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AdvertisementCrime in Hong KongHong KongLaw and CrimeHong Kong police arrest 15 over ‘meticulously planned’ 1 billion yen robberyPolice still trying to recover cash, with chief inspector calling robbery ‘meticulously planned and violent operation’ marked by a high level of professional execution
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP2Oscar LiuPublished: 11:35am, 22 Dec 2025Updated: 11:47am, 22 Dec 2025Hong Kong police have arrested 15 suspects in connection with a robbery outside a currency exchange, during which four suitcases containing 1 billion yen (US$6.4 million) were snatched within 30 seconds as part of a “meticulously planned” plot.
The force on Monday said it was still trying to recover the cash, adding that the robbery targeted two employees of a Japanese company specialising in cryptocurrency and luxury goods, who had planned to exchange 1 billion yen, or about HK$50 million, at the shop on Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan.
The pair were ambushed when they arrived at the..

Google and Apple advised US-based employees on work visas not to travel internationally after their outside counsel warned of delays of up to 12 months at US embassies and consulates worldwide amid the immigration crackdown, documents reviewed by Business Insider show. On Thursday, BAL Immigration Law, which represents Google, sent a memo stating, “Please be aware that some US Embassies and Consulates are experiencing significant visa stamping appointment delays, currently reported as up to 12 months.” It added that employees would “risk an extended stay outside the US” if they travelled without a valid stamp. Last week Fragomen, acting for Apple, issued a similar warning. “Given the recent updates and the possibility of unpredictable, extended delays when returning to the US, we strongly recommend that employees without a valid H-1B visa stamp avoid international travel for now,” the memo said. “If travel cannot be postponed, employees should connect with Apple Immigration and Fragome..

Three Indian-Origin men have been jailed for their part in a violent disorder at a Kabbadi tournament in Alvaston in the summer of 2023. Boota Singh, Damanjit Singh and Rajvinder Takhar Singh were sentenced at Derby Crown Court on 19 December after being found guilty at a trial in November, according to Derbyshire Police.Violence broke out between two groups at the event off Elvaston Lane just before 4pm on Sunday 20 August following reports of shots being fired and people fighting with weapons. Officers attending the scene secured video footage showing Boota Singh running after members of the opposing group. Although he was unarmed at the time of the violence, police stopped his car two days later and found two machetes in the boot. Footage also showed Damanjit Singh and Rajvinder Takhar Singh carrying large knives during the disorder.All three men were arrested and charged with violent disorder. At Derby Crown Court in November they were found guilty of the following offences:Boota S..

AdvertisementNorth KoreaAsiaEast AsiaNorth Korea fires warning over Japan’s ambition for nuclear weaponsPyongyang’s state media said Tokyo’s potential move to obtain such weapons should ⁠be ‘thoroughly curbed’
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 11:54am, 21 Dec 2025North Korea said Japan’s ambition for possession of nuclear weapons should ⁠be “thoroughly curbed”, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.Japan is showing the intention to possess nuclear weapons explicitly by ‍saying it needs to review ‍the three non-nuclear principles, KCNA said, citing a commentary of ‌North Korea’s foreign policy official.Japan began making such ‍comments actively as soon as the United States approved a request from South Korea ‌for building ⁠a nuclear submarine, KCNA said.AdvertisementIn October, US President Donald Trump said he has given South Korea approval ‌to build a nuclear-powered submarine after his visit to the Asian ‌ally for a ‌summit on trade deal with South Korean Pr..

AdvertisementHong Kong propertyBusinessHong Kong and Singapore landlords embrace flex offices as multinationals reshape demandFlex operators deliver creditworthy tenants – a departure from the sector’s early reliance on start-ups and small firms: analysts
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPChen HongPublished: 11:30am, 21 Dec 2025Landlords in Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to continue allocating space to flexible office operators as multinational corporations reshape the sector’s risk profile and fuel long-term demand, according to industry experts.A major driver behind this shift is the rapid change in who uses flexible workspaces. Global companies now represented 41 per cent of Asia-Pacific flex office users, the highest proportion worldwide and nearly triple North America’s 14 per cent, according to Piers Mallitte, head of Workthere APAC at Savills.
This marked a departure from the early days of the sector, when operators relied heavily on start-ups and small firms, an..