https://www.scmp.com/rss/319477/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A group of investors from Hong Kong and the mainland were allegedly cheated of more than HK$10 million in a suspected cross-border scam, a Hong Kong legislator said on Wednesday. According to Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun, a company in mainland China claiming to be the sole agent of Hong Kong chain The Dessert Kitchen began in 2014 to invite investors to become shareholders to open franchised dessert shops across the border. Those interested were then persuaded to hand over large... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1970542/dessert-shop-scam-hong-kong-and-mainland-chinese-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1970542/dessert-shop-scam-hong-kong-and-mainland-chinese-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2016 08:27:58 +0000 Red flags have been hoisted at three beaches in Hong Kong as more than 40 lifeguards across the city went on strike. At 9.10am on Thursday, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced that lifesaving services had been suspended at Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun, Silverstrand Beach and Hap Mun Bay Beach in Sai Kung until further notice because of an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty. The lifeguards were protesting what they called a chronic shortage of manpower at beaches across... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1970438/red-flags-go-hong-kong-beaches-lifeguards-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1970438/red-flags-go-hong-kong-beaches-lifeguards-go?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2016 06:00:00 +0000 Central MTR station was plunged into darkness for about six hours on Tuesday after a power failure hit the concourse and Island Line platform. Most shops on the MTR concourse near World-Wide House, including a 7-Eleven store and Maxim’s Cakes, suspended business following the outage at around 3pm. It was only at 9.10pm that power was fully restored. Trains bound for Kennedy Town and the MTR gates were unaffected as passengers continued to get on and off trains and pass through the turnstiles,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1968219/hong-kongs-central-mtr-station-plunged-darkness-about-six?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1968219/hong-kongs-central-mtr-station-plunged-darkness-about-six?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:45:30 +0000 The entry quota for the annual cross-harbour swimming race has been raised by 500 to 3,000, despite complaints about poor management at last year’s event. The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association assured the public on Tuesday that the New World Harbour Race on October 16 would be handled smoothly despite the extra numbers. It said it would introduce a range of new measures, including placing a floating pontoon, five metres wide and 30 metres long, at the starting area to ease... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1968216/bigger-splash-hong-kongs-cross-harbour-swimming-race-expanded-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1968216/bigger-splash-hong-kongs-cross-harbour-swimming-race-expanded-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:30:00 +0000 Thousands of low-paid and unskilled workers may receive higher wages as the government is set to introduce a new tendering guideline that could end the practice of contracts often going to the lowest bidder. From July 1, when government departments want to outsource their operations and if the practice involves hiring “a large number” of unskilled labourers, they must assess the wages suggested by the bidders, unless officials agree otherwise. Government outsourcing hurts Hong Kong ‘working... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1967448/higher-wages-possible-hong-kong-workers-following-changes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1967448/higher-wages-possible-hong-kong-workers-following-changes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2016 12:29:53 +0000 Less than one third of Hongkongers who applied for a Japan working holiday visa in the first half of 2016 were successful, as the number of applications grew. In the first round of working holiday applications this year, the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong got 407 applications, a 4.4 per cent increase on the same time last year. But the consulate could only issue 125 visas. Lower holiday demand hits mainland exports UK-based human resources firm ECA International regional director in Asia, Lee... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1966923/hong-kong-applications-japan-working-holiday-visas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1966923/hong-kong-applications-japan-working-holiday-visas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2016 06:22:41 +0000 The Urban Renewal Authority will for the first time knock down dilapidated buildings at three sites in the old Hong Kong district of To Kwa Wan, departing from its previous practice of selecting one site at a time for redevelopment in a “community-based” approach. However, the authority is expected to lose money from the redevelopment. Announcing its HK$10 billion renewal plan on Friday, it said the project would supply 1,360 new flats by 2025/26, improve traffic circulation in the area and make... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1963785/hong-kongs-ura-announces-ambitious-hk10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1963785/hong-kongs-ura-announces-ambitious-hk10-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jun 2016 09:07:35 +0000 A group of villagers and community activists are in a tense standoff with security guards from property developer Henderson Land over a piece of farmland in the New Territories marked for development. The activists tried to climb a wooden structure located on a 5,500-sq-ft plot of land in Ma Shi Po village in Fanling around noon Thursday while dozens of masked security guards formed lines to prevent entry. As a message was broadcast from loudspeakers urging protesters to leave, the activists... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1962551/fresh-standoff-erupts-between-villagers-and-property-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1962551/fresh-standoff-erupts-between-villagers-and-property-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2016 07:30:00 +0000 The historic building that partially collapsed in the former Central Police Station compound on Sunday night had been flagged two weeks ago as a vulnerable structure that was in “relatively poor condition”, it emerged yesterday. Emergency crews combed the rubble with sniffer dogs yesterday, even though they did not expect to find anyone. The accident, just over a week after the collapse of a green roof at City University, has raised public concerns about safety as well as government heritage... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1958842/wall-and-roof-collapse-historic-former-central-police-station-raises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1958842/wall-and-roof-collapse-historic-former-central-police-station-raises?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 May 2016 16:00:15 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying gave no clear signal about whether he would seek a second term next year but admitted his administration had not solved all livelihood issues, especially housing. But the city’s leader urged whoever will take up the job to continue the policies he launched. In the second part of a three-part television interview aired on TVB on Sunday night, Leung was asked whether Hong Kong people had had their housing needs addressed. Beijing may consider alternative candidates... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1958800/whoever-hong-kongs-next-chief-executive-shouldnt-throw-my?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1958800/whoever-hong-kongs-next-chief-executive-shouldnt-throw-my?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 May 2016 14:25:04 +0000 A pilot project to enable the elderly to stay in their communities in improved living conditions by renovating old buildings instead of tearing them down will probably be launched this year. Outgoing Urban Renewal Authority managing director Daniel Lam Chun said on Thursday the authority planned to identify one or two buildings for the scheme within the year. Lukewarm response for Hong Kong URA’s De Novo flats project with 15 units unsold as sales come to close “Some of our colleagues noticed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955926/new-direction-hong-kong-urban-renewal-authority-set-renovate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955926/new-direction-hong-kong-urban-renewal-authority-set-renovate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2016 16:21:12 +0000 The banking watchdog revealed on Thursday that it had received ­reports from banks about unauthorised stock trading activities in at least 22 online bank accounts in at least four banks. The sum ­involved was HK$45.97 million. Although the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said in a press statement on Thursday that none of the cases reported resulted in any fund transfers to unregistered third parties thanks to a double authentication process, the authority said there were nine cases that resulted in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955888/hong-kong-watchdog-reveals-hk46m-unauthorised-stock-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955888/hong-kong-watchdog-reveals-hk46m-unauthorised-stock-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2016 15:15:45 +0000 The number of Hongkongers in higher education nearly doubled in one decade but their wages stagnated, according to a study which warned young people faced bleak prospects unless the government took action. In its latest research on youth poverty, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service compared statistics from government censuses and found that the number of people aged 15 and over attaining post-secondary education almost doubled from 752,027 in 2001 to 1.48 million in 2011. But in the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955815/out-pocket-number-hongkongers-higher-education-doubles-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1955815/out-pocket-number-hongkongers-higher-education-doubles-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2016 13:15:45 +0000 The banking regulator is considering plans to require banks in the city to assess their resilience to cyber attacks and ways to train more qualified cybersecurity experts. From Tuesday, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority began a three-month consultation into the initiative. The latest policy drive, which was named the “Cybersecurity Fortification Initiative”, was announced after the authority’s chief executive Norman Chan Tak-lam said at the Cyber Security Summit last week that the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953427/hong-kong-monetary-authority-looks-improve-banks-cyber-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953427/hong-kong-monetary-authority-looks-improve-banks-cyber-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 May 2016 02:01:27 +0000 A key Harbourfront Commission member yesterday made an emotional appeal for society to stop arguing over the restoration of the historic Queen’s Pier, which was dismantled nearly a decade ago. The call by veteran architect, Ivan Ho Man-yiu, at a meeting of the government-appointed waterfront advisory body, came after fresh opposition to the ­plan to rebuild Queen’s Pier in a space between Piers 9 and 10 in Central – with more than 1,000 submissions calling for it to be restored at its original... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953391/fresh-calls-restore-queens-pier-original-location?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953391/fresh-calls-restore-queens-pier-original-location?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 May 2016 01:00:59 +0000 A subsidiary of developer Henderson Land has succeeded in securing an interim court injunction against villagers and protesters over a piece of Fanling land, after complaining to a court that its property had been plunged into “a state of lawlessness”. The injunction, granted by the High Court to Best Galaxy, effectively bans people from entering or occupying the piece of 5,500 sq ft land in Ma Shi Po that is owned by the subsidiary. The court, hearing the urgent application outside normal... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1952222/injunction-won-over-lawless-new-territories-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1952222/injunction-won-over-lawless-new-territories-land?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 May 2016 15:29:00 +0000 The Lai Yuen amusement park will stage another comeback this summer, but in a mostly indoor setting at AsiaWorld-Expo instead of on the Central harbourfront. The park will also open for a substantially shorter period, just 24 days, compared to the more than two months last year. Park chairman Duncan Chiu said the decision to move the event to the exhibition venue on Lantau Island was based on experience gained last summer, when the historic theme park, which was originally based in Lai Chi Kok,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1951567/beloved-lai-yuen-amusement-park-will-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1951567/beloved-lai-yuen-amusement-park-will-return?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 May 2016 07:11:16 +0000 A government-funded research body in Hong Kong is moving forward with its development of facial and Chinese character recognition, hoping the two could soon be deployed in the city’s banking sector to improve cybersecurity and efficiency. WATCH: The new facial recognition system in action Explaining the latest research highlights of the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) at the Hong Kong Science Park on Thursday, institute chief executive Dr Franklin Tong Fuk-kay said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1950511/hong-kong-research-body-develops-facial-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1950511/hong-kong-research-body-develops-facial-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 May 2016 09:15:15 +0000 There has been zero progress in identifying and possibly salvaging the suspected wreckage of a famous British navy vessel, more than a year after it was discovered at the bottom of Victoria Harbour. Experts had been all but certain it was the former British troopship HMS Tamar that was scuttled during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941, but the government has yet to confirm it. What is known is that the object has been moved 100 metres from its location of discovery to allow waterfront reclamation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1949956/more-one-year-zero-progress-made-wreckage-thought?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1949956/more-one-year-zero-progress-made-wreckage-thought?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 May 2016 15:14:51 +0000 Dick Kaufman, a key player in helping entrepreneur Allan Zeman shape the Lan Kwai Fong entertainment hub, died in the Thai resort of Phuket on Tuesday at the age of 71 after suffering cancer. Kaufman, from New York, took the helm as manager of the California Restaurant in 1983 when Zeman opened the iconic venue in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong, which was once a garbage collection area in Central. “He worked for me in those years when we first started Lan Kwai Fong. Dick was with me at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1947137/party-animal-who-helped-put-lan-kwai-fong-hong-kongs-entertainment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1947137/party-animal-who-helped-put-lan-kwai-fong-hong-kongs-entertainment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 12:02:21 +0000 The head of a government advisory committee on heritage conservation has floated the possibility of relocating the now-dismantled Queen’s Pier to Lantau Island, attracting instant condemnation and ridicule. As a public consultation on the restoration project drew to a close yesterday, Dr Lau Chi-pang, chairman of the newly formed Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation, questioned the functional purpose of reassembling the historic structure between ferry piers 9 and 10 in Central. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1946626/conservation-chiefs-plan-move-queens-pier-lantau-island-mocked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1946626/conservation-chiefs-plan-move-queens-pier-lantau-island-mocked?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 May 2016 15:15:45 +0000 Excited couples looking to rent a wedding outfit for their big day should shop around with care, according to the city’s consumer rights watchdog. The Consumer Council saw the number of complaints it received regarding wedding outfit rental services double to 38 cases last year from 19 cases in 2014. Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the council’s publicity and community relations committee, said couples should take their time to study rental contract terms before reaching any decisions. “There... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1945630/hong-kong-brides-and-grooms-urged-shop-care-wedding-rental?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1945630/hong-kong-brides-and-grooms-urged-shop-care-wedding-rental?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 May 2016 06:36:20 +0000 A Lingnan University scholar, known for his localist stance, opened his office in the heart of a residential neighbourhood in Tai Wai in the New Territories on Sunday, ahead of the Legislative Council election in September. Dr Horace Chin Wan-kan, 54, an assistant professor in the university’s Chinese department, opened his district office near Chik Fuk Street, just days before Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress was set to arrive in Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1945180/dr-horace-chin-wan-kan-opens-district-office-tai-wai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1945180/dr-horace-chin-wan-kan-opens-district-office-tai-wai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2016 10:15:45 +0000 The government is considering whether to release a full report on last year’s tainted water scare that affected about 29,000 households on 11 public housing estates, or if it should redact certain information before release. The move has prompted concern that possible concealment could help officials and building contractors involved in the water safety scandal shirk responsibility. Some worried residents also questioned the need to withhold the findings from the public. Hong Kong tainted water... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1943934/we-need-answer-concerns-rise-over-hong-kong-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1943934/we-need-answer-concerns-rise-over-hong-kong-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 May 2016 14:30:00 +0000 A top state leader’s participation in a New Silk Road forum to be held in the city next week shows the central government’s “care and love” for the special administrative region, according to a member of a Beijing think tank. Zhang Dejiang, who chairs the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and oversees Hong Kong’s affairs, will arrive in the city on Tuesday next week He will attend a seminal summit on the “One Belt, One Road” initiative at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1943001/zhang-dejiangs-visit-shows-beijings-care-and-love-city-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1943001/zhang-dejiangs-visit-shows-beijings-care-and-love-city-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 May 2016 03:45:15 +0000 A red rainstorm warning was raised twice in five hours on Tuesday morning before being downgraded to amber, as the Chief Executive defended the Education Bureau from parents’ anger about cancelled classes. All rain warnings were cancelled from 2.45pm. After criticism from one lawmaker, Leung Chun-ying said public safety was the top priority. Classes were suspended and office workers braved heavy downpours as the red signal was raised at 7.35 on Tuesday morning. An amber warning had been raised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1942981/hong-kong-red-rain-alert-replaced-amber-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1942981/hong-kong-red-rain-alert-replaced-amber-again?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 May 2016 00:15:15 +0000 Hong Kong ranks last among 15 places in Asia Pacific in a recent healthy living index, with local residents on average daily sleeping just 6.5 hours and spending 3.7 hours online for non-work purposes. The survey polled more than 10,000 adults in the region including 605 adults in Hong Kong in January, and put the city behind mainland China and Macau, which placed first and second respectively. It found Hong Kong scored the lowest among 15 places in Asia Pacific in the healthy living index,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1942608/sleep-deprived-and-internet-mad-hongkongers-place-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1942608/sleep-deprived-and-internet-mad-hongkongers-place-last?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 May 2016 07:27:21 +0000 A plan to relocate a school for boys with emotional and behavioural problems from South Lantau to Tuen Mun has been passed by the Legislative Council’s panel on education, after the city’s education minister appealed for support from the public. The move comes after the principal of Yan Oi Tong Chan Wong Suk Fong Memorial Secondary School, a mainstream school in Tuen Mun, last month submitted to the Education Bureau his opposition to the special-needs school’s relocation, calling on the bureau... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1942569/children-understand-what-happening-lantau-special?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1942569/children-understand-what-happening-lantau-special?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 May 2016 03:15:45 +0000 A plan to redevelop dilapidated flats at Chun Tin Street in Hong Kong near the site of a deadly 2010 building collapse has been delayed by a year, but the number of new flats to be supplied will double. Announcing the change in plan on Friday, the Urban Renewal Authority said it had enlarged the targeted redevelopment area by including an existing street in the original plan. This would push back the project’s completion date by a year to 2025 at the earliest. Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1941699/new-hk175-billion-redevelopment-plan-double-flat-supply-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1941699/new-hk175-billion-redevelopment-plan-double-flat-supply-not?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 May 2016 08:30:30 +0000 A scuffle broke out as more than 30 pan-democrat politicians and community activists protested on Thursday at Link Reit’s headquarters in Kwun Tong over the company’s broken promise to meet its tenants’ representatives for discussions. About half an hour into the rally, which started at 10am, protesters attempted to enter the building’s lifts, clashing with AXA Tower security guards who tried to stop them. Eight protesters, including Tsang Kin-shing of the League of Social Democrats,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1941497/hong-kong-protesters-scuffle-guards-they-storm-lifts-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1941497/hong-kong-protesters-scuffle-guards-they-storm-lifts-link?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 May 2016 05:20:24 +0000 More than 100 people including schoolchildren queued up Wednesday to see masterpieces by French impressionist Claude Monet as they were unveiled in a landmark exhibition for Hong Kong. The Heritage Museum is now publicly exhibiting for the first time in the city 17 works by Monet from national museums in France and private collectors. Among the highlights are The Break-Up of the Ice at Vétheuil, facing Lavacourt, Water Lilies and Effect of Spring, Giverny. Monet show in Hong Kong charts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1941049/voila-hong-kongs-first-ever-monet-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1941049/voila-hong-kongs-first-ever-monet-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2016 04:17:56 +0000 Hong Kong authorities are powerless to police clandestine activities flourishing in the “deep web” – the unseen portion of the internet that makes up 96 per cent of online content – because there is no legal basis to do so, according to local cybersecurity experts. Speaking to the Post, Duncan Wong, director of security and data sciences at the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, saidonly four per cent of the web can be got to by conventional search engines. The rest,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1940520/hong-kong-government-powerless-against-deep-web-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1940520/hong-kong-government-powerless-against-deep-web-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 May 2016 00:31:33 +0000 More than 400 journalists, community activists and politicians braved the heat and rain on Monday afternoon to protest against the sacking of a top editor of Chinese-language daily Ming Pao, fearing that the move threatens press freedom in Hong Kong. At a rally on the street outside Ming Pao Industrial Centre in Chai Wan, protesters carried pieces of ginger to symbolise their support for Keung Kwok-yuen, whose surname in Chinese also means ginger. Watch: Hundreds protest over sacking of Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1940504/ginger-rally-more-400-gather-protest-sacking-top-editor-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1940504/ginger-rally-more-400-gather-protest-sacking-top-editor-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2016 08:30:00 +0000 In the midst of public concerns over a spate of medical blunders, undersecretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-Chee has reassured Hong Kong people that the Hospital Authority already has a mechanism to follow up on the blunders and subsequently make improvements. Chan offered the reassurance yesterday after the latest edition of the authority’s newsletter, the Risk Alert, revealed the day before a series of medical blunders in the last quarter of 2015. “The Hospital Authority already has a... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1940250/hong-kong-government-moves-reassure-public-another-series-medical-blunders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1940250/hong-kong-government-moves-reassure-public-another-series-medical-blunders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Apr 2016 14:43:44 +0000 Restoring Queen’s Pier between two piers in Central is costly and is not the ideal way of conservation, said a group of community activists yesterday, calling on the government to consider putting the now-dismantled pier back to where it was and allow more time for public consultation. The government is now gathering public feedback on three restoration options of Queen’s Pier until May 17. All of them involve reassembling the pier between Pier 9 and 10 in Central, a site by the harbourfront... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1938919/calls-put-hong-kongs-queens-pier-back-where-it-used-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1938919/calls-put-hong-kongs-queens-pier-back-where-it-used-be?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:00:15 +0000 The management of Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority has denied that sales of its subsidised flats in Kai Tak have been poor amid the city’s cooling housing market. But, without making any price adjustment, the authority announced on Tuesday that it would extend the sale period for the remaining flats in the project to May 20 for the 12,642 applicants. The authority’s managing director Daniel Lam Chun, reporting the latest sales results for the De Novo project, said he remained “cautiously... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1938586/hong-kongs-urban-renewal-authority-denies-poor-flat-sales-de?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1938586/hong-kongs-urban-renewal-authority-denies-poor-flat-sales-de?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 08:27:07 +0000 Standardising working hours by law for everyone will not be included in a list of policy directions tabled for consultation, according to a preliminary conclusion by a government-appointed body that appears to have succumbed to pressure from employers. Instead, the Standard Working Hours Committee is pushing on with further public consultation, even though labour unions are boycotting the process in protest. The committee’s chairman, Dr Leong Che-hung, yesterday presented results of the first... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1938388/no-blanket-approach-hong-kong-head-standard-working-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1938388/no-blanket-approach-hong-kong-head-standard-working-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2016 08:11:46 +0000 More than 50 Christians braved the Hong Kong rain yesterday to protest outside Beijing’s liaison office, urging mainland Chinese authorities to respect religious freedom. According to the organisers of the assembly, attended by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, authorities have forcibly removed holy crosses from over 2,000 churches in Zhejiang Province since 2014. In the first quarter of this year alone, 50 places of worship had their crosses removed, they said. Delivering a sermon to the protestors... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1938272/hong-kong-christians-march-mainland-liaison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1938272/hong-kong-christians-march-mainland-liaison?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2016 15:25:53 +0000 A coalition of bar operators in Hong Kong has vowed to continue the practice of ladies’ nights and has made an open invitation to the chief of the city’s equality watchdog to join such an event after a court reached a controversial decision that charging men more than women for the same service at a club was gender discrimination. Expressing frustration at the court ruling and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), the Hong Kong Bar and Club Association said on Thursday that industry players... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937538/defiant-hong-kong-bar-operators-want-invite-equality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937538/defiant-hong-kong-bar-operators-want-invite-equality?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 08:07:51 +0000 The Hong Kong government was owed HK$172 million in outstanding building rates and rent as of last year, according to the Audit Commission. Of that, HK$54 million went unpaid for two years or more. In one case, a landlord with 16 properties owed the government rates and rent since 2007. Despite the Rating and Valuation Department’s repeated attempts to get the outstanding debt of HK$1 million – including obtaining charging orders – the landlord refused to pay up. In December last year, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1937390/hong-kong-government-owed-hk172-million-rates-and-rent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1937390/hong-kong-government-owed-hk172-million-rates-and-rent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 00:30:37 +0000 Some government mobile apps lack useful features, virtual copy their department websites and cost tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, according to a study by the government’s auditor, which unveiled a list of popular and unpopular apps. In its latest report released on Wednesday, the Audit Commission found that as of last year there were 127 apps launched by 36 government departments and they cost HK$38 million in total to develop. After testing 22 apps offered by four departments, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1937350/download-127-government-apps-costing-hk38-million-get-audited?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1937350/download-127-government-apps-costing-hk38-million-get-audited?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2016 06:55:50 +0000 Fire authorities are investigating the cause of a third-alarm fire that ripped through a residential building on Hong Kong Island on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of more than 20 residents and bringing area transport to a standstill for hours. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics descended upon Kai Ming Building located at 364-366 Hennessy Road in Wan Chai after receiving report of the blaze at 12.47pm. Lam Yuk-kwan, Hong Kong Central divisional commander of Fire Services Department,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1937080/search-under-way-cause-third-alarm-fire-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1937080/search-under-way-cause-third-alarm-fire-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2016 05:45:45 +0000 Three defendants in the body-in-cement murder case have been remanded in custody and will reappear in court on June 23. Tsang Cheung-yan, 26, Keith Lau, 21, and Cheung Sin-hang, 23, reappeared in Tsuen Wan Court on Tuesday morning to face a conspiracy murder charge. It was alleged that on March 4 they conspired, confederated and agreed with Ho Ling-yu to murder Cheung Man-li, 28, at Flat 9D of industrial building DAN 6 on Fui Yiu Kok Street in Tsuen Wan. Confessions in Hong Kong cement murder:... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937017/no-bail-three-defendants-hong-kong-body-cement-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937017/no-bail-three-defendants-hong-kong-body-cement-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2016 02:45:00 +0000 No decision was reached on the historic status of the former State Theatre Building in North Point after the city’s heritage advisory body said it needed more information from the government about the structure. The Antiquities Advisory Board’s assessment panel earlier proposed to rate the building as a Grade 3 historic structure. Fears of demolition for historic State Theatre building in North Point: heritage group calls for preservation Board chairman Andrew Lam Siu-lo explained on Monday the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1936974/hong-kong-antiquities-body-defers-decision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1936974/hong-kong-antiquities-body-defers-decision?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:56:56 +0000 Community activists in Central on Monday are appealing to the city’s heritage advisory body to reconsider its decision not to grade a row of tenement house ruins near the Mid-Levels escalator. The group had repeatedly urged the government to thoroughly study the historic significance of the ruins hidden at Cochrane Street in Central since October last year and urged their preservation. But at its meeting last month, the Antiquities Advisory Board decided not to grade the ruins after just minutes... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1936911/battle-history-hong-kong-community-seeks-heritage-body-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1936911/battle-history-hong-kong-community-seeks-heritage-body-help?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2016 09:23:10 +0000 Safety concerns about drone operations have been raised in Hong Kong after a British Airways jetliner flying towards London’s Heathrow airport was believed to have smashed into a drone on Sunday. Flying drones for photography or just for fun is common in Hong Kong’s open areas. The city’s construction sector also uses drones for aerial surveys. Under current regulations, the Civil Aviation Department classifies drones as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Any person intending to use a UAS,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1936794/drone-hits-british-airways-plane-hong-kongs-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1936794/drone-hits-british-airways-plane-hong-kongs-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:38:16 +0000 A Sha Tin district councillor has called for stricter regulations on the sale of alcohol after more than a dozen convenience stores and supermarkets sold beer to youngsters. District Councillor Scarlett Pong Oi-lan’s comments came after she tested attitudes towards selling alcohol to juveniles by asking three children, aged between 10 and 14, to try buying a can of beer at 14 stores in Sha Tin. One teenager, a 14-year-old boy, was successful in leaving the counter with a can of beer at all 14... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1936739/stronger-regulations-needed-hong-kong-shops-sell-alcohol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1936739/stronger-regulations-needed-hong-kong-shops-sell-alcohol?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2016 12:44:49 +0000 Seven-year-old Lucius Lam is no different from other boys his age - always cheerful and curious about everything around him, he loves to ride his scooter and jump around. But, he was born with haemophilia, a genetic bleeding disorder that impairs his blood’s ability to clot normally. With little or no clotting factor, a protein needed for normal blood clotting, a haemophilic may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury. They may also bleed internally, especially in the knees, ankles,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1936708/no-centralised-system-haemophilia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1936708/no-centralised-system-haemophilia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2016 11:38:33 +0000 Bar and nightclub operators in the city are complaining of interference in the free market after a court ruled that “ladies’ nights” were discriminatory. The District Court judgement this week could have wider implications for such businesses. One operator who spoke to the Post had even suspended the common practice of offering special discounts to women customers. One of the pioneers of Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s most popular nightspot, pointed out that ladies’ nights had been a worldwide... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1936265/hong-kong-bar-operators-angry-ladies-night-discrimination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1936265/hong-kong-bar-operators-angry-ladies-night-discrimination?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Apr 2016 14:15:00 +0000 Hong Kong’s equal opportunities watchdog secured an interlocutory judgment on Wednesday against a club over gender-based discounts offered at its “ladies’ night” events after it failed to give any notice of opposition. District judge Justin Ko King-sau accepted the Equal Opportunities Commission’s application for a judgement after respondent Legend World Asia Group, the company that owns the karaoke and disco club at the centre of the case, failed to give a notice of opposition before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1935697/hong-kong-equality-watchdog-wins-interlocutory-judgment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1935697/hong-kong-equality-watchdog-wins-interlocutory-judgment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Apr 2016 04:38:01 +0000