7 h. ago Hong Kong legislators: great at passing laws, not so good at showing up

When we have a 90-member-strong legislature, things get done. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has passed 117 bills, 98 per cent more than in the previous term. The bulk of lawmakers’ work is, well, making laws, so it speaks to the council’s efficiency that twice as many bills have been passed after a 28.6 per cent increase in its membership. Rules also limit the time that Legislative Council members get to speak: we generally require they get whatever they need to get off their chests within 15...

Politics

7 h. ago New rules proposed for Hong Kong legislators suggest lack of discipline

When we have a 90-member-strong legislature, things get done. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has passed 117 bills, 98 per cent more than in the previous term. The bulk of lawmakers’ work is, well, making laws, so it speaks to the council’s efficiency that twice as many bills have been passed after a 28.6 per cent increase in its membership. Rules also limit the time that Legislative Council members get to speak: we generally require they get whatever they need to get off their chests within 15...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong customs arrests passenger from Bangkok over HK$1.5 million of cannabis

Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a man after he was allegedly caught with HK$1.5 million (US$191,000) worth of suspected cannabis buds in his luggage at the airport. The Customs and Excise Department said on Tuesday the 37-year-old had flown from Bangkok the previous day During customs clearance, officers discovered 7kg (15lbs) of suspected cannabis in his checked-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case is...

Economics

6 d. ago Hong Kong train driver’s antics have passengers laughing as MTR clips go viral

A video clip in which a Hong Kong train driver can be heard imitating a recorded passenger announcement in an MTR carriage has gone viral online, along with two others involving the rail giant’s staff, with internet users applauding the workers’ creative and personal approaches. In one video, the East Rail line driver can be heard mimicking the standard announcement telling passengers to “please step back from the train doors” and then adding, “Du du du du du du duuu”, the warning sound that...

Politics

1 week ago 100 air passengers left stuck in Hong Kong after Iran attack on US base near Doha

About 100 passengers were affected after a Qatar Airways flight from Hong Kong to Doha was cancelled on Tuesday morning after the country temporarily closed its airspace in anticipation of retaliatory attacks by Iran on a United States airbase near the capital. Qatar Airways flight 815 was scheduled to depart from Hong Kong for Doha at 1.25am on Tuesday, just as Qatar closed its airspace to commercial airliners “to ensure the safety of citizens, residents”. Shortly after the cancellation, news...

Events

1 week ago Qatar Airways cancels flight from Hong Kong to Doha for second day in row

Qatar Airways has cancelled early morning flights from Hong Kong to Doha for two days in a row, with more than 100 passengers affected, amid the conflict between Iran and Israel. Flight 815, scheduled to depart from Hong Kong for Doha at 1.25am on Tuesday, was cancelled first after Qatar temporarily closed its airspace in anticipation of retaliatory attacks by Iran on a US airbase near the capital. The carrier later cancelled flight 815 on Wednesday, also scheduled to leave at 1.25am. Tuesday’s...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong shoebox home landlords may pass on costs to tenants under new rules

Operators of shoebox homes in Hong Kong could pass on extra costs of meeting the government’s proposed minimum standards to tenants, with some considering whether to leave the market, as authorities press ahead with a regulatory regime overseeing the city’s notorious subdivided flats. Hayson Chan Hin-hay, chairman of the Hong Kong Basic Housing Units Operators Association, told a radio programme on Friday that certification costs alone for a flat subdivided into four units could be as high as...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong subdivided flat owners ‘may pass on costs to tenants under new rules’

Owners of shoebox homes may pass on the extra costs of meeting proposed minimum standards to tenants or consider pulling out of the market, a trade group has said, with Hong Kong authorities pressing ahead with a regulatory regime to oversee the city’s notorious subdivided flats. Hayson Chan Hin-hay, chairman of the Hong Kong Basic Housing Units Operators Association, told a radio programme on Friday that certification costs alone for a flat subdivided into four units could be as high as...

Politics

3 w. ago Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey. “We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our metro route,” said Arale, a 36-year-old tourist who was visiting the city with his wife, Qing, 37, for the first time. Recording such a visual diary is part of a popular trend on Chinese social media in which people travel around Hong Kong to take...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong passes bill to launch electronic driving licences in September

Hong Kong will introduce electronic driving licences in mid-September following the passage of a bill by the legislature, but lawmakers have questioned the need to spend HK$12.5 million (US$1.59 million) to fund a related mobile application. Some legislators also urged authorities to take a flexible approach to enforcement, especially in cases in which drivers had trouble displaying their documents on smartphones, thereby giving them time to adapt to the new system. The legislative amendment,...

Politics

3 w. ago Blink and you’re in. Macau launching iris scan immigration for Hongkongers this week

Hongkongers travelling to Macau can speed up immigration clearance using an eye scan starting this week. Authorities in the gaming hub said on Monday eligibility for its iris recognition immigration clearance had been extended to Hong Kong permanent residents who had registered for its automated passenger clearance service. Eligible Hongkongers can begin using the service from noon on Wednesday. Eighty-one iris recognition channels have been installed at six Macau border checkpoints: the Border...

Politics

last month Hong Kong’s easier redomiciling policy ‘attracts 150 inquiries from companies’

Authorities have received about 150 inquiries from companies about transferring their legal domicile status to Hong Kong after the recent passage of a law making it easier for businesses to establish themselves in the city, the treasury minister has said. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu also said on Saturday that about 180 family offices had been set up or expanded their operations in Hong Kong this year, putting the city on track to surpass its...

Events