74 m. ago Hong Kong to mark July 1 anniversary with 71,000 free MTR tickets: John Lee

More than 70,000 free MTR tickets will be up for grabs on July 1 as part of citywide celebrations to commemorate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, the chief executive has said. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday he would bring forward his annual policy address by a month to September, in light of the Legislative Council election scheduled for the end of this year. Public consultation is set to kick off on Monday next week. He said the government would...

Politics

85 m. ago Concern in Japan as police investigation uncovers possible yakuza

A police investigation into alleged organised crime activity in Japan has uncovered what experts say could be signs of cooperation between a domestic yakuza faction and Hong Kong’s 14K triad, one of Asia’s most powerful criminal networks. The concern centres around a video found on a mobile phone seized during an arrest in September last year, which shows individuals sharing glasses of sake – a traditional ritual that experts say can symbolise an oath of loyalty or alliance. According to Jiji...

Events

2 h. ago As 2 Hong Kong art chiefs step down, what’s next for city’s culture scene?

Para Site and Asia Art Archive (AAA), two long-standing independent cultural institutions in Hong Kong, are simultaneously seeking new executive directors at a pivotal moment for the city’s cultural scene. On June 2, Para Site in Quarry Bay announced that Billy Tang had stepped down as executive director and curator after concluding his three-year contract. The British-born former senior curator of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum took over from Cosmin Costinas – who had run Para Site for 11 years...

Culture

2 h. ago Hong Kong medical device maker to expand China facility amid US, EU barriers

Vincent Medical Holdings, a Hong Kong-based medical device maker, has doubled down on manufacturing in China by investing in automation and digitalisation, instead of moving operations abroad amid rising trade barriers in the US and Europe. The maker of disposable radiology products and respiratory devices is building a factory in Kaiping in the western part of the Greater Bay Area, CEO Raymond Choi Cheung-tai said in an interview. Trial operations could start before the end of the year, he...

Politics

4 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory may raise No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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. The Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess the need to raise the alert to a higher level the following day. The forecaster said a broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea was...

Politics

4 h. ago Hong Kong advocates on why church sex abuse cases take time to surface

An imbalance of power in churches, a culture of secrecy and the misuse of theology are among the significant barriers victims face in reporting sexual abuse cases, advocates have said, after a retired Hong Kong pastor was arrested in connection with an assault on a minor in the 1990s. An NGO and a Christian group on Sunday called on religious groups to establish sexual harassment policies, noting that sexually abused children took 13 years on average to seek help. They also urged authorities to...

Events

5 h. ago Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto vis Hong Kong

Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto vis Hong Kong  Regulation Asia

Politics

13 h. ago Hong Kong tourism sector urged to provide packages, discounts for National Games

Hong Kong’s tourism sector should consider offering promotional packages including hotel discounts to spectators at the coming National Games, which the city will co-host in November, authorities have said. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Monday that a unified ticket sales platform would be used for all Games events to be held in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, with more details to be announced soon. She said once the Guangdong Provincial Executive...

Politics

14 h. ago Blink and you’re in. Macau launching iris scan immigration for Hongkongers this week

Hongkongers travelling to Macau can speed up immigration clearance using an eye scan starting this week. Authorities in the gaming hub said on Monday eligibility for its iris recognition immigration clearance had been extended to Hong Kong permanent residents who had registered for its automated passenger clearance service. Eligible Hongkongers can begin using the service from noon on Wednesday. Eighty-one iris recognition channels have been installed at six Macau border checkpoints: the Border...

Politics

14 h. ago Slain Hong Kong model Abby Choi ‘took advantage’ of rich husband, court hears

The former mother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung feared the model’s disappearance two years ago would expose how the deceased had financially exploited her wealthy husband, a court has heard. Jenny Li Sui-heung, 65, told the District Court on Monday that she thought it was “shameful” to talk to police about the “chaotic” relationship between Choi, her husband Chris Tam and ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi after the model went missing on February 21, 2023. The defendant, who...

Events

14 h. ago Tariff war ‘not the end of the world’ for Hong Kong companies: trade council chief

The US-China tariff war is “not the end of the world” for Hong Kong businesses, the new head of the city’s Trade Development Council has said, as he outlined strategies to help them capitalise on geopolitical uncertainties. Chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, who took office on June 1, also said on Monday the council would explore setting up more offices in new markets and rebranding the Asian Financial Forum to include more industry elements. The council has 51 offices around the world, including...

Events

16 h. 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...

Events

16 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

16 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...

Events

17 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...

Events

17 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...

Events

17 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

17 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...

Events

18 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...

Events

19 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