https://www.scmp.com/rss/21027/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A Cantonese opera workshop for those with hearing disabilities has not only given Christie To Wing-sum a unique challenge, it has allowed her to reach out to Hong Kong residents previously cut off from the traditional art form. To, 28, and the Hong Kong Young Talent Cantonese Opera Troupe hold about 10 workshops every year to encourage residents to experience and learn about Cantonese opera. However, the workshop in December 2021 with Operation Santa Claus (OSC) was the first time she worked... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164737/operation-santa-claus-cantonese-opera-performer-aims-make?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164737/operation-santa-claus-cantonese-opera-performer-aims-make?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 02:00:27 +0000 Jennifer Ngo Jennifer Ngo An international school in Hong Kong has been fostering a culture of giving by incorporating a fundraising theme into its monthly “free dress days”. “It helped us connect with organisations who are actively giving back to Hong Kong society,” said Kiki Sundar, a grade eight student at the American International School. “Free dress days” allow students to donate to various charity causes, such as Operation Santa Claus (OSC), while getting the chance to dress casually. According to Sundar, they... https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163843/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-international-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163843/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-international-school?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jan 2022 11:57:45 +0000 Jennifer Ngo Jennifer Ngo Hong Kong secondary students spread joy through the power of music and dance as part of a performing arts show to celebrate the season of giving. Featuring choir performances, dance recitals, piano solos, and an assistant principal dressed in a fat Santa suit, Tai Kwong Hilary College in Tai Po offered up a variety of talents to raise money for Operation Santa Claus (OSC). OSC is an annual fundraising campaign co-organised by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK since 1988,... https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163698/small-school-shows-big-talent-fundraising-show-operation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163698/small-school-shows-big-talent-fundraising-show-operation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 10:16:23 +0000 Jennifer Ngo Jennifer Ngo A Hong Kong school has turned a fundraising campaign into a chance to practise English while doing something meaningful for charity. Staff and students of CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School in Chai Wan put on a lunchtime concert on December 16, 2021 for Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive co-organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK since 1988. Students cheered and applauded as their teachers took to the stage for a rendition of the popular musical number Seasons... https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163449/hong-kong-schools-lunchtime-concert-lets-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163449/hong-kong-schools-lunchtime-concert-lets-students?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jan 2022 11:07:49 +0000 Jennifer Ngo Jennifer Ngo Pupils and teachers at a private preparatory school in Hong Kong donned Christmas colours and their silliest seasonal jumpers for their latest charity fundraiser. Wycombe Abbey School Hong Kong successfully raised over HK$5,000 (US$641) in their first-ever event for Operation Santa Claus (OSC), a charity fundraising drive co-organised by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK since 1988. With over 30 years of experience, the OSC supported 18 different charities in Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163338/hong-kong-prep-school-raises-hk5000-first-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3163338/hong-kong-prep-school-raises-hk5000-first-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jan 2022 03:08:57 +0000 Staff at a Hong Kong private hospital have turned the culinary skills they acquired during months spent at home during the Covid-19 pandemic towards raising money for a good cause. The employees of the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Happy Valley showed off their talent at whipping up desserts and baking bread as part of a competition included in a month of activities that end on Wednesday to benefit Operation Santa Claus (OSC). The annual OSC fundraiser is jointly organised by the South... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3160279/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-sanatorium-hospital-staff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3160279/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-sanatorium-hospital-staff?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Dec 2021 02:00:24 +0000 Music may seem like the last thing deaf parents thought they could enjoy with their children, but a Cantonese opera workshop organised by law firm Deacons has proved that music really is a language that speaks to everyone. Working with Operation Santa Claus (OSC), the law firm this year donated HK$300,000 (US$38,500) to create a two-session Cantonese opera workshop for eight families, made up of children with parents who have hearing disabilities. OSC is an annual fundraising initiative... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3159064/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-deaf-parents-their-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3159064/operation-santa-claus-hong-kong-deaf-parents-their-children?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 02:00:23 +0000 [First published on 10 July, 2012] Of the few pupils who achieved perfect scores for the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams this year, one in 10 came from Hong Kong. Of the 109 students who achieved full scores of 45 marks on the global IB exams - considered one of the toughest pre-college exams in the world - at least 12 of the top achievers were from Hong Kong. English Schools Foundation (ESF) students continued to achieve strong results this year, with the number of students achieving... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101571/esf-pupils-come-baccalaureate-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101571/esf-pupils-come-baccalaureate-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:38:57 +0000 It’s about time the contribution “the alternative economy” makes to society is recognised, an international NGO says. Opportunities in the same informal economy should be explored and expanded, according to the group, Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising. Whether as hawkers or housewives, helping out with the family store or waste collectors, more than half of the world’s jobs are informal, operations director Mike Bird said. Closing time: How Hong Kong’s street hawkers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988108/recognise-value-informal-labour-sector-hong-kong-says-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988108/recognise-value-informal-labour-sector-hong-kong-says-ngo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jul 2016 14:45:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s top official paid tribute on Friday to two firemen who died fighting an inferno in an industrial building last week and described the fire as “a heavy lesson in fire safety”. In his speech commemorating the 19th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying also recounted the administration’s successes in tackling the city’s housing shortage and vowed to continue focusing on economic development in the coming year. Everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1984153/hong-kong-chief-executive-lauds-bravery-two-firemen-who-died?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1984153/hong-kong-chief-executive-lauds-bravery-two-firemen-who-died?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:59:26 +0000 A top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has accused bookseller Lam Wing-kee of “destroying” the city’s “one country, two systems” governing policy by publishing and selling books banned on the mainland. Lam was in the spotlight again on Friday, as he pulled out of the annual July 1 rally, citing safety concerns that he was being followed by strangers. Director Wang Guangya of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, speaking in Beijing, attacked Lam for “publishing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1984133/beijing-official-accuses-bookseller-destroying-hong-kongs-governing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1984133/beijing-official-accuses-bookseller-destroying-hong-kongs-governing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2016 11:59:04 +0000 A top Beijing official for Hong Kong has accused bookseller Lam Wing-kee of “destroying one country, two systems”. Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Wang Guangya said he had done so by “publishing books in Hong Kong attacking the mainland’s political system and then selling them on the mainland”. Meanwhile the bookseller, whose revelations about his eight-month incarceration on the mainland shocked the city, has pulled out of Friday’s July 1 march for reasons of personal safety, as he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1983958/followed-strangers-bookseller-lam-wing-kee-pulls-out-july-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1983958/followed-strangers-bookseller-lam-wing-kee-pulls-out-july-1?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2016 05:15:00 +0000 In his speech commemorating the 19th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from the British back to China, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying paid tribute to the two firemen who died fighting an industrial building inferno that blazed for more than four days. During his roughly seven-minute address at the reception after the annual flag-raising ceremony on Friday morning, Leung also recounted the administration’s successes in keeping inflation at bay and unemployment down, as well as being able to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1983898/deepest-grief-cy-leung-pays-tribute-two-dead-firemen-july-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1983898/deepest-grief-cy-leung-pays-tribute-two-dead-firemen-july-1?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:15:15 +0000 Underage compensated dating – where a man pays a girl for companionship and often sexual relations – has gone “underground”, according to police. They say it has moved to phone apps like WeChat and Instagram, where users can chat privately. Compensated dating tactics change Cases are also grossly under-reported, as teenagers often do not seek help unless they can no longer control the situation, as when a “client” starts blackmailing them with secretly taken naked photos or videos for more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1983136/underage-girls-rape-and-handbags-inside-murky-world-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1983136/underage-girls-rape-and-handbags-inside-murky-world-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2016 16:04:18 +0000 The police have opened an investigation into possible abuse at a Hong Kong residential home for the disabled after images of tied-up residents surfaced on Tuesday. The Social Welfare Department said it alerted police after a Chinese-language media outlet published photos of residents tied to toilet seats and bound to beds at a private residential home in Kwai Chung run by Home of Treasure Company Limited. The report also alleged the home had fed residents – all with varying disabilities – only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1982992/were-residents-tied-and-abused-hong-kong-home-disabled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1982992/were-residents-tied-and-abused-hong-kong-home-disabled?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2016 05:29:52 +0000 The homeless should be allowed to stay in hostels for at least 18 months rather than the current limit of six months to cope with a surge in people sleeping rough, lawmakers heard on Tuesday. Service providers told a meeting of the Legislative Council’s public complaints office that there were 1,614 homeless people in the city – 200 more than three years ago. Worrying new trends had also emerged: more people were going back on the streets after a stint away because they could not find affordable... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1982679/raise-six-month-hostel-limit-get-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1982679/raise-six-month-hostel-limit-get-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:26:01 +0000 When Wong Mei-ling hobbled out of the hospital after a brain tumour operation and facing a long road to recovery, Nirmala was waiting for her. With nine years of experience as a hospital nurse in her native home of Sri Lanka, Nirmala was the reason why Wong dodged the fate of being put into an elderly care home, the 62 year old said. Nirmala is one of almost 60 caregivers with nurse training employed by Hong Kong families from Sri Lanka and India through Active Global Specialised Caregivers,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1981841/calls-add-specialised-visa-category-caregivers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1981841/calls-add-specialised-visa-category-caregivers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2016 01:01:22 +0000 A special task force has been set up to investigate whether crime was behind the inferno that killed two firefighters at a Ngau Tau Kok industrial building, which has burned for more than 100 hours. The structural safety of the Amoycan Industrial Centre came under the spotlight yesterday after concrete peeled from the ceiling on the third floor, where the fire started. The flames were last night said to be under control. Police said they have been studying surveillance camera footage from inside... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1981130/what-sparked-deadly-blaze-probe-begins-ngau-tau-kok-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1981130/what-sparked-deadly-blaze-probe-begins-ngau-tau-kok-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jun 2016 08:45:45 +0000 Only a third of Hongkongers classified as deprived in a new study are considered poor under the government’s official poverty line, which is based on income levels. Chinese University professor Wong Hung, who was commissioned to conduct the research by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, based his calculations on access to 14 essential items. Those who could not afford two or more were considered deprived. Officials scrap plan to redraw Hong Kong poverty line The items include being able to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1980822/one-seven-hongkongers-are-deprived-study-finds-only-third-these-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1980822/one-seven-hongkongers-are-deprived-study-finds-only-third-these-are?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jun 2016 12:49:47 +0000 The Ngau Tau Kok fire, which has claimed the lives of two firefighters, has tragic parallels to a blaze that ripped through a Cheung Sha Wan factory building six years ago. Senior fireman Yeung Chun-kit lost his life in the tragedy in 2010. The latest deaths have exposed the fact that the hazards and lax approach to safety in old factory buildings highlighted in the 2010 fire at the Lai Cheong Factory Building have yet to be addressed. Including the Ngau Tau Kok blaze, five firefighters have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1980444/follow-failures-dealing-fires-hong-kong-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1980444/follow-failures-dealing-fires-hong-kong-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:04:23 +0000 Inside the cubicle the size of an elevator at a mini-storage facility in Fo Tan, Yung Sai-hei has stored a few blankets, winter clothes, a microwave and a few other miscellaneous items for which he has no pressing need. Yung, a secondary school teacher, has rented the storage space for HK$600 a month for the past five years. “My flat is small and so there is not a lot of room for stuff I do not need at the moment, like winter clothes and blankets. There are also some electrical appliances that I... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1980414/playing-fire-deadly-failings-hong-kongs-booming-storage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1980414/playing-fire-deadly-failings-hong-kongs-booming-storage?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2016 15:12:40 +0000 A survey of Hongkongers who have recently retired or are about to shows a clear preference for a pension that is not means-tested, as various groups submitted final demands and opinions on the last day of a public consultation. Over 70 per cent of the 115 elderly people questioned – many living in squatter housing – deemed the government’s plan of establishing a means-tested scheme with an asset limit of HK$80,000 as unacceptable. Social workers said this was a group whose views were not often... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1978868/70pc-hong-kong-elderly-want-pension-no-strings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1978868/70pc-hong-kong-elderly-want-pension-no-strings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:33:04 +0000 Another means-tested scheme to hand out cash to eligible elderly residents would be the likely outcome of a six-month public consultation exercise on retirement protection, instead of a comprehensive universal plan backed by various groups, sources close to the government revealed. The Post has learned that the government is considering adding another “tier” to current schemes as the answer to calls for better retirement protection for elderly Hongkongers. Six things you need to know about Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1978204/hong-kong-government-likely-opt-means-tested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1978204/hong-kong-government-likely-opt-means-tested?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jun 2016 15:15:45 +0000 A tired but defiant bookseller Lam Wing-kee gave a press conference in Hong Kong on Thursday accompanied by Democratic Party lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan. He returned to the city on Tuesday after being detained in Ningbo then Shaoguan in mainland China before he was finally allowed to return to Hong Kong. This is the transcript of the 22-minute opening statement he gave in the Legislative Council complex. Last year on October 24, I was crossing the Shenzhen immigration point to visit my... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1976598/full-transcript-lam-wing-kees-opening-statement-his-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1976598/full-transcript-lam-wing-kees-opening-statement-his-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:00:15 +0000 Highlights from Lam Wing-kee’s press briefing on Thursday regarding his abduction and detention on the mainland. Q: Mr Lam, you said you had to give [the authorities] a list of readers [who bought books] for them to let you come back to Hong Kong. Did you promise them? How were you going to do that and was there a deadline of when? A: [The Chinese officials] originally were to come down [to Hong Kong] yesterday (June 15) because they had to pick up the computer. I heard that there was a Mr Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1976561/qa-hong-kong-bookseller-lam-wing-kee-speaks-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1976561/qa-hong-kong-bookseller-lam-wing-kee-speaks-out?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jun 2016 14:30:15 +0000 The odds were stacked against Yeung Chi-wai right from the start of his short life. Born with Down’s syndrome, two of his three siblings also had mental disabilities and his mother and her boyfriend were habitual users of the drug crystal methamphetamine, also known as Ice. The boy was brought to the Social Welfare Department’s attention when his teachers noticed multiple wounds on his body and his frequent absences. It was decided at a case conference that Chi-wai, five, ought to be removed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1959473/neglect-neglected-hong-kong-boys-death-exposes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1959473/neglect-neglected-hong-kong-boys-death-exposes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 May 2016 10:00:30 +0000 Five-year-old Yeung Chi-wai lived a painful existence before his life was cut short when he ingested seven times the lethal amount of methamphetamine. Other children could suffer the same fate, lawmakers were told on Saturday, unless the city’s child protection system was overhauled and new laws passed. Old and new bruises and marks on the little boy’s face, arms and legs pointed to long-time neglect before he died in 2013, while the coroner’s court concluded in March that his death was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1957855/hong-kongs-outdated-child-protection-system-blamed-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1957855/hong-kongs-outdated-child-protection-system-blamed-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 May 2016 11:36:23 +0000 This month marks 20 years since Hong Kong’s one and only statutory body specifically dealing with equality issues was established. Since then, the operation of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has been marked as much by turmoil as triumph. Even its formation was a difficult one, the result of a passsionate and at times painful campaign against a backdrop of a politically charged time in Hong Kong’s history. Former chairwoman and current Executive Council member Anna Wu Hung-yuk is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1955712/twenty-years-victories-and-setbacks-hong-kongs-equal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1955712/twenty-years-victories-and-setbacks-hong-kongs-equal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2016 10:56:11 +0000 Members of Hong Kong’s business sector have expressed objections to any retirement protection scheme that means money coming out of their coffers. At a forum on Tuesday held by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, Stephen Ng Tin-hoi, chairman of Wharf Holdings and the chamber told Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: “Welfare which everyone can get is not the Hong Kong spirit.” While the topic for discussion was retirement protection, many lamented how government policies had “created... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953351/universal-pension-not-hong-kong-spirit-retirement-forum-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953351/universal-pension-not-hong-kong-spirit-retirement-forum-told?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2016 12:57:33 +0000 Executive councillor Anna Wu Hung-yuk has urged the government to establish a human rights commission in the city, in keeping with the changing political and social landscape – only to have it promptly turned down. Wu, a former head of the Equal Opportunities Commission who now chairs the Competition Commission, also lamented Hong Kong’s lack of a minister in charge of human rights. Arguing that it had led to fragmented adherence to important principles such as equality by the government, she... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1949919/hong-kong-government-pours-cold-water-call-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1949919/hong-kong-government-pours-cold-water-call-human?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 May 2016 14:17:51 +0000 New reverse mortgage applications have increased by 80 per cent in the last year, with 368 new cases in 2015, said the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation’s chief executive. And the scheme will hopefully expand to Housing Ownership Scheme flats in late 2016 or early 2017, said Raymond Li Ling-cheung. A reverse mortgage is a loan arrangement where a borrower – in this case 55 years of age or above – can use property as security for a bank loan. The borrower still owns, and can still live in, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1948526/hong-kong-reverse-mortgage-applications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1948526/hong-kong-reverse-mortgage-applications?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2016 06:53:41 +0000 Here’s a woman who brings a whole new meaning to the adjective “domineering”. If the chief executive’s wife is on your VIP list, no one else is allowed to be. The Post found out that Leung Chun-ying’s wife, Regina Leung Tong Ching-yee, expressly demanded to be the one and only VIP guest at any fundraisers, ceremonies and shows she attends. Her demand is well-known in high circles: a top official once received a call from an event organiser who apologised profusely that the official had to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1946773/all-around-town-theres-only-one-name-vip-list-when-mrs-leung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1946773/all-around-town-theres-only-one-name-vip-list-when-mrs-leung?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 09:28:46 +0000 A study among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Hongkongers found that 30 per cent had attempted, or thought of attempting, suicide. More than 580 people took part in the study of mental health among the marginalised groups, in response to World Mental Health Day on Tuesday. The survey also showed 24 per cent of respondents had depression – six times the share of the general population. Some 35 per cent said they had some sort of emotional issues. “Society’s non-acceptance of LGBT... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1946597/survey-highlights-lgbt-peoples-higher-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1946597/survey-highlights-lgbt-peoples-higher-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 May 2016 12:45:19 +0000 Transitional care for elderly patients discharged from hospital – a service that lowers their chances of readmittance – will expand to cover those who suffer a stroke or a fall, the Post has learned. The support service, hailed a game-changer, has been proven to save millions of taxpayer dollars every year, prevent the elderly from being prematurely thrown into care homes, and to ease the strain on the public health system. Sources told the Post that the government’s budget increase from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1945534/medical-game-changer-hong-kong-expand-transitional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1945534/medical-game-changer-hong-kong-expand-transitional?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2016 14:51:34 +0000 The support teams that help elderly people reintegrate into the community after a stint in hospital are having trouble hiring enough frontline staff to keep up with demand. Vital tasks include delivering meals, bathing patients and house cleaning. Another problem is that the three-month limit for transitional care to help the elderly become independent again is too short, says Twiggy Chow Tsui, Haven of Hope’s elderly community services operations general manager. “It’s very hectic and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1945524/three-months-transitional-care-not-enough-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1945524/three-months-transitional-care-not-enough-help?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2016 13:28:30 +0000 School suspensions due to bad weather will be announced “in sync” with the Observatory’s weather warnings in future, education bureau chief Eddie Ng Hak-kim said yesterday. The new mechanism is slated to start in a month’s time, he said. The change came after a red rainstorm warning at 7.35am last Tuesday was criticised for being issued at an awkward time, with the Education Bureau class cancellation notice issued 10 minutes later – right when most students were either already at school or on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1945102/school-suspensions-due-heavy-rain-be-synced-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1945102/school-suspensions-due-heavy-rain-be-synced-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 May 2016 14:39:35 +0000 An elderly man died after being hit by an allegedly drunk driver while pushing a wooden cart of oranges near the century-old Yau Ma Tei fruit market, early on Saturday morning . The accident happened at 5.40am and the man, 76, was later pronounced dead at Kwong Wah hospital. The driver was arrested for drunk driving and causing death by dangerous driving. Tests showed that the alcohol content in his bloodstream was three times over the legal limit, said senior inspector Sun Lun-yum, from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1944750/elderly-man-dies-after-being-hit-drunk-driver-near-famous-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1944750/elderly-man-dies-after-being-hit-drunk-driver-near-famous-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 May 2016 08:33:04 +0000 There was a time when little home factories set up across Hong Kong produced paper bags and plastic flowers to feed families. And in the increasingly expensive city, one banker looked to that bit of local history and established a business making purses out of old ties – employing mothers from low-income families to do the work at home. Margaret Leung set up social enterprise Les Beatitudes a year ago, with the concept of bringing work back into homes to make it easier for mothers, many of whom... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1942196/unlocking-hong-kongs-hidden-labour-force-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1942196/unlocking-hong-kongs-hidden-labour-force-social?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2016 16:43:30 +0000 The last public hearing session on the government’s retirement protection consultation in Tai Po was cut short by a few minutes on Saturday, after the chief secretary’s speech was interrupted by protesting calls from the audience. “This session was better than the previous four ... I hope we started well and can end well,” said Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at the last of five public hearing sessions. Unfortunately, her comments were made too early, when protesters rushed towards... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1942144/hong-kong-government-pensions-meeting-cut-short-after-bubble-gun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1942144/hong-kong-government-pensions-meeting-cut-short-after-bubble-gun?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2016 12:08:52 +0000 Former chief secretary Stephen Lam Sui-lung was among supporters of an anti-human-trafficking fundraiser expected to raise close to HK$2 million over the weekend. Volunteers took part in a “sweatshop challenge” in a tent in Southorn Playground, Wan Chai, performing repetitive tasks for an hour or longer without food and drink to get a taste of what it means to work in such conditions. The money will be used to train corporations on how to detect forced labour within their supply chains, as well... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1942136/hong-kong-volunteers-aim-raise-hk2-million-fight-against-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1942136/hong-kong-volunteers-aim-raise-hk2-million-fight-against-human?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2016 09:13:45 +0000 One in five women have experienced workplace discrimination during pregnancy, maternity leave or in the first year after giving birth, an Equal Opportunities Commission report has found. Ranging from impolite treatment to being refused sick leave for pre-natal check ups, getting laid off or being allocated more work, the situation is the worst for pregnant women in retail or the restaurant and hotel industries. Around 33 per cent of those in retail and 44 per cent in hotels and restaurants... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1941356/one-five-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers-experience-workplace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1941356/one-five-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers-experience-workplace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2016 11:44:32 +0000 The city’s equality chief has promised to push for public consultation over sexual minority anti-discrimination legislation and to act as a liaison between LGBT groups and the administration over various issues, said local concern groups. In his first meeting with representatives of LGBT rights concern groups on Tuesday evening, Equal Opportunities Commission chairman Alfred Chan Cheung-ming acceded to all five requests made. These included pushing the government to conduct public consultation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1941092/signing-cheques-head-hong-kong-equality-watchdog?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1941092/signing-cheques-head-hong-kong-equality-watchdog?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2016 05:17:47 +0000 Shelters taking in Hong Kong’s abused children are constantly full to the brim, with places for mentally disabled children at 98.4 per cent capacity, the South China Morning Post has learned. That means children facing abuse and neglect at home cannot be moved to a safe place in time. And social workers in their desperation are resorting to unconventional pre-emptive measures, such as calling an ambulance to get a child to hospital before possible harm. “Some may think this is not the right use... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1940381/crisis-care-hong-kongs-most-vulnerable-shelters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1940381/crisis-care-hong-kongs-most-vulnerable-shelters?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2016 00:30:55 +0000 Hongkongers need to promise to behave well towards mainland visitors before any attempt will be made to beseech the central government to help revitalise the city’s tourism industry, the chief executive told a travel industry representative. Leung Chun-ying allegedly agreed in a conversation with travel agent owners association president Yip Hing-ning, to ask the central government to resume the multiple-entry scheme and to open up new mainland cities to the individual visit scheme – if Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1940260/hongkongers-must-promise-behave-well-towards-mainland-visitors-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1940260/hongkongers-must-promise-behave-well-towards-mainland-visitors-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Apr 2016 15:45:45 +0000 Housing eats up a record 34 per cent of Hongkongers’ monthly spending, as the cost of having a roof over one’s head in the city is 40 per cent higher than five years ago, according to the latest official statistics from the government. The five-yearly household expenditure survey used to adjust the Consumer Price Indices (CPI) further indicated on Friday that food had also taken up a larger chunk of expenditure for half of the city’s population. Decision not to revise Hong Kong’s poverty line... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1940105/housing-eats-record-34pc-spending-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1940105/housing-eats-record-34pc-spending-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:19:12 +0000 Scandal-plagued equality chief yesterday offered double apologies for his blunders, the latest being an accusation that he sent an email threatening a professor critical of his integrity. Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) chairman Alfred Chan Cheung-ming came under fire after multiple scandals ranging from a moonlighting gig to an email threat, as well as controversial and what was criticised as insulting remarks on sexual minorities and asylum seekers – just less than two weeks into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1939581/more-apologies-scandal-plagued-hong-kong-equality-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1939581/more-apologies-scandal-plagued-hong-kong-equality-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2016 11:51:11 +0000 A local professor who received an email from Hong Kong’s new equal opportunities commission head allegedly containing threatening content said it should be made public and explained by its sender. Alfred Chan Cheung-ming was accused by University of Hong Kong associate professor Petula Ho Sik-ying of exerting pressure on her to stop criticising him as he mentioned his “closeness” to Ho’s supervisor and colleagues. “He had asked me not to make his email public ... but I think he himself should do... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1939519/even-now-im-scared-professor-demands-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1939519/even-now-im-scared-professor-demands-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2016 05:31:32 +0000 Carrie queries Michael Tien’s political affiliation In a closed-door, no-recording-allowed media briefing on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor – with sarcasm and sass – aired her dissatisfaction over leaked Commission on Poverty documents to the press, and also took a jab at pro-establishment lawmaker and commission member Michael Tien Puk-sun on what she apparently thought as his sometimes not-so-pro-government actions. “We have four lawmakers, two from the pan-democratic camp... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1939063/hong-kong-chief-secretary-questions-michael-tiens-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1939063/hong-kong-chief-secretary-questions-michael-tiens-political?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2016 09:06:56 +0000 Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has hit back at news reports claiming the government did a U-turn on Monday by shelving a plan to redraw the poverty line, a move that would have meant hundreds of thousands of people no longer being classified as poor. She said it had only been a suggestion and stressed the decision had nothing to do with the Legislative Council elections in September. Her remarks followed a closed-door meeting of the Commission on Poverty on Monday, during which Lam... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1938678/decision-not-revise-hong-kongs-poverty-line-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1938678/decision-not-revise-hong-kongs-poverty-line-was?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 12:46:15 +0000 The University of Science and Technology campus in Clear Water Bay was shrouded in April fog, but its myriad hallways and buildings remained familiar to Professor Naubahar Sharif – part of the very first cohort of students to step into the institution’s classrooms in 1991, and now a lecturer in the burgeoning field of innovation and technology development. And just like the Hong Kong born and bred professor’s long history with his alma mater, Sharif also represents the Pakistani community’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1936674/i-think-we-are-losing-bargaining-power-warning-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1936674/i-think-we-are-losing-bargaining-power-warning-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2016 06:14:08 +0000