14 h. ago Hong Kong father suspected of murdering his 2 children has depression: court

A Hong Kong father who allegedly killed his two young children before a failed suicide attempt last month is suffering from depression, a court has heard. Salesman Chen Guocheng, 40, appeared in Kowloon City Court for the first time on Friday to face two counts of murder, as prosecutors asked for a 12-week adjournment for police to conduct further inquiries. A psychiatric report issued by Queen Elizabeth Hospital found Chen to be suicidal but fit to attend hearings, the court heard. Deputy...

Events

14 h. ago Hong Kong father suspected of murdering his children has depression, court hears

A Hong Kong father who allegedly killed his two young children before a failed suicide attempt last month is suffering from depression, a court has heard. Salesman Chen Guocheng, 40, appeared in Kowloon City Court for the first time on Friday to face two counts of murder, as prosecutors asked for a 12-week adjournment to allow police to conduct further inquiries. A psychiatric report issued by Queen Elizabeth Hospital found Chen to be suicidal but fit to attend hearings, the court heard. Deputy...

Events

18 h. ago Hong Kong consumer watchdog receives 9 complaints after balloon festival fiasco

Hong Kong’s hot-air balloon festival has been forced to deflate all its balloons on display due to the scorching weather, a day after failing to secure a licence for a tethered ride and suspending the attraction, which led to at least nine complaints to the city’s consumer watchdog. The Consumer Council said it had received nine complaints totalling HK$16,933 (US$2,171) regarding the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong as of noon on Friday, with one case involving HK$4,956. The...

Politics

18 h. ago Refund calls mount over Hong Kong festival’s suspension of hot

The organiser of a hot-air balloon festival in Hong Kong is facing mounting calls for refunds from affected participants and the consumer watchdog after failing to secure a licence for tethered rides and suspending the activity on Thursday. Staff from the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong were also forced to deflate all its balloons on display at the Central Harbourfront on Friday morning, with a broadcast announcement citing hot weather as the reason. The balloons were...

Politics

36 h. ago Worker, 26, dies after falling 7 floors at Hong Kong housing construction site

A 26-year-old man has died in a fatal industrial incident in Hong Kong after falling seven storeys at a public housing construction site in the north of the city. Police said on Thursday that they received a report at around 10.30am about an industrial incident on Castle Peak Road near Chau Tau in Lok Ma Chau. The worker was believed to be fastening screws at the site when he fell from a height of about seven storeys onto the podium on the second floor, the force said. He was unconscious and...

Events

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...

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

9 d. ago 2 workers injured in bamboo scaffolding collapse in Hong Kong’s Mid

Two workers were injured when bamboo scaffolding suddenly collapsed at a residential complex in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels on Wednesday. Police said they received a report at around noon that scaffolding covering the second and third floors of Elegant Terrace on Conduit Road had collapsed while the two workers were dismantling it. One of the workers suffered a lower back injury, while the other sustained a wound to the face. Both were taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment. The...

Events

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s MTR Corp files police report over counterfeit brick scandal

The MTR Corporation has filed a police report over a counterfeit brick scandal involving one of its construction sites after it failed to resolve concerns about the authenticity of materials and documentation supplied by a subcontractor. The rail giant made the move on Wednesday after the sole licensed mainland Chinese manufacturer of a German-owned brick brand said it had taken legal action over alleged falsification of authorisation documents and test reports two months ago, before imitation...

Events

1 week ago Luxury Hong Kong home at Redhill Peninsula burgled, HK$400,000 of items missing

A house at the luxury Redhill Peninsula estate was burgled on Saturday, with more than half of the HK$400,000 (US$51,200) worth of items stolen belonging to a domestic helper. Police received a report in the morning that a house at Redhill Peninsula had been broken into, with gold jewellery among the items missing. A source said most of the stolen goods belonged to a domestic helper working for the owner of the home. “The house owner has employed the domestic helper for 44 years,” the source...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong police seek public’s help to find missing father and son

Hong Kong police have appealed for the public’s help to find a father and his 12-year-old son, who went missing in Hung Hom 10 days ago. The force said on Thursday that Tong Kin, 49, and Theo Tong Mang-shun were last seen on Po Loi Street on Monday last week. Their family filed a report this Tuesday. According to a police description, the father is 1.73 metres (5.67 feet) tall, weighs about 65kg (143lbs) and has a thin build. He is described as having a long face and short black hair. Theo Tong...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong nightclub on BBoss site suspends operations after 2 months

Nightclub Big Boss Generation (BBG) has suspended operations just two months after it opened on the site of Hong Kong’s legendary Club BBoss with hopes of attracting tourists and young revellers eager for a taste of 1980s nightlife nostalgia. A staff member at BBG told the Post on Wednesday that CEO Edward Li had informed employees not to come back to work, without providing more details. BBG did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than a decade after Club BBoss closed, BBG...

Economics

2 w. ago Calls for Hong Kong government to speed up probe into pricier water deal

Hong Kong authorities are facing mounting pressure to explain how a company offering more expensive bottled water and without an operating factory could win a tender, while a civil service union leader has said workers are now worried about their health and are buying their own water. Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon on Monday questioned the deadline of three months that the government had set for itself in its investigation to produce preliminary conclusions on its bottled water procurement...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong cancels all rainstorm warnings less than 2 hours after class suspensions

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. Hong Kong education authorities suspended all morning and whole-day classes on Monday due to squally thunderstorms, but the weather forecaster cancelled all rainstorm warnings less than two hours later. The Hong Kong Observatory cancelled an amber warning at 7.20am, more than an hour after...

Events

2 w. ago Amber warning reinstated after heavy rain forces class suspension in Hong Kong

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. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster issued another amber rainstorm warning on Monday, several hours after squally thunderstorms forced education authorities to suspend all morning and whole-day classes. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the second amber warning of the day at 10.20am. The first one...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong cancels all rainstorm signals after showers force class suspensions

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. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster cancelled all rainstorm warning signals on Monday, several hours after squally thunderstorms forced education authorities to suspend all morning and whole-day classes. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the second amber warning of the day at 10.20am and cancelled...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong orders probe into procurement processes amid bottled water scandal

Hong Kong authorities have ordered an investigation and set up a task force to review official procurement processes after a company supplied bottled water that listed a mainland Chinese brand as a manufacturer without its permission. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau outlined its plan on Sunday, a day after the Government Logistics Department partially terminated a HK$52.9 million deal with bottled water supplier Xin Ding Xin Trade because it doubted whether the company was capable...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong suspends bottled water deal with mainland firm, files police report

Hong Kong authorities have suspended a newly granted drinking water supply contract with a mainland Chinese company and reported the matter to police. The Government Logistics Department said on Saturday that it doubted Xin Ding Xin Trade Company could fulfil its obligations under the 36-month contract, which was granted to it just two months ago. The agreement stipulates the supply of bottled drinking water to government offices on Hong Kong Island and some outlying islands, starting from the...

Economics

2 w. ago Hong Kong partially terminates civil service water deal with mainland firm

Hong Kong authorities have partially terminated a new bottled water supply contract awarded to a mainland Chinese company for certain government offices and reported the matter to police. The Government Logistics Department said on Saturday that it doubted Xin Ding Xin Trade Co Ltd would still be capable of fulfilling the 36-month contract, which it won just two months ago. The agreement covered the supply of bottled drinking water to government offices on Hong Kong Island and some outlying...

Economics

2 w. ago Hong Kong partially axes bottled water deal with mainland firm amid police probe

Hong Kong authorities have partially terminated a new bottled water supply contract awarded to a mainland Chinese company for certain government offices, with police investigating suspected illegal activities. The Government Logistics Department said on Saturday that it doubted Xin Ding Xin Trade Co Ltd would still be capable of fulfilling the 36-month contract, which it won just two months ago. The agreement covered the supply of bottled drinking water to government offices on Hong Kong Island...

Economics