https://www.scmp.com/rss/511489/feed Pak-hei, who is currently studying journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, joined the Post as an intern in winter 2021. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Hong Kong’s new leader conducted his first walkabout session on Saturday in Sham Shui Po, visiting subdivided flats in the area and chatting with shop operators to gauge their views on topics he will touch on in his maiden policy address in October. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he spent the two-hour visit discussing with residents matters ranging from housing to education, youth development, livelihood issues and border reopening. In a chat with a family of three in a subdivided flat,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3187152/hong-kongs-john-lee-conducts-first-community-walkabout-sham?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3187152/hong-kongs-john-lee-conducts-first-community-walkabout-sham?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jul 2022 08:25:24 +0000 Higher taxi fares in Hong Kong were met with mixed reactions on Sunday, with some passengers expressing frustration at being “forced to accept” the increase, the first in five years. The minimum charge for rides increased by HK$3 (40 US cents), meaning passengers have to pay at least HK$27 instead of HK$24 for urban taxis, and HK$23.50 and HK$22 respectively for New Territories and Lantau Island ones. For rides that cost less than HK$93.50, urban taxis will also charge HK$1.90 for every... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3185583/i-was-forced-accept-increase-frustration-concern-fare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3185583/i-was-forced-accept-increase-frustration-concern-fare?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jul 2022 09:34:46 +0000 Police have arrested a 36-year-old Hong Kong civil servant in connection with a parcel containing white powder that was sent to a High Court employee on Tuesday. The arrested woman, surnamed Chung, worked as a clerk at an unspecified government department and was taken away from her workplace in Admiralty at around 7pm on Friday. Police said she was suspected of criminal intimidation and they had confiscated a computer, printer and mobile phone during the arrest. The force added the parcel was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3184728/hong-kong-civil-servant-36-arrested-over-suspicious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3184728/hong-kong-civil-servant-36-arrested-over-suspicious?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2022 09:12:41 +0000 Hong Kong drivers will face a maximum fine of HK$2,000 (US$255) if they place more than two phones on the dashboards of their vehicles under a proposal to tighten safety rules. The Transport and Logistics Bureau, which revealed the proposal in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council earlier this week, said it also planned to extend the rules and require safety belts on all seats in newly registered buses and minibuses. It will be compulsory for passengers to strap themselves in. On the cap... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3184722/hong-kong-proposes-2-device-cap-car-dashboards-hk2000-fine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3184722/hong-kong-proposes-2-device-cap-car-dashboards-hk2000-fine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2022 07:15:19 +0000 Hong Kong rescue teams will search into the night after pulling to safety three members from the 30-strong crew of a vessel that snapped in two during a typhoon, with the status of the remaining 27 still unclear. The trio told rescuers their fellow crewmates might have been swept away from the stricken, tilted ship, as they could only cling on to railings. Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service on Saturday afternoon said it would widen the search zone by carrying out two more sorties before... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3183807/hong-kong-consider-issuing-no-8-typhoon-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3183807/hong-kong-consider-issuing-no-8-typhoon-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2022 07:46:57 +0000 Hong Kong’s largest public healthcare workers union, which organised a strike to demand the authorities close the border with mainland China in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak two years ago, has decided to disband. The decision by the opposition-leaning Hospital Authority Employees Alliance came as the city’s largest journalists’ association opted to reduce the voting threshold for disbandment, making it easier for the group, which has faced scrutiny by authorities, to dissolve... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3183066/hong-kongs-largest-public-healthcare-workers-union-opts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3183066/hong-kongs-largest-public-healthcare-workers-union-opts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jun 2022 10:30:34 +0000 Masks, Covid-19 test kits, plastic bottles and rubber ducks were among the more than 124,000 pieces of litter an environmental group picked up from Hong Kong’s hiking trails and seashore last year, the total weight of which exceeded 9,000kg. Other items collected by about 1,500 volunteers of Ecobus included lighters, old electronic devices, toys from more than 30 years ago and an identity document from the 1960s. The green group hosts monthly litter-collection activities as part of efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3182225/masks-covid-19-test-kits-plastic-bottles-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3182225/masks-covid-19-test-kits-plastic-bottles-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:44:11 +0000 Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and an Executive Council member, is likely to take up the new post of deputy secretary for justice in the next administration, the Post has learned. Multiple sources also suggested incoming chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s cabinet had been finalised on Saturday, with Permanent Secretary for Security Carol Yip Man-kuen standing a high chance of becoming director of his office. On... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181358/dab-vice-chairman-horace-cheung-likely-be-picked-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181358/dab-vice-chairman-horace-cheung-likely-be-picked-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jun 2022 15:25:14 +0000 Two in five Hong Kong government workers under outsourced service contracts are unaware of rights such as an end-of-service gratuity and extra pay during typhoons, a survey by a pro-Beijing union has found. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions on Saturday urged the government to enhance awareness of labour rights among such employees, following its survey conducted last month involving 381 respondents mainly from the Housing Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3181355/almost-40-cent-hong-kongs-outsourced-government-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3181355/almost-40-cent-hong-kongs-outsourced-government-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jun 2022 14:56:20 +0000 Two former executives of separate construction firms have each been sentenced to four years’ jail in Hong Kong over their roles in a HK$75 million (US$9.56 million) letters of credit scam which allowed the pair to launder more than HK$10 million from the scheme. Wang Xiaoshan, 53, former deputy general manager of China Railway Construction (Hong Kong), and Lau Chung-hoi, 55, then director of the now-defunct Top Famous Construction Engineering Limited, were sentenced in the District Court. Deputy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3180433/hong-kong-court-sentences-2-former-construction-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3180433/hong-kong-court-sentences-2-former-construction-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2022 11:31:19 +0000 The Hong Kong government has expressed “strong opposition” to criticism in a US State Department report of religious freedom in the city. The paper, published by the State Department on Thursday, cited religious leaders and organisations in Hong Kong as saying the city government “had grown less tolerant since the passage of the national security law”. Titled “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom”, details also included interviewees’ concerns over self-censorship and “potential... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3180414/hong-kong-government-expresses-strong-opposition-us-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3180414/hong-kong-government-expresses-strong-opposition-us-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2022 06:01:15 +0000 A concern group has urged the government to raise Hong Kong’s minimum wage to at least HK$50 (US$6.37) per hour as it has remained unchanged for the last three years, adding that the base pay should be reviewed annually to keep up with inflation. The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) said that although the current minimum wage of HK$37.50 per hour marked an increase of 33.9 per cent since its introduction in 2011, the consumer price index had soared close to 40 per cent in the past 12... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3179611/hong-kong-ngo-urges-government-raise-minimum-wage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3179611/hong-kong-ngo-urges-government-raise-minimum-wage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 May 2022 23:15:24 +0000 Several top advisers to Hong Kong’s leader have expressed shock over a suggestion senior civil servants receive a pay increase as high as 7.26 per cent, which would be a record. One Executive Council member on Saturday said the decision over the size of the salary bump could be left to the next government under incoming leader John Lee Ka-chiu, as the matter might not be discussed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s team before her term ended on June 30. The latest pay trend survey,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3178640/top-advisers-hong-kongs-leader-express-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3178640/top-advisers-hong-kongs-leader-express-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 May 2022 10:09:31 +0000 Hong Kong’s welfare minister has warned that residential care homes for the elderly and disabled that do not meet new requirements could be replaced in the future. Writing on his official blog on Sunday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said the Residential Care Homes Legislation Bill 2022, which proposed raising the minimum area of floor space per resident and the required number of staff in care homes, allowed for an eight-year transition period divided into two stages for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3177852/hong-kong-welfare-minister-warns-low-quality-care-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3177852/hong-kong-welfare-minister-warns-low-quality-care-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2022 14:49:49 +0000 A group representing underprivileged residents has urged authorities to reopen Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, saying strict travel restrictions have hindered family reunions and even medical treatment. The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) made the call on Sunday as it released the results of a survey that found 80 per cent of 467 respondents had parents living on the mainland, with 70 per cent reporting feeling disconnected from their loved ones as they could not visit due to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3177837/call-government-help-poorer-hong-kong-residents-visit-loved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3177837/call-government-help-poorer-hong-kong-residents-visit-loved?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 May 2022 11:10:21 +0000 Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau welcomed a wave of visitors on Saturday as thousands flocked to the scenic gem to enjoy the first long weekend since authorities further eased Covid-19 measures. While shops and guest-house operators on the outlying island said business had improved, the flurry of activities was still not at pre-pandemic levels when people would throng the location for the annual bun-scrambling festival on Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Sunday this year. The iconic competition... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3176872/coronavirus-hong-kongs-cheung-chau-scenic-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3176872/coronavirus-hong-kongs-cheung-chau-scenic-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2022 06:41:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has revealed that more than 90 per cent of owners at a residential block that houses civil servants in To Kwa Wan have agreed to a buyout after it cut premiums by more than HK$60 million (US$7.65 million) and the government agreed to reduce each seller’s administrative fees by HK$1 million. In an blog published on Sunday, URA managing director Wai Chi-sing said eight of the nine cooperative building societies at the Shing Tak Street site earmarked for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3176193/hong-kongs-urban-renewal-authority-close-full-buyout-kwa-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3176193/hong-kongs-urban-renewal-authority-close-full-buyout-kwa-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:35 +0000 Most of the people flying into Hong Kong on Sunday after authorities eased entry restrictions in place for more than two years were either residents or domestic helpers, with many expressing relief over finally being allowed to travel to the city. While the end to the ban on international travellers has been hailed by businesses as a good first step towards rebuilding the decimated tourism industry, some owners urged the government to further ease restrictions to jump-start the recovery. Among... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3176178/first-foreigners-flying-hong-kong-after-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3176178/first-foreigners-flying-hong-kong-after-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2022 12:27:22 +0000 Sales of Hong Kong-themed souvenirs, from tram magnets to baubles with miniature red taxis, Star Ferry vessels and dim sum, have picked up and businesses say it is all thanks to the spike in Hongkongers emigrating. Where previously it was mainly tourists and departing expatriates who looked for knick-knacks to remember their time in the city, shop owners have seen more local customers shopping for farewell gifts over the past two years. Beijing’s imposition of the national security law on Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3174553/goodbye-and-good-luck-hong-kong-souvenirs-such-star-ferry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3174553/goodbye-and-good-luck-hong-kong-souvenirs-such-star-ferry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2022 06:00:20 +0000 Hong Kong’s health minister has dismissed concerns over a toughened law that jails pet owners who refuse to surrender their animals for disease-control purposes. But Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee admitted on Saturday that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) should more clearly explain the amendment to the law that gives health officers the power to demand owners hand over the animals. When asked on a radio programme about concerns that authorities... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3174507/coronavirus-hong-kong-health-minister-dismisses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3174507/coronavirus-hong-kong-health-minister-dismisses?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Apr 2022 12:02:20 +0000 Hong Kong police have arrested three people for allegedly cashing in the first batch of government-issued e-vouchers as tens of thousands of residents went shopping to take advantage of deals. The force revealed on Saturday that the three local men, aged 33 to 45, were arrested for suspected fraud in Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po and Tseung Kwan O on Friday. The trio had allegedly advertised on social media that they could convert consumption vouchers into cash for residents. Disguised as customers in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3173703/hong-kong-police-arrest-3-suspects-scheme-convert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3173703/hong-kong-police-arrest-3-suspects-scheme-convert?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Apr 2022 12:05:29 +0000 The objections of family members have stymied efforts in a Covid-19 vaccination outreach service for Hong Kong’s elderly, with up to 20 per cent of senior residents eventually cancelling bookings at the last minute. The trend, revealed by a major NGO on Saturday, underscored the challenges authorities face in boosting inoculation rates among the elderly, but government health advisers said discussions would still proceed next week on a launch date and targeted age group for a fourth vaccine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172867/coronavirus-family-members-objections-pose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172867/coronavirus-family-members-objections-pose?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Apr 2022 06:46:04 +0000 Hong Kong police have arrested eight people on suspicion of laundering more than HK$10 million (US$1.27 million) in crime proceeds from 30 fraud cases last year and producing fake banknotes. Police said of the six men and two women arrested on Friday, three were believed to be core members of a syndicate, while the rest were local bank account holders. The suspects, including one Thai, are aged 29 to 73. Tai Cheuk-yin, acting chief inspector for the force’s financial intelligence and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3171988/hong-kong-police-arrest-8-suspicion-laundering-hk10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3171988/hong-kong-police-arrest-8-suspicion-laundering-hk10?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2022 13:46:58 +0000 Nearly 180,000 people have applied for a HK$10,000 unemployment subsidy within the first three days of applications opening, with Hong Kong’s leader saying the scheme will have no upper limit on the overall funds distributed. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said financial support under the Temporary Unemployment Relief Scheme would be distributed to as many eligible recipients as possible. “We will continue to approve applications even if the number exceeds our original expectation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171967/hong-kong-jobless-subsidy-receives-nearly-180000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171967/hong-kong-jobless-subsidy-receives-nearly-180000?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2022 09:23:47 +0000 Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two teenagers after confiscating HK$110 million (US$14 million) worth of cocaine concealed in an electric transformer that arrived from Costa Rica. Lee Ka-ming, head of customs’ drug investigation group, on Saturday said officers had found 100 bricks of suspected cocaine, with a total market value of HK$110 million, in 10 metal boxes when they were investigating an electric transformer on February 26. Each brick weighed 1.2kg. “The opening of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3171971/hong-kong-customs-arrests-2-teenagers-seizes-hk110?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3171971/hong-kong-customs-arrests-2-teenagers-seizes-hk110?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2022 08:57:50 +0000 Nearly one-fifth of Hong Kong’s fitness centres could permanently close as owners are struggling to pay business costs, an industry leader has warned, while trainers have been hunting for other jobs during the recent coronavirus epidemic. Gordon Yau Yick-chung, chairman of the investigative panel of the industry’s concern group, Hong Kong Fitness Guide, said on Thursday that the sector had lost at least HK$1 billion (US$127.83 million) since the closure of centres in early January. “Fitness... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3170854/coronavirus-hong-kong-one-fifth-fitness-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3170854/coronavirus-hong-kong-one-fifth-fitness-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:55:53 +0000 Hong Kong reported a record 198 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, although the recent downtrend in cases remained in place, with officials confirming about 27,600 new infections. City leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor cautioned against premature optimism that infection numbers had peaked, adding that she “could not comfortably say” that was the case. Nor was she willing to commit to a time frame on when the government expected to get the raging fifth wave of infections under control. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170247/hong-kong-continues-downward-daily-infection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170247/hong-kong-continues-downward-daily-infection?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2022 09:21:31 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to spend as much as it takes and fully mobilise the civil service to overcome the city’s raging fifth wave of coronavirus infections, a day after a top mainland Chinese official urged the government to step up its efforts. For the first time since providing daily press briefings on the fast-changing Covid-19 situation, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also offered her “deep condolences” to those who had lost loved ones, just hours before health officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170231/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170231/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Mar 2022 03:42:30 +0000 A woman has been fined HK$5,000 (US$640) after she was caught on camera smearing her saliva on the door of an MTR train in Hong Kong. A police spokesman said the force was investigating the incident that occurred on Friday morning at Kowloon Tong station. Some passengers had also allegedly assaulted the woman and fled the scene. In one video circulating online, the woman is seen in a black jacket, with her mask pulled below her chin and standing next to the train door, spitting and wiping her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3169367/woman-hong-kong-fined-hk5000-over-smearing-saliva-mtr?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3169367/woman-hong-kong-fined-hk5000-over-smearing-saliva-mtr?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 06:47:53 +0000 Residents have been forced to wait up to 26 hours for an ambulance to take them to hospital in Hong Kong as demand soars during the escalating Covid-19 crisis and manpower levels suffer after hundreds of paramedics fell ill with the virus. Director of Fire Services Joseph Leung Wai-hung appealed to residents who tested positive but had mild or no symptoms to avoid calling ambulances. “Frontline manpower is very tight at the moment,” said Leung, who oversees the city’s fleet of ambulances. “And... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168532/coronavirus-residents-forced-wait-26-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168532/coronavirus-residents-forced-wait-26-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Feb 2022 11:52:40 +0000 Most fresh meat stalls in Hong Kong’s wet markets were closed on Saturday because of a shortage of supply, forcing residents to stock up on frozen products instead. The panic buying scenes were triggered by the closure of Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan slaughterhouses early Saturday morning, after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department found 183 positive Covid-19 cases out of 866 samples from people in the Sheung Shui abattoir the day before. The two facilities are closed until further notice... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3168516/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-rush-stock-frozen-meat-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3168516/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-rush-stock-frozen-meat-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Feb 2022 07:54:31 +0000 Popular Hong Kong boy band Mirror swung into action for shooting an anti-pandemic promotional video while donations from various enterprises continued to pour in on Saturday. The efforts were in response to a call to action by Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who chaired a meeting on Friday with the city’s property tycoons to come up with measures to tackle the surge in infections. Among a 16-point list, 12-member boy band Mirror will be turned into... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3167697/coronavirus-hong-kong-boy-band-mirror-begins-work-anti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3167697/coronavirus-hong-kong-boy-band-mirror-begins-work-anti?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Feb 2022 14:55:10 +0000 Hong Kong civil servants from various departments will be deployed as part of the government’s lockdown and isolation arrangements to combat the worsening coronavirus crisis, the Post has learned. The assignment would last for three months and the list of civil servants to be deployed was expected to be announced internally by the departments on Monday, sources said, adding that top officials had mapped out the plan during a meeting on Friday. Hong Kong confirmed 6,063 coronavirus infections and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3167671/coronavirus-hong-kong-civil-servants-be-deployed-part?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3167671/coronavirus-hong-kong-civil-servants-be-deployed-part?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Feb 2022 07:50:59 +0000 Hong Kong’s public transport has been dealt a fresh blow by the fifth wave of the coronavirus outbreak, with patronage down 40 per cent, according to Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan. In a weekly blog post on Saturday, Chan said the city’s tightened social-distancing measures had affected livelihoods, as many of the industry’s self-employed drivers had suffered significant income losses. The latest round of social-distancing restrictions, which came into effect on Thursday, are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166811/coronavirus-hong-kongs-public-transport-hit-hard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166811/coronavirus-hong-kongs-public-transport-hit-hard?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Feb 2022 09:11:17 +0000 British national Anne is preparing to leave Hong Kong, a place she has called home for the past seven years. Her family “adores” the city of 7.5 million, but she is giving up its seasons and scenic country parks for Singapore’s urban landscape. For the mother of two young children, the issue is the 21-day hotel quarantine that is mandatory for all returning residents. Anne, a homemaker who declined to be named, has not seen her family in Britain for three years. “We desperately miss our families... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3162495/hong-kong-expats-are-relocating-faster-pace-singapore-isnt-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3162495/hong-kong-expats-are-relocating-faster-pace-singapore-isnt-their?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jan 2022 03:00:27 +0000 Hong Kong has ordered the two companies offering “cruises to nowhere” to suspend services for two weeks from Friday as part of ramped-up efforts to halt the spread of the Omicron variant, a move affecting thousands of customers. About 2,500 cruise ship passengers were required on Wednesday to cut short their trip and return to Hong Kong for compulsory coronavirus testing after nine of them were identified as close contacts of a preliminary-positive case linked to a suspected new Omicron cluster.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3162152/coronavirus-2500-passenger-cruise-ship-ordered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3162152/coronavirus-2500-passenger-cruise-ship-ordered?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 01:03:25 +0000 Hong Kong’s Covid-19 vaccination rate received a boost this week as residents, especially the elderly hoping to maintain their dim sum rituals at favourite haunts, as well as concertgoers not wanting to miss coming shows, raced to get their shots ahead of measures that would limit mobility for those who have not been jabbed. Far more people amid the vaccine rush also opted for the Chinese-produced Sinovac shot than the German-made BioNTech one, with some citing concerns over more side effects... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3162127/hong-kongs-vaccination-drive-gets-shot-arm-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3162127/hong-kongs-vaccination-drive-gets-shot-arm-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:29 +0000 A new rule requiring Hong Kong schools to hold regular flag-raising ceremonies kicked in on Monday, with some seeking police help on training students in etiquette for the practice. The Education Bureau released guidelines last October, following legislative changes to the National Flag and Emblem Ordinance to ban acts such as inverting or casual disposal of the Chinese flag. Under the guidelines, schools must also hold a flag-raising ceremony at least once a week. The move falls under measures... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3161963/new-rule-kicks-hong-kong-schools-hold-regular-flag-raising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3161963/new-rule-kicks-hong-kong-schools-hold-regular-flag-raising?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jan 2022 10:12:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s first fencing centre under a secondary school has opened, with plans to allow students from other campuses to also use the training facility. The centre, located in HKTA The Yuen Yuen Institute No 1 Secondary School in Kwai Tsing, spans more than 1,800 sq ft and costs nearly HK$1 million (US$128,250). Completed in May, the facility includes two fencing strips and judging apparatus, as well as other equipment such as exercise bikes and dumbbells. It can also be used for physical... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3161835/hong-kongs-first-fencing-centre-secondary-school-opens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3161835/hong-kongs-first-fencing-centre-secondary-school-opens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jan 2022 01:00:30 +0000 Tens of thousands of revellers gathered on both sides of Hong Kong’s famed Victoria Harbour to ring in the new year, with many hoping for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and a return to normality in 2022. A new Covid-19 scare involving two community infections carrying the highly transmissive Omicron variant did not dampen the mood, with residents eager to join large-scale year-end celebrations in West Kowloon and Central after two years of cancellations. Despite health minister Sophia Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3161761/tens-thousands-gather-hong-kong-new-years-eve-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3161761/tens-thousands-gather-hong-kong-new-years-eve-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 13:57:45 +0000 Hong Kong customs has confiscated nearly 430 million smuggled cigarettes with a market value of HK$1.2 billion (US$153.8 million) this year, more than double the amount in 2020. Seizures this year included a haul of 20.8 million cigarettes, worth HK$57 million, netted in a raid on a container yard in San Tin, Yuen Long on Thursday. Investigators uncovered the goods in two 40-foot containers in the yard. Two male drivers, aged 63 and 69, were arrested. “We suspect the syndicates were attempting... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3161018/hong-kong-customs-seizes-420-million-illicit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3161018/hong-kong-customs-seizes-420-million-illicit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Dec 2021 13:43:27 +0000 Hongkongers looking forward to a relatively warm Christmas Day should brace for much colder weather over the rest of the holiday season, with temperatures dipping to nine degrees Celsius (48.2 degrees Fahrenheit) or below on Monday. The Hong Kong Observatory forecast temperatures of between 17 and 21 degrees on Saturday, as well as cloudy conditions and a low chance of any significant rainfall. But it will become appreciably colder and rather windy later in the weekend as an intense monsoon... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3160959/hong-kong-weather-temperatures-drop-below-9-degrees-celsius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3160959/hong-kong-weather-temperatures-drop-below-9-degrees-celsius?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Dec 2021 06:28:56 +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’s first December typhoon signal in 47 years came to an end on Tuesday, just over 24 hours after it began, as Tropical Storm Rai continued to weaken and move away from the city. The Observatory officially took down its warning at 12.20pm, while noting the city remained under the effect of a northeast monsoon with occasional strong winds and sea... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160371/hong-kong-issues-no-1-typhoon-warning-signal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160371/hong-kong-issues-no-1-typhoon-warning-signal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Dec 2021 04:05:38 +0000