https://www.scmp.com/rss/15665/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In his five decades in the spirits industry, James Espey has helped launch some of the most loved brands - Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Chivas Regal 18-Year-Old and The Classic Malts, as well as Malibu and Bailey's Irish Cream. At the age of 72, the man who retired in 1998 as the president of the Chivas and Glenlivet Group has shifted his attention to rare Scotch whiskies, which he expects to be the new "liquid gold", gaining favour among collectors. The Last Drop Distillers, a brand he founded in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1801583/rare-whiskies-seen-liquid-gold-collectors-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1801583/rare-whiskies-seen-liquid-gold-collectors-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2015 18:29:49 +0000 Crime is rising in Hong Kong, according to the latest figures, as the city's new police chief arrives in Beijing today for talks with top security officials. Police data for January and February show the crime rate increased 4.6 per cent, to 11,315 cases, while detection rates were down to 37.9 per cent, compared with 43.4 per cent for 2014. Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung's predecessor, Andy Tsang Wai-hung, warned earlier this month of a "sense of lawlessness" creeping back into... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1800544/pressure-new-police-chief-stephen-lo-crime-rate-creeps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1800544/pressure-new-police-chief-stephen-lo-crime-rate-creeps?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2015 18:45:45 +0000 As disgruntled voices about the city's "unlivability" rise along with the property prices, Hongkongers can only envy residents of Vienna - the Austrian capital that has been named the world's most liveable place for six years in a row. Housing that is affordable and yet of a high quality is the most important factor behind Vienna's reign at the top of a 230-city global list compiled by consulting firm Mercer, according to the country's top diplomat in Hong Kong and Macau. And Hong Kong could,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1800510/lesson-providing-affordable-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1800510/lesson-providing-affordable-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2015 18:38:50 +0000 Hong Kong's economic growth slowed further to 2.1 per cent in the first quarter in the face of a sluggish global economy. It was the second consecutive quarter of slowing growth, after slipping from 2.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent in the last quarter of 2014. The government maintained its forecast that gross domestic product would grow by 1 to 3 per cent for the whole of this year, in line with the Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's prediction in his February budget. Weak retail sales - down... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1799138/hong-kong-economy-slows-further-amid-global-gloom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1799138/hong-kong-economy-slows-further-amid-global-gloom?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 20:22:15 +0000 For the first time in a decade, Hong Kong has been unseated as the most competitive city in China, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which placed Shenzhen in the top spot. Hong Kong had held first place since 2005 when it was first put on the list, which ranks 294 cities across the country and includes Taiwan. The survey, titled the Blue Book on Urban Competitiveness, placed Hong Kong in second place. The result was revealed by the academy in a press conference in Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1797971/shenzhen-knocks-down-hong-kong-take-top-spot-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1797971/shenzhen-knocks-down-hong-kong-take-top-spot-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 07:45:00 +0000 Hong Kong's trade figures in the first quarter were worse than analysts expected, with exports to the United States failing to make up for the effects of a continuing slowdown on the mainland. Domestic exports decreased by 8.7 per cent in the first three months compared with a year ago, but a 0.8 per cent increase in the volume of re-exports of goods meant that the overall decline was 0.7 per cent. The volume of imported goods increased by 1.1 per cent during the same period, the Census and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1797336/hong-kongs-exports-fall-amid-sluggish-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1797336/hong-kongs-exports-fall-amid-sluggish-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2015 18:14:15 +0000 Police last night expressed regret over the treatment of an autistic man wrongly charged with manslaughter, but stopped short of a formal apology. The 30-year-old autistic man was arrested on May 2 on suspicion of killing a 73-year-old man in a basketball court in Mei Lam Estate, Sha Tin. Police laid a holding charge of manslaughter on May 4, but dropped it hours later because he had an alibi. The statement, issued at 11.30pm, came hours after a social welfare group said it had in fact provided... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1794648/police-under-review-over-arrest-autistic-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1794648/police-under-review-over-arrest-autistic-man?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2015 19:15:15 +0000 After the second world war, Cantonese opera lovers enjoyed nights out at Chinese restaurants, sipping tea while opera singers performed in a casual setting different from dressed-up shows in big open-air bamboo theatres. Seventy years on, bosses of the West Kowloon waterfront arts hub want to revive the opera-with-tea tradition, but with a modern appeal targeting new opera audiences. To that end, a "teahouse theatre" would be part of Xiqu Centre - the venue earmarked for Chinese opera, or xiqu,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1791736/reviving-tradition-cantonese-opera-teahouses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1791736/reviving-tradition-cantonese-opera-teahouses?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2015 22:17:22 +0000 The family of an autistic man wrongly accused of murder and subjected to the full media glare as he was taken away by police have slammed the force over the handling of his arrest. The 30-year-old man was arrested on May 2 in connection with the killing of an elderly man in Sha Tin last month. His family say they told the police he had mental-health problems and required medication. But they claim the police pressed ahead. Yesterday the man's older brother, surnamed Au, said: "I told the police... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1791738/family-blast-police-over-handling-autistic-mans-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1791738/family-blast-police-over-handling-autistic-mans-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2015 22:15:15 +0000 A beauty parlour owner and a beautician were arrested by customs for allegedly using a counterfeit ultrasound beauty machine on customers. Some believe that ultrasound treatments can tighten the skin and stimulate the making of collagen in the body. An ultrasound machine produced by a famous American brand can cost hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, according to customs. Its team conducted a test-buy operation on April 29, in which an undercover officer tried the ultrasound facial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1790186/shop-owner-and-beautician-held-over-allegedly-phoney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1790186/shop-owner-and-beautician-held-over-allegedly-phoney?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 19:00:55 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying on Friday tried to assuage fears about the Guangdong Free Trade Zone’s impact on Hong Kong’s economy, saying that even though tax-free shopping would be available there, the impact on Hong Kong’s tourism and retail sectors would be minimal. Those sectors are currently overextended thanks to the high number of mainland visitors entering the city each day, he said, so the tax-free shopping centres currently being built in Guangdong would serve to help normalise the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1789245/cy-says-guangdong-free-trade-zone-wont-hurt-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1789245/cy-says-guangdong-free-trade-zone-wont-hurt-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2015 06:00:30 +0000 The economic slowdown on the mainland and Beijing's anti-corruption campaign have not stopped a Hong Kong wine dealer from putting 150 bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild worth HK$4.8 million up for sale. The collection offered by L'Imperatrice in a private sale includes sought-after vertical collections - consecutive vintages of the same wine - of three bottle sizes: 750ml regular bottles, 1.5-litre magnums and 3-litre double magnums. Director Julien Froger expects it to be "the most expensive... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1788675/hong-kong-seller-confident-getting-hk48-million-rare-bordeaux?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1788675/hong-kong-seller-confident-getting-hk48-million-rare-bordeaux?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2015 18:57:35 +0000 Hong Kong's expatriates have the fifth most-generous employment packages in the Asia-Pacific region, an annual study has shown, putting the city one place behind the mainland. The typical expat middle-manager in the city received HK$2.1 million in pay and benefits, according to a survey of 320 multinational organisations and data for 10,000 staff collected by human resources consultancy ECA International last year. The total includes salaries, tax allowances and other benefits. The total was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1788747/expats-hong-kong-lower-packages-counterparts-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1788747/expats-hong-kong-lower-packages-counterparts-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2015 18:56:58 +0000 Hong Kong's retail sales for March dropped by 2.9 per cent year on year to an estimated HK$38.4 billion, worse than market predictions, due to weaker-than-expected local buying. The decrease, announced yesterday by the Census and Statistics Department, was a disappointment to economists, who expected an increase of 4 to 5 per cent from the same period last year. As tourist arrivals went down 8.7 per cent in March from the same month a year ago, it was anticipated that the luxury sector would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1787195/prudent-hong-kong-shoppers-drive-29pc-retail-sales-slump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1787195/prudent-hong-kong-shoppers-drive-29pc-retail-sales-slump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2015 21:30:30 +0000 Ever wondered if your headaches are caused by the stuffy office you work in? Or why the air conditioning in many workplaces is set at bone-chilling temperatures? A research team at the University of Science and Technology is looking to address these problems and more with the development of a multifunctional sensor that can be fitted in offices to detect temperature, humidity, motion in the room and harmful gases in the air. The sensors will gather data needed to formulate energy-saving plans... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1785112/tiny-sensors-developed-hkust-team-aim-keep-eye-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1785112/tiny-sensors-developed-hkust-team-aim-keep-eye-air?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2015 18:38:22 +0000 The gloom hanging over Hong Kong's tourism industry - fuelled by warnings over political uncertainty and a mainland economic slowdown - lifted briefly yesterday when official figures revealed a 22 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of visitors to the city on the first day of the May Day holiday. But news of a numbers surge - including a 24 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of mainland people who arrived in the SAR compared to May 1 last year - was tempered by data which shows that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1784527/may-day-visitor-surge-gives-hong-kong-tourism-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1784527/may-day-visitor-surge-gives-hong-kong-tourism-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2015 20:40:01 +0000 There was good news for the tourism industry as large numbers of visitors flocked to Hong Kong for the Labour Day weekend. Mainland tourists also said it could be another few years before the city loses its lure as a shopping centre. After a disappointing Easter holiday, there had been worries that the Labour Day holiday, traditionally a peak period for mainland travellers to visit Hong Kong, would lose its lustre this year. The announcement by the State Council that tariffs on popular imported... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1783753/tourists-unconvinced-promise-mainland-tariff-cuts-they-flock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1783753/tourists-unconvinced-promise-mainland-tariff-cuts-they-flock?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2015 17:57:55 +0000 Sellers of luxury yachts are banking on a falling euro and design styles with a Chinese twist to keep sales afloat at the city's most prestigious annual boat show, which got under way yesterday. The Gold Coast Boat Show, which runs until tomorrow, is tempting bearers of big bucks with 70 vessels worth a total of HK$1 billion. And while the lure of luxury is high on the agenda, this year's purveyors of ocean-going opulence have injected a dose of fiscal reality into the equation. Among the prized... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1783754/luxury-yachts-pander-chinese-taste-high-life-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1783754/luxury-yachts-pander-chinese-taste-high-life-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2015 17:57:55 +0000 Is the winter chill over for Hong Kong's tourism industry? The signals so far have been mixed as the tourism and hospitality sector says business over the Labour Day weekend will be a challenge but not as grim as in March. The Travel Industry Council reports that about 260 tour groups will visit the city during the three-day break starting today, a drop of 10 per cent from the same period last year. There is also a single-digit drop in room rates, according to the Hong Kong Hotels... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1782746/hong-kong-tourism-figures-pick-after-grim-march-theres-little?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1782746/hong-kong-tourism-figures-pick-after-grim-march-theres-little?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2015 21:15:15 +0000 Premier Li Keqiang has again shown impatience over bureaucratic delays, ordering officials to speed up trials on cutting tariffs for consumer products. In what was at least the third time this month that Li had called for reforms to be implemented more quickly, a statement on the government website yesterday highlighted his growing frustration at bureaucracy delaying social and economic reforms. When Li asked at Tuesday's State Council meeting how soon trial reductions of import tariffs could be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1781273/chinas-premier-li-keqiang-lets-fly-officials-over-delays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1781273/chinas-premier-li-keqiang-lets-fly-officials-over-delays?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:15:30 +0000 Mainland China will reduce tariffs on popular imported consumer goods to boost spending amid the economic slowdown, the State Council announced yesterday. Observers said the move could have an impact on Hong Kong's retail sector. After a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, the State Council said boosting domestic consumption was an important step to stabilising economic growth, and urged departments to come up with detailed plans to carry out the policy soon. It said there would be a trial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1779722/china-cut-tariffs-popular-imports-bid-boost-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1779722/china-cut-tariffs-popular-imports-bid-boost-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2015 16:45:30 +0000 Climbers on the world's highest mountain pleaded for help yesterday after a massive earthquake triggered Everest's deadliest avalanche killing 17 people.  The area was crowded with foreign mountaineers and their sherpa teams at the start at the climbing season when the avalanche hit, destroying camps and sending slabs of ice crashing in what was described as a "huge disaster". One of those killed was Dan Fredinburg, a Google engineer based in California. He suffered head injuries when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1776562/17-climbers-killed-everests-deadliest-avalanche-triggered-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1776562/17-climbers-killed-everests-deadliest-avalanche-triggered-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2015 23:00:00 +0000 Campaigners seeking to end the affiliation of Chinese University students' union with the Federation of Students, the leading player in the Occupy democracy protests last year, suffered a setback yesterday. They failed to gather enough valid signatures to trigger a referendum on the breakaway, said a representative of the university's student union council. The federation rose to prominence last year during the 79-day protests, but some member unions accused its leaders of acting too hastily and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1776513/setback-campaigners-trying-end-chinese-university-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1776513/setback-campaigners-trying-end-chinese-university-link?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2015 21:12:31 +0000 A powerful earthquake struck Nepal and sent tremors through northern India yesterday, killing more than 2,300 people, toppling a 19th-century tower in the capital Kathmandu and touching off a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest. There were reports of devastation in outlying, isolated mountainous areas after the midday magnitude-7.9 quake, Nepal's worst in 81 years, centred 80km east of the second city, Pokhara. A collapse in communications hampered relief efforts, raising fears of a humanitarian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1776144/buildings-collapse-more-2300-killed-79-magnitude-quake-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/1776144/buildings-collapse-more-2300-killed-79-magnitude-quake-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:04:59 +0000 Hong Kong's first Apple Watch owners strapped on their new gadgets for the first time yesterday - but launch day proved a low-key affair, in stark contrast to the frenzy of queueing, buying and reselling every time a new iPhone comes out. People who preordered the watches online received them by mail, while Apple's three retail stores in the city only had display models and no stock to sell. Mainland customers also got watches yesterday, as well as buyers in Japan, Australia, the United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1775725/apple-watch-arrives-hong-kong-without-sales-frenzy-new-iphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1775725/apple-watch-arrives-hong-kong-without-sales-frenzy-new-iphone?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2015 21:15:15 +0000 In a stunning reversal of fortune for Ricky Wong Wai-kay, the High Court ruled yesterday that it was unlawful of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his cabinet to deny a free-to-air licence to the maverick businessman's Hong Kong Television Network. The court has given Wong another shot at entering the market by ordering the Executive Council to reconsider its October 2013 decision which sparked street protests by HKTV supporters and prompted the telecoms veteran to seek a judicial review. In a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1775463/hong-kong-court-orders-exco-reconsider-hktv-licence-denial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1775463/hong-kong-court-orders-exco-reconsider-hktv-licence-denial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2015 08:45:00 +0000 Hong Kong's new competition law will bring tangible benefits to consumers by tackling price fixing and lowering prices in distorted markets, the head of a new watchdog says. Dr Stanley Wong, who was appointed chief executive officer of the Competition Commission last September, said it was a unique challenge to enforce the law when people had questioned its necessity in the world's freest economy. In his first one-on-one interview, the Canadian lawyer told the South China Morning Post yesterday:... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774904/hong-kong-competition-law-could-force-prices-down-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774904/hong-kong-competition-law-could-force-prices-down-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2015 21:00:45 +0000 The Immigration Department is expecting a jump of almost 15 per cent in the number of people - including Hongkongers - passing through the territory's control points during the upcoming Labour Day holiday, despite worries expressed by a veteran tourist insider that inbound tour bookings had fallen sharply. The department projected that most of the 3.56 million people would pass through land boundary control points and the busiest would be Lo Wu, with a daily average of about 271,000 travelling... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774780/travellers-passing-through-hong-kong-expected-rise-15pc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774780/travellers-passing-through-hong-kong-expected-rise-15pc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:51:09 +0000 Small businesses have little to fear from the new competition law, according to the city watchdog chief who has advised governments around the world. Competition Commission CEO Dr Stanley Wong has more than 30 years' experience relating to competition laws. Wong worked for Ireland's competition authority from 2006 to 2011. Since then, the firm he founded has advised authorities, courts and tribunals in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Britain, Croatia, South Africa, Colombia and Canada, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774759/small-businesses-should-not-fear-competition-law-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1774759/small-businesses-should-not-fear-competition-law-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:15:30 +0000 A public agency providing sports training and support to elite athletes has been upbraided by the government's audit watchdog for lacking an internal mechanism of checks and balances. The Sports Institute's haphazard system for directors to declare their interests and absence of a corporate governance manual was also criticised in the Audit Commission's latest report, released yesterday. A corporate governance manual was needed, it said, in view of poor meeting attendance among the institute's... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1773445/hong-kong-sports-institute-comes-under-fire-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1773445/hong-kong-sports-institute-comes-under-fire-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2015 08:30:15 +0000 Consumer prices rose by 4.5 per cent in March from a year ago, slightly higher than the market consensus of 4.4 per cent. That was higher than the 4.3 per cent average rate of increase in January and February, mainly due to the limited decrease in prices of holiday package tours, according to the Census and Statistics Department. But the department predicted near-future inflation would be mild, given the low global inflation rate and modest growth of the local economy, a government spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1773090/hong-kongs-prices-rose-faster-march-february-and-january?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1773090/hong-kongs-prices-rose-faster-march-february-and-january?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2015 16:30:45 +0000 To some, the fun ride has only just begun. "Sales have been better," Paul Law Siu-hung, chairman of Olympic Motor Group and a used car dealer, admits cheerfully. He says the recent rally in stocks gave a welcome boost to his car business. "Some stock traders took quick profit and bought a car at once to reward themselves. "It's all about the mood … People will spend and enjoy first when they expect their wealth to increase." People who have not made enough money in the stock market to buy a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1770099/stock-market-surges-are-good-times-back-big-spenders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1770099/stock-market-surges-are-good-times-back-big-spenders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 22:00:45 +0000 The market may be euphoric, but there are still glum faces around. The effects of the stock market's continuing good run have not percolated down to every sector. Retailers and caterers expect just modest, if any, extra sales driven by a still-distant wealth effect. But they fear it may not be enough to cover the lost custom caused by the recent drop in the number of mainland tourists visiting and spending in the city. Fewer mainland tour groups came to Hong Kong in the first quarter, their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1770100/bull-run-has-not-been-felt-street-yet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1770100/bull-run-has-not-been-felt-street-yet?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 22:00:45 +0000 Last week's decision to restrict Shenzhen residents to one trip to Hong Kong per week did little to dampen brisk sales in border towns yesterday. Suitcases and shopping trolleys stuffed with baby milk formula and instant noodles, as well as medication, packed the pavements outside a cluster of pharmacies in Sau Fu Street, Yuen Long, for example. Since Monday, Shenzhen's municipal government has not renewed expiring multiple-entry permits, which allow unlimited visits to Hong Kong. Instead,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1770197/business-usual-parallel-traders-border-towns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1770197/business-usual-parallel-traders-border-towns?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 21:30:45 +0000 The crackdown on parallel traders in Sheung Shui has led to tidier streets in the border town, but concern groups say the buyers always return and the only long-term solution is harsher penalties and stricter enforcement. When Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor visited yesterday, the trading black spot of Hong Chai Street seemed orderly. A day earlier, she had chaired an interdepartmental meeting at which she was told of a sharp rise in prosecutions of traders in the year's first... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1767258/tougher-penalties-only-long-term-solution-stop-parallel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1767258/tougher-penalties-only-long-term-solution-stop-parallel?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:12:19 +0000 When he decided to open his first restaurant three months ago, Frankie Wong Wai-chung was expecting brisk trade in tourist hotspot Causeway Bay. But a sudden drop-off in mainland visitors has meant Wong - who has spent two decades in the tough catering industry - has had to make changes to bring in new customers. "When we opened … tourists made up about half of all our customers. Now that proportion is only about one-fifth," Wong said. Sweety Home was in prime position for hungry tourists,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/social-issues/article/1764957/fewer-mainland-chinese-visitors-hong-kong-retailers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/social-issues/article/1764957/fewer-mainland-chinese-visitors-hong-kong-retailers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2015 16:15:30 +0000 The government should come up with a more comprehensive youth policy and diversify the economy to help young people spread their wings, says the head of the Council of Social Service. Chua Hoi-wai, chief executive of the council, said there was a lack of overall planning and leadership on youth policy. He did, however, acknowledge that Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah had announced measures to address housing problems and encourage start-ups in his recent budget. Chua was addressing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1764368/give-young-more-opportunities-urges-council-social-service-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1764368/give-young-more-opportunities-urges-council-social-service-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2015 22:30:00 +0000 Retail sales for last month are expected to fall between 5 per cent and 8 per cent year-on-year because of a drop in tourism, the head of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association said, following a fall in business recorded for January and February. Association chairwoman Caroline Mak Sui-king attributed bad business to falling tourist numbers and spending, saying that visitors contributed 35 per cent of all retail sales revenue. The purchasing power of mainland Chinese tourists has also been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1761549/retail-sales-fall-much-8pc-amid-drop-number-tourists-visiting-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1761549/retail-sales-fall-much-8pc-amid-drop-number-tourists-visiting-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2015 03:44:16 +0000 Fewer mainland tourists visited Hong Kong over the Easter holiday compared to the same period last year, and some luxury-goods retailers who reported sales plunging by more than 20 per cent want the government to act to reverse the trend. According to the Immigration Department website, 447,737 mainland tourists arrived in Hong Kong on the first four days of the Easter break, down 6.6 per cent compared to the four-day Easter holiday last year. This came as Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1760085/cy-leung-blames-anti-parallel-trade-protests-alarming-drop-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1760085/cy-leung-blames-anti-parallel-trade-protests-alarming-drop-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2015 03:37:38 +0000 Hong Kong’s wine trade is on the rebound, as businesses toast the falling euro and recovery of the mainland Chinese market. The value of wine imports grew 21 per cent year-on-year to HK$1.56 billion in the first two months of this year, according to the Census and Statistics Department. Imports from France, the biggest source market, also climbed 21 per cent to HK$824 million. During the same period, total wine exports – a majority to mainland China – jumped 42 per cent from last year to HK$482... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1758627/hong-kong-wine-dealers-raise-toast-falling-euro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/1758627/hong-kong-wine-dealers-raise-toast-falling-euro?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2015 03:45:00 +0000 The closure of ATV next year means 480,000 households still using analogue television sets will be left with just one station - TVB - to watch newscasts for the next few years, the commerce chief has conceded. Both stations are the only operators that offer both analogue and digital broadcasting for free, but ATV's days are numbered and its licence will expire on April 1 next year. Following this will be the end of analogue broadcasting, probably by 2020. The government said last week that it... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1756113/commerce-chief-admits-hks-analogue-tv-households-face-less-choice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1756113/commerce-chief-admits-hks-analogue-tv-households-face-less-choice?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2015 08:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong retailers have shifted strategy to cope with a sharp rise in people taking overseas breaks during the Easter and Ching Ming holidays and fewer mainland tourists. Some said they would focus on cosmetics and food, which are more resilient to sluggish consumer demand, rather than bigger ticket items like watches and jewellery. Outbound tour bookings for Easter jumped 20 per cent last month from a year earlier, while mainland tour group numbers dropped by about 10 per cent to around 400... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1755700/hong-kong-stores-switch-tactics-cope-easter-exodus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1755700/hong-kong-stores-switch-tactics-cope-easter-exodus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:45:00 +0000 ATV may not yet be at the end of the road, with influential supporters who do not want to see TVB monopolise Hong Kong's free-to-air television seeking a lifeline for the ailing station. Despite the tone of finality in Wednesday's announcement that the Executive Council would not renew ATV's licence when it expires in November, sources yesterday told the South China Morning Post there was still a chance the broadcaster could survive in some form. That could even involve a total rebrand, given... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/media/article/1754013/fading-broadcaster-atv-may-not-be-able-see-out-its-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/media/article/1754013/fading-broadcaster-atv-may-not-be-able-see-out-its-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2015 03:08:04 +0000 ATV's de facto boss Wong Ching has taken the station on a turbulent ride over the past week as he sought a new investor, but his sometimes-controversial tactics proved futile in the end, with the Executive Council rejecting the station's application to renew its free-to-air licence. Wong and his relative Wong Ben-koon, who holds the 52.4 per cent controlling stake on paper, were looking for investors to take over the troubled operation. Interested parties were invited to submit their proposals... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1753800/atv-ricky-wong-deal-never-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1753800/atv-ricky-wong-deal-never-was?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:30:00 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his cabinet finally pulled the plug on struggling broadcaster ATV yesterday, deciding not to renew its free-to-air licence which expires in November. On an April Fool's Day filled with real-life drama that created a bigger sensation than any programme the cash-strapped station has produced in recent years, the Executive Council spent four hours to decide that ATV did not deserve the lifeline it was desperately seeking. It’s the first time the government has... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/1753424/hong-kongs-atv-denied-new-free-air-licence-exco-pulls-plug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/1753424/hong-kongs-atv-denied-new-free-air-licence-exco-pulls-plug?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2015 04:08:30 +0000 Hong Kong retail sales in the first two months of the year dropped 2 per cent from the same period in 2014, dragged down by a continued decline in tourist spending on luxury goods. As this year's Lunar New Year holiday fell in February instead of January, festive shopping saw total retail sales in February increase by 14.9 per cent year-on-year to HK$46.6 billion. But the rise could not offset a big drop in sales in January compared with last year. The disappointing figures were mainly due to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1753124/luxury-spending-slump-hong-kong-pushes-retail-sales-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1753124/luxury-spending-slump-hong-kong-pushes-retail-sales-down?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:45:45 +0000 Fishballs have always been part of life for Tong Kim-chi, 68. Since he was a toddler, he has eaten daily at the Sun King Kee noodle shop founded by his father, in Gage Street, Central, in 1945. Now, Tong has three sons of his own and serves up the dish as boss of the shop to regulars including his five grandchildren. But not for much longer. Tong will say goodbye to the shop and the memories it holds this week and hand it over to the Urban Renewal Authority. The URA is replacing a swathe of old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1749866/70-year-old-sun-king-kee-noodle-shop-makes-way-hong-kong-ura-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1749866/70-year-old-sun-king-kee-noodle-shop-makes-way-hong-kong-ura-project?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2015 21:30:15 +0000 For 140 years, vendors have sold their wares in Graham Street, site of the city’s oldest wet market. Soon, the area will completely change, as the Urban Renewal Authority replaces the street market and surrounding sites with HK$3.8 billion worth of housing, retail space, offices and a hotel. The announcement of the project in 2007 sparked an outcry and the URA eventually relented, so 11 vendors will be able to sell fresh  food in a new retail space due to open early next year. They gave up the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/social-issues/article/1746973/end-era-hong-kongs-graham-street-vendors-trade-places?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/social-issues/article/1746973/end-era-hong-kongs-graham-street-vendors-trade-places?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2015 17:00:45 +0000 Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah poked fun at his track record of underestimating Hong Kong's budget surplus, saying yesterday that the city wouldn't have to worry about its finances as long as he was in charge. The finance chief joked with his audience - members of the 11 professional bodies that make up the Hong Kong Coalition of Professional Services - saying that with his track record he seemed to conjure funds from thin air. Tsang discussed ways to generate sufficient revenue to meet... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1749035/hong-kong-finance-chief-john-tsang-jokes-about-his-track-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1749035/hong-kong-finance-chief-john-tsang-jokes-about-his-track-record?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2015 16:30:45 +0000 Hong Kong is seeking actively to join the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a China-led regional version of the World Bank that has been attracting more countries to sign up as founding members ahead of the deadline on Tuesday. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said he would discuss with Beijing how the city could get in on the act under the principle of "one country, two systems". "Hong Kong's free port policy, efficient customs clearance, strong intellectual property protection... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1748567/hong-kong-actively-seeking-join-asian-infrastructure-bank-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1748567/hong-kong-actively-seeking-join-asian-infrastructure-bank-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2015 08:15:45 +0000