https://www.scmp.com/rss/511010/feed Jack Tsang joined the Post as a reporter in 2021 and covers Hong Kong's housing, land and development policies. Prior to that, he was a reporter at Now TV News Channel focusing on legal affairs and housing issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jack Tsang Jack Tsang A national security trial in Britain that thrust the role of Hong Kong’s overseas trade promotion offices into the global spotlight has heard the defendant deny he was spying on prominent activists from the city and UK politicians on behalf of China. Two years after his arrest, Bill Yuen Chung-biu took to the witness box last week and challenged the prosecution’s claim that he ran a “shadow” policing operation in the country, serving as a conduit for information about the activists while working... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348583/im-not-dumb-hong-kongs-london-trade-office-manager-denies-running-spy-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348583/im-not-dumb-hong-kongs-london-trade-office-manager-denies-running-spy-network?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:30:12 +0000 A case of alleged spying involving Hong Kong’s trade promotion office in London has returned to court, with the defence asking for more information to process thousands of messages, encrypted audio files and untranslated materials presented as evidence. But the judge at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, denied the request on Friday after prosecutors maintained the evidence provided to both sides was “more than sufficient”. Bill Yuen Chung-biu, a 63-year-old office... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3283946/manager-hong-kong-trade-office-london-returns-court-over-spying-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3283946/manager-hong-kong-trade-office-london-returns-court-over-spying-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:46:02 +0000 Labour’s landslide victory in Britain’s general election is unlikely to affect a bespoke migration pathway for Hongkongers put in place by the previous government, analysts have said, but the rise of the anti-immigration Reform UK party could increase resistance to the policy in the long run. Thursday’s poll was one for the history books, with a record number of ministers defeated and the Conservative Party, in power for 14 years, recording its worst-ever loss in terms of seats. It was also the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3269403/britains-bno-visa-scheme-hongkongers-unlikely-change-under-labour-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3269403/britains-bno-visa-scheme-hongkongers-unlikely-change-under-labour-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:05:09 +0000 British prosecutors on Friday dropped espionage charges against Matthew Trickett, who was found dead last Sunday, a week after he was arrested for allegedly spying on behalf of Hong Kong’s trade promotion office as a London court set a February trial date for two other co-defendants. Trickett, 37, had also been set to appear in court on Friday but was found dead in a public park in Maidenhead, Berkshire, about a kilometre away from his correspondence address. Thames Valley Police earlier said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264021/hong-kong-uk-spying-row-charges-dropped-against-matthew-trickett-suspect-found-dead-earlier-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264021/hong-kong-uk-spying-row-charges-dropped-against-matthew-trickett-suspect-found-dead-earlier-court?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 11:28:05 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Three men – including a Hong Kong public officer – have been charged in Britain with conducting spying activities by allegedly carrying out surveillance against dissidents from the city, prompting strong condemnation from Beijing which called the case “pure fabrication”. In a strongly worded statement, the Chinese embassy in London said on Monday that Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3262475/uk-police-charge-3-men-spying-activities-related-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3262475/uk-police-charge-3-men-spying-activities-related-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 08:13:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will resume its cadet pilot training programme for the first time since it was suspended two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with plans to recruit about 190 candidates to boost the beleaguered airline’s personnel numbers. A spokesman for the airline said on Monday that the company’s recruitment drive would begin a new collaboration with Polytechnic University and expected to increase its cadet intake from 180 in 2019 to 190 this... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3172151/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-resume-cadet-pilot-training?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3172151/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-resume-cadet-pilot-training?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:30:27 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has defended the resumption of issuing compulsory testing orders as an effective strategy to assess the city’s pandemic situation instead of relying on rapid antigen tests (RAT). Health officials also said residents living in a building or an estate with a rising number of infections that had not been locked down were likely to receive an order from authorities. The government had said on Tuesday the practice of issuing mandatory testing notices on the “Leave Home Safe”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171590/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-defends-decision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171590/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-defends-decision?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 13:12:36 +0000 Hong Kong could further reopen its borders by relaxing a long-running rule that bans airlines from flying any route that brings in too many passengers infected with Covid-19, the city’s leader has revealed, as the daily number of cases continues to fall. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also stressed on Wednesday that resuming quarantine-free travel with mainland China was still the government’s main goal despite the recent suspension of plans for a citywide compulsory testing drive, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3171516/coronavirus-hong-kong-carrie-lam-pledges-review-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3171516/coronavirus-hong-kong-carrie-lam-pledges-review-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 07:37:56 +0000 Schools must ensure 90 per cent of their students have received at least two vaccine shots against Covid-19 if they hope to resume whole-day lessons in the classroom next month, Hong Kong’s education minister has announced. Confirming a previous Post report, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also said on Wednesday that all teachers and school staff must have received at least two vaccine doses before returning to campus, unless they had a valid medical exemption. “If schools cannot... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171485/coronavirus-hong-kong-schools-must-have-90-cent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171485/coronavirus-hong-kong-schools-must-have-90-cent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Mar 2022 03:55:51 +0000 Hong Kong lawmakers have voiced their concerns about limiting public feedback under proposed amendments to land-use regulations, even as the city’s development minister argued that the changes would conform to procedural justice. Most lawmakers agreed in principle with the amendments to laws related to town planning, reclamation and roadworks to boost the city’s land supply. But some remained sceptical about a proposal to reduce rounds of public consultations during the town planning... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3171457/hong-kong-lawmakers-concerned-about-plan-reduce-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3171457/hong-kong-lawmakers-concerned-about-plan-reduce-public?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2022 15:13:54 +0000 Hong Kong’s finance chief has warned the city’s economy will contract in the first quarter of the year and unemployment will continue to rise amid a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, adding that fresh initiatives will soon be rolled out to assist businesses struggling under the outbreak. Writing on his blog on Sunday, Paul Chan Mo-po said economic growth would depend on the effectiveness of anti-epidemic efforts, adding that the government had taken many measures to ease the economic burdens... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171167/coronavirus-hong-kongs-finance-chief-warns-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171167/coronavirus-hong-kongs-finance-chief-warns-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Mar 2022 09:56:21 +0000 About 2.5 million Hongkongers may have already been infected with Covid-19, with the daily caseload likely to drop to fewer than 1,000 in the coming weeks, a top government adviser has said. Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) also suggested on Sunday that the city could consider easing travel restrictions, with community cases outstripping imported ones. He warned that “eradication of the virus will not happen”, urging residents to get vaccinated to brace for future... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171155/coronavirus-25-million-hongkongers-infected-daily?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171155/coronavirus-25-million-hongkongers-infected-daily?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Mar 2022 05:56:54 +0000 Authorities could amend Hong Kong’s overlapping planning rules to boost land supply while limiting input from residents at project hearings, and barring parties “without legal interest” from raising concerns against clearances. Land reclamation could also be launched without planning or waiting for funding approval, according to a paper submitted to the Legislative Council by the Development Bureau on Wednesday. The set of proposals will be discussed by Legco’s development panel next... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170719/proposal-boost-hong-kong-land-supply-cuts-procedures-limits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170719/proposal-boost-hong-kong-land-supply-cuts-procedures-limits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:55:38 +0000 Hong Kong will close public beaches from Thursday in a further tightening of social-distancing rules as the city continues to record tens of thousands of daily Covid-19 infections, which now total 3.6 million according to a new university study. A source familiar with government policy told the Post on Tuesday that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor could announce the beach closures as soon as Wednesday, after stating earlier that current rules banning public gatherings were already... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170502/coronavirus-mainland-chinese-health-professionals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170502/coronavirus-mainland-chinese-health-professionals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2022 05:57:59 +0000 Hong Kong’s Housing Authority plans to spend HK$619 million (US$79 million) to fix problems with pipes at public housing estates which were linked to the spread of the coronavirus across several blocks in 2020. The scheme was approved on Monday at a meeting carried out by the authority’s subsidised housing committee as a way to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 through drainage systems. The city’s biggest provider of public housing launched a drainage pipe inspection programme on October... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170437/hong-kong-housing-authority-plans-spend-hk619-million-fix?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170437/hong-kong-housing-authority-plans-spend-hk619-million-fix?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:11:12 +0000 Hong Kong’s labour minister has urged lawmakers to “quickly” pass an amendment to a law that would allow workers to take sick leave for quarantine and employers to sack staff who fail to fulfil vaccine pass requirements. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said on his official blog on Sunday the bill would be discussed in Legco on Wednesday. “To clarify employment issues caused by employees’ absence from work due to quarantine and compliance with the requirements of the vaccine pass,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170313/hong-kong-labour-chief-urges-legislature-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170313/hong-kong-labour-chief-urges-legislature-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 11:06:36 +0000 Covid-19 vaccination teams will visit all care facilities in Hong Kong by Friday in a bid to push inoculation among the elderly, while at-home jabs will also be offered to residents with mobility issues, the city’s civil service chief has said. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who is responsible for the local vaccination campaign, said on Sunday that 52 per cent of residents at 1,096 elderly care homes had received at least one vaccine dose. “The outreach teams have visited... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170304/coronavirus-vaccine-outreach-teams-visit-all-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170304/coronavirus-vaccine-outreach-teams-visit-all-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 09:43:57 +0000 The government has vowed to step up assistance for an estimated 300,000 Covid-19 patients and their close contacts quarantining at home in Hong Kong, as the number of deaths related to the virus surpassed the total recorded in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic first emerged. With the rest of the nation is battling its worst outbreak in two years, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor sought to reassure residents on Sunday that the mainland’s support in tackling the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3170292/coronavirus-300000-patients-close-contacts-under-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3170292/coronavirus-300000-patients-close-contacts-under-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 05:36:52 +0000 The 60-year-old City Hall in Hong Kong is set to become its first post-war monument in an unprecedented move by the government that takes into account residents’ shared history and the structure being a beacon for social equality. Experts said it was rare for authorities and antiquities advisers to prioritise people’s collective memory over historical value when declaring a monument. The proposal made by the Antiquities and Monuments Office obtained the green light from Antiquities Advisory... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170229/why-hong-kongs-60-year-old-city-hall-will-be-its-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3170229/why-hong-kongs-60-year-old-city-hall-will-be-its-youngest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2022 07:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s supply of fresh pork will return to normal on Tuesday, the government has said, after Covid-19 outbreaks at the city’s slaughterhouses resulted in dwindling stock and led to panic buying among residents. A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Sunday that the Sheung Shui slaughterhouse, the larger of Hong Kong’s two abattoirs, had completed disinfection work, and had also assembled a team of workers that included support staff from mainland China. “After... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3169454/coronavirus-hong-kongs-fresh-pork-beef-supply-return-normal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3169454/coronavirus-hong-kongs-fresh-pork-beef-supply-return-normal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Mar 2022 10:54:36 +0000 Hong Kong’s fifth wave of Covid-19 has left streets deserted as businesses close over staff infections, while some shop owners question the need for a potential lockdown for universal testing with the city already a “ghost town”. Other services including post offices, banks and public transport operators have curtailed operating hours amid the worsening Omicron-fuelled outbreak. Causeway Bay, one of the city’s busiest districts, was noticeably quieter on Wednesday, with only a few people out on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168975/coronavirus-hong-kongs-streets-malls-left-empty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168975/coronavirus-hong-kongs-streets-malls-left-empty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:47:03 +0000 Hong Kong public hospitals will begin storing corpses in private mortuaries in a bid to ease the pressure on overwhelmed morgues due to surging Covid-19 deaths, while crematoriums have extended their service hours to cope with a backlog. Health authorities said on Tuesday that a contingency plan had been drawn up as many mortuaries had already reached their capacity, while some corpses were kept temporarily at accident and emergency departments. “Diamond Hill Funeral Parlour run by Tung Wah... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168861/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-hospitals-store?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168861/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-hospitals-store?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Mar 2022 14:03:56 +0000 Public hospitals in Hong Kong are planning to use refrigerated containers to store corpses, the Post has learned, as rising Covid-19 deaths have pushed the city’s mortuaries to near full capacity. A public hospital source on Monday said the measure was a contingency plan and would come into effect “if the situation demanded”. The source did not elaborate further on what circumstances such containers would be used under. The source added that the Hospital Authority was already working on ordering... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168642/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-hospitals-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168642/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-hospitals-use?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Feb 2022 06:46:08 +0000 The Hong Kong government will use more than 100,000 electronic wristbands to better monitor coronavirus patients undergoing home isolation, in addition to using the vaccine pass to trace close contacts amid a surging Covid-19 fifth wave. Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang told a radio programme on Sunday that the administration had prepared the devices for patients awaiting help from health authorities, and would procure more supplies to meet the city’s needs. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168560/hong-kong-government-deploy-over-100000-tracking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168560/hong-kong-government-deploy-over-100000-tracking?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Feb 2022 05:03:08 +0000 All private homes to be built in Hong Kong will have to be at least 280 sq ft, the government has announced, unless in rare cases when developers face site constraints or dated leases that may not be subject to the new rule. The minimum size requirement in the private sector will cover all government land sales, railway property projects, homes built by the Urban Renewal Authority and redevelopment projects by developers. Hong Kong to set aside HK$100 billion for ambitious Northern Metropolis... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168256/all-private-flats-built-hong-kong-must-be-least?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168256/all-private-flats-built-hong-kong-must-be-least?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Feb 2022 10:44:45 +0000 Hong Kong will set aside HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion) for its ambitious plan to develop a vast metropolis near the mainland Chinese border although studies on several key sites have either not yet started or are still to be completed. Development plans of major areas under the Northern Metropolis blueprint, including the San Tin area which is envisioned as a “technopole” – or hi-tech cluster- with more than 1,100 hectares, were expected to be formulated within two to three years, Financial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168106/budget-2022-23-hong-kong-set-aside-hk100-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168106/budget-2022-23-hong-kong-set-aside-hk100-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Feb 2022 11:36:00 +0000 An 11-month old girl has died after contracting the coronavirus, becoming Hong Kong’s youngest pandemic-related victim and the third such death of young ­children in the past fortnight. Health authorities said the baby, who had “good past health”, was in a stable condition until 4am on Saturday, when she developed a fever and started to suffer from convulsions. She was brought to the accident and emergency department of Tseung Kwan O Hospital, intubated and then transferred to the intensive care... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167874/coroner-investigate-death-11-month-old-girl-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167874/coroner-investigate-death-11-month-old-girl-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Feb 2022 14:10:07 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is expected to tighten Covid-19 social-distancing rules further as it prepares to launch a so-called vaccine pass on Thursday limiting entry to venues based on inoculation status. As infection numbers continued to climb on Monday, reaching a new record of more than 7,500 cases, an 11-month-old baby became the city’s youngest coronavirus-related... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167793/coronavirus-hong-kong-tighten-cap-diners-table?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167793/coronavirus-hong-kong-tighten-cap-diners-table?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Feb 2022 05:44:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s ombudsman has called for stronger regulations over boarding houses for domestic helpers after it found that some overcrowded and unhygienic dormitories involved in a Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 had fallen outside the current regulatory system. Boarding houses provide domestic helpers with a place to stay while they wait for visa renewals in between jobs or before returning to their home country. Helpers in Hong Kong are legally required to live with their employers after they are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3167446/ombudsman-calls-stronger-regulation-hong-kongs-boarding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3167446/ombudsman-calls-stronger-regulation-hong-kongs-boarding?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 12:46:17 +0000 Holding her crying one-year-old son, Lam called an ambulance and rushed to hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning, fearing her child had been infected with the coronavirus after he developed a high fever. But the pair were forced to return home and wait for further notice because no hospital beds were available. Two days later, Lam, who only wished to be identified by her surname, also tested positive for Covid-19 after using a rapid antigen test. Her husband later became the only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167037/my-son-started-coughing-hongkongers-forced-wait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167037/my-son-started-coughing-hongkongers-forced-wait?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Feb 2022 02:00:19 +0000 At least six more cross-border drivers have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Shenzhen authorities, while vegetable supplies in Hong Kong have taken a further hit after the gateway for fresh food heading into the city was temporarily closed for disinfection. Unionists said the supply of fresh goods would be reduced in the coming days as fewer drivers were willing to take the job during the pandemic. Hong Kong authorities said on Sunday that the operation of the interchange venue for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166880/coronavirus-hong-kong-4-more-cross-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166880/coronavirus-hong-kong-4-more-cross-border?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Feb 2022 10:23:01 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong has taken the unprecedented move of allowing close contacts of Covid-19 patients to be isolated at home in a bid to ease pressure on quarantine facilities. Many such facilities are reaching their maximum capacity amid an exponential surge of infections, and a government quarantine camp at Penny’s Bay, originally used just to isolate close contacts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166238/coronavirus-hong-kong-who-eligible-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166238/coronavirus-hong-kong-who-eligible-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:09:47 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Key points: – Cap on public gatherings tightened to two people but families with more than two members exempted, gatherings of more than two households banned even in private places – Vaccine pass extended to shopping centres, department stores, supermarkets, wet markets, religious places and salons, the latter two to be closed until February 24 – Dining at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166185/coronavirus-hong-kong-return-most-stringent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166185/coronavirus-hong-kong-return-most-stringent?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Feb 2022 02:41:18 +0000 A Hong Kong police constable is expected to be dismissed after he allegedly followed two women home and asked them to be “his mistresses”, according to a source. The force insider said an initial investigation found that the 26-year-old officer, who had not yet passed his probation, had seriously violated discipline rules. He was given a notice of intent to discharge on Monday, meaning he would be fired according to the Police Force Ordinance, the source said. He has seven days to appeal the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3166164/hong-kong-police-officer-set-be-fired-allegedly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3166164/hong-kong-police-officer-set-be-fired-allegedly?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 15:46:47 +0000 An alarming surge of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong set a daily record of more than 600 cases on Monday, as authorities announced they would have to start sending patients with mild or no symptoms to the government’s quarantine camp to free up hospital beds while allowing close contacts of carriers to self-isolate at home. Warning that the Omicron-fuelled fifth wave of the pandemic was spiralling out of control, officials laid out plans to begin sending infected people to Penny’s Bay from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166061/we-must-stay-home-hong-kong-expecting-614?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166061/we-must-stay-home-hong-kong-expecting-614?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 03:16:24 +0000 The Hong Kong Housing Society is experimenting with a prefabricated construction method to shorten the time it takes to build new homes for two of its projects. The society, the city’s second-largest public housing provider after the Housing Authority, plans to build 28,000 homes over the next decade. It is testing the approach, known as “modular integrated construction” (MiC), at a 300-unit project at Hung Shui Kiu in the New Territories and a 64-unit project for elderly residents at Jat Min... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3166009/hong-kong-housing-society-tests-instant-homes-speed-building?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3166009/hong-kong-housing-society-tests-instant-homes-speed-building?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 01:00:14 +0000 Recovering Covid-19 patients have complained about being stuck at a treatment facility in Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo despite being clinically ready to be discharged, with some also criticising hygiene conditions at the venue. Speaking to the Post on Sunday, one patient described spending two days waiting in the facility after she received her discharge notice, while others that she knew had been waiting for three days. The facility, located in the exhibition hall of AsiaWorld-Expo near the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166032/recovering-coronavirus-patients-left-hopeless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166032/recovering-coronavirus-patients-left-hopeless?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 14:38:42 +0000 Hong Kong reported another 342 local Covid-19 infections on Sunday, as health officials warned at least 320 silent transmission chains could be lurking throughout the community with the fifth wave yet to hit a peak. As compulsory testing orders issued by the government expanded to 62 premises across the city over the weekend, long queues formed outside testing stations, with some residents in Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Sham Shui Po complaining they were forced to wait several hours to get... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165988/coronavirus-hong-kong-logs-15-new-preliminary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165988/coronavirus-hong-kong-logs-15-new-preliminary?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 03:52:25 +0000 An elderly man drowned after jumping into the ocean to rescue his stepdaughter who was swept away while taking photos along the shore of the popular sightseeing destination of Tung Lung Chau in Hong Kong’s southeastern waters on Tuesday. According to police, the 71-year-old man and his 22-year-old stepdaughter were found floating about 30 to 40 metres away from the southern side of the island at around 1.17pm. Officers arrived at the scene and rescued the two with the help of civilians. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165510/hong-kong-man-drowns-trying-save-stepdaughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165510/hong-kong-man-drowns-trying-save-stepdaughter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:57:42 +0000 Lunar New Year is a chance for family members to reunite, but many residents in Hong Kong are celebrating the festival with caution due to the Omicron outbreak, with some forced to spend the time in hospital while their loved ones are in quarantine. At Kwai Tsing district’s Kwai Chung Estate, where more than 400 cases have been reported, residents still have a lingering fear of the highly transmissive variant. Tsang Siu-chui, a 51-year-old resident of Ying Kwai House, finished her seven-day... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165485/year-tiger-starts-bang-hong-kong-police-receive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165485/year-tiger-starts-bang-hong-kong-police-receive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Feb 2022 06:17:13 +0000 Hong Kong government architects are experimenting with robotic technology to cut building time and find ways around a looming labour shortage in the city’s construction industry. The Architectural Services Department has begun using robots to cut the tops of piles used in foundation work and deliver heavy materials on worksites. It has also started using drones that fly above and around heritage buildings maintained by the department, to check for defects that need to be repaired. “Harnessing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3165303/labour-starved-hong-kong-construction-sites-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3165303/labour-starved-hong-kong-construction-sites-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jan 2022 01:00:26 +0000 Hong Kong’s finance chief has said his coming budget will be focused on supporting people’s livelihoods amid the economic hardships of the coronavirus pandemic, while also taking into account the financial stability and long-term development needs of the city. Writing on his official blog on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said the fiscal deficit for this financial year had gradually declined from a peak of HK$115.7 billion (US$14.8 billion) in September last year to HK$65.8... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165324/hong-kongs-next-budget-will-balance-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165324/hong-kongs-next-budget-will-balance-support?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Jan 2022 11:14:48 +0000 Hong Kong’s exam authority has announced plans on Friday to cancel the English-speaking assessment for the university entrance curriculum amid the Omicron outbreak. The exam, part of the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE), which determines entrance to the city’s universities, has been cancelled for three consecutive years. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said the practical exams for physical education and music would also be postponed until the end of May or early June. Wei... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3165102/dse-hong-kongs-exam-authorities-cancel-english-speaking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3165102/dse-hong-kongs-exam-authorities-cancel-english-speaking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jan 2022 07:52:56 +0000 The average waiting time for a public housing flat in Hong Kong can be reduced from 5.9 to 3.7 years if 120,000 homes are built by 2025 by streamlining the development process, a think tank has said. Our Hong Kong Foundation suggested in a report released on Monday that instead of developing sites from scratch, a more feasible solution to the city’s housing crisis was to speed up the building process. “If 120,000 public and private housing units can be completed ahead of schedule by 2025,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164541/streamline-building-processes-cut-average-waiting-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164541/streamline-building-processes-cut-average-waiting-time?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jan 2022 09:45:22 +0000 The driver of a luxury sports car and his passenger narrowly avoided death when their vehicle crashed into a lamp post and split almost in half on a Hong Kong road just before noon on Saturday. An online video shows the Black Lotus Exige driving along Pok Yin Road in Tai Po district at 11.16am when it swerves to the left and bumps into a roadside planter, which sends the vehicle into the air before it slams lengthwise into the lamp post. The car flies onto a bicycle track next to the road and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164375/hong-kong-driver-and-passenger-narrowly-avoid-death-airborne?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164375/hong-kong-driver-and-passenger-narrowly-avoid-death-airborne?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 10:31:26 +0000 Residents of the second Hong Kong public housing block imposed with a five-day lockdown order criticised the decision on Saturday as “hasty” and “cruel” after authorities said they could not supply dinner boxes for the first night. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yeut-ngor announced on Saturday evening that Ying Kwai House in the Kwai Chung Estate, the site’s second block, would undergo a lockdown as the number of infections in the cluster shot up to 105 confirmed and preliminary cases. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164368/crowded-testing-areas-and-food-left-corridors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164368/crowded-testing-areas-and-food-left-corridors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 09:14:05 +0000 Landlords of subdivided flats in Hong Kong have made a last attempt to exploit their tenants before a rent control law takes effect on Saturday, according to some residents. The Post also found some estate agents appeared to have limited knowledge or even provided wrong information on the new rules. The law will cover about 92,200 such tiny homes across the city, which are often located in rundown buildings, and house some of the city’s poorest residents during their long wait for public... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164129/cunning-hong-kong-landlords-subdivided-flats-accused-raising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3164129/cunning-hong-kong-landlords-subdivided-flats-accused-raising?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jan 2022 01:00:33 +0000 Officials from Hong Kong’s Housing Authority have been unable to commit to a minimum flat size for subsidised housing projects despite being pressured to stop building shoebox homes. During a meeting on Monday, members of the authority raised concerns about a batch of some 500 shoebox flats which have remained unsold since their launch in 2020 under the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH). The flats under the scheme, which targets low-income households, are mostly in Tsing Yi and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3163737/hong-kong-housing-officials-raise-concerns-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3163737/hong-kong-housing-officials-raise-concerns-about?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:52:24 +0000 Hong Kong uncovered coronavirus cases in the community involving both the Omicron and Delta variants on Sunday, one attributed to a potential cross infection in a quarantine hotel and another whose source was as yet unknown. In the first case, a woman who had recently returned to the city from Pakistan tested positive for the coronavirus five days after completing hotel quarantine, sparking fears of a new Omicron cluster. Another patient had previously been identified in an adjacent room at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3163579/omicron-hong-kong-will-not-fully-relax-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3163579/omicron-hong-kong-will-not-fully-relax-social?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jan 2022 07:35:38 +0000 Long queues continue to form outside Covid-19 testing stations in a Hong Kong district at risk of silent transmission chains of the Omicron coronavirus variant, despite more facilities being set up to ease waiting times for residents. Seven more testing stations were added on Wednesday to the original three in Tuen Mun, after six Covid-19 positive cases were found to be living in the district. Hundreds of residents who had visited areas in Tuen Mun where the confirmed cases had been to – a total... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3163129/i-think-ill-get-sick-waiting-hongkongers-bemoan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3163129/i-think-ill-get-sick-waiting-hongkongers-bemoan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jan 2022 11:37:09 +0000