26 h. ago Hong Kong officials ‘could have provided better guidance to failed balloon event’

Hong Kong authorities could have provided better guidance to the organiser of a HK$30 million (US$3.85 million) botched hot-air balloon festival, lawmakers have said, even as the government stressed it had already offered professional advice. Lawmakers Doreen Kong Yuk-foon and Michael Tien Puk-sun said on Monday that the government should be more proactive when dealing with high-risk or special events and could conduct reviews for activities held in public venues. “I hope the government can...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong official urges ‘heightened alertness’ among staff after water scandal

Hong Kong’s logistics chief has issued a set of guidelines to senior civil servants, urging them to “heighten their alertness” and conduct due diligence to prevent potential fraudulent acts by tenderers and contractors, following a recent drinking water procurement scandal. “In light of the recent incident on procurement of bottled drinking water for which fraud elements involving the contractor are revealed, it is of utmost importance for bureaus and departments to step up efforts to prevent...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong official and lawmaker opt out of Bitcoin Asia 2025 featuring Eric Trump

A senior Hong Kong official and a lawmaker have withdrawn from a Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference where Eric Trump, son of United States President Donald Trump, will also attend, with sources confirming an instruction was issued that they were not to interact with the American businessman. A check by the Post on the conference’s website on Wednesday found that Eric Yip Chee-hang, executive director of the city’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), had been removed from the list of keynote...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong official and lawmaker pull out of Bitcoin Asia 2025 featuring Eric Trump

A senior Hong Kong official and a lawmaker have withdrawn from a Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference where Eric Trump, son of United States President Donald Trump, will also attend, with sources confirming an instruction was issued that they were not to interact with the American businessman. A check by the Post on the conference’s website on Wednesday found that Eric Yip Chee-hang, executive director of the city’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), had been removed from the list of keynote...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong official, lawmaker pull out of Bitcoin Asia 2025 featuring Eric Trump

A senior Hong Kong official and a lawmaker have withdrawn from the Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference, where Eric Trump, son of United States President Donald Trump, will attend, with sources confirming they were advised not to interact with the American businessman. A check by the Post on the conference’s website on Wednesday found that Eric Yip Chee-hang, executive director of the city’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), had been removed from the list of keynote speakers for the forum taking...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong logistics official admits system failed to detect water fraud

Hong Kong’s procurement system has failed to detect document fraud and authorities are taking immediate steps to strengthen it, the head of the logistics department has said, apologising to the public for the first time amid a growing water scandal. Treasury chief Hui Ching-yu, meanwhile, said on Thursday that his task force reviewing the system would provide a mid-term investigation report with suggested measures instead of waiting for the investigation to be completed in three months. After...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong summons Australian and British consuls over ‘harbouring criminals’

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has summoned the Australian and British consuls-general to express strong opposition to their countries “harbouring criminals” after both granted asylum to two activists allegedly endangering national security who have absconded overseas. The government announced in the early hours of Tuesday that Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki summoned Australian Consul-General Gareth Williams and British Consul-General Brian Davidson respectively on Monday afternoon. Secretary for...

Events

3 w. ago Risk of importing chikungunya into Hong Kong expected to rise: health official

The risk of importing the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus into Hong Kong is expected to rise, according to a senior health official, who has identified the increasing global prevalence of the disease caused by climate change and residents’ frequent summer travel as factors. But Ronald Lam Man-kin, director of the Department of Health, sought on Sunday to reassure the public that the risk of local transmission would remain low, as long as proper disease control measures were in place. According...

Politics

3 w. ago Smoke grenades, live animals delivered to Hong Kong? How sellers evade crackdown

Smoke grenades, live animals and fresh meat are among the heavily regulated items readily available on mainland Chinese e-commerce sites for delivery to Hong Kong despite an official crackdown, the Post has found. Listings on Taobao and Pinduoduo have been subject to increased scrutiny following the arrest last month of a 13-year-old Hongkonger who allegedly bought smoke grenades online. Sources earlier said that the boy had bought the three smoke grenades for HK$92 (US$11.70) on Pinduoduo on...

Events

3 w. ago Hong Kong arrivals up 12% led by visitors from US, Europe, Australia

The number of visitors to Hong Kong rose by 12 per cent year on year in July, with long-haul arrivals from countries such as Britain, the United States and France showing the biggest increase at 21 per cent, according to official data. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Friday that the city welcomed 4.39 million visitors in July, pushing the cumulative total for the first seven months of the year to around 28 million, also a 12 per cent increase over the same period last year. Visitor numbers...

Politics