Personal bankruptcies increase
The number of people filing for personal bankruptcy last month hit 1,027, up 10.5 per cent on April, and a 7 per cent year-on-year increase. This brought the total number of cases in the first five months to 4,827 - a 13.6 per cent year-on-year rise. The number of bankruptcy orders made by courts climbed to 920, up 4 per cent on April, but a 12 per cent decline year on year.
Civil servants' pay rise opposed
The Federation of Hong Kong Industries voiced opposition to a pay rise for civil servants, while questioning the accuracy of the government's recent salary survey. Federation chairman Kenneth Ting Woo-shou said the sampling of the government survey was too narrow to show the whole picture. Mr Ting said the pay rise for civil servants might cut into Hong Kong's competitiveness.
Call for co-operation on tourism
Shao Qiwei, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, told a tourism forum in Hong Kong that greater cross-border harmony and co-operation were the key to sustainable development in the mainland tourism industry. Mr Shao said the mainland had much work to do in advancing its tourism industry.
