33 h. ago Hong Kong police deploy drones to enhance road safety in accident

Hong Kong police will, for the first time, deploy drones to detect traffic violations starting on Sunday, with the aim of enhancing road safety in accident-prone areas. The initiative was announced during a briefing in which the force also revealed that the number of fatal crashes in the first seven months of this year had dropped by 47 per cent compared to last year, totalling 288 cases. Similarly, the number of people seriously injured in these accidents fell by 45 per cent, from 587 to...

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53 h. ago Couple arrested in Hong Kong guest house for allegedly making fake banknotes

A middle-aged couple have been arrested in a Hong Kong guest house for allegedly producing counterfeit banknotes. Police said on Wednesday that they had arrested the pair – an American man and a Filipino woman – after a tip-off and an investigation led authorities to a suspected criminal syndicate involved in manufacturing fake Hong Kong banknotes. Officers raided a room in the guest house on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai at about 1pm on Tuesday and apprehended the man, 54, and the woman, 50, who...

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64 h. 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

3 d. ago Hong Kong auxiliary policeman arrested for alleged indecency while driving cab

An off-duty Hong Kong auxiliary police officer has been suspended from duty after he was arrested for allegedly performing an indecent act while driving a taxi in Causeway Bay. The man, 57, was transporting a female passenger when she reportedly noticed his alleged indecent act as the taxi drove along the Canal Road flyover. When she arrived at her destination in Happy Valley, the woman, 55, alerted police officers nearby, saying the driver had allegedly been masturbating. The driver was...

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3 d. ago 96 arrested, HK$479 million in drugs seized in Hong Kong police, customs effort

Hong Kong police and customs have arrested 96 people and seized more than HK$479 million (US$61 million) worth of drugs in a months-long joint effort, with authorities warning that an increasing number of mainland Chinese and foreign air passengers are being lured into smuggling narcotics. Authorities said on Tuesday that the recruitment of non-local air travellers was part of attempts to confuse investigators, with other tactics including arranging convoluted flight routes to target...

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4 d. ago Hong Kong police inspector spared jail time for running red light, causing injury

A Hong Kong court has spared a police inspector from jail for driving through a red light and causing serious injuries to a pedestrian two years ago, highlighting his “excellent” services in the force and remorse for the crime. The District Court on Monday sentenced Iu San-san to 240 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for two years, after the presiding judge found the case was much less serious than similar precedents that resulted in jail time. The court convicted the...

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4 d. ago Hong Kong police inspector spared jail for running red light, causing injury

A Hong Kong court has spared a police inspector from jail for driving through a red light and causing serious injuries to a pedestrian two years ago, highlighting his “excellent” service record and remorse for the crime. The District Court on Monday sentenced Iu San-san to 240 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for two years, after the presiding judge found the case was much less serious than similar precedents that resulted in jail time. The court convicted the...

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5 d. ago Hong Kong police drugs crackdown snares 418, with boy, 13, youngest arrested

A 13-year-old boy was among more than 400 people arrested in a citywide anti-drug operation over the summer, with Hong Kong police saying he was suspected of trafficking four capsules believed to contain etomidate, previously known as space oil. Police said on Sunday that officers smashed 303 drug cases during the seven-week operation, code-named “Tailbacker”, with 328 male and 90 female suspects arrested. The arrestees, aged between 13 and 73, included 11 boys and six girls. The police force...

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5 d. ago Hong Kong police drug crackdown snares 418, with boy, 13, youngest arrested

A 13-year-old boy was among more than 400 people arrested in a citywide anti-drug operation over the summer, with Hong Kong police saying he was suspected of trafficking four capsules believed to contain etomidate, previously known as space oil. Police said on Sunday that officers smashed 303 drug cases during the seven-week operation, code-named “Tailbacker”, with 328 male and 90 female suspects arrested. The 418 arrestees, aged between 13 and 73, included 11 boys and six girls. The police...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong ‘lawyer’ bailed in HK$80,000 champagne dinner dine

Hong Kong police have granted bail to a man who allegedly pretended to be a lawyer and tricked his date into paying a restaurant bill of more than HK$80,000 (US$10,258). The 23-year-old man, surnamed Wong, who was arrested on suspicion of obtaining property by deception, was released on bail on Sunday but must report back for further investigation in late September, according to police. No charges have been filed against him. The case arises from a dinner at Mandarin Oriental’s Man Wah...

Politics

6 d. ago Yemen’s Houthi PM, other ministers killed in ‘treacherous’ Israeli strike

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday said their prime minister had been killed in an Israeli air strike, the most senior official known to have died in a series of attacks during the Gaza war. Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials in the Israeli attack on Thursday, the Iran-backed Houthis said. Israel has been striking Houthi targets for months in response to missile attacks by the rebels, who claim solidarity with the Palestinians and...

Politics

6 d. ago 2 arrested as Hong Kong police find 44.5kg of ketamine hidden in storage units

Hong Kong police have arrested two men on suspicion of drug trafficking after finding 44.5kg of suspected ketamine worth HK$20 million hidden in subdivided factory units. Inspector Ng Ka-wai of the police force’s narcotics bureau said on Saturday that officers had stopped and searched the two local men, aged 23 and 30, the previous day, which led to the discovery of 178 packs of suspected ketamine in two separate storage units. “Our investigations suggest that the drug syndicate behind this...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong ‘lawyer’ arrested for allegedly leaving date with over HK$80,000 bill

Hong Kong police have arrested a man for allegedly tricking his date into footing a restaurant bill of more than HK$80,000 (US$10,264) after he went to the bathroom and never returned at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. A police source said the woman met the man, who claimed to be a 26-year-old lawyer, through messaging app Telegram a year ago, adding that they arranged a date at the hotel in Central on Thursday evening. “According to [the woman], the man arranged a bottle of wine for their dinner. As...

Economics

6 d. ago Hong Kong ‘lawyer’ arrested for allegedly leaving date with HK$80,000 bill

Hong Kong police have arrested a man who allegedly tricked his date into footing a restaurant bill of more than HK$80,000 (US$10,264) after he went to the bathroom and never returned to the Mandarin Oriental hotel. A police source said the woman met the man, who claimed to be a 26-year-old lawyer, through the messaging app Telegram a year ago, adding that they arranged a date at the hotel in Central on Thursday evening. “According to [the woman], the man arranged a bottle of wine for their...

Economics

7 d. ago FWD profit jumps 15 times on sales spike, lower costs after Hong Kong IPO

FWD Group, a regional insurer founded by Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai, said its first-half net profit jumped 15 times on strong sales growth and one-off cost reductions. In the first results since FWD’s HK$3.61 billion (US$466 million) initial public offering (IPO) in July, net profit soared to US$47 million from US$3 million a year earlier, the company said on Friday. The insurer said it would not pay an interim dividend. Driving the profit increase, annualised premiums from new...

Economics

7 d. ago Hong Kong police arrest 13 in Tseung Kwan O shoplifting crackdown

Hong Kong police have intensified their crackdown on shoplifting following a rise in cases in Tseung Kwan O district, with some thieves testing the market by posting items on online shopping platforms before stealing them. Between August 1 and 27, the force dealt with 39 shoplifting-related cases, 28 of which occurred in the district, according to a police statement on Friday. Thirteen people aged between 22 and 69 were arrested, including four non-ethnic Chinese individuals and one person from...

Events

7 d. ago Address of firm linked to Hong Kong MTR fake brick scandal ‘like deserted yard’

A scandal over counterfeit bricks in an MTR Corporation project in Hong Kong has deepened, with the maker of the genuine product saying the registered address of the Beijing firm allegedly behind the fakes is “more like a deserted yard” with no office or staff. UBlok Advanced Materials revealed details of a probe it had carried out as Hong Kong police said on Thursday that they were investigating a suspected fraud case, a day after the MTR Corp filed a report about the alleged use of counterfeit...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong customs officer unconditionally released over fatal motorbike crash

Hong Kong police have unconditionally released a customs officer who was arrested in January after he tried to intercept a motorcyclist who later crashed and died. The police force announced the decision on Thursday almost eight months after the off-duty officer’s action became the subject of widespread debate over its appropriateness and legality. “After further investigation and seeking legal advice, police were informed by the Department of Justice that no criminal prosecution would be...

Events

8 d. ago Hong Kong police lay holding charges on 2 in illicit cigarette murder case

Hong Kong police have laid holding charges against two people suspected of aiding offenders in a murder case linked to a financial dispute over illicit cigarettes, just days after the body of a 51-year-old man was found under a bridge. The man and woman, both aged 62, appeared at Fanling Court on Thursday morning. The pair are among 13 people arrested in connection with the man’s murder. Five suspects have been detained for further investigation, while the remaining six were released on bail and...

Events

8 d. ago Suspect in Hong Kong illicit cigarette murder case taken to crime scene

A male suspect in a murder case linked to an alleged financial dispute over illicit cigarettes has been taken to the crime scene after the victim’s body was discovered under a Hong Kong bridge. Police also laid holding charges against the man, as well as a woman, on suspicion of assisting offenders in the murder case. The pair, both aged 62, appeared at Fanling Court on Thursday morning. They are among 13 people arrested in connection with the man’s murder. Five suspects have been detained for...

Events