Germany's Munich airport said early on Friday that drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers.

Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, it said in a statement, marking the latest drone disruption to European aviation after sightings temporarily shut airports in Denmark and Norway last week.

German air traffic control officials restricted flight operations at Munich airport from 10.18pm on Thursday, or 4.18am Hong Kong time on Friday, and later suspended them altogether due to several drone sightings, the airport added.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said the airport would remain closed until 4.59am local time, or 10.59am Hong Kong time, on Friday.

A flight from Bangkok was the first of the day to land at around 5.25am.

Munich was already placed on edge this week when its popular Oktoberfest was closed temporarily due to a bomb threat and the discovery of explosives in a residential building in the city's north.

Denmark has stopped short of saying who it believes is responsible for the incidents in its airspace last week, which disrupted air traffic at multiple airports, but Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has suggested it could be Russia.

European Union leaders backed plans on Wednesday to bolster the bloc's defences against Russian drones.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joked on Thursday that he would not fly drones over Denmark anymore, but Moscow has denied responsibility for the incidents. (Reuters)

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Last updated: 2025-10-03 HKT 12:59

Hong Kong residents flocked to the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base for a second day on Thursday to tour two People’s Liberation Army vessels, saying the event gave them a rare chance to see the country’s military up close.

The vessels – training ship Qi Jiguang and landing ship Yimengshan – arrived on Tuesday for a port call.

A military enthusiast said he was pleased to board the ships.

“It feels great. I hope more different naval vessels can visit Hong Kong in the future so the public can see a wider variety,” he said.

Cadet Luo Jiayi from Guangdong said the warm response from Hongkongers gave him a strong sense of connection.

“It feels like being with family. Over the past two days, every time I spoke Cantonese with visitors they were surprised, and it felt like chatting at a family gathering – a real two-way exchange,” he said.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said it was her first time stepping onto a PLA warship.

“Since the military parade in Beijing last month, we know that our country loves peace, but our military power needs to be strong so others won’t dare to invade us. So this visit to the PLA ship makes me feel the power as a Chinese,” she said.

The ships will depart on Friday for exchanges in Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore.

A tourism sector representative says he expects more mainland tourists to arrive in Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday as their National Day Golden Week continues.

More than 224,000 mainlanders arrived in the SAR when the eight-day mainland holiday began on Wednesday.

Timothy Chui, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, told an RTHK radio show on Thursday that he believes many visitors are still on their way to the SAR by high-speed rail or plane, as they only finished work the day before National Day.

He said that among the 1,200 tour groups that are expected to arrive, half of them will be one-day tours, while the rest are on a multi-destination basis.

Chui, who is also the managing director of O'Hotel, said many tourists chose to stay in Hong Kong after the National Day fireworks, despite room rates in Tsim Sha Tsui being up by five to 10 percent.

"The room rate for boutique hotels like ours, or luxury hotels, even though it is higher than usual, the difference is not too significant," he said.

"The travelling habits of many mainland tourists were: if they could reserve a hotel room after enjoying the fireworks, they would book it, or return to Shenzhen where they would definitely be able to book a hotel room if they failed to do so."

Meanwhile, wholesale and retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu said the long holiday, along with discounts and perks at restaurants and half-price movie tickets as part of the National Day celebrations, boosted business.

Queues were seen outside stores selling luxury goods and jewellery, he said.

Shiu said at least 226,000 SAR residents left Hong Kong on Wednesday, but the impact on the retail sector was not too significant.

"With people leaving Hong Kong, of course sales would decline. But I believe people heading north has become a routine, and the number of people leaving Hong Kong to the Greater Bay Area is even higher over the weekend. As today is not a public holiday, so there should be fewer people leaving the city yesterday," he said.

"Also, as the government rolled out many discounts on National Day, it might have reduced the number of people heading north."

Three suspected members of Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested in Berlin on Wednesday for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites, German prosecutors said, with weapons and ammunition also seized.

The male suspects were "foreign operatives" of Hamas, who have "have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition for the organisation" in Germany, said federal prosecutors in a statement.

But Hamas denied any connection to the three men.

According to German prosecutors, an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, along with a stash of ammunition, were seized when the suspects were arrested.

"The weapons were to be used by Hamas for deadly attacks targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," added the statement.

According to news outlet Der Spiegel, searches were also carried out in the eastern city of Leipzig around the same time as the arrests in Berlin.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed law enforcement officials for "averting a terrorist threat."

A suspect with Hamas connections had entered Germany several months ago and had been under observation since, Dobrindt told reporters in Brussels.

"We are clearly a target for terrorists, which is why we must always be well prepared to defend ourselves against them," he added.

But in a statement, Hamas said it has "no connection with the individuals arrested today in Germany," adding the allegations that the detainees had links to the Islamist group were "completely unfounded."

The suspects will appear in court on Thursday. (AFP)

With just over a month to go before the 15th National Games begin, the police said they would ensure that all events are carried out in a safe, orderly and secure manner.

Ensuring a smooth Games is among the police commissioner's top operational priorities for the year.

Hong Kong will co-host the Games, which begin on November 9, for the first time along with Guangdong and Macau.

Since November last year, the force has been carrying out cross-departmental exercises at all competition venues, as well as test events, to step up the city's coordination and emergency response procedures.

Senior superintendent Lok Wai-lurk, from the operations wing for the National Games, said police would continue to assess the situation and deploy resources accordingly, even though the SAR's terrorist threat level currently stands at moderate.

"This means that there is a possibility of an attack, but there is no specific intelligence suggesting that Hong Kong will likely become a target," he said.

"But I reiterated that we will continuously assess the situation and intelligence, and carry out appropriate operational deployment. We already have relevant response plans in place."

As for possible bogus bomb threats during the Games, senior superintendent of operations, Yip Kit-fai, said the force is confident that they can handle such cases.

It comes after two bomb hoaxes were reported at Kai Tak Sports Park in April and May, respectively.

"During large-scale events, we will carry out a search at the event venues before the start of competitions to ensure safety. During the competitions, we will also search spectators when they enter the venue," he said.

"As for how to handle such cases, we have already carried out a lot of table top exercises. The aim is to cover various emergencies, such as bogus bomb threats. We already have an established mechanism with venue operators and security guards on how to handle such incidents."

Lok noted the weekend of November 15 -16 would be the busiest for the National Games in Hong Kong, as golf, men's U22 basketball, track cycling, fencing, triathlon and cross-boundary athletics (marathon) would be held during that period.

He said the force would work with the National Games co-ordination office and other government departments on crowd and traffic management, and reduce the time needed for road closures for cross-boundary events, so as to minimise disruptions to the public.

Hong Kong residents turned up in droves on Wednesday for a close look at two People’s Liberation Army naval vessels docked in the city as part of National Day celebrations, with many saying the ships showed China’s growing strength and military power.

The vessels – training ship Qi Jiguang and dock landing ship Yimengshan – arrived on Tuesday for a port call and are berthed at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Stonecutters Island. They are open to the public until Thursday and will depart on Friday.

Many residents queued early in the morning to ensure they could get on board.

One woman said she arrived around 7am because she was so eager to see the ships and their weapons.

A young boy said he was most excited over the opportunity to see “how big” the vessels are.

Visitors took photos with navy service personnel, toured weapon systems and collected commemorative stamps in special booklets.

Navy personnel were roundly applauded for staging a musical performance on the pier.

Navy cadets explained the ships’ weapon systems as well as daily life aboard the vessels to visitors.

One cadet, Jing Haifeng, said: “Hong Kong visitors asked us whether being in the military is tough, and how we feel about coming to Hong Kong.

"We feel that residents here really care about us, and this exchange brings us closer together.”

As for the visitors, some said they were glad for the opportunity to see the country's military capabilities during the National Day, calling them a symbol of the nation's prosperity and strength.

A hotel representative said more mainland families are spending the National Day Golden Week holiday in Hong Kong this year as it overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Alan Chan, chief operations officer at Miramar Group, told RTHK the company's hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai are more than 90 percent full and that room rates have gone up by 9 to 11 percent from a year ago.

He said spectacles like the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance are a proven attraction for tourists.

"Because the National Day Golden Week holiday this year is quite long, and it overlaps with Mid-Autumn Festival, the festive atmosphere is strong," he said.

"When it comes to travelling, Hong Kong's festive atmosphere is better than foreign places."

As for the High Island Reservoir East Dam, New Territories South East constituency lawmaker Stanley Li said the popular tourist attraction could be inundated with taxis, even though the Transport Department has arranged for the number of minibuses heading to the scenic area to be stepped up during the Golden Week holiday.

The stepped-up service will see at least 30 minibuses, along with standby vehicles and drivers, operate over the eight-day mainland break, instead of the four that usually ply the route during weekends and other public holidays.

However, Li said: "Tourists, especially those from the mainland, may head to East Dam directly by taxi once they pass through border checkpoints. So you have people heading there from different places, and you don't know [how they get there]. So it is difficult to tell.

"Also, the passenger volume of a taxi is low. A minibus has more than a dozen seats, while a taxi only has a few. So I'm a bit worried, and I expect there could be hundreds of taxis causing congestion there."

But Li believes the number of taxis is sufficient to handle the expected surge in tourists, as not all minibuses were used up when the same arrangement was put in place during the Labour Day Golden Week.

More than 1.5 million visitors and about 1,200 tourist groups are expected to head to Hong Kong between October 1 and 8.

Chief Executive John Lee said on Wednesday Hong Kong will actively develop in line with the country’s strategies while leveraging the city’s unique advantages.

Speaking at a National Day reception, Lee praised China’s achievements, saying the nation has made an extraordinary journey to prosperity and strength and is now firmly established as the world’s second-largest economy by achieving a remarkable rate of progress that is admired globally.

Lee outlined three main priorities for Hong Kong as it supports the nation’s development goals.

First, he stressed the importance of safeguarding national security while co-ordinating security and development.

"Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the highest principle of One Country, Two Systems," Lee said.

"The government is committed to continuously enhancing the legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security to ensure security and promote development, striving for a vibrant economy, pursuing development and advancing infrastructure construction."

He added the government seeks to ensure the upcoming Legco election will be successfully held.

"We will devote all efforts in preparing for the upcoming general election for the eighth-term Legislative Council on December 7 this year, ensuring that the election is conducted in a fair, just, honest, safe and orderly manner."

Second, Lee stressed the need to facilitate economic growth and improve people's livelihoods.

He said stronger economic development would boost demand, increase government revenue and allow more investment in infrastructure and public services, ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared across society.

Third, Lee said the government would press ahead with implementing measures set out in his Policy Address last month and deepen reforms.

"I attach great importance to swiftly resolving livelihood issues, as well as setting out long-term planning and systematic layout," he said.

The CE said government policies have helped to boost Hong Kong’s international ratings, its competitiveness as a financial centre, its ability to attract talent, and its standing as one of the world’s safest cities – showing that the administration is moving in the right direction.

Before the reception, a flag-raising ceremony was held at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai.

Those in attendance included Lee and his wife, senior government officials, Executive Council members, as well as Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference vice chairman and former chief executive CY Leung and two other former CEs Donald Tsang and Carrie Lam.

Flag-raising ceremonies were also held at the Office of the Commissioner for China's Foreign Ministry and Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the military should use US cities as training grounds for a "war from within," in a speech to a rare meeting of top officers.

Republican Trump told hundreds of generals and admirals summoned from around the world to be ready for a greater role in crackdowns on Democrat-run cities, including Chicago.

The assembled top brass were separately warned by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of a different challenge, as he vowed to eliminate "fat generals" and to roll back what he called "decades of decay."

"I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military," Trump said in front of a huge American flag at a military facility in Quantico, Virginia.

Trump added that "we're going to straighten them out one by one, and this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That's a war too – it's a war from within."

Trump began his speech by railing against so-called "woke" practices in the US military, saying that under his administration, it was now "reawakening the warrior spirit."

His hour-long address then took on an even more overtly political tone, in a break with previous presidents who have tended to avoid domestic politics when addressing troops.

Former Fox News host-turned Defence Secretary Hegseth summoned the meeting last week before Trump then announced that he would also speak.

Speculation had swirled about the purpose of gathering the whole US top brass in one place, with talk of a major military announcement.

But in the end it was largely a doubling down on restoring what Iraq war veteran Hegseth called the "military ethos."

Striding the stage, Hegseth told all ranks they must now take a physical fitness test twice a year. "It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," he said.

Hegseth also insisted on "grooming standards" including short hair and shaving, adding: "If you want a beard you can join special forces. If not, then shave. We don't have a military full of Nordic pagans."

He also declared an end to "ideological garbage," citing concerns over climate change, bullying, "toxic" leaders and promotions based on race or gender as examples.

The speeches by Trump and Hegseth came as the US military faces controversy both at home and abroad, with Trump deploying troops in Los Angeles and Washington, and shortly in Portland, Oregon and Memphis, Tennessee. (AFP)

Rescuers ran oxygen and water to students trapped in the unstable concrete rubble of a collapsed school building in Indonesia, as they desperately worked to free survivors on Tuesday, a day after the structure fell.

At least three students were killed, more than 100 were injured and dozens were presumed buried in the rubble.

Rescue workers, police and soldiers digging through the night pulled out eight weak and injured survivors more than eight hours after the collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the East Java town of Sidoarjo. Rescuers saw additional bodies, indicating the death toll was likely to rise.

Rescue efforts were temporarily suspended at 10.15am as the collapsed concrete shook suddenly. People immediately ran for their lives, fearing another collapse, as rescuers urged everyone in the area to avoid the building, including more than a dozens of ambulances that parked near the scene. The work resumed around 1.45pm.

The students are mostly boys in grades seven to 11, between ages 12 and 18.

Families anxiously awaited news at hospitals or near the collapsed building. A notice posted at the school complex on Tuesday morning listed 65 students as missing. National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari revised the number of people presumed buried in the rubble to 38 by midday.

“Oh my God... my son is still buried, oh my God please help!” a mother cried hysterically upon seeing her child’s name on the board, followed by the cries of other parents whose relatives had suffered a similar fate.

“Please, sir, please find my child immediately,” cried a father, holding the hand of one of the rescue team members.

Heavy slabs of concrete and other rubble and unstable parts of the building hampered search and rescue efforts, said Nanang Sigit, a search and rescue officer leading the effort. Heavy equipment was available but not being used due to concerns that it could cause further collapse.

“We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out,” Sigit said. He added that rescuers saw several bodies under the rubble but were focused on saving those who were still alive.

Several hundred rescuers were involved in the effort and had equipment for breathing, extrication, medical evacuation and other support tools.

Islamic boarding schools are commonly called as “pesantren” in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, and its students are called “santri." Unlike students in public schools, the santri board in dormitories, because apart from studying formal education, they also study Islamic religious knowledge intensively, and they return home only during school holidays.

Government data showed more than 42,400 pesantren listed in 2024 in Indonesia with 3,4 million santris and 370,000 Islamic teachers and preachers. More than 2,000 santris study at al Khoziny, ranging from junior high school level to college.

The students had been performing afternoon prayers in a building that was undergoing an unauthorized expansion when it suddenly collapsed on top of them, provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said.

Residents, teachers and administrators assisted injured students, many with head injuries and broken bones. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.

One male student, a 13-year-old boy, was found dead on Monday and 102 students and teachers were injured and taken to hospitals, some of them in critical condition, Muhari said. By Tuesday, 75 students and two teachers were still hospitalized, he said.

On Tuesday, two male students died from their injuries while being treated in Notopuro General Hospital, the hospital director Atok Irawan said. The two were among 11 students who initially were pulled out alive from the rubble by rescuers, he said. (AFP)