5 h. ago Extending Hongkongers’ UK settlement period to 10 years a ‘breach of trust’: MP

The UK Home Office minister has said that the proposal to extend the settlement period for Hongkongers from five to ten years is subject to consultation, but their economic contribution remains ‘huge and lasting’. Other parliamentarians in the debate agreed that Hongkongers should be exempt from the proposed extension announced by British authorities in May. They argued this change would be a betrayal of trust by moving the goalposts and would delay access to lower university tuition fees in the...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong court extends bankruptcy of man who forged Nina Wang’s will by 4 years

A Hong Kong court has extended convicted forger Peter Chan Chun-chuen’s bankruptcy by four years, citing his failure to repay his debt to the estate of the late tycoon Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum since losing a high-profile lawsuit over her billion-dollar assets 15 years ago. The High Court on Tuesday suspended Chan’s automatic discharge from a bankruptcy order made in 2021 and ordered that he pay HK$55,000 (US$7,000) in legal fees to an accounting firm that is now in charge of his assets. EY,...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong housing chief pledges more ‘humane’ evictions for mentally ill tenants

Hong Kong’s housing minister has pledged to adopt a more “humane” approach to eviction cases involving tenants with mental health issues, following the deaths of a mother and son, and plans to appoint additional medical experts to an appeal panel. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Tuesday that the department would “seriously review and carefully explore ways to further improve and optimise its work guidelines and procedures, especially for cases involving tenants with special...

Politics

54 h. ago Storm Tapah: Hong Kong issues T8 typhoon signal; Airport Express extends service

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong readers now get 50% off their first year of subscription until September 21, 2025. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No 8 typhoon signal at 9.20pm on Sunday, with tropical cyclone Tapah expected to make landfall over western Guangdong the following morning. With Tapah – the Malay word for a type of giant freshwater catfish – expected to skirt...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong extends allowance for transitional housing tenants by 2 years

Hong Kong authorities have extended a special allowance for transitional housing tenants for another two years. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on social media on Wednesday that the two-year pilot scheme launched in 2023 will be renewed, with the amount of the allowance to be increased by around 10 per cent due to the rising cost of living. “Given that most of the transitional housing projects will continue to operate in the coming years to serve new tenants as the old ones move...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong extends relocation allowance for transitional housing tenants by 2 years

Hong Kong authorities have extended a special allowance that helps cover relocation costs faced by transitional housing tenants for another two years. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Wednesday that the pilot scheme, which was launched in 2023, would be renewed and the amount granted under the allowance would be increased by about 10 per cent due to the rising cost of living. “Given that most of the transitional housing projects will continue to operate in the coming years to...

Politics

3 w. ago Waiting time for Hong Kong public rental flat rises slightly to 5.4 years

The average waiting time for a Hong Kong public rental flat increased slightly to 5.4 years in the second quarter of 2025 from 5.3 years in the first three months of the year despite a significant drop in the number of applications, according to the Housing Authority. The authority, the city’s largest public housing provider, on Thursday pointed to applicants being allocated refurbished public housing recovered from tenants or evicted due to abuse of resources in urban areas. It also revealed...

Politics