, Ukraine, Washington, Asia, Shanghai, U.S

An Italian surfer died last week after being impaled by a swordfish while surfing in Indonesia, local media reported. Fabio Giulivi, the mayor of Manfrini’s hometown, Venaria, said the surfer was “tragically” taken from her loved ones in the prime of her life. “The news of her death has left us shocked and makes us feel powerless in the face of the tragedy that took her life so prematurely,” Giulivi wrote in an Instagram post. In August, an Australian man died after he hit his head on a reef while surfing in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Last year, American professional surfer Mikala Jones died after the fin of his surfboard severed an artery in his leg while surfing in Indonesia.

Persons: Giulia Manfrini, “, Lahmudin Siregar, Antara, ”, James Colston, Giulia couldn’t, ” “ Giulia, Fabio Giulivi, ” Giulivi, Mikala Jones Organizations: Disaster Management Agency Locations: Italian, Indonesia, Italy, Islands, Manfrini, London, Venaria, Australian, North Sumatra, American

☆ Pam Kaur: HSBC names first female chief financial officer, unveils a major overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A new leadership structure, which includes the appointment of Pam Kaur as the lender’s first female chief financial officer, would “unleash our full potential and drive success into the future,” CEO Georges Elhedery said in a memo to staff. The overhaul sees Elhedery tackle one of HSBC’s most intractable problems. HSBC (HSBC) did not say what the projected cost savings might be or indicate how many jobs would be affected, but more details could emerge when the bank reports third-quarter results on October 29. Kaur, 60, takes over as CFO having served as HSBC’s chief risk and compliance officer. She joined the bank in April 2013 as group head of internal audit.

Persons: London —, Pam Kaur, Georges Elhedery, Elhedery, ”, Ben Toms, Kaur, Colin Bell, Stephen Moss Organizations: London — HSBC, HSBC, RBC Capital Markets Locations: Hong Kong, London, United Kingdom, United States, France, Canada, Asia, Europe, East

King Charles III was heckled in Australia on Monday by an Indigenous senator who shouted “you’re not my king” as the British monarch finished a speech at Parliament House. The king, who is the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia in 13 years, was addressing lawmakers and other dignitaries in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital. “If he is the successor, then he needs to answer.”Queen Camilla and King Charles III during a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Monday. “Nothing stands still.”Earlier on Monday, a traditional Aboriginal welcoming ceremony was held for the royal couple outside Parliament House. “I can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom.”The king arrived in Australia last Friday.

Persons: King Charles III, “ you’re, ”, Queen Camilla, ” Lidia Thorpe, Charles, Anthony Albanese, “, ” Thorpe, Thorpe, “ We’ll, ” Queen Camilla, Victoria Jones, Queen Elizabeth II, ” Albanese, Albanese, we’ve, Australia’s, ” Charles Organizations: House, of Parliament House, Sky News, Getty Images Australia, Australia’s Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Nations, Australian Locations: Australia, British, Canberra, Commonwealth, Victoria, Pacific, Samoa

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Boeing, Kenvue, Humana, Warby Parker and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Humana , Cigna – Shares of both companies moved in opposite directions after Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Cigna resumed merger talks with Humana. Humana gained more than 4% while Cigna fell a similar amount. UPS – Shares fell nearly 2% after a downgrade to underweight from equal weight at Barclays. Southwest Airlines – Shares dipped more than 1% before the market open. ASML – Shares fell more than 1% after Bernstein lowered its price target on the Dutch semiconductor equipment stock.

Persons: Johnson, Warby Parker, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Cigna, Humana, Bernstein, —, Alex Harring, Samantha Subin, Jesse Pound, Hakyung Kim, Michelle Fox Theobald Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Johnson, Boeing, Bloomberg, Humana, –, Barclays, Amazon, Southwest Airlines, Elliott Investment Management, CNBC Locations: –

☆ Monkeys killed by soil infection at Hong Kong zoo, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong Reuters —Melioidosis, a bacterial infection, was responsible for killing at least nine monkeys at a Hong Kong zoo, authorities said, as a further two died over the weekend, taking the total to 11 in the past week. Part of the zoo, built in 1860 and the oldest park in Hong Kong, has remained shut since October 14 when authorities reported the first batch of monkey deaths. Autopsies found a large amount of the melioidosis-inducing bacteria in the monkeys organs, which likely came from soil near the monkeys habitat, they said. Visitors look at a buff-cheeked gibbon at Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens after 11 monkeys died of sepsis following melioidosis infection in the past week, in Hong Kong on October 21, 2024. Tyrone Siu/ReutersKevin Yeung, the city’s culture and tourism minister, told local public broadcaster RTHK that works at the zoo required digging up the soil near where the monkeys lived.

Persons: Hong Kong Reuters —, gibbon, Tyrone Siu, Kevin Yeung, “, ” Organizations: Hong Kong Reuters, Authorities, Hong Kong Zoological, RTHK, Workers Locations: Hong Kong, Hong

☆ 9 monkeys who died in Hong Kong zoo had been infected with melioidosis, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG — Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday. Another possibility is that some infected monkeys had close contact with other monkeys, he said. “The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work,” he said. Edwin Tsui, the controller of the center, said the incident only happened in a single zone and its impact on Hong Kong residents would be very low. The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens — the oldest park in the former British colony — fully opened to the public in 1871.

Persons: Kevin Yeung, melioidosis, Yeung, “ We’re, ”, Edwin Tsui Organizations: Culture, Hong Kong Zoological, Botanical Gardens, International Union for Conservation of, Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection, Leisure, Cultural Services Department, Agriculture, Fisheries, Conservation Department, Department of Health Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong’s, Hong, Hong Kong, Central

Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and other beaches around the Australian city were shut on Thursday as authorities investigated mysterious tar balls that have washed ashore. The dark, sticky, golf-ball-sized blobs were first reported Tuesday on Coogee Beach, leading to a series of beach closures across the city’s shores. The City Council of Randwick, a Sydney suburb that is home to four of the beaches, said preliminary test results showed that the blobs were tar balls, formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water. “We don’t yet know what has happened to produce the debris washing up on our beaches,” Mayor Dylan Parker said in a statement Thursday. The regulator said it was investigating the origin of the debris and whether it posed any risks to the community and environment.

Persons: Bronte, Tamarama, Dylan Parker Organizations: City Council of, ”, Environment Protection Authority Locations: Bondi, Coogee Beach, Gordons, Clovelly, Maroubra Beach, City Council of Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Congong, Little Bay, Malabar

☆ China pumps half a trillion dollars into beleaguered property sector. But that’s not enough
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Since then, economists have been expecting an additional stimulus package worth up to 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) to restore bullishness in the world’s second-largest economy. Chinese Housing Minister Ni Hong attends a press conference on the property sector in Beijing, China, on October 17, 2024. Widespread concernThe ailing property sector is widely believed to lie at the root of China’s numerous economic woes. It also cut the reserve requirement ratio for banks by half a percentage point, which would free up about 1 trillion yuan ($142 billion) for new lending. The resulting crisis has resulted in a precipitous fall in real estate prices and loss of confidence among consumers.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Housing Ministry didn’t, Larry Hu, “, ”, Ni, Minister Ni Hong, Florence Lo, Xiao Yuanqi, Pan Gongsheng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Housing Ministry, Macquarie, CNN, ” Investors, Ministry of Housing, Ni Hong, Minister, Administration Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Hong Kong leader announces measures to address housing crisis in annual policy address
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivers his annual policy address at the Legislative Council on Oct. 16, 2024, in Hong Kong. Hong Kong chief executive John Lee announced moves aimed at addressing the city's housing affordability crisis, calling it "an issue of great public concern" in an annual policy address on Wednesday. Under the plan, the Hong Kong Housing Authority will allocate an extra ballot number to applicants aged below 40 — a move that will increase their chances of being selected for the city's subsidized Home Ownership Scheme flats. He also said the government expects to complete about 9,500 new public housing units next year, moving toward a goal of completing about 30,000 units by 2027-2028. The current wait time for a public housing unit in Hong Kong is 5.5 years.

Persons: John Lee Ka, chiu, John Lee, Hong Kongers, Lee Organizations: Legislative, Hong, Hong Kong Housing Authority Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong . Hong Kong

The mysterious veil of the Treasury monument in Petra, Jordan, has been lifted once again. Beneath the ancient rock-cut building, archaeologists have uncovered a hidden tomb containing 12 relatively well-preserved human skeletons along with an extensive array of grave offerings. From left: Prof. Richard Bates, excavations at the Treasury. Courtesy of Professor Richard Bates / University of St. AndrewsInside were 12 human skeletons at their original burial site, including one grasping the top part of a broken jug that most likely dates to the first century BC. The discovery could provide new insight into the Treasury, whose purpose remains unknown, as well as the Nabatean people.

Persons: Al Khazneh, ” Richard Bates, Bates, Richard Bates, ” Bates, Steven Spielberg’s, Indiana Jones, ” Organizations: Treasury, UNESCO, University of St, NBC News, Jordanian Department of Antiquities, American Center of Research, Discovery Locations: Petra, Jordan, Nabatean Kingdom, Andrews, Scotland, American, Amman

☆ How the world’s largest tech event is forging a future AI economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A next generation agendaGITEX GLOBAL will span 40 halls across two locations, bringing together the entire international technology community to set the global agenda for the future AI economy. With the global AI market projected to reach $2.7 trillion by 2032, the event will showcase the latest advancements driving this remarkable growth. GITEX GLOBAL 2024 AGENDA MONDAY: TECH INVESTMENT DAY - Explore the latest investment trends that are reshaping global wealth. In addition, the World Future Economy Digital Leaders Summit will see global innovators and influential leaders address critical priorities shaping the future of technology. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the globe, the event is poised to shape the future of the AI economy and reinforce Dubai’s vision of becoming a global tech hub.

Persons: Martin Pfeiffer, Fabrizio del Maffeo, Alexander Zhavoronkov, Dr, Diane Janosek, Brett Johnson, Ekaterina Serban, Surinder Organizations: Dubai World Trade, Dubai Harbour, TECH, Tech, Google, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, European NVIDIA, ”, InSilico, supercomputing, UAE Cybersecurity Council, TCB, National Security Agency, Pentagon, Bosch, Paramount Locations: Dubai, European, Hong Kong

☆ Nine monkeys die mysteriously at Hong Kong zoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG — Zoo authorities in Hong Kong are keeping a close watch on a monkey that is behaving unusually a day after the ninth death this week of one of the animals while hastening tests to find out what killed them. “Government departments will speed up autopsy and toxicological testing,” the government said in a statement, as officials scrambled to pinpoint the cause of the deaths. The ninth monkey, belonging to the white-faced saki species, died a day after Sunday’s deaths of a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis, the statement added. Built in 1860, the territory’s oldest park houses about 158 birds, 80 mammals and 21 reptiles in roughly 40 enclosures. “The health conditions of all 80 animals in the HKZBG are normal,” the government said, while officials held an urgent meeting on Tuesday.

Persons: saki Organizations: HONG KONG — Zoo, Botanical, “, Animals Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong

☆ From solitary confinement in China to self-exile in Taiwan: Inside a Hong Kong bookshop owner's fight to keep the free press alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementThe acute lack of customers was somewhat surprising, given that Causeway Bay Books is pretty well-known. It all started in Hong KongFor 20 years, Lam founded and managed the original bookstore in Hong Kong — set up in and named after a vibrant district on Hong Kong Island. But the people who go to Causeway Bay Books — whose mainstays are books on politics and history — know what they are looking for. You shouldn't call it Hong Kong but Chinese Hong Kong," Lam said. Although he still misses Hong Kong from time to time, he says it's no longer the place he once knew.

Persons: kee, Lam, —, Hong Kong —, Kongers, Xi Jinping's, Ben Cheng, Huileng Tan, Hong Kongers, Taipei —, Wang, boisterously, Hong, China —, Hong Kong's, Zero, Peter Parks, Cheng, it's Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Service, Taiwan Beer, Congressional, Commission, Taiwan, Fo Guang, New Taiwan, Hong Kongers, National Taiwan Normal University Locations: Lam, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Fo Guang University, Hong, America, AFP

☆ Deepfake romance scam raked in $46 million from men across Asia, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —She appeared to be a beautiful woman and in the minds of men across Asia, the video calls they spoke on confirmed their newfound love was real. But Hong Kong police say the men had fallen prey to a romance scam that used deepfake artificial intelligence to lure its victims into parting with more than $46 million. In a news conference Monday, police in the Asian financial hub announced the arrests of more than two dozen members of the alleged scam ring, which they say targeted men from Taiwan to Singapore and as far away as India. But increasingly realistic deepfake technology has raised the stakes and put authorities on high alert. According to Hong Kong police, the romance gang’s deepfake scam typically began with a text message, in which the sender – posing as an attractive woman – said they had mistakenly added the wrong number.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, –, scammers, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Police, Facebook Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, Taiwan, Singapore, India, Southeast Asia, British

HONG KONG — A pair of giant pandas began their journey Monday from China to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, where they will begin a 10-year residence in the nation’s capital, weeks before the presidential election. The pair left for the airport from the China Conservation and Research Center's Dujiangyan Panda Base in the country's southwest Sichuan province, the China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has also said that the city’s zoo is preparing to receive its first pair of pandas from China. The impending arrival of the National Zoo’s two new bears was announced in May in a video with first lady Jill Biden. The bears are endemic to China and viewed as a national symbol.

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, ”, “, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Yun Chuan, Xin Bao, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Jill Biden, Qing, Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, Lun, Nixon’s Organizations: China Conservation, Research, China Wildlife Conservation Association, San Diego Zoo, San Francisco Mayor London, San, U.S, World Wildlife Foundation Locations: HONG KONG, China, Washington, United States, Sichuan, U.S, San Diego, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, Finland

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