Formula One world champion Lando Norris has signed a new long-term agreement with McLaren that will keep him at the team until at least the end of 2030, with an option extending beyond that date. McLaren announced the deal on Saturday at its Technology Centre in Woking, where Norris told staff and guests that he wanted to continue the partnership that began when he joined the team’s […]
Zimbabwe has declared a State of Disaster after a head-on collision between a church minibus and a haulage truck near Chivhu killed 27 people and left seven others critically injured. President Emmerson Mnangagwa invoked the Civil Protection Act after Friday night’s crash on the Harare-Masvingo highway, allowing the government to mobilise resources for survivors and bereaved families. Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said medical […]
Moscow is hosting more than 1,200 competitors this weekend as the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam brings one of its biggest international fields to the Russian capital for the 2026-2027 season. The two-day competition, running on August 29 and 30 at the Dynamo Sports Academy, has attracted 1,220 male and female athletes from 32 countries. The field includes 85 black belts, giving the Moscow stop a strong […]
At least 27 people were killed and 42 injured after a Russian drone struck a warehouse in Myla, west of Kyiv, triggering a powerful detonation and large fire, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said four children were among the injured and warned that the death toll could rise as rescuers continued searching damaged buildings and clearing debris in the Bucha district. More […]
The United States has revoked the visa of former Iraq finance minister Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi after she was placed on the FBI’s terrorism watchlist, marking an extraordinary reversal in Washington’s treatment of an official it honoured four years ago for fighting corruption. The State Department confirmed on Friday that Mohammed’s visa had been cancelled following her placement on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Screening […]
China has formally removed Generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the state Central Military Commission, deepening an extraordinary leadership purge that has dismantled much of President Xi Jinping’s senior military command. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress approved the removal on Friday, seven months after authorities placed both officers under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. Zhang had served as the […]
By TN Ashok India has built fighter aircraft, warships, tanks and some of the world’s most sophisticated missiles, but one weakness has repeatedly haunted its defence-industrial ambitions: engines. The country has been able to design and manufacture airframes, yet propulsion technology has remained heavily dependent on foreign suppliers. The latest agreement between the state-owned Hindustan […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US allies believe mines remain in the Strait of Hormuz despite President Donald Trump’s declaration that American forces have cleared the strategic waterway, exposing a widening difference over the security of one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Allied assessments indicate that US forces have removed or destroyed some Iranian mines in international waters but have probably not eliminated the entire threat. […]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded Elon Musk the Order of Freedom as Kyiv intensifies efforts to secure broader access to SpaceX’s Starlink network for military operations against Russia. The honour, announced by presidential decree on Wednesday, recognises Musk for his contribution to protecting human life and freedom and for strengthening relations between Ukraine and the United States. Musk, the head of SpaceX and Tesla, has emerged […]
From surging sports interest to last-minute purchase, Hong Kong users are eager for greater access to live entertainment experiences
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 August 2026 – With the excitement of football events and chart-topping concerts still reverberating across the city, Hong Kong is carrying the momentum into a vibrant summer of live entertainment. Capturing the pulse of the moment, MoreTickets, Asia’s No.1* live event ticket resale platform, releases Hong Kong’s top international and local live events[1] scheduled for the summer period (July and August), alongside consumer insights into platform users’ ticket-buying behavior.
Concerts Top Summer Searches as Sports Interest Surges
MoreTickets offers a wide range of live entertainment events worldwide, including popular concerts, sporting events, theatre performances and many more. Concerts continue to drive the summer entertainment landscape, capturing the majority of user interests. According to MoreTickets data1, the “Concert” category accounts for nearly two-thirds of all searches for live events or shows scheduled in July and August, reinforcing the city’s demand for major headline acts. Interest in “Sports” category is also rising, with searches up about 150% year on year, reflecting heightened appetite for major matches and global tournament moments this summer.
Top 10 Most–Searched Live Events Scheduled for July and August[1]:
Rank
Event Name
Category
Location
Show Date
1
AXA Presents: You & Mi Sammi Cheng Live at Hong Kong Kai Tak Stadium 2026
Concert
Hong Kong
July 10-12, 2026
2
MC Cheung E=MC² Concert 2026
Concert
Hong Kong
July 7-11, 2026
3
Hong Kong Football Festival (HKFF) 2026
Sports
Hong Kong
July 31-August 5, 2026
4
FIFA World Cup 2026
Sports
Overseas
June 11-July 19, 2026
5
CTF Life Title-sponsors: 2026 TMElive International Music Awards
Award Ceremony
Hong Kong
August 22-23, 2026
6
NMIXX 1ST WORLD TOUR <EPISODE 1: ZERO FRONTIER> IN HONG KONG
Concert
Hong Kong
July 25-26, 2026
7
The Music of Chan Fai Young: King of Pop
Concert
Macau
July 24-26, 2026
8
Hins Cheung UNPLUGGED 2 Second Movement Concert
Concert
Macau
July 24-26, 2026
9
LiSA – LiVE is Smile Always~15~ in Hong Kong
Concert
Hong Kong
July 18, 2026
10
ILLIT LIVE ‘PRESS START’ in HONG KONG
Concert
Hong Kong
August 22-23, 2026
Local Hong Kong artists and city-based performances remain highly searched, representing more than 70% of total searches, led by Sammi Cheng and MC Cheung, two renowned local singers who appeal spans generations. Fueled by global FIFA World Cup fever, the Hong Kong Football Festival emerged as a breakout hit, ranking the third among the top searches.
Hong Kong Live Event Goers Made Last-Minute Purchase, and Rise in Single-Ticket Purchases
In Hong Kong, MoreTickets users are deciding closer to the event date. MoreTickets purchase data[2] shows that nearly two out of five ticket transactions were made within seven days of the show (37%), signaling a more spontaneous approach to live entertainment planning. This last-minute pattern is strongest in event categories such as pop music concerts (55%) and fan meetings (40%). Among those last-minute buyers, 60% of the purchases opted for single-seat tickets, underscoring strong eagerness to attend live shows, supported by the platform’s real-time availability andtransparent pricing. MoreTickets helps users compare across the spectrum and secure the best fit with confidence.
Top 10 Events Purchased Within 7-Days of Event Date in May 2:
Rank
Event Name
Category
Location
Show Date
1
FAMA (Nongfu): The Funniest Concert in All Hong Kong
Concert
Hong Kong
May 8-10, 2026
2
Sun Life Presents: SANDY LAM RESONANCE
Concert
Hong Kong
May 16-17, 2026
3
Laufey: A Matter of Time Tour in Hong Kong
Concert
Hong Kong
May 12, 2026
4
Hang Seng Insurance Presents: 25+ EEG Family Concert
Concert
Hong Kong
May 3-4, 2026
5
b.balance Presents Live Band Concert|<3 symbol of love | MC Cheung x CONSTANCE x Gareth.T
Concert
Hong Kong
May 16, 2026
6
K-SPARK in MACAU
Music Festival
Macau
May 2, 2026
7
EXO PLANET #6 – EXhOrizon in MACAU
Concert
Macau
May 22-23, 2026
8
IVE WORLD TOUR <SHOW WHAT I AM> IN MACAO
Concert
Macau
May 23-24, 2026
9
2025-26 TREASURE TOUR [PULSE ON] in Hong Kong
Concert
Hong Kong
May 9, 2026
10
UFC Fight Night Macau and Road to UFC
Sports
Macau
May 28-30, 2026
A Safer Way to Find Tickets with MoreTickets
As live entertainment demand becomes more immediate and fragmented, many consumers still struggle when trying to secure tickets through various channels. MoreTickets offers an alternative as a safer platform with real-time availability, transparent-priced listing, and a secure refund guarantee, making it a reliable choice for live-event goers. It operates with two core safeguards – vetted sellers supported by a verified ticket-sourcing network, and escrow-based payment held until successful event entry.
Trusted by millions of users, MoreTickets helps users secure ticket access safely, ensuring they can enjoy the live entertainment moments that matter.
[1] The analysis is based on H1 2026 search activity on MoreTickets platform, filtered to events scheduled in July and August 2026.
[2] The analysis is based on purchase activity during 1 to 31 May 2026 on MoreTickets platform.
Hashtag: #MoreTickets
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About MoreTickets
MoreTickets is Asia’s No.1* live event ticket resale platform, dedicated to providing convenient, secure, and hassle-free ticketing services. The platform covers a wide range of live entertainment, including popular concerts, sporting events, theatre performances, and more. To date, MoreTickets is trusted by millions of users in Hong Kong and Macau, with its ticket sourcing network spanning major global live events across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, as well as Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
By integrating comprehensive event information and ticket sources, MoreTickets helps users quickly search and compare options while offering end-to-end services, including secure payment, order protection, and post-sale support. The platform is committed to delivering a seamless, intuitive, and reliable ticketing experience, ensuring users never miss out on their most anticipated shows.
*Measured by GMV of live event ticket resale platform in Asia in 2025 (According to Frost & Sullivan’s research on the live event resale platform industry in Asia, as of May 2026
Iran is preparing for a sharp escalation in US economic pressure as President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country is fighting an “all-out economic, military and security war” and Washington readies another sanctions package. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to outline the measures on Monday, with the Trump administration signalling that the campaign will seek to isolate Tehran from international trade and financial networks. The measures […]
Gyan Pathak Jharkhand has just witnessed a multi group agitation of students, which ended on August 18 with an agreement reached between student leaders and the state government, and Devendra Nath Mahto ended his 16 days hunger strike. Jharkhand government, as per the agreement reached, notified cancellation of 22 recruitment examinations on August 19 and […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Prospects for a broader Middle East settlement have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump ruled out extending a temporary agreement with Iran, while renewed Israeli-Hezbollah violence placed Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire under mounting pressure. Asked whether Washington would seek more time under the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran in June, Trump gave a categorical response: “No.” The agreement provided a 60-day window to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai A 60-day window for the United States and Iran to negotiate a durable peace agreement has expired without a breakthrough, leaving the Strait of Hormuz dispute unresolved and military and economic pressure intensifying across the Gulf. The deadline was part of an interim framework agreed in June after months of conflict. It was designed to halt fighting, restore commercial navigation through the Strait […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Kuwait has foiled an alleged ISIS-linked plot to attack a vital facility using a specially built drone and explosives, arresting a citizen before the planned operation could be carried out. The Interior Ministry said the State Security Service uncovered the plan after intensive monitoring and surveillance. Investigators found that the suspect had received training in manufacturing explosives and drones and had constructed a […]
Iran has reshaped its military leadership around battle-tested hardliners and ordered stronger offensive capabilities as negotiations with the United States remain deadlocked, signalling that Tehran is preparing for a prolonged confrontation rather than an early settlement to the Gulf war. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed six senior commanders across the Armed Forces General Staff, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij, placing veterans with extensive operational, […]
Suisun City in Northern California has declared a state of emergency after malicious software compromised municipal computer systems, disrupting 911 routing, police and fire dispatch and several government services. Emergency calls continued to be answered after dispatch operations were shifted to Solano County. The cyberattack struck at about 5.45 am on Friday, August 7, forcing officials to shut down the city’s entire information technology network. The shutdown […]
Alleged organised crime leader Daniel Kinahan has been charged in Dublin with directing a criminal organisation after being extradited from the United Arab Emirates, bringing one of Ireland’s most prominent international organised-crime investigations before the courts. Kinahan, 49, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Sunday under heavy security following his transfer from Dubai. Prosecutors charged him with directing the activities of a criminal organisation during a […]
Taiwan’s cabinet is preparing to raise defence spending by about 16 per cent in 2027, pushing total security-related expenditure above NT$1 trillion for the first time as Taipei accelerates military modernisation amid sustained pressure from Beijing.
The proposed allocation is expected to exceed NT$1.1 trillion, or roughly US$34 billion, when broader defence-related spending is included. The package is due to be unveiled on August 20 and will cover the armed forces as well as expenditure linked to the coast guard, veterans and special military programmes.
The increase would maintain Taiwan’s defence expenditure above 3 per cent of gross domestic product, extending a shift towards substantially higher military budgets under President Lai Ching-te. Taipei has been expanding funding for weapons, ammunition, drones, missile systems, naval platforms and military infrastructure as China strengthens its forces across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s 2026 defence expenditure calculated under a broader methodology covering coast guard spending and military pensions stands at NT$949.5 billion, equivalent to about 3.32 per cent of GDP. The Ministry of National Defence’s own allocation is NT$806 billion, NT$161.1 billion higher than the previous year.
Lai has set a longer-term objective of raising defence expenditure to 5 per cent of GDP by 2030, arguing that Taiwan must demonstrate greater capacity to defend itself while adapting to China’s rapid military expansion. The policy also responds to pressure from Washington for Taipei to shoulder a larger share of the cost of deterring an attack.
The spending expansion comes as Taiwan conducts its annual Han Kuang exercises, which this year involve large-scale simulations of invasion, blockade, cyber disruption and attacks on critical infrastructure. About 20,000 reservists have been mobilised as the military tests decentralised command, communications under disrupted conditions and stronger integration between civilian agencies and the armed forces.
Taiwan is placing greater emphasis on asymmetric capabilities designed to make a cross-strait assault costly. Drones, mobile missile launchers, sea-denial weapons and dispersed command systems have become important elements of planning. Military exercises have also incorporated lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where inexpensive unmanned systems have demonstrated their ability to damage far more costly military assets.
The island is developing its domestic defence industry alongside purchases from the United States. Projects include locally built submarines, missiles and unmanned systems, while American arms orders include F-16V fighters, HIMARS rocket launchers, torpedoes and stand-off weapons. Some deliveries have been delayed because of production and supply-chain constraints, although parts of the HIMARS programme have moved ahead of schedule.
Political approval remains an important hurdle. Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature has challenged parts of Lai’s military programme and previously reduced or delayed special defence spending proposed by the administration. Lawmakers in May approved additional defence expenditure worth about US$25 billion, substantially below the amount originally sought by the government.
Those disputes are likely to shape scrutiny of the 2027 proposal once the cabinet sends the wider government budget to parliament. The administration argues that higher expenditure is necessary because military preparedness requires long-term procurement, stockpiling and infrastructure investment rather than emergency spending after a crisis emerges.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under its control. Taipei rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim. Chinese aircraft, naval vessels and coast guard ships operate regularly around Taiwan, while Beijing has repeatedly staged major exercises intended to demonstrate its ability to surround or blockade the island.
Beijing has also continued expanding its own military budget. China announced a 7 per cent increase in defence expenditure for 2026, taking officially declared spending to about US$283 billion, leaving a wide financial and numerical gap between the People’s Liberation Army and Taiwan’s forces.
Yemen’s Houthi movement said it attacked Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery with a drone on Sunday, escalating a confrontation that has again placed the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and Red Sea shipping routes under pressure. Saudi authorities confirmed that a fire broke out at the Aramco facility in Jazan, in the kingdom’s southwest, and said emergency teams extinguished it. No injuries were reported. Saudi officials did not immediately confirm […]
By K Raveendran Mohan Bhagwat’s attempt to open a conversation with India’s younger generation carries significance precisely because such an intervention would hardly have been necessary if the political establishment were confident that the youth remained comfortably within its fold. The RSS chief’s argument that young people are neither misguided nor directionless, and that they […]
Iranian lawmakers are scrutinising the final wording of a proposed maritime agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz as US President Donald Trump says negotiations are advancing towards a deal that could restore commercial shipping through the strategic waterway. Trump said the discussions were “moving along” when questioned by reporters at the White House late Thursday, offering no further details. Tehran has separately indicated that an […]
Moonlighter is available free to keep on Steam until 9 August, giving players permanent access to the shopkeeping dungeon crawler once it has been added to their accounts. The limited-time offer marks a 100% reduction on the action role-playing game, which normally sells as a paid title. Players need only sign into Steam, visit the Moonlighter store page and select “Add to Account” before the promotion expires. […]
A fire at a workshop in Dubai South damaged several trucks and caravans on Tuesday night before emergency crews brought the blaze under control. No injuries were reported. Dubai Civil Defence teams were dispatched after receiving an alert about the incident, which began inside the workshop and spread to vehicles parked at the site. Firefighters contained the flames and prevented them from reaching adjoining facilities in the […]