https://www.scmp.com/rss/325213/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Hong Kong weathered several storms – both literal and figurative – this year with the city struck by a super typhoon and a series of political crises. Four more elected lawmakers were cast out of office, joining the two stripped of their seats in an oath-taking saga last year, while a new cabinet led by chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor took office and pushed ahead with a controversial plan to grant mainland authorities jurisdiction over an area of the upcoming West Kowloon Terminus for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2126298/boo-nano-and-dq-eight-catchiest-terms-hong-kong-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2126298/boo-nano-and-dq-eight-catchiest-terms-hong-kong-news?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Dec 2017 08:30:46 +0000 The private sector will play a more significant role in easing demand for public health care during the winter surge in influenza, as the government is to broaden the scope of collaboration with private hospitals and recruit more part-time private doctors. In response to a seasonal surge in the number of hospital admissions, the Hospital Authority announced on Friday that a centralised recruitment unit, called the Central Locum Office, has been set up to hire private doctors to work temporarily... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125468/private-doctors-be-recruited-hong-kong-public-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125468/private-doctors-be-recruited-hong-kong-public-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Dec 2017 11:09:10 +0000 Young people in Hong Kong remained divided on the government’s new initiative to increase youth representation in advisory committees, with less than half of them saying it would boost their trust in the administration, according to survey findings released on Thursday by a local NGO. The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, which oversees more than 70 service units in the city, polled 525 young people in a survey based on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s new policy to recruit more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125265/young-people-still-divided-hong-kong-governments-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2125265/young-people-still-divided-hong-kong-governments-push?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2017 06:36:39 +0000 Deaf residents of Hong Kong have urged the police to upgrade their 992 emergency SMS hotline for the hearing impaired to support multimedia, after the service drew criticism over long delays and a cumbersome texting process. Christine Chu Chi-yan of Silence, a charity that serves the hearing impaired, said her group was poised to lodge a formal complaint with the city’s equality watchdog about the obstacles faced by many people using the 992 number. The service, akin to the 999 emergency call... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124672/hearing-impaired-hongkongers-urge-police-upgrade-992-sms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2124672/hearing-impaired-hongkongers-urge-police-upgrade-992-sms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Dec 2017 01:01:17 +0000 Hong Kong is playing an increasingly important role in speeding up the registration of new pharmaceuticals and therapies globally, with the number of clinical trials conducted in the city having surged significantly in the past year, the city’s two clinical trial centres told the Post. The centres at the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University have seen a multifold increase in the number of Phase 1 clinical trials – the first of three phases before a new medication enters the market –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2124635/hong-kong-helps-speed-development-new-treatments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2124635/hong-kong-helps-speed-development-new-treatments?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Dec 2017 07:01:58 +0000 Organisers and exhibitors at this year’s annual Brands and Products Expo were predicting double-digit growth for the 24-day sales extravaganza as it opened to eager shoppers with huge discounts on Saturday. Hardcore shoppers camped outside Victoria Park for over 20 hours on Friday and into Saturday for a chance to nab electronics and other discounted items for as little as HK$1 at the opening of the event. The buoyant predictions for the fair come amid a bull run in Hong Kong’s retail sector,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2124588/shoppers-camp-overnight-hong-kong-expos-hk1-dishwasher-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2124588/shoppers-camp-overnight-hong-kong-expos-hk1-dishwasher-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Dec 2017 06:55:32 +0000 Renowned mainland-born scientist Professor Zhang Xiang was confirmed on Friday as the next vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong despite concerns from students, staff and alumni about whether he would be able to defend the institution’s autonomy. There is also no clarity about Zhang’s starting date, because he has to arrange supervision for postgraduate students at his current university. Speaking to reporters after the institution’s governing council approved Zhang’s appointment,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2124533/renowned-scientist-professor-zhang-xiang-named-university?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2124533/renowned-scientist-professor-zhang-xiang-named-university?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2017 11:42:06 +0000 A journalism professor who once challenged the ability of academic Peter Mathieson to head the University of Hong Kong turned her attention to his likely successor on Thursday, asking if he intended to continue receiving military funding from United States for his research. Information available on a university website shows that Chinese American scientist Zhang Xiang, who is expected to be named the next HKU vice-chancellor on Friday, received funding support from the US army and air force... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2124429/professor-questions-suitability-top-pick-next-hku-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2124429/professor-questions-suitability-top-pick-next-hku-head?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2017 05:07:19 +0000 Hong Kong may get its first government-sponsored venue for e-sports, a growing industry seen as a potential growth engine for the city, if a technology park proposal is approved by authorities. On Monday, Herman Lam Heung-yeung, head of Cyberport in Pok Fu Lam, revealed the plan to a Legislative Council panel. Lam said the park was exploring the idea of an in-house site equipped with high-end facilities. These include high-speed computers and multimedia broadcast systems. Earlier this month, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2123860/e-sports-hong-kong-may-get-regular-government-sponsored?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2123860/e-sports-hong-kong-may-get-regular-government-sponsored?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Dec 2017 01:04:07 +0000 A paralysed Hong Kong rock climber has been nominated for a prestigious international sports award alongside world-renowned athletes tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In 2011, Lai Chi-wai, then a professional rock climber, was paralysed from the waist down after a car accident. Despite the setback, he picked himself back up and became the first wheelchair-bound person to climb to the top of Lion Rock, five years to the day since his accident. “I want to show others the ‘Lion Rock... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2123751/paralysed-hong-kong-rock-climber-against-federer-nadal-and-others-international?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2123751/paralysed-hong-kong-rock-climber-against-federer-nadal-and-others-international?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2017 02:01:21 +0000 When 40 coaches brought guests to the tightly-secured flag-raising gala in Wan Chai on July 1 as the city celebrated the 20th anniversary of the handover, one busload of elderly guests and philanthropists missed the ceremony after their security check could not be completed in time. This little-known incident was revealed as the police search team told the media on Thursday about the limited time they were often given to complete security procedures ahead of major events due to the high... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2123701/race-against-time-hong-kongs-police-search-team-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2123701/race-against-time-hong-kongs-police-search-team-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2017 23:03:02 +0000 Many local racegoers at an international event in Hong Kong on Sunday did not stand up when the national anthem was played, a conduct previously called “disrespectful” by a senior mainland official, who said it should be a punishable offence once a new law was in place locally. During the trophy presentation ceremony at the Sha Tin Racecourse, spectators in the outdoor stand remained seated, with some eating, drinking or smoking as March of the Volunteers played. This was despite a broadcast by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2123695/we-just-want-win-money-should-hongkongers-stand-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2123695/we-just-want-win-money-should-hongkongers-stand-national?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:54:57 +0000 Fears of another Hong Kong water scare were ignited on Tuesday after lead and other toxic heavy metals were found in tap water at a public housing estate in Shau Kei Wan. Members of the opposition Democratic Party tested the drinking water from taps in eight households in Oi Tung Estate after residents complained of foul-smelling water and skin conditions after showering. “I do not know if it is the water but I feel itchy every time I shower,” said a woman who gave her surname as Cheng, 95, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122992/fears-second-hong-kong-water-scare-heavy-metals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122992/fears-second-hong-kong-water-scare-heavy-metals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Dec 2017 09:49:41 +0000 Hong Kong employers can expect the arrival of new Filipino domestic helpers in the coming weeks as the Philippine government lifted its three-week ban on the export of labour. Jalilo Dela Torre, labour attaché at the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong, said 1,200 Hong Kong families had been affected by the ban. On Monday, Manila resumed processing the backlog of the country’s 75,000 workers applying to work overseas, including domestic helpers, according to Dela Torre. The halt on the export of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2122808/hundreds-filipino-workers-get-ready-head-hong-kong-manila?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2122808/hundreds-filipino-workers-get-ready-head-hong-kong-manila?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2017 09:45:15 +0000 Convicted Occupy leaders including Joshua Wong took to the streets in Hong Kong to oppose “authoritarian rule” one last time on Sunday, days before they were expected to serve time in jail. Event organisers said 2,000 people joined the march from Southorn Playground in Wan Chai to the Court of Final Appeal in Central over a series of recent court cases, including the imprisonment of the pro-democracy movement activists and the disqualification of four opposition lawmakers. Police estimated 1,800... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2122688/joshua-wong-and-fellow-occupy-activists-join-protest-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2122688/joshua-wong-and-fellow-occupy-activists-join-protest-march?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 13:01:37 +0000 Large cuts to cash the government gives to groups battling HIV and Aids in Hong Kong have pulled the plug on testing and awareness-raising services for high-risk groups, despite a predicted surge in local infections. Several local HIV and Aids groups have said the Department of Health cut their funding or cut their funding period from three years to one year, for prevention projects targeting both heterosexual and homosexual men. The cuts have hit as the number of Hongkongers living with HIV is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122646/hong-kong-government-cuts-cash-hiv-prevention-just?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122646/hong-kong-government-cuts-cash-hiv-prevention-just?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 06:15:45 +0000 Monday’s revelation that half of Hong Kong’s population is overweight has prompted calls for people to rethink their unhealthy lifestyle, improve their diet and get more exercise. The findings were from a government survey of more than 12,000 people aged 15 to 84 between December 2014 and August last year. Apart from finding an increase in the number of people suffering from various chronic diseases, it also exposed the fact that Hongkongers in general are not eating enough fruit and vegetables,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122134/are-hongkongers-really-getting-fatter-recent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2122134/are-hongkongers-really-getting-fatter-recent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Nov 2017 00:30:30 +0000 A parents’ union in Hong Kong called on Wednesday for primary school pupils to be given less homework after 60 per cent of mothers and fathers said their children spent more than 1½ hours a day on assignments after class. Some 23 per cent said their children spent more than 2.5 hours on homework. The survey findings involving 1,402 parents with children at 341 schools were revealed by the Hong Kong Parents League for Education Renovation. Hong Kong children suffer greater mental stress and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2122167/homework-should-be-vitamins-advised-dosage-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2122167/homework-should-be-vitamins-advised-dosage-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Nov 2017 13:55:08 +0000 The arrival of the holiday shopping season has prompted Hong Kong authorities to step up efforts to clamp down on the sale of unsafe goods and malpractices by retailers. The move comes despite the rate of prosecutions remaining relatively stable compared with last year. On Friday, the Customs and Excise Department said that between January and October this year, it had received 138 reports of unsafe consumer goods, a slight increase from 133 in the same period last year. Customs seize diamonds... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2121606/hong-kong-customs-clamps-down-retailer-malpractices-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2121606/hong-kong-customs-clamps-down-retailer-malpractices-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Nov 2017 01:02:22 +0000 Rainbow flags and blue balloons were part of the flamboyant displays on Hong Kong streets on Saturday as advocates and members of the LGBT community joined hands in the ninth annual Pride Parade, attended by 10,000 people, according to organisers. The festivities were held against the backdrop of an ongoing public consultation over the legal recognition of transgender and intersex people. Crowds clad in blue – the theme colour of the event – marched from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2121550/upset-lams-lukewarm-response-10000-attend-pride-parade-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2121550/upset-lams-lukewarm-response-10000-attend-pride-parade-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Nov 2017 11:00:30 +0000 A lack of incentive to build drinking fountains in Hong Kong might dilute the effectiveness of a new government move to remove small water bottles from its vending machines, environmental activists have said. Rachel Pang Hoi-yan, the founder of Water for Free, an NGO that promotes the use of water dispensaries in the city, said government departments had poured cold water on the idea of adding drinking fountains at city halls and museums. Event organisers were also discouraged as they often... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2121413/more-water-fountains-needed-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2121413/more-water-fountains-needed-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2017 06:57:26 +0000 More than half of Hong Kong’s young people have never heard of the “Greater Bay Area” development plan, and continued ignorance will mean the city missing out on opportunities, a local think tank and youth group have warned. Proactive Think Tank and the Hong Kong Guangdong Youth Association on Thursday released the findings of a study that found 55.2 per cent of 833 young people aged between 15 and 34 had never heard of the concept. The grand plan is the Chinese government’s vision for an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2121324/whats-greater-bay-area-plan-hong-kongs-young-people-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2121324/whats-greater-bay-area-plan-hong-kongs-young-people-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Nov 2017 12:15:45 +0000 A Filipino single mother of five who was once a domestic helper in Hong Kong, Nhie (not her real name) now works in Russia on a fake visa and is in constant fear of being deported. In striving to pay off her debts, she has not seen her children for five years. The 46-year-old is among more than 4,000 undocumented Filipinos currently working in Russia, with many having been tricked into going there from Hong Kong after paying local agencies thousands of dollars to find them better jobs. Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120256/swindled-hong-kong-agencies-filipino-helpers-face-debt-fear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120256/swindled-hong-kong-agencies-filipino-helpers-face-debt-fear?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:00:45 +0000 The Hong Kong government on Thursday boosted the length of contract extensions available to families with domestic helpers affected by the Philippine government’s halt on labour exports. Such extensions – usually limited to one month – can now last two months. The “flexibility arrangement” is intended to soften the impact on employers of helpers whose contract is soon to expire and who cannot get a replacement in time. On Monday, the Manila government stopped issuing overseas employment... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120254/contract-extension-boost-hong-kong-employers-hit-philippine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120254/contract-extension-boost-hong-kong-employers-hit-philippine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2017 10:53:19 +0000 Hong Kong has been a top breeding ground for job recruitment frauds as thousands of Filipino domestic helpers in the city have been trafficked to countries like Russia, Brazil and Turkey for bogus jobs, a senior Philippine official told the Post on Wednesday. Over 4,000 undocumented Filipinos were currently working in Russia, most of them former Hong Kong domestic helpers transiting through the city, the senior official said, citing statistics from the Philippine embassy in Moscow. He was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120103/thousands-hong-kongs-filipino-workers-fall-victim-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120103/thousands-hong-kongs-filipino-workers-fall-victim-overseas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Nov 2017 15:30:45 +0000 Members of a union for Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong staged a rally outside the Philippine consulate in Admiralty on Wednesday, demanding compensation for those bound for the city but affected by a labour export ban in their home country. On the third day of a three-week suspension of the overseas employment certificate by the Philippine government, an estimated 15,000 outbound Filipino workers who are seeking employment worldwide are now stuck in limbo, jobless and in debt. Locally, 20... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120019/domestic-helpers-union-stages-rally-outside-consulate-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2120019/domestic-helpers-union-stages-rally-outside-consulate-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Nov 2017 06:45:14 +0000 After an unusually hot and long summer, Hongkongers might have to bundle up this weekend as temperatures were expected to plunge to as low as 16 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The high temperature was projected to drop from 26 degrees on Saturday to 19 degrees on Sunday, while weekend lows would slide from 22 degrees on Friday to 19 degrees on Saturday and to 16 degrees on Sunday, marking the low for the week. Patches of rain were forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning. “A cold front will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119897/looks-hot-weather-officially-over-hong-kong-braces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119897/looks-hot-weather-officially-over-hong-kong-braces?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 11:01:02 +0000 Guidelines for family doctors on the proper use of antibiotics would be “totally useless” if there is no way to monitor their prescriptions, a leading microbiologist has warned a day after the Hong Kong government took further action to reduce overuse of such medication. Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, who chairs a government expert panel on antimicrobial resistance, said on Tuesday there was a lack of data on how private doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat infections. “It’s necessary to monitor... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119808/drug-guidelines-useless-without-tracking-how-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119808/drug-guidelines-useless-without-tracking-how-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 05:19:16 +0000 The US consulate in Hong Kong closed on Monday after a suspicious white powder was found, cancelling visa applications for the day. Investigations later showed the substance was not harmful, according to a police source. Authorities are still examining its nature and origin. Emergency personnel were sent to the consulate’s Garden Road compound in Central after staff called police at about 9.15am. Investigators wearing chemical protection gear were also sent to investigate inside the office, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2119612/us-consulate-hong-kong-closes-suspends-visa-applications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2119612/us-consulate-hong-kong-closes-suspends-visa-applications?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 04:33:57 +0000 In a rare opportunity for Hong Kong arborists and the public, a country park on Sunday allowed them to climb trees, prompting fresh calls to allow the practitioners to train at government-run areas. More than 2,000 people hovered over tree tents and zip lines in Shing Mun Country Park at a two-day public tree event co-organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the International Society for Arboriculture, whose Hong Kong chapter oversees the profession in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119597/hong-kong-arborists-tree-climbing-event-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119597/hong-kong-arborists-tree-climbing-event-country?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 03:50:06 +0000 Protection of a future marine park in Hong Kong’s southern waters should be stepped up, a green group urged after its inspection found piles of coastal litter including remains of a palm oil spill three months ago. A visit to the Soko Islands last Monday by WWF Hong Kong revealed dozens of sticky, untreated clumps of the oil left after a collision between two vessels in the Pearl River Delta in August as well as heaps of trash ranging from food packaging to plastic disposables that had washed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119577/officials-urged-clean-remote-hong-kong-islands-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119577/officials-urged-clean-remote-hong-kong-islands-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 01:30:39 +0000 Making Hong Kong pupils study obscure local history dating back 1,400 years might divert focus from teaching the core parts of China’s past, the principal of one of the city’s oldest schools said. Allan Cheng Kwun-kit, of Ying Wa College in Sham Shui Po, commented on the school’s Chinese history offerings as it celebrated the 200th academic year since its founding. Under the revised curriculum floated by the Education Bureau in the second phase of consultation, Form One to Form Three pupils... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2119461/hong-kong-pupils-study-last-1400-years-core-points-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2119461/hong-kong-pupils-study-last-1400-years-core-points-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2017 10:37:24 +0000 Thousands of Filipino domestic helpers planning to work in Hong Kong will have their arrival delayed by at least three weeks after their government announced a halt in the export of labour effective from Monday. Secretary for Labour and ­Welfare Law Chi-kwong ­estimated that the move could affect about 1,000 local families. In a circular issued to foreign domestic helper employment agencies in Hong Kong on Friday, the Philippines’ labour and employment department announced a 19-day suspension on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2119429/thousands-filipino-domestic-helpers-see-arrival-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2119429/thousands-filipino-domestic-helpers-see-arrival-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2017 03:00:15 +0000 Even if they are not living alone, low-income Hong Kong residents over the age of 65 should also be given subsidies to hire a domestic helper, as caring for the elderly can be tough on family members, the chairman of the Elderly Commission said on Wednesday. Dr Lam Ching-choi was referring to a possible government scheme that would subsidise the cost of hiring a domestic helper for elderly residents living alone in public rental flats. Such a scheme, if implemented, should be extended to elderly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118900/expand-subsidy-plan-domestic-helpers-include-more-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118900/expand-subsidy-plan-domestic-helpers-include-more-low?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:41:52 +0000 A man was punched in the face and robbed of three brand new iPhones, in an apparent sale gone awry at Kowloon Tong MTR station on Saturday. Police officers were still hunting the culprits on Saturday night. The 22-year-old victim, surnamed Cheng, hurt his head and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment. He was later discharged. At about 5pm, Cheng was reselling three models of the new iPhone X, worth about HK$30,000 in total. He had arranged to meet the buyers – a man and woman, both... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2118449/iphone-x-seller-punched-and-robbed-three-devices-mtr?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2118449/iphone-x-seller-punched-and-robbed-three-devices-mtr?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2017 02:33:51 +0000 Hong Kong mobile phone users were left asking “what’s up with WhatsApp” after the messaging service broke down for several hours on Friday afternoon, and many took to social media to voice their frustrations. By 5pm Hong Kong time, more than 5,000 internet users around the world, from Italy and Jordan to Singapore, Australia and Brazil, had reported problems with WhatsApp to Down Detector, an independent website that records outages of various online and mobile services. According to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118349/hong-kong-users-hit-global-whatsapp-messaging-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118349/hong-kong-users-hit-global-whatsapp-messaging-service?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:56:12 +0000 Hairy crab fans can finally get ready to tuck in after the season’s first batch went on sale in Hong Kong on Friday following a year-long ban due to contaminated crustaceans failing government safety tests. Restaurants were planning to get the delicacy back on their menus after a delivery of hairy crabs to the city passed quality controls sooner than expected. The supply, from Datong Lake in Hunan province, weighing 500kg, entered Hong Kong last Friday after a block on imports of the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2118334/wait-over-chinese-hairy-crab-back-menu-hong-kong-only-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2118334/wait-over-chinese-hairy-crab-back-menu-hong-kong-only-10?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2017 10:39:12 +0000 Potential home buyers in Hong Kong called for more subsidised housing on Tuesday as they queued up for application forms on the opening day of show flats for two new projects. Hundreds of people formed long lines outside the Housing Society’s office in Cheung Sha Wan for papers to two discounted flats projects – Mount Verdant in Tseung Kwan O and Terrace Concerto in Tuen Mun. Applications for both developments will open from November 7 to 20. Hundreds of subsidised flats set to go on sale in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117843/long-queues-hong-kong-subsidised-housing-potential-buyers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117843/long-queues-hong-kong-subsidised-housing-potential-buyers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2017 14:11:37 +0000 Barriers to prevent car-ramming terror attacks similar to the ones in Europe were used in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong entertainment area in a bid to keep tens of thousands of Halloween revellers safe on Tuesday night. At least 600 officers, including members of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, were deployed in the Central district nightclub area as parties were expected to last throughout the night. The measures were in response to terrorist attacks in Europe over the past two years in which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2117785/police-deploy-barriers-lan-kwai-fong-prevent-european-style?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2117785/police-deploy-barriers-lan-kwai-fong-prevent-european-style?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2017 08:00:45 +0000 Seventeen restaurants offering Asian cuisine from congee to clay pot rice have been added to Michelin’s list of moderately priced eateries in Hong Kong and Macau. The additions expanded the list of Bib Gourmands to 82 from 75 last year, meaning that six restaurants dropped out. The new list includes 73 venues in Hong Kong and nine in Macau – each offering three-course menus for under HK$400. The announcement will be followed by the release on November 30 of the highly anticipated Michelin... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2117685/cheap-eats-17-hong-kong-and-macau-restaurants-get-thumbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2117685/cheap-eats-17-hong-kong-and-macau-restaurants-get-thumbs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:30 +0000 The latest batch of 620 subsidised flats in Tseung Kwan O and Tuen Mun will be sold at 30 per cent below market price for between HK$1.92 million and HK$6.23 million, with sales starting on November 7. The launch of the two projects by the Housing Society coincided with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor’s plans to shift the government’s public housing policy from a rental model to one based on ownership, encouraging more public housing tenants to buy subsidised housing and release their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2117652/hundreds-subsidised-flats-set-go-sale-tseung-kwan-o-and-tuen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2117652/hundreds-subsidised-flats-set-go-sale-tseung-kwan-o-and-tuen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Oct 2017 10:00:45 +0000 When Althea Suen Hiu-nam, then president of the University of Hong Kong’s student union, received a phone call from the Education Bureau inviting her to the committee on prevention of student suicides, little did she know the outcome would deviate far from her expectations. From 2013 to last year, 71 pupils and students aged between 10 and 30 killed themselves, prompting the government to set up the ad hoc committee to tackle the issue in March last year. But Suen, 21, was the only youth member... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2117439/lone-student-hong-kong-suicide-prevention-committee-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2117439/lone-student-hong-kong-suicide-prevention-committee-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 00:30:15 +0000 Local hairy crab vendors have cried foul over a request from authorities to withhold sales for at least 10 days, despite the first batch of crabs for the year arriving in the city on Friday. Vendors worry the stock will die if they have to wait this long. After a year-long halt on exports of Chinese mitten crabs, or hairy crabs, mainland authorities finally permitted a batch from Hunan province, weighing 500kg in total, to enter the city through Man Kam Road border checkpoint. The supplies had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117371/hairy-crabs-finally-arrive-hong-kong-vendors-arent-happy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117371/hairy-crabs-finally-arrive-hong-kong-vendors-arent-happy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2017 14:54:59 +0000 More than 3,000 of Hong Kong’s Thai people congregated at a small temple in the New Territories on Thursday, to pay tribute to their late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, as their country prepared for his cremation. Black-clad mourners thronged Wat Buddhadhamaram in Yuen Long, the city’s oldest Thai temple, to commemorate the revered monarch, who died last year aged 88 after a seven-decade reign. The death of the “father” of the nation plunged Thai people around the world, including around 30,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117179/hong-kongs-thai-people-pay-tribute-late-king-bhumibol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117179/hong-kongs-thai-people-pay-tribute-late-king-bhumibol?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 13:11:05 +0000 A battle over the age-old question “what is art” has raged between officials and those who practise one of the newer mediums – street artists. On Monday, the renowned French artist Invader, whose works have fetched millions of dollars, lashed out at officials for removing his work on Des Voeux Road two days after it was recently installed, adding to the list of his work that has been erased in the city. Street art icon Basquiat gets first major UK show at the Barbican: ‘Boom for Real’ Not that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116981/timeless-debate-over-what-constitutes-street-art-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116981/timeless-debate-over-what-constitutes-street-art-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:04:03 +0000 A Hong Kong artist has given the city’s historic Pottinger Street an unusual makeover for Halloween by covering its roadside structures with colourful “knitted graffiti”. Esther Poon Suk-han has been knitting over railings, road signs, trees and fences in an effort to bring so-called guerilla knitting to the urban landscape. The yarn bomber, as practitioners are commonly known, has been a keen knitter for 30 years but only began taking the art to the streets in 2012. On Sunday, Poon and seven... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116626/gang-knitters-have-hong-kong-street-covered-halloween?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116626/gang-knitters-have-hong-kong-street-covered-halloween?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:53:54 +0000 A 66-year-old former CEO drowned during a Hong Kong triathlon event on Lantau Island on Sunday. Martin So was unconscious when he was lifted from waters near Sunny Bay MTR station at about 8am. He was taken to North Lantau Hospital, where he was declared dead. So was taking part in the most advanced category for amateurs in the two-day Hong Kong Life ASTC Sprint Triathlon Asian Cup, which attracted about 1,500 participants. The men’s open race kicked off at 7.35am and comprised a swim of 750... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116469/man-66-drowns-during-hong-kong-triathlon-event-lantau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116469/man-66-drowns-during-hong-kong-triathlon-event-lantau?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 08:22:52 +0000 A basket of new options to build up Hong Kong’s land bank, including constructing homes on top of a container terminal, are being considered by the land supply task force, the city’s development minister said. “[The task force] will consider different options, some of which really have not been discussed before. The government will consider the options proposed to us,” Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun said during a RTHK programme on Friday morning. Examples he cited included... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2116236/task-force-consider-never-discussed-options-boost-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2116236/task-force-consider-never-discussed-options-boost-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Oct 2017 05:34:52 +0000 A 1913 letter from the president of the Republic of China ordering the assassination of Sun Yat-sen in Hong Kong will go on display in the city from Friday, as part of a new exhibition on Sun’s life. The show, called A Matter of Record, will run until March next year at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, in Central, and entry is free of charge. It features 28 exhibits on the life of the revolutionary, hailed as the father of modern China. All exhibits are high-fidelity replicas of historical archives... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2116162/sun-yat-sen-assassination-letter-among-displays-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2116162/sun-yat-sen-assassination-letter-among-displays-new-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 13:22:03 +0000 The discovery of a large number of rare butterflies on protected green space slated for public housing has strengthened environmentalists’ calls for the Hong Kong government to halt the project. Green Power, an environmental group, found 127 butterfly species in Tai Lam Country Park. That included nine species classed as very rare and 14 classed as rare – more than the group expected to find. Both of those counts were the highest among all 11 Hong Kong butterfly hotspots surveyed. But the... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2116132/rare-butterfly-find-tai-lam-country-park-sparks-call-move-hong-kong-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/2116132/rare-butterfly-find-tai-lam-country-park-sparks-call-move-hong-kong-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 09:38:13 +0000