2 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers pass controversial tobacco control bill to cut smoking rate

Hong Kong lawmakers have passed a controversial tobacco control bill that aims to further lower the city’s smoking rate, with a minister saying the proposed measures have already considered a variety of opinions. The Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill was passed on Thursday after the second and third readings, following a last-ditch effort by two lawmakers to delay and amend the government-proposed measures earlier this week. Among the 83 lawmakers who attended the meeting, 74...

Politics

8 h. ago Hong Kong passes bill legalising basketball betting by majority of 77

Hong Kong lawmakers have approved a bill to legalise betting on basketball matches as authorities aim to tackle illegal gambling, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club expected to be the sole operator. The Legislative Council passed the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025, empowering the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs to issue basketball betting operator licences with specified terms. The bill also authorises a licensed basketball operator to place bets with other gambling operators for hedging...

Politics

8 h. ago Hong Kong passes bill legalising basketball betting with 77 votes in favour

Hong Kong lawmakers have approved a bill to legalise betting on basketball matches as authorities aim to tackle illegal gambling, with the Jockey Club expected to be the sole operator. The Legislative Council passed the Betting Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025, empowering the secretary for home and youth affairs to issue basketball betting operator licences with specified terms. The bill also authorises a licensed basketball operator to place bets with other gambling operators for hedging...

Politics

3 d. ago Cathay passenger arrested for allegedly taking upskirt photos on Hong Kong flight

Hong Kong police have arrested a passenger on a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Japan on suspicion of taking upskirt pictures of cabin crew members. A witness who was on board Monday’s flight, CX563 from Nagoya, told cabin crew that a man was using a camera to take upskirt pictures of stewardesses, a source said. Staff then reported the case to police. When the flight landed at Hong Kong International Airport at about 4pm, police officers boarded the aircraft and took the suspect and the...

Events

3 d. ago China Eastern and Air China Suspends Forty Flights, Passengers Facing Travel Disruptions Across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and more, All You Need to Know Now

China Eastern and Air China Suspends Forty Flights, Passengers Facing Travel Disruptions Across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and more, All You Need to Know Now  Travel And Tour World

Transport

4 d. ago Hong Kong’s Cathay seeks police help in removing ‘intoxicated’ passenger

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways called for police to help remove a passenger who was reportedly intoxicated and behaving in an unruly manner, resulting in a flight delay of nearly two hours. The carrier said on Saturday that flight CX255 from Hong Kong to London, scheduled to depart at 11.15pm on September 4, was delayed due to a 38-year-old British male passenger. “The captain made the decision to offload the concerned passenger in accordance with the safety guidelines, and the...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit fliers to enjoy city’s sights

Hong Kong International Airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. The Airport Authority’s CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with China’s largest online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are...

Society

6 d. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit passengers to enjoy local sights

Hong Kong airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are thrilled to introduce the free layover...

Society

6 d. ago Hong Kong’s top talent scheme succeeds if people are really staying

Since its launch late in 2022, the Top Talent Pass Scheme has become a central component of Hong Kong’s global competitiveness strategy. By July this year, the scheme had attracted close to 140,000 applications. Of these, around 110,000 were approved, resulting in more than 90,000 new arrivals to the city. This influx of skilled residents is a sign that Hong Kong remains a strong magnet for talent. However, as former chief executive Leung Chun-ying and other commentators have warned, the real...

Politics

6 d. ago Success of Hong Kong’s top talent scheme must go deeper than numbers

Since its launch late in 2022, the Top Talent Pass Scheme has become a central component of Hong Kong’s global competitiveness strategy. By July this year, the scheme had attracted close to 140,000 applications. Of these, around 110,000 were approved, resulting in more than 90,000 new arrivals to the city. This influx of skilled residents is a sign that Hong Kong remains a strong magnet for talent. However, as former chief executive Leung Chun-ying and other commentators have warned, the real...

Politics

8 d. ago 2 arrested for alleged theft of HK$40,000 in cash on Hong Kong

Two men have been arrested by the city’s police for allegedly stealing property on two Hong Kong-bound flights from Malaysia and Switzerland, including local cash and foreign currency valued at HK$40,000 (US$5,100). The force said on Wednesday that it made the arrests at Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday after receiving reports from three passengers. According to the passengers from the two flights, they had placed their carry-on bags in the overhead compartments in their cabins, but...

Economics

1 week ago Filipino with health issue dies after passing out on Hong Kong Disneyland ride

A 53-year-old Filipino tourist with a pre-existing medical condition has died after falling into a coma while on a ride at Hong Kong Disneyland, with initial investigations showing no safety issues with the attraction. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort said on Saturday that the guest lost consciousness on the Frozen Ever After attraction at around 10am the previous day and was certified dead at 11.30am after being sent to hospital. It was later confirmed that the deceased was a man from the...

Events

1 week ago HK$200,000 model capturing moment Hong Kong security law passed ‘worth price’

Hong Kong’s legislature has spent HK$200,000 (US$25,640) on a model that captures the moment lawmakers passed the city’s domestic security law, with its president saying it is “worth the price”. Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen also said on Friday that he understood the government had lobbied all lawmakers for their support for a controversial same-sex partnership bill and urged legislators to “vote with their conscience”. Leung said the model, commissioned by the Legco...

Economics

2 w. ago How Hong Kong can protect youth after legalising basketball betting

Hongkonger Cyrus Chan*, 28, still remembers how defeated he felt the day he lost almost everything to gambling. “One night, around 10pm, I had just lost again and was left with less than HK$8,000 [US$1,020]. I was ready to end my life,” he said, recalling the incident from two years ago. Chan said a friend introduced him to gambling four years ago, and he soon became addicted. He even quit his job as a construction worker to gamble full-time, which he said won him quick money at first and also...

Politics

3 w. ago First batch of 600 Hongkongers granted UK settlement under BN(O) scheme

The first batch of about 600 Hongkongers has been granted settlement in the United Kingdom as of June after the British government introduced a bespoke pathway for residents in 2021, the country’s authorities have said. The Home Office, which handles UK immigration, revealed on Thursday the figures under the British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visa scheme, which typically requires these passport holders from Hong Kong to have five years of continuous residence in the country before becoming...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong CEOs get crash course in AI to pass on skills to 5,000 students

More than a dozen CEOs and top-level executives in Hong Kong are taking a crash course in AI with the help of a non-profit to equip them with the skills to help 5,000 secondary school students learn the essentials of the technology. The CEO training on Sunday was a key component of the AI-5000 Initiative, a collaborative effort between Project Melo and Preface, a Hong Kong-based education technology company. The project garnered support from 17 top-level executives and leaders, including M+...

Events

last month Storm Podul may move closer to Hong Kong than currently projected: forecaster

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. Severe Tropical Storm Podul, predicted to pass within 400km (249 miles) of Hong Kong on Thursday, may skirt the northern part of the city and be closer than currently projected, the weather forecaster has said. The Hong Kong Observatory said the city was expected to experience heavy downpours...

Events