https://www.scmp.com/rss/265520/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The average price of everyday goods in Sheung Shui is 10 to 20 per cent higher than in nearby districts as mainlanders flood in to snap up products to take across the border. The town has been at the sharp end of an influx of traders who buy goods in bulk in Hong Kong to dodge high taxes on the mainland. It's also a popular with mainland residents with multi-entry permits who stock up on goods for personal use or for sale online. Tensions spilled over at the weekend, with clashes at a protest by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1038591/sheung-shui-prices-soar-mainland-traders-buy-bulk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1038591/sheung-shui-prices-soar-mainland-traders-buy-bulk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 More than 50 suspected parallel trading cases have been detected in the past week as a result of an enhanced crackdown by Hong Kong and Shenzhen customs authorities on illegal cross-border exports. Thousands of people make their living by buying everyday goods in Hong Kong and selling them across the border to avoid the mainland's hefty taxes. They have been accused of putting a strain on the local infrastructure and pushing up prices in the New Territories. Since border customs officers stepped... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1038593/50-parallel-trading-cases-detected-hk-shenzhen-border-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1038593/50-parallel-trading-cases-detected-hk-shenzhen-border-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Two church bodies have urged the government to scrap national education guidelines and send the curriculum back to the drawing board, to avoid schools coming under any pressure to teach the subject. The Anglican Church - known as the Sheng Kung Hui - and the Council of the Church of Christ in China said yesterday that the concessions Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying made in withdrawing mandatory lessons failed to allay their worries. The two sponsoring bodies, which represent about 150 primary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1035226/national-education-must-be-scrapped-church-groups-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1035226/national-education-must-be-scrapped-church-groups-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Cross-boundary pupils are being pestered by grey-market traders into smuggling goods across the border, a social service group recently revealed. In one case, according to International Social Service (ISS), a bus nanny put cellphones into the bags of all her young passengers, who were later caught by Customs officers. This emerged from a survey of problems faced by children who travel from Shenzhen to Hong Kong to attend school. Cheung Yuk-ching, director of the ISS cross-boundary service... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1035190/students-shenzhen-exploited-smuggle-goods-across-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1035190/students-shenzhen-exploited-smuggle-goods-across-border?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Several universities have thrown their support behind today's citywide class boycott - the first in 20 years - as the organisers warn of further strikes if Leung Chun-ying fails to scrap the national education curriculum. The chief executive responded on Saturday to massive protests by giving schools discretion to choose whether or not to teach the subject. But Johnson Yeung Ching-yin, president of Chinese University's student union, said as long as the national education teaching guideline... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1033613/anti-national-education-class-strike-gets-support-university?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1033613/anti-national-education-class-strike-gets-support-university?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A decision to give millions of non-permanent Shenzhen residents easier access to Hong Kong will not be implemented until the city has examined its capacity to receive more visitors, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says. Leung's assurance came after concerns arose over Shenzhen's plan to let 4.1 million of its residents apply for multi-entry permits to Hong Kong from September 1 without returning to their home provinces. He said yesterday that for the first time, Hong Kong and mainland... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031946/leung-chun-ying-gets-shenzhen-delay-issuing-multi-entry-permits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031946/leung-chun-ying-gets-shenzhen-delay-issuing-multi-entry-permits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 There are worrying signs that Hong Kong's tourism appeal is stronger than its capacity to accommodate visitors, according to standards adopted overseas. With 4.1 million potential new tourists knocking on Hong Kong's door in Shenzhen, Roy Tam Hoi-bong, of the environmental organisation Green Sense, says there are clear signs that some districts in Hong Kong are unable to handle the hordes. He says the city is overcrowded and its social capacity has also been exceeded. "People have nowhere to go... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031823/hong-kong-doesnt-have-capacity-allow-more-visitors-says-green?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031823/hong-kong-doesnt-have-capacity-allow-more-visitors-says-green?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Three primary schools that will teach national education have posted curriculum guides online to dismiss speculation about the use of biased learning materials. Acting on mounting public concern, the three have laid out key teaching points on their websites to reiterate their impartiality on the subject. Detractors fear national education may become a tool for brainwashing pupils. New Territories Women and Juveniles Welfare Association Limited Leung Sing Tak Primary School in Tai Po says in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031091/three-hong-kong-schools-stress-impartiality-over-national-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1031091/three-hong-kong-schools-stress-impartiality-over-national-education?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Schools in North District say they have been overwhelmed by the number of cross-border pupils, despite increasing their capacity to cope with an expected surge. Their ranks have been boosted by children reaching school age who were born in Hong Kong to mainland parents. And pupils unable to find places in the district are heading for other districts further from their homes in Shenzhen. Nine of the 28 schools in the district have expanded but principals say it is not enough. The situation has... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1030275/schools-near-border-hong-kong-struggle-cope-surge-pupils?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1030275/schools-near-border-hong-kong-struggle-cope-surge-pupils?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New HIV cases in Hong Kong hit a quarterly high of 131 - the most since the virus was identified in 1984 - with male homosexual contact cited as the main factor by health officials. An Aids support group criticised the ease with which social media and mobile technology now facilitates online contact, which may lead to sexual encounters. The changing dynamics of the city had allowed for more sexual contact in recent years, Aids Concern spokeswoman Panda Cheung Yin-mei said. "Under the influence... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1029626/record-rise-new-hiv-infections-second-quarter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1029626/record-rise-new-hiv-infections-second-quarter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Some cross-border pupils were unable to start school yesterday because they lacked permits that enable them to reach their school buses waiting in the boundary closed area. Their parents, who had been campaigning for an increase in the quota of closed-area permits available at the most popular crossing point, Lo Wu, were caught out when no change was made, and had to make last-minute applications at Lok Ma Chau, where they now face a wait of up to two weeks for approval. In the meantime they... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1028882/lo-wu-closed-border-quota-upsets-parents-children-studying-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1028882/lo-wu-closed-border-quota-upsets-parents-children-studying-city?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The new Miss Hong Kong and the runners-up in Sunday's contest have urged web users to lay off pageant organiser TVB, and dismissed calls for a rerun after the broadcaster's attempt to choose the beauty queen by an online poll descended into farce. TVB has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to investigate the failure of the online polling system. PwC was the independent observer for the scoring of the contest and results announcement. Carat Cheung Ming-nga, chosen as the winner by a panel of five... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1027260/miss-hong-kong-beauties-defend-pageant-organiser-tvb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1027260/miss-hong-kong-beauties-defend-pageant-organiser-tvb?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The haphazard history that gave Hong Kong some of the most valuable real estate in the world has just got more random. Geologists announced yesterday that we are only here thanks to an extraordinary volcanic eruption. It was one of only about 50 supervolcanoes to have erupted since man walked the planet, none of which have occurred in recorded history. And now, 140 million years after the event, its existence has been unveiled by geologists who realised what they were looking at during the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1026638/hong-kong-formed-rare-supervolcano-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1026638/hong-kong-formed-rare-supervolcano-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The man behind the discovery of Hong Kong's supervolcano remembers the moment he realised he was on to something big - the explanation for the city's unique landscape. "The 'Ah-ha!' moment for me was realising that everything pointed to one source - a supervolcano, the one system that could have preserved all the unique geological features of Hong Kong," said Dr Roderick Sewell, who has worked as a geologist in the Civil Engineering and Development Department for more than 22 years. Sewell... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1026552/geotech-engineer-realised-it-all-pointed-supervolcano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1026552/geotech-engineer-realised-it-all-pointed-supervolcano?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Pollution scientists who developed a new air quality alert system for the government that was never adopted plan to launch it themselves. The experts say their air quality health index (AQHI), to be provided on a website as early as next month, will offer the public better, clearer and more timely advice on health risks than the present government system. Modelled on a Canadian approach, the new index will be calculated on the risks of hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024785/hong-kong-scientists-launch-alternative-air-quality-health-index?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024785/hong-kong-scientists-launch-alternative-air-quality-health-index?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New Territories businesses and residents remain divided on whether more mainland visitors would be good or bad for them. Worries about next month's opening-up of multiple-entry permits to 4.1 million non-permanent residents of Shenzhen range from rising rents and prices to a scarcity of train seats. But many shopkeepers welcome an increase in business. The extra visitors are expected to spread from the busiest tourist and shopping areas to new towns stretching from the border district of Sheung... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024782/new-territories-businesses-residents-are-split-over-more-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024782/new-territories-businesses-residents-are-split-over-more-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands did little to dampen the enthusiasm of four Japanese university students who were in town to gain first-hand experience of Hong Kong's business culture. As part of a three-week financial training programme organised by Pegasus Fung Managers, Ikue Honda, Naoko Kanehara, Kazuya Shimada and Yuki Yoshikawa spent their time attending lectures and meeting representatives from international corporations such as Bloomberg, HSBC and UBS. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022920/visiting-japanese-students-praise-hong-kongs-business-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022920/visiting-japanese-students-praise-hong-kongs-business-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong is set to lose more of its competitive edge to regional rival Singapore after the island state pledged to introduce new air quality standards which are much tougher than those proposed for the city. The National Environment Agency of Singapore said the state would adopt the World Health Organisation's air quality guidelines as a target to be achieved by 2020. The agency said the new target would enable the state to "achieve a high standard of public health and economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022644/singapores-new-air-quality-standards-much-tougher-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022644/singapores-new-air-quality-standards-much-tougher-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As employees, Hong Kong's twenty-somethings are impatient, self-centred and likely to place the potential for monetary gain above all else when choosing a job, a survey by a management consultancy shows. The locally-based Tamty McGill Consultants International found that workers from Generation Y - or the so-called post-1980s generation - are creative and enthusiastic, but expect close mentoring and instant feedback from colleagues. The survey interviewed 1,139 people, including 468 employers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1019440/generation-y-workers-prize-money-and-benefits-jobs-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1019440/generation-y-workers-prize-money-and-benefits-jobs-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Health hazards plaguing the University of Hong Kong's new campus could damage its hopes of having the development win top-level green building status, experts say. The university has faced mounting pressure over its decision to move staff into its Centennial Campus before its completion, exposing them to high levels of legionella bacteria and the carcinogen formaldehyde. The development was to be submitted to Hong Kong's Green Building Council and the equivalent body in the United States,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1017376/hku-criticised-moving-staff-building-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1017376/hku-criticised-moving-staff-building-site?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hongkongers are divided on whether Paul Chan Mo-po should become the second scandal-hit development chief to quit the government in as many months. While some believe Chan's admission that he knew a flat owned by his wife's company in Kowloon had been subdivided illegally is not 'fatal', others say he should step down, just a week after taking over when Mak Chai-kwong resigned following his arrest by graft-busters. While Chan and his wife Frieda Hui Po-ming last week denied knowing the details... https://www.scmp.com/article/1014238/should-paul-chan-step-down-jury-still-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1014238/should-paul-chan-step-down-jury-still-out?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000