https://www.scmp.com/rss/514407/feed Karin is an intern for City Desk. She is currently a postgraduate student at the University of Hong Kong, majoring in Journalism. Previously she was a mentee at Bloomberg where she won second prize for a business news competition. She was also an intern at China Daily and People's Daily. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Hong Kong customs officers have seized 380 boxes of suspected Covid-19 antiviral drugs worth HK$500,000 (US$64,017) and arrested a couple over allegations of illegally importing and possessing unregistered medicines. The announcement by customs on Sunday came as some local dispensaries began to restock Panadol, a popular painkiller and fever-relief drug that flew off shelves during a recent wave of panic buying amid a coronavirus outbreak in mainland China. The department said it had intercepted... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3206895/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk500000-worth-suspected-covid-drugs-arrests-couple-over-illegal-import?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3206895/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk500000-worth-suspected-covid-drugs-arrests-couple-over-illegal-import?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jan 2023 11:15:57 +0000 Hong Kong’s high-speed rail link to Guangzhou on Sunday resumed short-haul services for the first time in three years after Beijing a week earlier scrapped quarantine for arrivals, with some travellers noting the significance of the ride in the run-up to Lunar New Year and others eager for long-awaited family reunions. Some 6,500 travellers arrived or departed from the West Kowloon terminus as of 6pm. The control point is the latest to reopen in Hong Kong, following the earlier resumption of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3206864/first-train-our-country-hong-kongs-high-speed-rail-link-welcomes-back-early-bird-travellers-after-3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3206864/first-train-our-country-hong-kongs-high-speed-rail-link-welcomes-back-early-bird-travellers-after-3?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jan 2023 00:49:28 +0000 Hundreds of travellers spent at least four hours lining up at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan on Friday to take advantage of free return tickets the government of the casino hub is offering to boost arrival numbers. Cheng Wai-tong, the deputy director of the Macau Government Tourism Office, on Friday said he expected about 10,000 Hongkongers would visit the city daily during the Lunar New Year holidays, although he hoped the number could rise to 20,000, a level last seen in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3206688/hundreds-hongkongers-queue-hours-get-free-return-tickets-macau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3206688/hundreds-hongkongers-queue-hours-get-free-return-tickets-macau?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jan 2023 07:04:04 +0000 Non-Hong Kong residents will not be eligible for free Covid-19 jabs from next week, the government has announced, as the private sector rolled out self-funded vaccination programmes for visitors from across the border with mainland China. Currently, visitors are eligible to receive the first-generation vaccines as a first or second dose for free, if they can complete the full course within their stay. This includes holders of two-way exit permits from the mainland, asylum seekers and other... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3206621/hong-kong-will-not-give-non-residents-free-covid-vaccines-they-can-pay-jabs-private-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3206621/hong-kong-will-not-give-non-residents-free-covid-vaccines-they-can-pay-jabs-private-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:04:10 +0000 Hong Kong’s major shopping malls are wheeling out more than HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) in spending rewards to entice mainland Chinese travellers, but many of the city’s typical hotspots appeared to mark Sunday’s border reopening with muted trading. Local residents also took part in last-minute gift shopping before heading north as quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the mainland was reinstalled after a three-year hiatus. At Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza, a mall that used to be a popular... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3206032/hong-kong-malls-chase-after-mainland-chinese-visitors-hk18-million-perks-few-shoppers-found-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3206032/hong-kong-malls-chase-after-mainland-chinese-visitors-hk18-million-perks-few-shoppers-found-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 23:00:15 +0000 Much-longed for reunions with family and friends awaited tens of thousands of people who crossed the border dividing Hong Kong and mainland China on Sunday, the first day of quarantine-free travel since the Covid-19 pandemic began almost three years ago. Around 25,000 city residents registered online to be the first to travel north on the scheme’s launch day, with most crossing via the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoint. Provisional immigration figures showed a total of 45,558 people as of 8pm had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3206035/first-good-news-2023-families-friends-reunite-after-hong-kong-chinese-border-reopens-following-3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3206035/first-good-news-2023-families-friends-reunite-after-hong-kong-chinese-border-reopens-following-3?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 14:01:59 +0000 Entrepreneurs from mainland China came to Hong Kong for business opportunities and residents from the city headed north to reunite with their loved ones for the first time in three years after the resumption of quarantine-free, cross-border travel on Sunday. At the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, Guo Zhiqing, 43, who works at a shipping company in the city, said he was overjoyed to be returning home to Guangdong for the Lunar New Year holiday. He took the first ferry at 8.20am... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3206008/mainland-entrepreneurs-visit-hong-kong-city-residents-reunite-loved-ones-across-border-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3206008/mainland-entrepreneurs-visit-hong-kong-city-residents-reunite-loved-ones-across-border-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 09:12:12 +0000 Thousands of eager travellers descended on newly reopened border checkpoints early on Sunday to cross between Hong Kong and mainland China for family reunions or business purposes without the need to quarantine for the first time in three years. At the Lok Ma Chau spur line checkpoint, which will handle 70 per cent of the 50,000 daily quota for travellers heading to the mainland, many people had taken the first train at 5.28am from Mong Kok East station before the crossing opened at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3205977/coronavirus-tens-thousands-cross-hong-kong-mainland-china-border-quarantine-free-travel-finally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3205977/coronavirus-tens-thousands-cross-hong-kong-mainland-china-border-quarantine-free-travel-finally?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:21:13 +0000 Time slots for cross-border travel on the days leading up to Lunar New Year were almost fully booked by Friday as the Hong Kong government revealed that more than 340,000 residents had registered for visits to mainland China by 6pm. Tens of thousands of residents flocked to a new online booking platform to register hours after the city’s leader on Thursday announced details of border-crossing arrangements for Sunday. Prospective travellers must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3205817/coronavirus-time-slots-travel-hong-kong-mainland-china-ahead-lunar-new-year-almost-fully-booked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3205817/coronavirus-time-slots-travel-hong-kong-mainland-china-ahead-lunar-new-year-almost-fully-booked?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2023 07:09:36 +0000 Japan’s removal of most Covid-19 travel restrictions on Hong Kong from Sunday, just 10 days after they were announced, has left travellers struggling to rearrange plans and having to fork out thousands of dollars extra to rebook trips. The country scrapped its limit on the number of airports that arrivals from Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China could fly into, but industry leaders on Thursday said the change of heart had not left enough time to launch new travel offerings, especially for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3205726/japanese-u-turn-flight-restrictions-hong-kong-takes-travel-agents-and-tourists-surprise-and-leads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3205726/japanese-u-turn-flight-restrictions-hong-kong-takes-travel-agents-and-tourists-surprise-and-leads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:37:15 +0000 Hongkongers have snapped up medicine for diarrhoea and vomiting after cases of the new XBB Omicron strain that causes gastrointestinal problems emerged in the city and over the border. Montmorillonite Powder, an anti-diarrhoea medicine, became a top trending topic on Chinese social media, and dispensaries in Hong Kong on Wednesday reported that residents had switched to hoarding similar drugs after ones combating fever and flu sold out in December. Staff at the Hon Hing Dispensary in the border... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3205569/coronavirus-hongkongers-stock-diarrhoea-and-vomiting-medicine-amid-concerns-over-new-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3205569/coronavirus-hongkongers-stock-diarrhoea-and-vomiting-medicine-amid-concerns-over-new-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jan 2023 10:56:19 +0000 Tour agents have questioned the effectiveness of requiring arrivals from Hong Kong and Macau to declare at three Japanese airports opened to them that they have no recent travel history to mainland China, suggesting the policy would only amount to a “gesture” with no accurate way to validate such information. Operators in Hong Kong pointed out that residents from the city and Macau used a different travel document, the home return permit, to enter the mainland, leaving no record on their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3205045/japans-policy-requiring-declaration-hong-kong-arrivals-will-be-reduced-simply-gesture-tour-agents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3205045/japans-policy-requiring-declaration-hong-kong-arrivals-will-be-reduced-simply-gesture-tour-agents?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 05:41:38 +0000 Hong Kong’s health minister on Thursday said it was time to “hand over responsibility and power” to the public in the fight against Covid-19, expressing confidence in the city’s ability to cope with any infection surge after lifting most of its pandemic restrictions. A day after the substantial easing of curbs was announced, residents were out in force enjoying their new-found freedom by flocking to restaurants and entertainment venues no longer bound by strict social-distancing rules. Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204920/coronavirus-travellers-hong-kong-airport-surprised-discover-end-post-arrival-pcr-tests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204920/coronavirus-travellers-hong-kong-airport-surprised-discover-end-post-arrival-pcr-tests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:33:12 +0000 Hong Kong customs has seized 31kg (68lbs) of cocaine with an estimated market value of HK$26 million (US$3.3 million) concealed in sports shoes shipped into the city from Malaysia. Customs officers on Wednesday also said they had arrested a 44-year-old female warehouse manager during the operation at an industrial building in Kwai Chung. The haul was found inside several sports shoes in 14 boxes that had been shipped into the city from Malaysia, according to customs. Officers inspected a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3204839/hong-kong-customs-seizes-cocaine-worth-hk26-million-hidden-sports-shoes-shipment-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3204839/hong-kong-customs-seizes-cocaine-worth-hk26-million-hidden-sports-shoes-shipment-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2022 11:43:35 +0000 Many pregnant women in Hong Kong are eating too much salt and for some, this can lead to gestational diabetes, a Chinese University (CUHK) study has found. Professor Ronald Ma Ching-wan, the university’s head of endocrinology and diabetes, said the women’s hectic lifestyles might be to blame. “They may be resorting to instant or processed food, such as ramen, sausages or instant soup, to save time,” he said. “A high level of sodium is often hidden in many condiments and processed food, and we... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204725/watch-what-you-eat-mum-hong-kong-women-risk-their-health-eating-too-much-salt-too-little-fibre-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204725/watch-what-you-eat-mum-hong-kong-women-risk-their-health-eating-too-much-salt-too-little-fibre-while?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2022 04:00:21 +0000 Concert halls and other performance venues in Hong Kong started to run at full capacity on Thursday after more Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. But the relaxation of restrictions on numbers, which also included banquets, did not have immediate benefits for cinemas or newlyweds who had planned smaller-scale celebrations months before their big day. The catering industry recorded brisk business as large families gathered over the winter solstice and in the run-up to Christmas, but a health... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204297/hong-kong-performance-venues-applaud-loosening-covid-19-restrictions-numbers-other-sectors-may-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204297/hong-kong-performance-venues-applaud-loosening-covid-19-restrictions-numbers-other-sectors-may-take?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:33:17 +0000 Hong Kong’s football enthusiasts turned out in droves to watch a nail-biting World Cup final on Sunday night, packing shopping malls and bars, many of which were almost at full capacity. The month-long tournament has also helped to raise the profile of the sport among the city’s younger residents, according to some industry organisations. Central Market, a newly revamped retail and dining hub, recorded at least 25,000 patrons on Sunday, and more than 2,000 of them stayed until the early hours of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3203894/hong-kongs-world-cup-fever-wins-over-young-football-fans-shoppers-bars-still-sidelined-despite-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3203894/hong-kongs-world-cup-fever-wins-over-young-football-fans-shoppers-bars-still-sidelined-despite-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2022 13:47:39 +0000 Home retailer Ikea attracted a rush of customers in Hong Kong last Thursday after it slashed the price of fresh Christmas trees to just HK$50 (US$6.42), but some retailers have said the move was a sign of sluggish festive sales. The 1.5-metre Nordmann fir trees sold at HK$999 until the store dropped the price to HK$599 late last month, and then to its latest bargain basement level. “Probably everyone had a lot of stock left,” Justin Chung, founder of online florist Gift Flower HK, whose website... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3203724/hong-kongs-demand-christmas-trees-has-withered-year-whats-root-cause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3203724/hong-kongs-demand-christmas-trees-has-withered-year-whats-root-cause?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Dec 2022 05:52:47 +0000 The Christmas season is looking up for Hong Kong hotels enjoying brisk bookings for buffets and staycation packages, mainly by residents at home for the holidays. Early birds have snapped up buffet offerings going for HK$700 to HK$1,688 (US$220) per person, with some top-end hotels already fully booked and keeping dozens of patrons on waiting lists. On the menu, depending on price, are everything from turkey with all the trimmings, to lobster, crab and abalone, as well as sushi, sashimi and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3203711/merrier-hong-kong-christmas-brisk-bookings-hotel-buffets-staycations-residents-enjoy-relaxed-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3203711/merrier-hong-kong-christmas-brisk-bookings-hotel-buffets-staycations-residents-enjoy-relaxed-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Dec 2022 04:00:18 +0000 Hongkongers, alongside Taiwan and overseas travellers, can choose to isolate at their homes or hotels in Macau for five days instead of at centralised isolation facilities starting from Saturday as the casino hub further eases its Covid-19 curbs. Scholars from Macau on Friday expressed confidence the latest relaxations to its pandemic control regime would provide a boost to its economy. Travellers will still need to obtain a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result in the 48 hours before... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203556/macau-eases-covid-19-rules-allows-home-quarantine-arrivals-including-those-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203556/macau-eases-covid-19-rules-allows-home-quarantine-arrivals-including-those-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Dec 2022 07:40:25 +0000 Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found that more than 60 per cent of “complete” rabbit feed it tested failed to meet international standards with either insufficient or excessive amounts of minerals and nutrients, prompting a warning over potential health risks to the animals. The findings also showed that 8 out of the 12 products tested needed to provide more precise instructions to prevent consumers from overfeeding their rabbits. The Consumer Council said the findings, released on Thursday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203484/hong-kong-rabbits-face-health-risks-feed-fails-meet-international-standards-consumer-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203484/hong-kong-rabbits-face-health-risks-feed-fails-meet-international-standards-consumer-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:55:15 +0000 The first day without amber codes for travellers arriving in Hong Kong has got off to a smooth and uneventful start as tourists, free to enter any premises in the city, welcomed the latest relaxation by dining in amid a cold spell. Officials on Tuesday announced the biggest overhaul of the city’s Covid-19 restrictions since the pandemic began, citing the diminished danger imported infections posed to the community, offering hope of a revival to the once-thriving tourism industry. The Peak Tram... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203258/coronavirus-tourists-hong-kong-rejoice-after-amber-health-code-axed-industry-leader-expects-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203258/coronavirus-tourists-hong-kong-rejoice-after-amber-health-code-axed-industry-leader-expects-only?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 07:43:10 +0000 About two-thirds of smokers will either reduce or quit their habit if cigarette prices are raised, a group urging authorities to double the tobacco tax has said, citing research from a university in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health on Tuesday pointed to a phone survey carried out by the University of Hong Kong that found 76.4 per cent of respondents supported increasing the tobacco tax next year. Last month, the council proposed raising the current tax on a pack of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203189/two-thirds-hong-kong-smokers-will-quit-or-reduce-habit-if-cigarette-prices-rise-group-calling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203189/two-thirds-hong-kong-smokers-will-quit-or-reduce-habit-if-cigarette-prices-rise-group-calling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 14:52:38 +0000 Traffic at a new tunnel-and-bridge link connecting Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong was mostly smooth on the first weekday since it opened, but observers on Monday warned of possible congestion at an exit along Cha Kwo Ling Road. Residents welcomed the shortened commute made possible by the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel and the Cross Bay Link. The new system is expected to shave off 20 minutes of travelling time between Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong. Before the launch of the landmark link on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3202936/mostly-smooth-traffic-first-working-day-hong-kongs-new-tseung-kwan-o-tunnel-and-bridge-link-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3202936/mostly-smooth-traffic-first-working-day-hong-kongs-new-tseung-kwan-o-tunnel-and-bridge-link-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2022 03:27:41 +0000 One of Hong Kong’s biggest annual bazaars returned on Friday on a scale close to pre-pandemic times, with shoppers lured by HK$1 abalone deals along with other hefty discounts and organisers predicting at least 1 million visitors would attend the 24-day sales extravaganza. The 56th edition of the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo, organised by the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA), opened in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and will run until January 1. Hong Kong leader John... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3202766/annual-bazaar-hong-kong-reaches-pre-covid-heights-organisers-predicting-least-1-million-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3202766/annual-bazaar-hong-kong-reaches-pre-covid-heights-organisers-predicting-least-1-million-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:09:39 +0000