5 h. ago Major rail links in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis to be completed 2 years early

Hong Kong’s railway operator and the government signed an agreement on the design and construction of the major rail link in the Northern Metropolis on Tuesday, fast-tracking its completion by at least two years to 2034. The agreement, which gives momentum to the Northern Metropolis project, involves HK$39.05 billion in financing from land premiums for the construction of three stations along the Northern Link main line, the design of the spur line, tunnels and other railway facilities. It is...

Politics

5 h. ago University of Hong Kong calls Pok Fu Lam site best option for innovation hub

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said that Pok Fu Lam is the best location for building its innovation hub compared with alternatives such as the Northern Metropolis, arguing the site could yield the fastest outcomes and see the first section open its doors as early as 2032. The university’s stance was shared in a report submitted on Tuesday to the Town Planning Board about a revised development plan for HKU’s global innovation centre. An initial proposal had suggested that the centre be...

Politics

5 h. ago University of Hong Kong calls Pok Fu Lam site best option for its innovation hub

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said that Pok Fu Lam is the best location for building its innovation hub compared with alternatives such as the Northern Metropolis, arguing the site could yield the fastest outcomes and see the first section open its doors as early as 2032. The university’s stance was shared in a report submitted on Tuesday to the Town Planning Board about a revised development plan for HKU’s global innovation centre. An initial proposal had suggested that the centre be...

Politics

7 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest boy, 13, on suspicion of drug trafficking

Hong Kong police have arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of drug trafficking after uncovering a narcotics cache worth about HK$530,000 (US$67,520) hidden inside his Mong Kok home. Officers from Wong Tai Sin district’s anti-triad unit raided a flat on Pak Po Street on Monday, seizing about 1kg (2.2lbs) of suspected crystal meth “ice”. Police also found around 6 grams (0.2 oz) of a cocktail drug commonly referred to as “happy powder”, a mixture of different substances such as ketamine and...

Events

8 h. ago Hong Kong’s financial centre status gives it an edge in AI market, experts say

Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre gives it an edge in artificial intelligence (AI) development in spite of rising geopolitical tensions, according to experts, as the city boosts computing power resources to support companies involved in the vital technology. “For AI companies, having easy access to capital is extremely important,” SenseTime chief financial officer Wang Zheng said in a panel discussion at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference 2025 on Tuesday. “Hong...

Economics

8 h. ago Hong Kong’s annual anime fair to double venue size to cut waiting times for fans

Hong Kong’s annual comics and games fair is set to double its venue size this year to shorten waiting times for fans when it launches at the end of the month, according to the organiser. Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong 2025 is set to run from July 25 to 29 at Halls 1 and 3 of the Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the festival to feature a record-high number of 160 exhibitors and more than 788 booths. The event will mark the 26th year of the fair. It will span more than 34,870 square metres,...

Politics

9 h. ago Philippines summons Chinese ambassador over travel ban on former senator

The Philippine foreign ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian after Beijing hit the former Senate majority leader with a travel ban for his stance on the South China Sea. Francis Tolentino, a key ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, has been barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry last week. Beijing said the ban was the result of his “egregious conduct on China-related issues”. During a...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong’s insurance market may balloon 55% as Greater Bay Area ages

Hong Kong’s insurance business may expand by a compounded 55 per cent over the next eight years, driven by the so-called silver economy serving senior citizens and growth in the Greater Bay Area, industry experts said on Tuesday. Gross insurance premium in the city may jump to US$127 billion by 2032 from last year’s US$82 billion, said Steve Finch, Manulife Financial’s Asia president, citing industry forecasts. That growth is enabled by the “depth and sophistication of Hong Kong’s insurance...

Politics

11 h. ago Business leaders call for efforts to combat ‘Hong Kong equals China’ perception

Hong Kong must work harder to be as international as possible under the “one country, two systems” framework to combat a growing perception in Western capitals that it is no different from any other mainland Chinese city, business leaders have urged. The city also maintains a significant lead over regional rival Singapore in key financial metrics, panellists at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference said on Tuesday. “The problem is that many of them feel that Hong Kong equals China,”...

Politics

11 h. ago Efforts needed to combat view ‘Hong Kong equals mainland China’: business leaders

Hong Kong must work harder to be as international as possible under the “one country, two systems” framework to combat a growing perception in Western capitals that it is no different from mainland Chinese cities, business leaders have urged. The city also maintains a significant lead over regional rival Singapore in key financial metrics, panellists at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference 2025 said on Tuesday. “The problem is that many of them feel that Hong Kong equals China,” said...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong’s hottest Xiaoshu: what does it mean and how can you cope?

Hong Kong experienced the hottest Xiaoshu on Tuesday, with the mercury at the Observatory hitting 34.3 degrees Celsius (93.7 Fahrenheit). However, the hottest weather is still yet to come, it warned. The Post explains what Xiaoshu is and presents traditional Chinese medicine’s recommendations for coping with the heat. 1. What is Xiaoshu? Xiaoshu, the 11th of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, means minor or moderate heat and signifies the onset of summer, but not in full...

Politics

13 h. ago Hong Kong developer Grand Ming’s crisis deepens with US$611 million loan default

Hong Kong developer Grand Ming Group warned investors that it has yet to repay a HK$4.8 billion (US$611.4 million) loan, with its gearing ratio surging past 200 per cent – another sign of the growing debt crisis among the city’s small and medium developers. In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday, the company said that it had breached financial covenants under its loan facilities, according to its audited annual results for the year ended March 31. “The group has obtained...

Economics

13 h. ago 80% of Hong Kong Uber drivers worried about quota and fees under new rules

Nearly 80 per cent of 4,800 Uber drivers polled in Hong Kong are worried that a strict quota or high licensing fees under coming new regulations for ride-hailing platforms will threaten their livelihoods. The results of the poll conducted by platform operator Uber in June were revealed on Tuesday, just days after Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan announced that a highly anticipated regulatory proposal would be submitted to the legislature before the end of the month. Currently, it...

Politics

14 h. ago Hong Kong leaders say city is good place for investors to seek stability

Hong Kong is an ideal place for investors to seek stability and move resources away from riskier parts of the world, according to Alpha Lau Hai-suen, the director general of InvestHK. Speaking at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference on Tuesday, Lau said that since the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong’s investment flows have not returned to previous levels due to global trade and tariff challenges. InvestHK is a government agency tasked with promoting the city overseas. “Despite all that,...

Politics

14 h. ago Experts urge Hong Kong to be a ‘value partner’, not just a ‘superconnector’

Hong Kong should ensure it acts as a “value partner” in addition to its role as a “superconnector” between mainland China and the rest of the world, rather than a mere facilitator of connections, according to experts including the city’s former commerce chief. Speaking at the South China Morning Post 2025 China Conference themed “Where Capital Meets Innovation” on Tuesday, the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said Hong Kong should not merely aim to...

Politics

14 h. ago Hong Kong scam losses down 25% in first 5 months of year, but cases up

Scam-related losses in Hong Kong have declined 25 per cent to HK$2.8 billion (US$357 million) in the first five months of this year, but the number of cases has increased amid an overall drop in crime. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming revealed the latest figures at a North District Council meeting on Tuesday, saying the city had recorded 35,888 cases from January to May this year, a 2.8 per cent dip from the same period last year. But the number relating specifically to scams during the...

Politics

15 h. ago Tuition and music: how Hong Kong’s pupils got into their first choice schools

Attending private tuition and relaxing by playing chess and listening to music were among the strategies used by Hong Kong’s Primary Six students to achieve good grades and be part of the record 74 per cent of pupils who got into their most preferred secondary schools through the central allocation system. A primary school principal also said on Tuesday that students had benefited from less competition for entering their first choice institution, helped by the “zero-quota” policy that bans...

Culture

15 h. ago Bomb found in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, prompting police to seal off busy road

A bomb has been found in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, prompting police to cordon off busy Granville Road and call in explosive disposal experts. The force said on Tuesday that the bomb was discovered at a construction site on Mody Road near the west area of the Urban Council Centenary Garden in East Tsim Sha Tsui at 12.10pm. Witnesses said that about 40 workers were evacuated after the bomb was discovered as Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers arrived at the scene. According to Google Maps, the...

Events

15 h. ago Suspected bomb found in Hong Kong, busy road temporarily sealed off

A suspected bomb has been found in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, prompting police to temporarily cordon off busy Granville Road and call in explosive disposal experts. The force said on Tuesday that it was discovered at a construction site on Mody Road near the west area of Urban Council Centenary Garden in East Tsim Sha Tsui at 12.10pm. Witnesses said that about 40 workers were evacuated after the alleged bomb was discovered as Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers arrived at the scene. According...

Events

15 h. ago Bomb scare in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui turns out to be false alarm

A bomb alert in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui has turned out to be a false alarm, after police confirmed the object found at a construction site was a cannon barrel. The British cannon barrel, which prompted the force to temporarily cordon off busy Granville Road and call in explosive disposal experts, was discovered on Mody Road near the west area of Urban Council Centenary Garden in East Tsim Sha Tsui at 12.10pm on Tuesday. The barrel measures around 15cm (5.9 inches) in diameter and about 4...

Events