1 hour ago Domestic helper gets 14 months’ jail in Hong Kong for jewellery theft

A domestic helper has been jailed for 14 months in Hong Kong after admitting that she stole jewellery from her employer and pawned most of the 47 items for HK$200,000 out of greed. Eastern Court on Monday sentenced Sherelle Lyn Valle Dajay, 41, for the theft of valuables taken from her employer’s home at Black’s Link in Happy Valley over a seven-month span last year. The Filipino national pleaded guilty last month to two counts of theft. She took valuables stored inside an unlocked wardrobe in...

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2 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers call for TV stations to show more English

Hong Kong’s broadcast watchdog has been asked to require TV stations to produce more local programmes on their English channels to “tell good Hong Kong stories” to expats and visitors. Stations are permitted to have up to 45 per cent of their English-channel content be in other languages, a threshold some lawmakers said on Monday was too high and at odds with Hong Kong’s role as an international city. Some legislators also urged the government to sponsor TV stations to produce dramas promoting...

Politics

2 h. ago Man arrested after fireworks ignited at Hong Kong’s Avenue of Stars

Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of discharging fireworks at Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars. A video circulating on social media since Sunday shows a man with a braid igniting a firework at the waterfront promenade near K11 Musea. In the clip, the man was heard speaking in Mandarin, repeatedly telling the person filming to stop recording. Officers from the Yau Tsim police district arrested a 21-year-old man from mainland China in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday afternoon, a force...

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3 h. ago Hongkongers warned to be vigilant when travelling to US amid protests in country

Hong Kong authorities have called on residents to be vigilant and prioritise safety when travelling to the United States amid protests in the country. Los Angeles has been rocked by ongoing immigration-related protests, which escalated after 300 California National Guard troops were deployed on Sunday as part of a larger force mobilised to support federal law enforcement amid escalating clashes between protesters and immigration agents. “The government reminds Hong Kong residents who are...

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3 h. ago Hongkongers warned to be vigilant in US as protests rock Los Angeles

Hong Kong authorities have called on residents to be vigilant and prioritise safety when travelling to the United States amid ongoing immigration-related protests in Los Angeles. Some Hongkongers based in California’s largest city on Monday slammed US President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the city, saying it would only further heighten the situation. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operation against illegal immigrants in Los Angeles on Friday triggered...

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3 h. ago Leeway urged for public housing applicants in Hong Kong to combat ‘lying flat’

A key member of Hong Kong’s Housing Authority has suggested offering some leeway to public rental flat applicants whose incomes are slightly above the threshold to prevent people from “lying flat” and earning less in order to qualify. Cleresa Wong Pie-yue, chairwoman of the authority’s subsidised housing committee, on Monday cited media reports as saying some families waiting for a public rental flat would quit their jobs, switch to part-time work or ask their children to remain unemployed after...

Politics

3 h. ago Overseas judges leaving top Hong Kong court ‘only natural’: ex

The recent departure of several overseas judges from Hong Kong’s top court was “only natural” as those in the first batch appointed nearly three decades ago are already aged 80 years or older, a former justice chief has said. Elsie Leung Oi-sie, the first secretary for justice after Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, when the judges joined the court, also said on Monday that the city should look into cultivating judicial talent locally to reduce reliance on outsiders. Leung, who...

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4 h. ago Hong Kong moves to curb ‘abuse’ of traffic accident compensation

Lawmakers have supported the Hong Kong government’s proposal to significantly reduce the number of compensated sick leave days and daily subsidy available to traffic accident victims, claiming that the move will help prevent future abuses of the system. The legislative panel’s discussion on Monday primarily focused on reviewing the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme. Administered by the Social Welfare Department, the fund provides financial aid to victims of road traffic accidents or...

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4 h. ago Hong Kong students still unable to get US visa bookings: consultancy firms

Hong Kong tertiary students looking to study in the United States remain unable to secure visa appointments with the country’s local consulate, despite bookings becoming available in Beijing and other jurisdictions. Three education consultancies contacted by the Post said that they still could not book appointment slots for their clients as of Monday morning, further fuelling confusion among students amid Washington’s sudden policy shifts in recent days. Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing partner at...

Politics

5 h. ago Hibor plunge a bigger deal for stock market than Hong Kong’s property sector

Hong Kong needs all the help it can get. Since 2018, the city has suffered one shock after another, preventing a meaningful recovery from taking hold and fuelling concerns about its position as a global financial centre. As an importer of US monetary policy with an economy that is far more synchronised with that of mainland China, Hong Kong has been the biggest casualty of economic and policy divergence between the world’s two largest economies, prompting renewed questions about the suitability...

Economics

9 h. ago 30 Hong Kong workers complain as King Parrot Group debt hits HK$5 million

More than 30 of about 120 employees affected by the sudden closure of nine restaurants operated by a giant Hong Kong catering group have sought help from labour authorities, with a representative saying the debt involved has increased to HK$5 million (US$637,155). The workers have sought help after 33-year-old restaurant chain King Parrot Group closed its nine eateries on Friday. It ran over 20 brands and more than 30 themed restaurants at its peak. The manager of a China House restaurant in Mei...

Economics

10 h. ago Beijing says it will use Hong Kong exchanges to liquidate seized cryptocurrencies

Beijing says it will use Hong Kong exchanges to liquidate seized cryptocurrencies  Macao News

Politics

10 h. ago John Lee exclusive interview, Chinese rethink UK degrees: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Don’t kill your successful DNA’: Hong Kong’s John Lee on tariffs, trade war 2. ‘It’s too much’: Chinese students reconsider UK degrees as policies harden 3. Loitering with intent: Beijing’s new silent South China Sea strategy? 4. Japan grows restless for next-gen fighter jets as progress with...

Politics

10 h. ago Hong Kong can support taxi sector by using levies to create fund: Uber executive

Hong Kong’s taxi trade and ride-hailing services can work together on the same platform, Uber’s global head of public policy has said, while suggesting that authorities look at how other jurisdictions have adapted and used levies to set up a fund to support cabbies. In an interview with the Post, Andrew Byrne said that Hong Kong could learn from Australia’s use of a A$1.2 (78 US cents) levy, initially set at A$1, on ride-hailing and taxi services to compensate cabbies impacted by the...

Politics

12 h. ago Hongkongers to swelter in coming days as mercury to hit 34 degrees Celsius

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. Hong Kong will experience very hot weather over the next few days under the influence of a high-pressure area, with temperatures expected to hit 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, according to the forecaster. “An anticyclone aloft [area of high pressure] is bringing generally...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong to issue No 1 typhoon warning signal as early as Tuesday night

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. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal as early as Tuesday night, as an area of low pressure is expected to develop into a tropical cyclone and move towards the city amid sweltering heat. The Observatory said on Monday the tropical cyclone was expected to...

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12 h. ago Hong Kong firms must consider national interests in commercial deals: John Lee

Hong Kong businesses must consider national interests while pursuing commercial deals, the city’s leader has said, arguing that the two are not mutually exclusive. In an interview with the Post as he marked three years in office, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stressed the importance of local companies keeping national interests in mind while seeking profits. Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings has recently drawn the ire of Beijing over a controversial deal to sell its...

Economics

13 h. ago Government is making all the wrong noises about Fanling water scare

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, the government launched a series of events reminding residents to be grateful for the water they drink. Earlier in the year, Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok said he hoped the public would more deeply understand the importance of the water supply and appreciate the country’s immense support. Yes, water is life. It is not to be taken for granted. That’s why both Wong and Secretary for Development Bernadette...

Politics

13 h. ago Why is Hong Kong releasing 83,500 young fish into its waters?

Hong Kong authorities have released 83,500 juvenile fish into waters near the airport and other locations as part of a string of events intended to enrich marine resources. The initiatives by the Airport Authority and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Friday marked the annual National Fish Releasing Day on June 6. The authority, which oversees the city’s airport, released 60,000 “larger-than-fist-sized” fish into a vessel-prohibited area west of the airport’s central...

Politics

14 h. ago Hong Kong’s stablecoin law opens floodgates for boom in digital assets: brokers

Hong Kong has surged ahead of its global rivals with its landmark stablecoin law, setting the stage for a boom in digital assets and an injection of fresh liquidity into the market, according to brokers. “We’re seeing a significant trend in investments related to stablecoins on our platform, which highlights the growing importance of this sector,” said Daniel Tse, managing director of Futu Securities International, Hong Kong’s largest online brokerage firm, in a written interview on...

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