10 h. ago 2 Hong Kong pupils take top prizes in first global youth storytelling competition

Two Hong Kong students secured championship titles on Saturday in the first storytelling competition for global youth, delivering impassioned speeches on education and AI before an audience of about 100 people. Vanessa Jane Wong, a Form Four pupil from the Independent Schools Foundation Academy, won the top award in the senior category, while Wan Ruixi, a Form Two student from Hong Kong University Graduate Association College, took the junior prize. Organised by the South China Morning Post and...

Politics

10 h. ago Beijing slams US senators for ‘malicious’ bill targeting Hong Kong trade offices

Beijing’s foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong has “strongly condemned” a group of US senators for pushing what it calls “malicious legislation” that seeks to strip the city’s trade offices in the United States of their special privileges and potentially force their closure. A spokesman for the Commissioner’s Office of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said the senators’ move exposed their “deep-rooted ideological prejudice” and “Cold War mentality”. “Any attempts to smear Hong Kong’s freedom and...

Events

12 h. ago Infrequent yet unforgettable: Hong Kong’s rare cases of police opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong’s rare cases of police officers opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

14 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

14 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

18 h. ago Drama in Hong Kong’s first international marathon in 1969 – from the SCMP archive

This article was first published on December 15, 1969 Drama in HK’s first international marathon by Neil Perera Unheralded Kim Cha Hwan of South Korea yesterday (December 14, 1969) pulverised an international field of long distance runners to win the first Tin Tin international marathon in the New Territories. Kim, a 21-year-old electrician, overcame a determined challenge from Australia’s John Farrington to cover the gruelling 26 miles course in two hours 20 minutes 39 seconds. He immediately...

Events

18 h. ago Hong Kong contractors rated poorly by homeowners face removal after Tai Po fire

Hong Kong authorities may remove building maintenance contractors from a government-recommended list if homeowners are dissatisfied with their performance, as part of measures to combat bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po fire, the city’s No 2 official has said. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok‑ki said on Saturday that the government aimed to improve the Urban Renewal Authority’s “Smart Tender” scheme by establishing a pre‑selected list of qualified contractors. The scheme provides support to...

Events

19 h. ago Machinery use suspended after worker severs hand at Hong Kong recycling centre

Hong Kong authorities have issued a suspension notice to a contractor at a government-run recycling centre after a worker severed his palm while clearing debris from a wood-chipping machine. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on Saturday said it was “highly concerned” about the incident, which occurred at around 2pm the day before at the Y·Park yard waste recycling centre in Tuen Mun. The worker was trying to clear debris stuck in an operating wood chipper when his left palm was...

Economics

21 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest another man with knife, days after earlier case in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police have arrested a man who brandished a knife in an apparently disoriented state near a McDonald’s in Tsuen Wan, just two days after officers shot dead another blade-wielding attacker elsewhere in the city. Police said they received a report at 8.42am from a passer-by that a man was seen holding a knife in the area near a McDonald’s on Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan. On arriving at the scene, officers immediately subdued the man, with no injuries reported. According to local media...

Events

21 h. ago Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

Politics

24 h. ago Musk’s xAI sued over Grok deepfakes – this time, by mother of his child

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitative deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York City against xAI that the images have included a photo of her fully dressed at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, and others showing...

Politics

24 h. ago Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

The HK$4.4 billion (US$564 million) donated for Tai Po fire victims will grow gradually with interest earned from fixed deposits, the home affairs minister has told the Post, adding the money will also fund long-term resettlement. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the fund’s accountant, the Treasury, had put an “appropriate amount” of the unallocated donated money into fixed deposits. “Some say, ‘you are just leaving...

Politics

33 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

34 h. ago Hong Kong passport ranks 15th globally, rising 3 places in visa

Hongkongers hold the world’s 15th most powerful passport, up three places from last year, according to an index measuring visa-free access. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport offers visa-free access to 171 destinations, according to this year’s Henley Passport Index released last week. Singapore retained the top ranking for the third consecutive year, granting its citizens visa-free entry to 192 destinations. However, data from the Hong Kong Immigration Department shows that...

Politics

34 h. ago Hongkonger reported missing in Iran ‘for many days’ amid internet shutdown, protests

Immigration authorities have confirmed receiving a plea for help concerning a Hong Kong resident reported missing “for many days” in Iran, as the country faces a nationwide internet shutdown amid protests against the government. A spokesman for the Immigration Department told the Post on Friday that it had received “a relevant inquiry” and was in touch with the Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ local arm in the city. A source confirmed the inquiry came from...

Events

36 h. ago Hong Kong considers doubling attendance threshold for major renovation approvals

Hong Kong homeowners could face a higher bar for approving major building renovation projects as the government considers doubling the in-person attendance threshold to 10 per cent or more, the Post has learned. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen pledged to fast-track the amendment to the Building Management Ordinance, without providing a specific timeline. The ordinance aims to plug loopholes and enhance owners’...

Politics

36 h. ago Hong Kong plans to build Northern Metropolis logistics hub for smart, green growth

Hong Kong is building a logistics hub for high-value goods, e-commerce and low-altitude economy in the Northern Metropolis mega development project, with authorities set to gauge industry interest in the first site of the cluster this year. The Transport and Logistics Bureau said on Friday that authorities aimed to attract leading logistics firms with tailored incentives, such as land grant arrangements and premium concessions, to a planned industrial cluster covering more than 30 hectares in...

Politics

37 h. ago Hong Kong’s latest office landmark nearly full as segment upturn simmers

The newest landmark office tower in Hong Kong’s main business zone is nearing full occupancy a year and a half after it welcomed its first tenants, suggesting improving fortunes in the city’s office property segment. The Henderson – the prime commercial development and namesake tower for one of Hong Kong’s largest developers – reached 90 per cent occupancy recently, Henderson Land said on Friday. The 36-storey building in Central counts among its tenants auction house Christie’s, alternative...

Politics

37 h. ago Hong Kong’s CineArt Cinema to open branch at site of Ma On Shan’s only theatre

Hong Kong’s Ma On Shan residents will get a new cinema at a recently vacated site of its sole theatre, bucking the trend of closures that began during the pandemic. CineArt Cinema said on Friday it would open a new branch at MOSTown, a shopping centre in Ma On Shan, before Lunar New Year. While the chain did not specify an exact date, the first day of Lunar New Year falls on February 17. It said the venue had up to four screens and could accommodate as many as 435 patrons. It also said the venue...

Culture