https://www.scmp.com/rss/77617/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com [First published on 25 February, 2011] At just 16 years old, Anthony Leung Chi-hin has been named as the best in the world at something many of us struggle with: mathematics. Leung, a Form Six student at Sha Tin College, sat the Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) international mathematics test last June when he was 15 and, according to his school, scored the highest mark in the world. Sha Tin College said it was 'extremely proud of Anthony and the... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101567/maths-whiz-anthony-beats-world-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101567/maths-whiz-anthony-beats-world-top?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:14:22 +0000 Putonghua-speaking fans of the BBC TV series Sherlock will don their deerstalkers when the latest episode airs in the UK and America on January 1 to decipher a special clue that only they will be able to unravel. Writers and producers of the series about super sleuth Sherlock Holmes - played by Benedict Cumberbatch, with Martin Freeman as his sidekick, Dr Watson - have included a special Putonghua reference in a special, one-off episode called The Abominable Bride, which takes the show back to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1884812/putonghua-speaking-fans-bbc-tvs-super-sleuth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1884812/putonghua-speaking-fans-bbc-tvs-super-sleuth?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Nov 2015 18:45:15 +0000 Muslims should not be forced to condemn terrorist acts carried out in the name of Islam every time they happen, the founder of a new Islamic group in Hong Kong says. "It's not fair that every time an [Islamic State] attack happens, Muslims are required to condemn and distance themselves from it," said the executive director of the Muslim Council of Hong Kong, Adeel Malik, 31. "Just like we don't expect Christians to constantly condemn the acts of the terrorist group in central Africa, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1881635/muslims-need-not-have-apologise-isis-says-young-leader-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1881635/muslims-need-not-have-apologise-isis-says-young-leader-while?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:30:30 +0000 As Daniel Ole Sambu, a Maasai tribesman from Kenya, walked through the heart of the city's ivory trade in Sheung Wan yesterday, all he could see were pools of blood and elephants with their faces sawn off. "It's horrible because all I see are dead elephants," the 42-year-old conservationist said as he led a march along Hollywood Road and nearby streets, calling on the government to ban the domestic ivory trade. "We see these things in movies and documentaries," he said, pointing to the shiny... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1881629/kenyan-maasai-marchers-call-hong-kong-ivory-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1881629/kenyan-maasai-marchers-call-hong-kong-ivory-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:30:30 +0000 Bar and restaurant staff in Hong Kong should be required to obtain an industry qualification on how to serve alcohol responsibly before they can work at a licensed venue to curb the blight of binge drinking and other alcohol- related problems, says the head of a concern group. "It's something we will explore in our next meeting in two weeks," said Shaine DeVenny, chairwoman of the Forum for Responsible Drinking, an industry-backed group formed in 2010. Some of the biggest names in wines, beers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1881623/bar-staff-qualification-could-help-curb-binge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1881623/bar-staff-qualification-could-help-curb-binge?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:23:28 +0000 Cheating on your partner has never been easier thanks to smartphones and dating apps like Tinder, prompting a pair of brothers to start a “digital detective” service in Hong Kong aimed at rooting out cheaters by spying on their online profiles. But while social media platforms have made it easier to have an affair, they are also an adulterer’s Achilles heel, especially after hackers targeted extramarital affairs site Ashley Madison earlier this year and leaked details of its users. “People can... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1881345/cheat-buster-new-hong-kong-investigator-probes-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1881345/cheat-buster-new-hong-kong-investigator-probes-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2015 08:30:30 +0000 Thousands of French citizens in Hong Kong were in shock and desperate to know family and friends in Paris were safe after horrific terrorist attacks were unleashed on Friday. “We all woke up this morning to this terrible news,” said Betty Grisoni, a Hong Kong resident for 15 years. IN PICTURES: How Hong Kong and the world mourned for Paris “We are not only in shock because lots of people were killed but most of us don’t know whether our family or friends are OK.  People pay their respects at a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1878835/hong-kongs-tears-solidarity-paris-french-community-shock-candle-lit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1878835/hong-kongs-tears-solidarity-paris-french-community-shock-candle-lit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2015 10:45:45 +0000 Hong Kong hoisted an amber travel alert for France, urging Hong Kong residents to avoid non-essential travel to Paris and the Ile de France area. The alert, the lowest of three risk warnings, is the first to be issued to a major western country for at least seven years. In a statement the Security Bureau said: "Residents who plan to visit France or are already there should monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid travelling to places of large gatherings of people... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1878810/hong-kong-issues-travel-alert-france-warns-against-non-essential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1878810/hong-kong-issues-travel-alert-france-warns-against-non-essential?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2015 03:45:45 +0000 French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday the deadly attacks in Paris that killed 127 people were "an act of war" organised from abroad by Islamic State with internal help. His comments came as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks and warned that France remains a "top target." The country remains in a national state of emergency with restricted border control and movement of traffic. READ MORE: Paris in shock after terror attacks: Parisians line up to donate blood and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1878772/act-war-french-president-hollande-vows-strike-back-islamic-state-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1878772/act-war-french-president-hollande-vows-strike-back-islamic-state-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2015 00:30:30 +0000 A High Court judge has refused to disqualify himself from hearing a landmark judicial review on Hong Kong's human trafficking laws after an unprecedented government bid to remove him due to his "positive stance" in addressing "exploitation". Mr Justice Kevin Zervos handed down his decision yesterday, one month after the Department of Justice asked him to step down because of "apparent bias". The review, set to begin in January, centres around a claim by a Pakistani man that the city's laws do... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1878719/im-not-biased-hong-kong-judge-kevin-zervos-refuses-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1878719/im-not-biased-hong-kong-judge-kevin-zervos-refuses-step?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:00:00 +0000 Three foreigners jailed in Hong Kong for a crime they did not commit underwent the final chapter in a months-long legal nightmare this morning when they boarded flights home to the United States and Europe - a moment they thought might never come. “The last time I was here, I went straight to jail,” said Celia Eberhard, who was arrested in April last year at Hong Kong International Airport before attempting to board a flight to Australia and charged with drug trafficking. Eberhard, from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1877766/free-last-duped-foreign-drug-mules-end-their-ordeal-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1877766/free-last-duped-foreign-drug-mules-end-their-ordeal-they?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2015 05:45:00 +0000 Six foreign nationals cleared of drug trafficking after months behind bars maintaining their innocence have been ordered to leave the city today or face legal action. A 48-hour ultimatum was issued on Monday after an application to extend their visas was rejected by officials from the Immigration Department. High Court judge Mr Justice Kevin Zervos ended months of incarceration for the group - who are all elderly or middle-aged - on Friday after the Department of Justice withdrew the charges... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1877676/freed-six-given-48-hours-leave-hong-kong-after-being?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1877676/freed-six-given-48-hours-leave-hong-kong-after-being?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Nov 2015 21:15:00 +0000 A London-based start-up described as the Uber for private jets is looking to open its regional headquarters in Hong Kong. The service is an online and mobile booking system called Victor that aims to get more bums on seats of privately chartered planes. Its target market is not for your average Joe Blow, but nor is it just for the super-rich, according to founder and chief executive Clive Jackson, 56. "When the price points start to come down because you drive up usage, that makes it more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1876658/private-jet-set-uber-service-victor-eyes-hong-kong-asia-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1876658/private-jet-set-uber-service-victor-eyes-hong-kong-asia-base?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 19:15:30 +0000 Prisoners in Hong Kong jails are allowed just one international phone call every two months, but every Sunday, a local radio host uses the airwaves to bypass that strict regulation. Since 2005, New York-born Bruce Aitken has had a regular segment on his Sunday evening radio programme that sends messages directly to convicted criminals and those waiting on remand from their families. There are Chinese-language radio programmes that also cater to prisoners, but Aitken, 70, understands that his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1876635/hong-kong-radio-man-warms-hearts-prisoners-every?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1876635/hong-kong-radio-man-warms-hearts-prisoners-every?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2015 19:15:30 +0000 "Not guilty." With those two words, the nightmare that saw six innocent people thrown inside cockroach-infested prisons with the prospect of a lengthy jail term ended yesterday. In a dramatic turn of events, six defendants from Australia, Europe and the United States, who were accused of smuggling a total of more than 15kg of crystal methamphetamine, were cleared of the charges. "I formally acquit you and you are free to go," said High Court judge Mr Justice Kevin Zervos. His order for each of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876431/wheels-justice-moved-too-slowly-accused-drug-mules-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876431/wheels-justice-moved-too-slowly-accused-drug-mules-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:31:22 +0000 Police and customs authorities from mainland China and Hong Kong have become key partners of the Australian authorities as they battle the scourge of Ice down-under. But yesterday's acquittal of six coached and tricked "drug mules" will turn the spotlight on a secretive joint operation codenamed Breaking Cocoon involving Hong Kong Customs, the Australian Federal Police and United States Immigration Customs Enforcement - which ironically uses the acronym ICE. Working on information from overseas... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876435/acquittals-hong-kong-drug-mule-case-put-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876435/acquittals-hong-kong-drug-mule-case-put-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:31:21 +0000 They are mothers, fathers, grandparents. Some are working professionals while others are retired. All are divorced, single or widowed. It's a mixed bag of personalities, but today they all have one thing in common: their freedom. For the two Australians who faced up to 26 years in a Hong Kong jail for drug trafficking, the nine-hour flight home to freedom is now a reality. "You still get the feeling in your stomach that it's not real," Melbourne resident Jorg Ulitzka, who turned 80 last week,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876430/thats-19-months-my-life-i-will-never-get-back-relief-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876430/thats-19-months-my-life-i-will-never-get-back-relief-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:31:20 +0000 Ice, crystal meth, whizz, crank … call it what you like, methamphetamine in its strongest form can deliver a hit 1,000 times greater than cocaine and it has never been easier to score in Australia - and Hong Kong plays a key role in this disturbing trend. Whole communities ravaged by the highly-addictive stimulant, which can be smoked, snorted, injected or ingested orally, bear testimony to a growing illicit drugs trade at the centre of which is Guangdong province, the world's biggest single... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876432/ice-becomes-new-scourge-australian-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876432/ice-becomes-new-scourge-australian-community?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:30:15 +0000 Celia Eberhard was a healthy 65-year-old grandmother from California with a sense of adventure when she arrived in Hong Kong in the spring of last year for a short holiday. But days later, she was thrown in jail, accused of trafficking dangerous drugs and facing a possible prison term of more than 20 years. For Eberhard, it was a potential death sentence. Now 68, she has spent her past two birthdays behind bars, fearing she would die in a Hong Kong jail. READ MORE: Justice at last: Duped 'drug... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876434/us-grandmother-met-limit-what-anyone-can-handle-city-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876434/us-grandmother-met-limit-what-anyone-can-handle-city-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:30:15 +0000 Six foreign nationals who spent a total of more than seven years behind bars in Hong Kong awaiting trial for drug smuggling were freed Friday by a High Court judge who told the city’s law enforcers they must target the “major miscreants” behind the drug trade because “they are the evil ones”. The so-called “drug mules” – four men and two women, all elderly or middle aged – had been accused of smuggling the addictive stimulant “crystal meth” from Hong Kong to Australia or New Zealand and were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876319/justice-last-six-vulnerable-defendants-freed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1876319/justice-last-six-vulnerable-defendants-freed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2015 11:00:15 +0000 It's become a must-have wardrobe item for many anti-establishment protesters - including those in Hong Kong - and today, its origins will be celebrated across Britain with events as explosive as anarchy itself. The Guy Fawkes mask has, in recent years, come to encapsulate a passion for protest and anger at the status quo. But the origins of Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire or Fireworks Night, go back more than 400 years to a foiled attempt by Catholics to overthrow the Protestant king by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1875740/400-years-and-still-fomenting-revolution-guy-fawkes-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1875740/400-years-and-still-fomenting-revolution-guy-fawkes-now?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong people have become too complacent about a major disaster hitting the city and would be ill-prepared if catastrophe did strike. This was the key message that emerged from a three-day conference looking at the city's preparedness and response in the event of a major disaster. "The dialogue coming out from the discussions is that increasingly, communities need to be more engaged because a lot of times people depend on the government and rescue forces," said Kevin Hung Kei-ching, director... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1874526/hong-kong-people-warned-they-may-be-ill-prepared-if-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1874526/hong-kong-people-warned-they-may-be-ill-prepared-if-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Oct 2015 19:15:15 +0000 The police have launched an aggressive drive to get the public back on their side with their first autumn recruitment day, which saw close to 2,300 turn up hoping to join the thin blue line. Yesterday's effort forms part of a three-pronged approach launched last month to win back community support and boost recruitment alongside a new Facebook page and a pared-back physical fitness test that will be much easier to pass. It all adds up to a concerted effort to shed the negative impact of last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1874522/sign-thin-blue-line-2300-police-recruitment-day-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1874522/sign-thin-blue-line-2300-police-recruitment-day-force?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Oct 2015 19:15:15 +0000 Just weeks after President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, Hong Kong's justice secretary will visit New York and Washington this week to deliver a hard-sell of the city's legal prowess while riding the momentum of Beijing's global "charm offensive". But one subject not on the table is Hong Kong's controversial handling of an extradition request by the US for fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in June 2013 . "The issue as mentioned is not on the agenda," a spokeswoman for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1872991/hong-kong-justice-secretary-rimsky-yuen-set-carry-xis-charm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1872991/hong-kong-justice-secretary-rimsky-yuen-set-carry-xis-charm?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2015 23:00:00 +0000 A leading British researcher wants to know if Hong Kong is home to an elite group of people known as "super recognisers", who have the natural ability to recall almost every face they have ever seen. Just one per cent of the population can lay claim to the extraordinary skill of remembering a face they may have seen years ago, said Josh Davis, from the psychology department at the University of Greenwich. Davis and his team of researchers have already tested more than one million people in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1871808/british-academic-launches-search-super?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1871808/british-academic-launches-search-super?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Oct 2015 19:15:45 +0000 Nine foreign nationals accused of smuggling the powerful illegal stimulant crystal meth from Hong Kong to Australia and New Zealand had their bail extended in the High Court yesterday. The defendants - who are all elderly or middle-aged and come from Australia, Europe and the United States - appeared in court as a group because of the similar nature of their cases. All nine were arrested on separate occasions at Hong Kong International Airport between April last year and March this year, shortly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1871555/hong-kong-court-extends-bail-nine-foreign-nationals-accused?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1871555/hong-kong-court-extends-bail-nine-foreign-nationals-accused?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Oct 2015 16:00:00 +0000 For the first time in 35 years, the police have lowered the physical standards for new recruits, a move that observers say reflects a drop in the fitness levels of officers - and the general population - in the past few years. The new tests start this month. It means that all would-be police officers heading to next Saturday's recruitment day probably won't run out of breath as they will be asked to sprint much shorter distances and there will be no more sit-ups, pull-ups or squat thrusts. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1869029/fitness-levels-relaxed-potential-hong-kong-police-recruits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1869029/fitness-levels-relaxed-potential-hong-kong-police-recruits?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Oct 2015 20:00:15 +0000 In a “highly unusual” move, the Department of Justice has asked a High Court judge to voluntarily step down from a judicial review into human trafficking laws due to his possible bias. If the judge, Mr Justice Kevin Zervos, recuses himself from the case, it may have far-reaching ramifications for the rule of law and set a precedent on how judges are assigned, legal experts said. “It’s highly unusual and rare,” said lawyer Patricia Ho of Daly and Associates, which is representing a Pakistani man... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1868245/hong-kong-judge-asked-step-down-human-trafficking-case-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1868245/hong-kong-judge-asked-step-down-human-trafficking-case-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:00:15 +0000 For decades, Elizabeth Kummerfeld was a regular on the New York social scene, rubbing shoulders with the late actress Elizabeth Taylor and raising millions for Aids/HIV research. The wife of Donald Kummerfeld, the man credited with saving New York from bankruptcy in the 1970s and who later headed up Rupert Murdoch's media interests in the US, Beth - as she is known to friends - and her former investment-banker husband lived in a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue overlooking Manhattan's Central... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1866180/elderly-american-jailed-hong-kong-didnt-know-she-was-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1866180/elderly-american-jailed-hong-kong-didnt-know-she-was-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:15:00 +0000 In an unprecedented move, Australia's most powerful law enforcement agency has posted a transnational crime expert to Hong Kong as the country steps up efforts to fight an epidemic of crystal meth, which is primarily sourced from the mainland and routed through Hong Kong. The first-ever appointment of an investigator from the Australian Crime Commission, which has investigative powers above federal and state bodies, to the Australian consulate in Hong Kong comes as the number of seizures of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1866191/australian-crime-buster-posted-hong-kong-tackle-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1866191/australian-crime-buster-posted-hong-kong-tackle-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2015 18:12:56 +0000 Hong Kong should shut the door on asylum seekers or risk this vulnerable group sinking deeper into the mire of criminal justice, says a prison chaplain who has visited hundreds of would-be refugees behind bars. Father John Wotherspoon, who visits inmates and detainees, said he has noticed a worrying trend of more asylum seekers serving time for serious drug or violence-related crimes, compared with previous years when their jail terms were imposed for illegal employment. "There are more and more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1863898/its-time-hong-kong-shut-door-asylum-seekers-prison-chaplain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1863898/its-time-hong-kong-shut-door-asylum-seekers-prison-chaplain?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2015 19:30:30 +0000 Cashed-up art lovers have been spoilt for choice this weekend with a bevy of shows and auctions as diverse as Monet's palette. Kicking off the autumn sales season, most of the high-end auction houses such as Sotheby's, Poly Auction Hong Kong and Bonhams hosted sales or preview shows yesterday, with many featuring big-ticket pieces across the modern, contemporary and classical Chinese art worlds. For those who want to try but not buy, HK$200 will get you two tickets to Fine Art Asia, an art fair... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1863887/hong-kong-public-spoilt-choice-auction-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1863887/hong-kong-public-spoilt-choice-auction-season?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2015 19:30:30 +0000 The family of a 35-year-old barrister who died this month after a fall down the stairs at a popular Central restaurant owned by the Hong Kong Cricket Club is considering taking legal action. Harry Liu Hak-wing, considered by many as one of the city's up-and-coming barristers, died on September 7, shortly after he tumbled down steps at Dot Cod Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar in the basement of Prince's Building near Chater Garden. He is survived by his parents and two siblings. The high-end Dot... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1861682/late-barristers-family-may-take-legal-action-after-fatal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1861682/late-barristers-family-may-take-legal-action-after-fatal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2015 19:48:51 +0000 A fugitive rapist and child-sex predator at the centre of a global manhunt who was arrested by Hong Kong police late on Friday is to fight his extradition to Britain, a court heard yesterday. Joseph Tsang Kit-yee, 31, was picked up in Aberdeen on Friday night after police received a tip-off he was staying at a friend's house, ending a manhunt that had lasted several weeks. Tsang was found guilty of child sex charges by a British court in January but absconded last month, just days before he was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1861574/convicted-rapist-and-former-ice-skater-who-fled-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1861574/convicted-rapist-and-former-ice-skater-who-fled-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2015 02:15:00 +0000 Controversy over proposals to replace Dr York Chow Yat-ngok as the head of the city's equalities watchdog will take centre stage at one of the biggest events for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities in Hong Kong today - with the former health chief due to speak. Chow, who took up the post as chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission in 2013, will address the crowd at Pink Dot Hong Kong, an outdoor concert and carnival, at Tamar Park and speak about same-sex... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1859792/controversial-equality-chief-set-take-centre-stage-pink-dot-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1859792/controversial-equality-chief-set-take-centre-stage-pink-dot-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2015 20:30:15 +0000 Fewer than 200 "comfort women" survivors are believed to still be alive, so the need to tell their stories has become more urgent, said the Hong Kong-based author of a new book about the former sex slaves who worked in Japanese military brothels during the second world war. Sylvia Friedman, 41, spent more than a decade researching her book, Silenced No More: Voices of Comfort Women, interviewing dozens of former sex slaves as well as ex-soldiers who raped the young girls at the "comfort... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1859793/time-running-out-hear-comfort-womens-stories-says-hong-kong-author?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1859793/time-running-out-hear-comfort-womens-stories-says-hong-kong-author?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2015 20:29:04 +0000 Two prominent businesswomen have become the latest big-money victims of a multimillion-dollar cross-border phone scam racket after they were duped out of more than HK$21 million in all. A 43-year-old North Point resident, whom police sources describe as a former senior executive with a mainland firm, lost HK$15.3 million to scammers. A 29-year-old Taiwanese who lives in Mong Kok and is a senior manager of a global investment bank in Hong Kong, was cheated out of more than 5.18 million yuan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1859740/two-prominent-hong-kong-businesswomen-duped-out-hk21?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1859740/two-prominent-hong-kong-businesswomen-duped-out-hk21?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2015 13:45:00 +0000 Ireland's top diplomat in Hong Kong hopes to establish the first direct flights from the Emerald Isle to the city of skyscrapers in a bid to see bilateral relations soar to new heights. "My number one ambition here is to get a direct flight between Ireland and Hong Kong," said Peter Ryan, the first Irish consul general in Hong Kong. "There are more than 50 flights a week to Britain and it's about time there was a flight to Ireland. It [would] open up tourism and education, and a whole bunch of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859257/direct-flights-hong-kong-ireland-would-really-see-bilateral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859257/direct-flights-hong-kong-ireland-would-really-see-bilateral?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:00:45 +0000 Hong Kong definitely gives New York City a run for its money as a vibrant place, says Peter Ryan, Ireland's first consul general in Hong Kong and Macau. And he should know, having finished a three-year stint as deputy consul general at the Irish consulate in New York. "If Manhattan is the city that never sleeps, then this place could teach a thing or two to Manhattan," Ryan, 49, said this week, ahead of today's official opening of Ireland's first consulate in Hong Kong, which is seen by many as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859164/where-streets-have-irish-names-irelands-first-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1859164/where-streets-have-irish-names-irelands-first-consul-general?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 It's usually "like father, like son", but in the case of Jeb Bush's eldest son, George P. Bush, it was the younger generation who paved the way, rubbing shoulders with Hong Kong's top movers and shakers more than a decade ago. In 2001, the then 25-year-old law student George Prescott Bush came to Hong Kong for an eight-week stint at a law firm. The younger Bush made quite an impression, meeting up on several occasions with then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and striking up friendships with key... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857620/bush-hong-kong-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857620/bush-hong-kong-link?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2015 19:45:30 +0000 Money from influential Americans living in Hong Kong and mainland China is pouring into the campaign coffers of US presidential hopefuls eyeing the potential wealth and votes from their countrymen abroad. Among those tapping into this source of funds is Republican candidate Jeb Bush, who is backed by an independent body that has received US$100,000 from Hang Lung Group chairman Ronnie Chan Chi-chung. Bush, now languishing in opinion polls behind Republican front runner Donald Trump, spent almost... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857623/wealthy-hong-kong-donors-answer-call-us-republican-presidential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857623/wealthy-hong-kong-donors-answer-call-us-republican-presidential?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2015 19:45:00 +0000 Hong Kong is well prepared for a possible terrorist attack, having set up a counterterrorism response unit in 2009, a former policeman who formed the elite 141-member team says. The problem, however, is that the government's three-tier response system has never been tested on a citywide scale, according to former superintendent Clement Lai Ka-chi. The threat of terrorism was brought close to home when a Bangkok blast last month killed 20 people, including two Hongkongers, prompting scrutiny of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857658/ex-police-superintendent-head-hong-kongs-elite-counterterrorism-unit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1857658/ex-police-superintendent-head-hong-kongs-elite-counterterrorism-unit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2015 18:37:28 +0000 Four Hong Kong men – two of them teenagers – may face lengthy jail sentences in Australia after they were caught with more than 321 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, the biggest ever seizure of the illicit drug Ice in Western Australia. The massive drug bust also included the seizure of more than A$1.4 million (HK$7.6 million) in cash. An 18-year-old Hong Kong national was arrested on Tuesday after police stopped him in his car. Detectives were acting on intelligence from a national task... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857007/four-hong-kong-men-arrested-after-huge-ice-seizure-western?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857007/four-hong-kong-men-arrested-after-huge-ice-seizure-western?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2015 11:00:30 +0000 You won’t have to go as far as outer space, but Hongkongers will have to head overseas if they want to catch a rare celestial phenomenon that is set to make this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival one of the most special yet. In a highly unusual culmination of events in the cosmos, there will be a supermoon and a lunar eclipse at the same time during the festival, a three-day traditional celebration that starts on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, in Hong Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1855488/supermoon-lunar-eclipse-makes-rare-appearance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1855488/supermoon-lunar-eclipse-makes-rare-appearance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2015 08:15:00 +0000 It may sound like an oxymoron, but one top-tier auction house in Hong Kong is banking on its self-styled "affordable luxury" sale to attract a new generation of high-end collectors. London-based auction house Bonhams is hosting its first "most affordable luxury" auction next month at its Admiralty office with items starting at just HK$7,500. Spurred by a recent increase in the number of people wanting to offload unwanted jewellery, timepieces and pens, coupled with more buyers who want to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1853749/auction-house-bonhams-sees-affordable-luxury-gateway-high-end-auction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1853749/auction-house-bonhams-sees-affordable-luxury-gateway-high-end-auction?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Aug 2015 18:15:45 +0000 Two boys aged 11 and 13 have been released on bail following their arrest on suspicion of having unlawful sex with an 11-year-old girl in a case set to test the way Hong Kong deals with sex crimes involving children. The boys - who could face life in prison as a result of a change to the law in 2012 that abolished the presumption that males under the age of 14 were incapable of sexual intercourse - were detained on Thursday night after the 13-year-old was found having sex with the girl as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/1851614/test-case-hong-kongs-underage-sex-law-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/1851614/test-case-hong-kongs-underage-sex-law-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:00:45 +0000 The city's diplomatic corps has flourished since the handover with global movers and shakers in the consular world flocking to Hong Kong, propping up its inimitable status as a territory within China but also distinctly separate from it. Coupled with Beijing's recent large-scale crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists amid a backdrop of its increasingly tight grip on dissenting views, Hong Kong's community of career diplomats - one of the largest communities of foreign representatives in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1848094/diplomatic-surge-how-hong-kongs-appeal-forging-business-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1848094/diplomatic-surge-how-hong-kongs-appeal-forging-business-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:30:30 +0000 It had all the makings of a Hollywood action thriller: a six-figure budget, a dramatic helicopter ride, sky-high action from the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong and a 10-minute window to make the deal of a lifetime. But this mission impossible was no blockbuster movie, but a Hong Kong man spending close to HK$400,000 to propose to his girlfriend. "I'm so surprised, I didn't expect that it would happen today because before, I always chased him to propose but he just said 'maybe November or... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1845855/man-who-spent-hk400000-pop-big-question-and-she-said-yes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1845855/man-who-spent-hk400000-pop-big-question-and-she-said-yes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Aug 2015 21:00:00 +0000 A high-profile murder trial in Sydney - involving a slain student with alleged ties to Hong Kong triads - has been postponed after the shock dismissal of the jury over an undisclosed "legal issue". Former Australian detectives Roger Rogerson, 74, and Glen McNamara, 56, are facing trial over the grisly murder of Jamie Gao, 20, at a storage shed in Padstow, in south-west Sydney last May. He was killed and dumped in the ocean in a HK$17 million drug deal gone wrong. Both have been accused of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844884/australian-murder-trial-hong-kong-links-postponed-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844884/australian-murder-trial-hong-kong-links-postponed-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:35:33 +0000 Late-night fights are on the rise in Lan Kwai Fong, with police breaking up brawls that erupt over queuing disputes, collisions on the dance floor and even "provocative staring". Between January and last month, police recorded 45 cases of late-night violence in the drinking and clubbing hub, up from 36 in the same period last year. The cases of serious assault included wounding and assault causing grievous bodily harm. "Our finding is that more than half of reported cases arise from minor... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1843725/club-fights-rise-hong-kongs-lan-kwai-fong-drinking-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1843725/club-fights-rise-hong-kongs-lan-kwai-fong-drinking-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:45:15 +0000