3 h. ago US career diplomat Julie Eadeh tipped to be next consul general in Hong Kong

An American official who met opposition activists in Hong Kong during the 2019 anti-government protests is understood to be the top candidate to be the next US consul general in the city. Julie Eadeh, a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and now the US consul general in Istanbul, is expected to take over the position from Gregory May, according to a source familiar with the matter. A second source said Eadeh’s “name” had been “presented to the relevant Chinese authorities”. “Now she...

Politics

4 h. ago HKMA intervenes in the market for the fifth time in 2 weeks to defend currency peg

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) intervened in the foreign-exchange market on Friday for the fifth time in two weeks, scooping up the local currency and increasing overnight lending costs to drive away carry traders who have sought to take advantage of the city’s rate gap with the US dollar. The city’s de facto central bank sold US$1.69 billion ­during New York trading hours on Thursday and bought the equivalent of HK$13.28 billion at HK$7.85 per US dollar, the authority said in a...

Politics

4 h. ago Trump’s new tariffs, cannon barrel sparks Hong Kong bomb scare: 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea US President Donald Trump, apparently impatient with the slow progress of negotiations, slapped 25 per cent unilateral tariffs on Japan and South Korea and equal or...

Politics

4 h. ago Day school suspension amid limited rainfall leaves Hong Kong parents furious

Parents in Hong Kong have questioned the “scientific basis” of the government’s decision to suspend classes at all day schools on Friday, with some arguing their children’s graduation ceremonies were cancelled despite little rainfall in the morning. In a WhatsApp group with more than 1,000 parents, furious comments started flooding in at around 7.30am to complain about the decision. “There is not a drop of rain. Due to class suspension, I still have to take special leave to take care of my...

Politics

4 h. ago ‘Better safe than sorry,’ Hong Kong’s No 2 official says over school suspension

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has responded to parents’ concerns about the suspension of day schools on Friday despite the fine weather, saying it was a difficult decision due to the low predictability of rainstorms and the wish by authorities to be “safe than sorry”. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, who chairs the steering committee on handling extreme weather, said the government had decided to halt certain classes due to the local forecaster predicting that Hong Kong could have faced its...

Politics

5 h. ago Why have severe storms hit Hong Kong despite lower cyclone intensity?

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 experienced severe rainstorms because the monsoon provided rich moisture that amplified the residual impact of tropical cyclone Danas, despite its early landfall, the weather forecaster has said. The Observatory’s explanation came after heavy downpours and thunderstorms across the...

Events

5 h. ago Safety scare over Hong Kong public housing water in 2015 – from SCMP archive

This article was first published on July 12, 2015. Alert raised over tap water as more lead samples found by Emily Tsang Fears are growing over the safety of water supplied to Hong Kong’s public housing after a contamination scare spread on Saturday (July 11, 2015) in a development which a top government official has described as “highly concerning’’. Just days after initial tests revealed excessive levels of lead in the water from the Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City, three more samples have...

Politics

8 h. ago How mainland standards will bring Hong Kong cheaper, faster northern rail line

Hong Kong’s move to use mainland standards for a cross-border rail project in the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment can set a viable precedent for the future, experts have said, as it capitalises on China’s established and rapidly growing railway sector. Although the Hong Kong government did not specifically set out which mainland Chinese standards would be applied to the construction of the Northern Link spur line, it forecast that the project could be completed two to four years earlier in...

Politics

8 h. ago How mainland China standards will bring Hong Kong cheaper, faster northern line

Hong Kong’s move to use mainland standards for a cross-border rail project in the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment can set a viable precedent for the future, experts have said, as it capitalises on China’s established and rapidly growing railway sector. Although the Hong Kong government did not specifically set out which mainland Chinese standards would be applied to the construction of the Northern Link spur line, it forecast that the project could be completed two to four years earlier in...

Politics

16 h. ago Hong Kong police vow to pursue fugitive singer Tommy Yuen ‘to the end’

Hong Kong police have said they will pursue Cantopop singer Tommy Yuen Man-on “to the end” after he failed to appear in court to face a shoplifting charge. The force on Thursday condemned Yuen’s “shameful act” of fleeing Hong Kong to avoid facing justice, calling it a blatant challenge to the rule of law. “All offenders should not have delusions that they can escape justice by fleeing Hong Kong,” a police spokesman said. He said police would pursue fugitives to the end unless they surrendered...

Events

18 h. ago HKU launches clinical trial in Hong Kong to treat chronic hepatitis B patients

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has launched a clinical trial for a gene-related therapy aimed at treating chronic hepatitis B infection, giving patients hope for a cure in the future. Professor Yuen Man-fung, chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at HKU’s medical faculty, said on Thursday that existing medication for hepatitis B patients could only suppress the virus and had to be taken for decades. He expected that the new treatment could enable patients to discontinue...

Science

19 h. ago Hong Kong customs seizes HK$36 million of ketamine shipped from the Netherlands

Hong Kong customs has seized 80kg (176lbs) of ketamine worth an estimated HK$36 million (US$4.6 million) concealed inside a truck engine shipped from the Netherlands. The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday that officers flagged a sea freight consignment arriving from the Netherlands on May 6, declared as containing 15 assorted items. The cargo was subsequently detained for inspection at a logistics warehouse in San Tin. Upon opening the container on May 9, officers found a truck...

Economics

22 h. ago Hong Kong customs seizes fake medicinal products worth HK$1.1 million, arrests 5

Hong Kong customs has seized counterfeit Chinese proprietary medicine and other items worth HK$1.1 million (US$140,127) in raids on four shops in commercial districts, and arrested a company director and four staff members. The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday the counterfeit medicines included Angong Niuhuang pills and Ricqles Peppermint Cure, as well as skincare and cosmetic products found in stores in Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Sheung Shui. “We have noticed that these...

Economics

22 h. ago Southern China and Hong Kong Brace for Floods and Fierce Winds from Danas

Southern China and Hong Kong Brace for Floods and Fierce Winds from Danas  The New York Times

Events

23 h. ago Hong Kong’s IntelliGen AI takes on Google DeepMind in drug discovery

IntelliGen AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up founded in Hong Kong, is positioning itself as a competitor to Google DeepMind in the field of drug discovery, as the city increasingly seeks to bolster its AI capabilities. In an interview with the Post, founder and president Ronald Sun expressed confidence that IntelliGen AI could soon compete globally with Isomorphic Labs, a spin-off of DeepMind, in leveraging AI for drug screening and design. “For generative science, new breakthroughs...

Events

24 h. ago Rescued Hong Kong leopard cat ‘growing stronger, preparing to return to wild’

A leopard cat rescued after being spotted by hikers is growing stronger and is being prepared to soon return to Hong Kong’s wilderness, according to the organisation behind the feline’s rehabilitation. Hikers discovered the animal in a catchwater drain in April and sought help from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), with the cat later sent to Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden for care and treatment. “Our rehabilitators worked long hours supporting the cat with its...

Events

24 h. ago Split in Hong Kong, London’s fortunes is about more than stock markets

In global equity markets, the performance gap between London and Hong Kong has widened dramatically. Once one of the world’s most liquid stock markets, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has haemorrhaged listings during the past decade and exposed deep-seated problems in Britain’s capital markets. In the first half of this year, fundraising from initial public offerings (IPOs) in London fell to the lowest level since 1995. Hong Kong, by contrast, has staged an extraordinary revival that propelled...

Politics

24 h. ago Worker dies after iron beam falls at Hong Kong construction site amid rainstorm

A worker has died after an iron beam fell at a construction site near the border-crossing facilities of Hong Kong’s mega bridge connecting mainland China and Macau. Police said on Thursday that they received a report at 1.58pm that an iron beam had fallen at the site, hitting two workers. One of them was certified dead while the other was injured in the wrist and shoulder. The injured worker has been sent to North Lantau Hospital for treatment. The incident happened on Shun Wui Road, which is...

Events

25 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers suggest cap on parking meter duration, progressive charges

Hong Kong lawmakers have suggested additional measures such as capping the duration a vehicle can occupy a metered lot and implementing progressive fees, following a slew of recent government proposals to adjust traffic-related charges, including doubling parking rates. Ben Chan Han-pan, a member of the Legislative Council’s transport panel, said on Thursday he welcomed the proposed parking fee hikes, noting that despite the 100 per cent increase in meter rates, the new charges at public lots...

Politics

26 h. ago Retired Hong Kong social worker admits defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780

A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge against the approval of the San Tin Technopole project’s environmental study has admitted to concealing his financial assets to defraud authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,137) in welfare benefits. Eddie Tse Sai-kit on Thursday pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud for obtaining monthly aid of HK$4,195 on four occasions without notifying the Social Welfare Department that his income exceeded the limit for receiving an old age...

Economics