42 m. ago Hong Kong wants an ecotourism boom, but can its parks handle more visitors?

Amy Zhang is dressed in full sportswear, with sunglasses and a lightweight hiking backpack. She is one of many visiting Hong Kong’s Dragon’s Back following the social media craze in mainland China over “in-depth travels” in the city. “The beautiful merging horizon and skyline make good photos for my friend circle on WeChat and RedNote,” the 30-year-old education worker from Hunan province said, referring to her networks on the Chinese social media platforms. “I only wish for better toilets...

Politics

2 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T3 signal to stay in place for early afternoon

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. A No 3 typhoon warning will remain in force in Hong Kong throughout the early afternoon on Sunday, with local winds expected to ease slightly later in the day, the city’s forecaster has said. The Hong Kong Observatory said that Tropical Storm Wutip continued to weaken and move over inland...

Events

2 h. ago Hong Kong’s rent surge hits mainland students and professionals

Wang Ruoshuo, a 21-year-old student from Hefei, the capital of central Anhui province, is searching for a flat in Hung Hom in southern Kowloon, which is close to her university and the company where she interns. As a first-time renter, however, she has been taken aback by the high prices. Wang and her friends are looking for a two-bedroom unit, budgeting about HK$7,000 to HK$8,000 (US$892 to US$1,019) per person. “But when we began our search, we found that properties meeting our criteria would...

Society

2 h. ago The Hong Kong dads breaking tradition to build ‘unforgettable’ bonds with kids

Younger generations of Hong Kong dads are increasingly eager to engage more with their children, but often face challenges due to limited time and parenting skills, an NGO has said ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday. Allen Ha Wing-on, co-founder of the DADs Network, said that traditional expectations and busy schedules posed obstacles for local fathers. “Traditionally, not just in Asia, fathers are expected to provide financially, but are not necessarily very engaged relationally,” said the father...

Politics

3 h. ago Hong Kong virtual insurer OneDegree seeks greater Middle East growth

Hong Kong virtual insurer OneDegree is gaining ground in the Middle East and has signed 20 contracts since entering the region in 2023, according to one of its founders. In an interview on June 6, Alvin Kwock Yin-lun said the nine-year-old company was looking for additional growth in the Middle East. It has insured the digital assets of 20 out of the 34 companies licensed by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, which includes digital asset exchanges and providers of trading and custody...

Politics

3 h. ago Group tour prices from Hong Kong drop 10% as tourists opt for alternatives to Japan

Hong Kong travel agencies have launched cheaper outbound group tours this summer, driven by increased flight capacity amid a shift in tourists’ preference away from Japan due to increased earthquake concerns. Several tour operators have reported that prices for their summer group tours are either lower or have remained stable, adding that popular destinations include South Korea, Vietnam and cities in western mainland China. “Compared to last year, we see more than a 10 per cent drop in prices...

Politics

14 h. ago Should Hong Kong hit luxury homeowners with heavier fines for illegal works?

Hong Kong authorities should appeal against the “light” penalties imposed on two property owners for erecting illegal structures at their luxury Redhill Peninsula homes, experts have said, warning that the fines are not hefty enough to deter offenders. The specialists weighed in after the two property owners were told to pay more than HK$110,000 (US$14,015) in total after admitting to carrying out unauthorised building works. Their convictions are the first among 30 prosecutions made against...

Events

16 h. ago Hong Kong’s 1980s nightlife culture dazzles again at old Club Bboss site

More than a decade after Club Bboss was closed, a new nightspot has launched on the same site where the once-glamorous establishment operated for 28 years, with the goal of attracting tourists and young revellers eager for a glimpse of Hong Kong’s 1980s clubbing heyday. The new spot – known as Big Boss Generation (BBG) – opened for business on Saturday in the old club’s 56,000 sq ft site at the New Mandarin Plaza in Tsim Sha Tsui East. It will use the former occupant’s old Chinese name, which...

Economics

17 h. ago In human rights talks, EU warns of ‘deterioration’ of basic freedoms in China

During thorny human rights talks with China on Friday, the European Union voiced concerns about what it called a “deterioration of fundamental freedoms” in the country. The EU cited “government interference” in the succession plan for the Dalai Lama, an ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong, and jailed Uygur and Tibetan activists as examples in its statement on the 40th edition of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels. The bloc accused China of “persistent restrictions on freedom of...

Events

18 h. ago Activist investor David Webb awarded MBE for contributions to Hong Kong

Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his nearly three decades of contributions to the city, with the Briton saying he felt touched by the many tributes during his “final battle”. The former investment banker posted on his Webb-site platform on Saturday that he was delighted the United Kingdom government, “with its keen interest in Hong Kong affairs”, had recognised his efforts in the city over the past 27 years by...

Economics

18 h. ago Hong Kong to explore need for new law covering building repairs by landlords

Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority will examine whether legislation should be introduced requiring landlords to create periodic maintenance plans for their blocks and ensure sufficient funds for the work. The study would also cover the possibility of creating a new statutory body to supervise building restoration and maintenance, according to the authority’s retiring head, Wai Chi-sing. Wai stressed the importance of “preventive maintenance” by homeowners while also pledging the authority would...

Society

18 h. ago Hong Kong pop diva Karen Mok picks up HK$85 million luxury flat in Mid

Hong Kong pop diva and actress Karen Mok Man-wai bought a luxury unit in the Mid-Levels district for HK$85 million (US$10.8 million), as the city’s celebrities, tycoons and other wealthy investors continue to pick up plum properties that are selling for a song. According to the Land Registry, a 2,153 sq ft three-bedroom flat at Dynasty Court on Old Peak Road was sold for HK$84.5 million and handed over on June 12 to buyer Karen Joy Morris. Dynasty Court is a luxury housing estate completed in...

Economics

19 h. ago Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to plastics in next 2 months

Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to certain single-use plastics for items such as food containers in the next two months, the environment minister has said, as the government gauges the business sector’s feedback before expanding the scope of a ban. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday gave the update on the second phase of the government’s plan to rid the city of disposable plastic items, after the first stage was introduced in April last year. “We...

Politics

19 h. ago Hong Kong girl, 15, arrested over ‘space oil’ after dad alerts police

Hong Kong police have arrested a 15-year-old after her father reported she was smoking an e-cigarette containing “space oil” at home with her classmate, who is wanted by the force, the Post has learned. A source said on Saturday that the classmate, who was also 15, brought an e-cigarette, which she claimed contained the anaesthetic etomidate, to the girl’s home at Kwong Fuk Estate in Tai Po on Friday night and persuaded her they smoke it together. When the mother spotted them, the classmate...

Events

21 h. ago Hong Kong homebuyers snap up Deep Water Pavilia flats amid discounts

The first batch of flats on offer at the Deep Water Pavilia project on the south side of Hong Kong island are expected to sell out, according to property agents, as homebuyers rushed to snap up available units this weekend on the back of discounted pricing and low interest rates. As of 1pm on Saturday, 75 of the 138 flats on offer at the New World Development (NWD)-led luxury residential project in Wong Chuk Hang were snapped up, about four hours after sales started, property agents said. All...

Politics

21 h. ago Hong Kong homebuyers snap up all Deep Water Pavilia flats on offer this weekend

The first batch of flats on offer at the Deep Water Pavilia project on the south side of Hong Kong island sold out on Saturday, according to property agents, as homebuyers rushed to snap up available units on the back of discounted pricing and low interest rates. As of 4 pm, all 138 flats on offer at the New World Development (NWD)-led luxury residential project in Wong Chuk Hang were sold for a grand total of HK$1.53 billion (US$196 million), just seven hours after sales started, property...

Politics

21 h. ago Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey. “We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our metro route,” said Arale, a 36-year-old tourist who was visiting the city with his wife, Qing, 37, for the first time. Recording such a visual diary is part of a popular trend on Chinese social media in which people travel around Hong Kong to take...

Politics

22 h. ago Hong Kong Instagram influencer pleads for release of father arrested in Cambodia

A Hong Kong-based Instagram influencer has written an open letter to Cambodia’s prime minister, calling for the immediate release of her father, who needs urgent medical care. Stephanie Cheng, also known as Laparasian on Instagram, posted a copy of the letter in English, French and Chinese on her social media early Saturday morning. In a separate post the previous day, the influencer said that her father, Cheng Chi-gian, a French citizen, had been “kidnapped in Phnom Penh just before exposing a...

Events

22 h. ago Hong Kong’s mediation centre open to developed nations, Western countries

Western and developed countries are welcome to use services offered by Hong Kong’s newly established global mediation centre, a senior official has said, dismissing concerns over the institute’s founding members being primarily developing nations. Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan on Saturday also addressed the possible direct competition with other dispute resolution hubs, including Singapore, outlining Hong Kong’s distinct advantages such as its “one country, two systems”...

Politics

24 h. ago ‘Probe under way on whether Beijing will take over collusion case in Hong Kong’

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong conducted its first publicly known joint operation with the city’s police to determine whether a suspected collusion case is complex to the extent that it requires mainland China to take over, the security minister has revealed. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that no arrests had been made so far, adding it would require the central government’s approval if the case were to be handed over. His remarks were made after the...

Politics