15 h. ago Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application. Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on...

Politics

16 h. ago Murder suspect who fled to mainland China handed over to Hong Kong police

A murder suspect who fled across the border late last month after allegedly killing his girlfriend in a public housing flat has been handed over to Hong Kong police following his capture by mainland Chinese law enforcers. The Hong Kong identity card holder, 28, was wanted in the city in connection with the murder of a woman, 35, whose body was hidden in the storage compartment of a bed in his Ngau Tau Kok flat. He was arrested by Hong Kong police on Friday and is expected to be charged with...

Events

35 h. ago Contractors’ botches lead to bans on bidding for Hong Kong public projects

Contractors at the centre of construction botches at three Hong Kong light public housing sites last year have been banned from bidding for public projects for up to a year, the government has said. The firm responsible for overseeing work quality, Able Engineering, has also been ordered to pay the extra costs for fixing the problems. It also faces a disciplinary hearing for alleged “serious negligence or misconduct in the construction works”, and a possible criminal investigation by police. The...

Politics

69 h. ago Tougher building checks may add costs, slow projects, Hong Kong lawmaker says

Extra costs and the use of public resources may be incurred under the Hong Kong government’s proposed moves to increase professional scrutiny of building maintenance projects following the deadly Tai Po inferno, a lawmaker has said, calling for further discussion. Election Committee lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo, a town planner by training, said on Thursday that expanding the Urban Renewal Authority’s (URA) role in such projects might require extra time and money, urging the government and...

Politics

3 d. ago Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Chinese artificial intelligence firm Zhipu AI said its new image generation model was trained on chips from Huawei Technologies, making it the first powerful open-source model to be developed on an entirely domestic training stack. The Beijing-based company, fresh off its Hong Kong initial public offering, said on Wednesday that the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US semiconductors, as Beijing pushes for self-reliance in China’s AI industry...

Politics

3 d. ago Burning mugwort linked to flat fire that killed elderly Hong Kong man

A 78-year-old man has died in a fire suspected to have started from burning mugwort, a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, in a flat at a public housing estate in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung district. Police said they received a report at 12.41pm on Wednesday that a fire had broken out at Cho Yiu Chuen estate’s Kai Him Lau block. Li Kai-chung, assistant divisional officer of the Fire Services Department, said the blaze started in a bedroom of about 60 sq ft in a fifth-floor flat. Thirteen fire...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong must issue bonds as public works drive capital account deficit: Paul Chan

Hong Kong’s heavy investment in public works will keep the capital account in deficit, highlighting the need for bond issuances to fund critical infrastructure and long-term development, the finance chief has said as he revealed the annual budget will be delivered on February 25. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Sunday that core spending on education, healthcare and social welfare consumed nearly 60 per cent of the budget, even as higher stamp duty revenue and other income...

Economics

6 d. ago Why Hong Kong must resist pressure to loosen budget discipline

When he sits down later this month to finalise the budget for the coming financial year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will have some positive news in his pocket to balance against the many calls for additional spending. As some of those new demands are likely to be expensive and compelling, he will need all the help he can get. First, the good news. Hong Kong is heading for a surplus in public finances. In his 2025 budget, Chan forecast a deficit on the consolidated operating account of...

Events

8 d. ago Hong Kong hospital A&E department visits fall 12% after new fees take effect

Visits to accident and emergency (A&E) departments at Hong Kong’s public hospitals have dropped by nearly 12 per cent since a new pricing regime took effect, while the number of people benefiting from fee waivers has tripled. The Hospital Authority said on Friday that in the first week after the new fees regime was implemented on New Year’s Day it had seen a “significant decrease” in average daily A&E attendance, while more low-income families and underprivileged groups were being...

Politics

8 d. ago Hourly services at first automated Hong Kong public car park partially resume

Hourly services at Hong Kong’s first automated public car park have partially resumed following a suspension of operations for an urgent system update just two days after its debut. In a reply to the Post, the Architectural Services Department said on Friday that hourly parking services for larger vehicles had resumed at noon, while those for private cars would begin again shortly. The department said it was aware of the instability of the car parking system on Tong Yin Street in Tseung Kwan O,...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong’s Frederick Ma urges deeper support for special needs education

Frederick Ma Si-hang, Hong Kong Special Schools Council chairman, has urged the public to deepen their support for disabled students in the city at a charity golf event organised by the Hong Kong Special Schools Council to raise awareness for this group. The tournament, held on Friday at the Fanling Golf Club, drew 21 teams of 84 people, including one consisting of players with disabilities. Participants competed to win prizes such as a BYD electric car and tickets to see Cantopop singer Jacky...

Politics

8 d. ago MiniMax, China's second 'AI tiger' to go public, doubles in value in Hong Kong debut

MiniMax, China's second 'AI tiger' to go public, doubles in value in Hong Kong debut  Reuters

Politics

8 d. ago MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

The red-hot Hong Kong initial public offerings (IPOs) of Zhipu AI and MiniMax Group, two of China’s hopefuls to take on US giants like OpenAI and Anthropic, have given a boost to Beijing’s ambitions in the artificial intelligence sector, according to executives and industry watchers. While Zhipu’s valuation of about US$9 billion and MiniMax’s market cap of US$14 billion remain tiny compared with the US giants – OpenAI is worth about US$500 billion and Anthropic’s valuation is estimated at about...

Politics

8 d. ago MiniMax, China's second 'AI tiger' to go public, soars in Hong Kong debut

MiniMax, China's second 'AI tiger' to go public, soars in Hong Kong debut  Reuters

Politics

9 d. ago Faulty appliance sparks fire at Hong Kong housing estate, prompting 300 to flee

A fire believed to have been caused by a short circuit in a household appliance broke out at a Hong Kong public housing estate in east Kowloon, prompting more than 300 residents to flee their flats. Police on Thursday reported receiving multiple calls about a fire at Lam Wai House in Lam Tin Estate, at around 6.55pm. The force said about 300 residents evacuated on their own. Preliminary investigations indicated the fire was triggered by a short circuit in an electrical appliance. Footage...

Events

9 d. ago Mainland Chinese medicine firms tap Hong Kong capital to fuel global expansion

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) manufacturers are gearing up to go public in Hong Kong, aiming to tap the market for international expansion. TCM firms have joined the queue for initial public offerings (IPOs) in the city to test foreign investors’ appetite for their shares. The latest to join the queue are Sichuan Neautus Traditional Chinese Medicine and Hong Kong-based Herb Standard. “Hong Kong will serve as our hub for capital, research and development, as well as international...

Politics

9 d. ago China’s first 'AI tiger' goes public as Zhipu climbs in Hong Kong debut

China’s first 'AI tiger' goes public as Zhipu climbs in Hong Kong debut  CNBC

Politics

9 d. ago The first of China’s 'AI tigers' goes public as Zhipu climbs in Hong Kong debut

The first of China’s 'AI tigers' goes public as Zhipu climbs in Hong Kong debut  CNBC

Politics

1 week ago Tai Po public housing site ‘viable option’ for fire victims, Hong Kong councillors say

Hong Kong district councillors have proposed building residential blocks on a Tai Po site reserved for public housing to resettle residents displaced by last year’s deadly fire, with about 1,300 flats expected by 2030. Lo Hiu-fung, chairman of Tai Po district council’s newly set up working group on building management, also said he would convene the first meeting on Thursday to address maintenance and water leakage issues in other blocks in the area. In an interview with the Post on Wednesday,...

Events

1 week ago Second street cleaner accident in a week as Hongkonger, 74, struck by car

An elderly cleaner was injured after being struck by a left-hand drive car with a trade licence plate at a Hong Kong public housing estate – the second street-worker accident in just over a week. Police received a report at 6.18am on Wednesday that a Geely multipurpose vehicle (MPV) was making a right turn out of a car park at Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin when it struck the cleaner pushing a trolley outside Kwai Wo House. The accident left the 74-year-old victim, surnamed Wong, in a semi-conscious...

Transport