10 m. ago T1 warning to remain in force as tropical depression brings rain to Hong Kong

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 No 1 typhoon warning signal issued in the early hours of Wednesday will remain in effect throughout the day, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the standby signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 in the...

Events

3 h. ago Hong Kong must ‘seize opportunities’ to attract talent amid US student visa woes

Hong Kong should capitalise on the opportunities arising from US-China tensions to attract more talent to its academic and tech sectors, heads of the city’s top medical schools have said, ahead of a visit to the world’s largest biotechnology event in Boston. Representatives from the medical faculties of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will join the delegation of the government-funded Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP)...

Politics

47 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

47 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...

Events

49 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

3 d. ago Get elderly housing right and Hong Kong’s silver economy can take off

Hong Kong’s Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing has announced dozens of measures to promote the “silver economy” and address the needs of the city’s ageing population. These cover five main areas: boosting consumption, developing tailor-made products, promoting quality assurance of “silver” products, strengthening financial and insurance protection, and encouraging older residents to re-enter the job market. These are all good intentions, but it also begs the question: where is the...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong water safety saga: what happened and how to protect yourself

Hong Kong’s leader has rolled out 10 measures to address concerns over the supply of freshwater containing a banned substance at two public housing estates. The Post unpacks the water safety concerns behind the saga and how people can protect themselves. 1. What’s the scandal about? Residents at two public rental and subsidised estates in Fanling first reported the presence of black particles in their drinking water on Friday last week, prompting some to buy bottled water as speculation mounted...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong private estate pool told to close over fake lifeguard credentials

A swimming pool at a private estate in Hong Kong’s Happy Valley has been ordered to close immediately after a lifeguard allegedly used a fake certificate, with the case also being reported to police. The incident came to light on Friday after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department last month implemented a raft of measures to prevent the employment of unqualified lifeguards at private swimming pools. The department checked a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong private estate pool told to close over suspect lifeguard credentials

A swimming pool at a private estate in Hong Kong’s Happy Valley has been ordered to close immediately after a lifeguard allegedly used a fake certificate, with the case reported to police. The incident came to light on Friday after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department last month implemented a raft of measures to prevent the employment of unqualified lifeguards at private swimming pools. The department checked a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society that...

Politics

4 d. ago 1 in 4 Hongkongers unaware of coming public healthcare fee changes: survey

One in four Hongkongers is unaware of the expansion of a medical fee waiver mechanism, a survey has found, with lawmakers urging the government to ramp up efforts to promote the public healthcare subsidy regime reform set to be implemented in six months. The survey, involving 724 respondents and conducted by the city’s largest workers’ union between April 22 and May 13, revealed that some participants lacked a clear understanding of the measures aimed at broadening the safety net in public...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong leader orders ageing water pipes lined with bitumen to be replaced

Hong Kong’s leader has ordered authorities to replace hundreds of metres of bitumen-lined pipes as one of 10 measures to address residents’ concerns over black particles dirtying the water at two public housing estates. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu weighed in on Friday, a week after initial reports of the particles emerged, as he tasked Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun with supervising the implementation of the measures. Government test results on Thursday confirmed that the...

Politics

5 d. ago Can Hong Kong convince private hospitals to be clear and upfront with fees?

Knee replacement surgery is one of the most common operations performed in Hong Kong, with a long waiting time at public hospitals that drives many to pay more for private treatment. But a patient hoping to compare prices at the city’s 14 private hospitals will find it hard to get a clear idea of how much the procedure may cost. Only half the hospitals provide information online for knee replacement surgery packages, with prices ranging from HK$88,000 (US$11,200) to about HK$330,000 for one...

Politics

5 d. ago Hongkongers demand answers after banned substance found in estate’s water supply

Hong Kong authorities are under increasing pressure to verify whether the freshwater supply at a public housing estate contains bitumen, a substance banned from use in pipes, with experts calling for an investigation to trace the source of mystery black particles and determine if contractors have violated any rules. A source said the government would hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to release more details of their test results. The water issue at two public rental and subsidised...

Events

5 d. ago Banned substance found in water supply of 2 Hong Kong housing estates

Black particles found in the freshwater supply at two public housing estates are mainly bitumen, authorities have said, while stressing that the water is safe to drink. The government said on Thursday that its tests showed the bitumen, which is banned from use in pipes, was mixed with resin. Residents at two public rental and subsidised estates, Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, first reported the presence of black particles in their drinking water on Friday last week. Director...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong investigates 2 suspected botulism cases from injections in Shenzhen

Hong Kong health authorities are investigating the cases of two women who became unwell after receiving cosmetic botulinum toxin injections in Shenzhen, with one left in a critical condition. The Centre for Health Protection said on Wednesday that the two women were friends and had told authorities they received the injections at a private premises in Shenzhen around the middle of last month. The women – aged 49 and 50 – said they believed the person who performed the injections was not a...

Events

7 d. ago Faulty prostate cancer tests leave 406 Hong Kong patients with nervy wait

Hong Kong public hospitals are reviewing blood test results of more than 400 patients after batches of a reagent were found to have quality issues that could produce false positives for prostate cancer. The Hospital Authority said on Tuesday that it was following up with the supplier of a testing product after being notified by the firm last week about complaints elsewhere related to quality issues. The product, supplied by Abbott Laboratories, is a reagent kit that detects the level of...

Science

8 d. ago Groups warn poorly planned Hong Kong tourism projects will damage eco sites

More than 22 hectares of ecologically valuable land have been damaged in Hong Kong’s South Lantau and northwestern New Territories, local groups have found, warning that poorly planned tourism development in these areas will worsen the harm. Greenpeace and Liber Research Community, an NGO focusing on development issues, released findings of a survey on Monday that identified 37 cases of land filling, fly-tipping and removal of vegetation, among other man-made causes, that threatened the...

Events

8 d. ago Hong Kong public hospitals to step up testing for rotavirus: disease expert

Hong Kong public hospitals will step up surveillance of a rare virus and test patients with severe diarrhoea, infectious diseases expert Yuen Kwok-yung has said, after it was found in a doctor who died shortly after feeling unwell. The University of Hong Kong’s chair of infectious diseases on Monday revealed the latest move following the release of findings on the death of a doctor initially thought to be linked with a group of oncologists suspected of being infected with a toxic strain of E...

Science

8 d. ago Source of black particles in Hong Kong estate’s water supply remains mystery

Authorities are still investigating the source of black particles detected in the freshwater supply at a Hong Kong public housing estate, while reassuring residents that the water is safe to drink. Tenants of Queens Hill Estate in Fanling had earlier complained about the black particles found in their drinking water and what they called a delayed ­official response to their reports, first filed on Friday last week. Director of Water Supplies Roger Wong Yan-lok said on Monday that samples taken...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong nurse honoured with top medal for 15 years of life

In a makeshift hospital ward in Gaza, reserved for the most severely wounded and dying patients, Hong Kong nurse Walter Leung Wai-yin, 66, walked up to a woman whose face was partially torn in an explosion. The woman was classified as a “blue case”, which indicates catastrophic injuries that are considered beyond saving. In such cases, medical professionals shift to end-of-life care, focusing on reducing pain with the heaviest dosage of morphine. “Her skull was gone and her brain was visible....

Politics