67 m. ago Hong Kong recorded 1,138 suicides last year, the highest number since 2003

Hong Kong recorded 1,138 suicides last year, the highest number since 2003, with the rate for men aged 30 to 49 jumping sharply in a 12-month period, an NGO said on Saturday. The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong released the findings of its analysis of the Coroner’s Court’s data, which showed a 4 per cent rise in the number of deaths from suicide compared with 2023. It urged society to maintain its focus on mental health and called for enhanced preventive efforts and support services. Heymans...

Events

2 h. ago East Asian Championship: China lose to Japan, face Hong Kong wooden spoon fight

East Asian Championship: China lose to Japan, face Hong Kong wooden spoon fight  South China Morning Post

Sport

3 h. ago Value team spirit and chemistry, new Hong Kong police chief tells recruits

Hong Kong’s new police chief has underscored the importance of unity in the 27,000-strong force at his first passing-out parade inspection, while revealing that recruitment has risen significantly since entry requirements were eased three years ago. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said after the parade on Saturday, which marked the admission of 43 probationary inspectors and 219 constables to the force, that he felt honoured to be officiating at the ceremony and highlighted the...

Events

5 h. ago 20 Hong Kong school pupils win top honours at 44th Student of the Year Awards

Twenty outstanding Hong Kong pupils received top honours at the 44th Student of the Year Awards, with a recipient from Diocesan Boys’ School winning the grand prize for driving positive change through STEAM innovations in robotics and education. The awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and sponsored solely by the Hong Kong Jockey Club with support from the Education Bureau, saw a record 840 nominations from 177 schools. This year’s theme, “Building Tomorrow: Growth Through Action,”...

Events

5 h. ago Jimmy O. Yang and John Lee bonded over their time at Hong Kong’s Wah Yan College

City leader John Lee Ka-chiu and renowned Hong Kong-American stand-up comedian Jimmy O. Yang met to discuss their time at Wah Yan College and the future of local showbusiness, it has been revealed. Lee graduated from Wah Yan College, Kowloon, while O. Yang attended Wah Yan College, Hong Kong. Joining the duo at the gathering was Commissioner for Belt and Road Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, who was O. Yang’s classmate. The recent meetup was revealed in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by...

Politics

6 h. ago Hong Kong probes fatal work incident involving collapsed iron beam during storm

Hong Kong authorities are investigating whether a contractor involved in a fatal work incident took the necessary precautions during a rainstorm, the city’s labour minister has said as he urged employers to ensure a safe work environment under adverse weather. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Saturday that contractors must exercise “extra caution” under poor weather, following an industrial incident two days ago in which a worker was killed by a falling iron beam at a...

Events

7 h. ago 3 arrested after Hong Kong car chase uncovers drugs, weapons

Hong Kong police have arrested three men, aged between 19 and 20, after a car chase in Tsim Sha Tsui, with officers discovering drugs and weapons inside the vehicle. The force said the private car driver had refused to cooperate with traffic enforcement and control division officers when stopped at Hillwood Road, adding that he fled towards Nathan Road and crashed into a taxi at Shun Yee Street while driving in the opposite direction. “After a verbal warning for people inside the vehicle to...

Events

8 h. ago Economy main focus at Hong Kong leader John Lee’s meetings with advisers

Hong Kong’s leader held meetings with his advisers, including a mainland Chinese economist and two tech experts from a Hangzhou start-up known as “Six Little Dragons”, ahead of his annual policy blueprint to gauge views on how to maintain the city’s status amid growing geopolitical tensions. The John Lee Ka-chiu-led lunch meetings took place between Wednesday and Friday, marking the first official gathering of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers, following the appointments of Han Bicheng,...

Politics

8 h. ago Cutting red tape in focus at Hong Kong leader’s meetings ahead of policy address

Hong Kong’s leader has held meetings with advisers, including two tech bosses from Hangzhou’s “Six Little Dragons” and a top mainland Chinese economist, to gauge their views on the city’s development ahead of his annual policy blueprint, with cutting red tape coming up in the discussions. A source familiar with the meetings, chaired by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and held between Wednesday and Friday, said that a major topic of discussion was improving government efficiency to boost Hong...

Politics

10 h. ago Rain, thunderstorms persist in Hong Kong, but weather to improve next week

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. Rain and thunderstorms will continue to affect Hong Kong on Saturday, the city’s forecaster has said, adding that the weather is set to improve early next week. The Hong Kong Observatory said sunny intervals were expected in the afternoon, noting that squally thunderstorms and showers, which...

Events

13 h. ago How can Hong Kong’s MTR Corp get back on track amid funding, manpower woes?

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu was stern-faced and did not mince his words as he took the MTR Corporation to task for “inadequacies” in the way it responded to emergencies and planned for disruptions. He spelled out what he expected of the city’s rail operator when he spoke on May 27, five days after the third service disruption in four months due to technical failures. He demanded action to prevent incidents, which could affect thousands of the rail system’s 5 million daily riders. But if...

Politics

13 h. ago Chinese biotech firms eye foreign pharma’s fat profits in weight loss drug market

When Hong Kong office worker W.K. Chan began putting on weight as a teenager, her doctor said it was due to hormonal imbalances that slowed her metabolism. She reached a peak weight of 100kg about a year ago, but has since lost 25kg. The secret to losing a quarter of her weight? Chan, who asked not to be identified by her full name, was one of the city’s first 200 chronic obesity patients to receive access to a new weight loss drug, originally developed for diabetes. At a cost of HK$2,700...

Economics

14 h. ago Hong Kong out to ‘impose ourselves on China’ in East Asian Football Championship

Hong Kong out to ‘impose ourselves on China’ in East Asian Football Championship  South China Morning Post

Sport

15 h. ago Hong Kong’s first Sikh policeman in decades says family legacy inspired him

Hong Kong’s first Sikh policeman in decades plans to continue his family’s legacy of service, following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, who recruited officers of the faith during the colonial era. Palvinderjit Singh, 27, who was born in Hong Kong, was among new graduates who became constables and probationary inspectors on Saturday. “As I grew up, I heard a lot of stories about my great-grandfather. He was responsible for recruiting the initial batch of Sikh police recruits, so I...

Events

23 h. ago HKU, officials push back against Hongkongers’ development site proposal

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and authorities have pushed back against Pok Fu Lam residents’ suggestion to build an innovation hub at an alternative site, saying it would take up more green belt area and overlap partly with a planned mortuary. HKU on Friday introduced a revised proposal for building its global innovation centre mainly on a residential plot, instead of a green belt area in Pok Fu Lam as originally intended, to the Town Planning Board. But residents in the area have hit out at...

Politics

25 h. ago Hong Kong doctor jailed for issuing Covid jab exemptions without medical checks

A Hong Kong doctor has been jailed for nine months for issuing Covid-19 vaccination exemption certificates to four people without making a proper medical diagnosis, as a court heard how he raked in more than HK$4.6 million (US$585,980) from those who wanted to avoid the inoculations. The District Court on Friday sentenced Dr Wong Ping-leung for his dishonest use of the government’s electronic health record system to generate the certificates at his clinic in Chai Wan’s Hing Wah Plaza between...

Science

25 h. ago Firm suspended from bidding for Hong Kong contracts after worker killed on site

Hong Kong authorities have temporarily barred a contractor from bidding for public road and drainage contracts following an accident in which a worker was killed by a falling steel beam at a site near the cross-border bridge to Macau and Zhuhai on Thursday. The Development Bureau said on Friday that the temporary ban was effective immediately and it had ordered the contractor to conduct an independent safety audit and submit an improvement action plan. The bureau said it would consider lifting...

Economics

27 h. ago Hong Kong government to offer just 1 residential plot for sale this quarter

Hong Kong’s government will release a mid-size plot for sale in its fiscal second quarter, continuing its tight grip on land supply as the city’s residential property market grapples with a glut that has forced developers to slash prices to find buyers. A plot measuring 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq ft) at the junction of Wing Shun Street and Texaco Road in Tsuen Wan in the western part of New Territories will be made available via tender in the July to September quarter, enough to provide...

Politics

28 h. ago Miss Hong Kong Pageant loses another contestant over career conflicts

A barrister has withdrawn from the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, citing conflicts with her legal career among a number of reasons, while organising broadcaster TVB has said it “respected” her decision. In a post on social media, Kimberlie Chu wrote: “Farewell Miss Hong Kong! I’ve withdrawn!” Chu, who also took part in the contest in 2021 but was eliminated at the top 28 stage, said she had received many positive messages from friends since signing up again this year. She is the second notable...

Events

28 h. ago Hong Kong authorities pursue missing MPF payments for Michelin

Hong Kong’s pension authority is looking into HK$100,000 (US$12,740) in missing payments for 20 employees from the Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Xin Dau Ji, following the chain’s abrupt closure of its Kowloon Bay branch on Wednesday. The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority said on Friday that it was pursuing the failed contributions in April and May. Lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung confirmed the restaurant’s closure on July 9 and that about 20 affected staff had reached out to the Labour...

Events