58 m. 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

2 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

2 h. ago Hong Kong authorities confirm bitumen in water in Sai Wan Ho private estate

Hong Kong authorities have confirmed the presence of bitumen in water samples from a private estate in Sai Wan Ho, with the substance believed to have originated from upstream water supply pipe work. In a reply to the Post on Thursday, the Water Supplies Department said it conducted tests on water samples after receiving isolated reports from the management office of Grand Promenade in Sai Wan Ho about black particles in drinking water. The department noted that the water samples collected from...

Economics

3 h. ago Hong Kong waiter charged with inciting subversion under Beijing

Hong Kong waiter charged with inciting subversion under Beijing-imposed nat. security law  Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Politics

6 h. ago Hong Kong stocks waver as investors await details on policy support from Beijing

Hong Kong stocks fluctuated between gains and losses on Thursday as investors awaited signals on additional policy support from Beijing after China’s deflation deepened and the end of the 90-day tariff ceasefire with the US gets closer. The Hang Seng Index fell less than 0.1 per cent to 23,887 as of 10.05am local time, while the Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.4 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.2 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 per cent. Sunny Optical...

Economics

7 h. ago Red rainstorm warning issued as Hong Kong hit by widespread heavy showers

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 has issued a red rainstorm warning as the city is being hit by widespread heavy showers. The signal was raised at 9.36am on Thursday, replacing an amber rainstorm warning that was issued by the Hong Kong Observatory at 8.35am. “Widespread heavy rain may affect...

Events

7 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory downgrades red rainstorm warning to amber

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. The weather forecaster has lowered its red rainstorm warning to amber as Hong Kong is being hit by widespread heavy showers. The signal, raised at 9.36am on Thursday, was replaced by an amber rainstorm warning at 10.40am. An amber warning was also issued by the Hong Kong Observatory earlier at...

Events

7 h. ago Afternoon school classes suspended as Hong Kong hit by widespread heavy rain

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. Classes at all afternoon schools will be suspended on Thursday as Hong Kong’s weather forecaster downgrades a rainstorm warning from red to amber, amid widespread heavy showers. The Education Bureau also said that morning and whole-day schools already in session would continue operating until...

Events

7 h. ago All day schools suspended as Hong Kong hit by widespread heavy rain

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 authorities have announced that all day schools will be suspended on Friday due to severe weather, including heavy rain and thunderstorms, as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Danas move across Guangdong. The government’s extreme weather committee on handling also said the first day...

Events

7 h. ago All day schools to be suspended on Friday as Hong Kong hit by widespread heavy rain

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 authorities have announced that all day schools will be suspended on Friday due to severe weather, including heavy rain and thunderstorms, as the remnants of storm Danas move across Guangdong. The government’s extreme weather handling committee also said the first days of Secondary...

Events

7 h. ago CATL’s 46% Rise in Hong Kong Sends Premium Over China to Record

CATL’s 46% Rise in Hong Kong Sends Premium Over China to Record  Bloomberg.com

Politics

8 h. ago Commercial property crisis looms in Hong Kong amid sliding values

Hong Kong is facing a commercial real estate crisis, with small and medium-sized developers as well as banks under increasing pressure as capital values slide amid lethargic leasing activity, according to JLL. The capital value of commercial property was set to drop by “a further 5 to 10 per cent” this year, said Joseph Tsang, chairman of the property consultancy in Hong Kong. Selling commercial properties at such prices is not “practical or realistic”, he added. That meant the looming crisis...

Events

8 h. ago Will speeding up rail line for Northern Metropolis entice Hong Kong developers?

The Hong Kong government’s plan to speed up the construction of the rail backbone of the Northern Metropolis near the border with mainland China will make the megaproject more appealing to developers, but whether they will be persuaded to invest is another matter, experts have said. Amid a depressed property market, developers have voiced concerns over their profit margins if they commit to building in the hub, which Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong urged the city to...

Politics

17 h. ago Fresh case of bitumen in water supply for Hong Kong housing, lawmaker says

Hong Kong authorities have provided temporary tanks and vowed to improve the pipes for thousands of households in Sai Wan Ho after bitumen particles were found in water supply samples, according to a lawmaker and the management of a housing estate. Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei said on Wednesday that he had also received complaints about particles in the water from some residents at the Grand Promenade and Lei King Wan estates, which are home to about 2,000 and 2,300 households respectively. “The...

Politics

18 h. ago University of Hong Kong’s revised IT hub plan angers Pok Fu Lam residents

A revised expansion plan by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has triggered fresh anger among Pok Fu Lam residents, who have accused it of dismissing alternative sites without proper due diligence and only meeting them for three hours over the past eight months. But some lawmakers on Wednesday said the university had made “major concessions” by leaving a green belt in the area largely untouched and altering its proposal to instead consider building its global innovation centre on an adjacent...

Politics

18 h. ago Hong Kong tech and telecoms giants unite to combat online fraud

Hong Kong’s major social media, messaging platform providers and telecoms firms have pledged to strengthen checks on advertisers’ identities and remove fraudulent advertisements embedded with phishing links. Seven social media or messaging platforms and six telecommunications companies have joined the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) Anti-scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0. The initiative commits them to proactively detecting fraud on their platforms and networks, as well as cooperating...

Politics

20 h. ago Hong Kong waiter charged with inciting subversion under national security law

A waiter has become the latest person charged under the national security law, with prosecutors accusing him of inciting others to overthrow Beijing and the Hong Kong government in a series of social media posts. Chan Ho-hin, 22, on Wednesday saw his original sedition charge upgraded to one of inciting subversion after West Kowloon Court approved a prosecution request to amend the indictment. The defendant has been remanded in custody since he was first charged on April 30 with a count of...

Events

20 h. ago Hong Kong minister hints at scrapping of MPF tax break proposal for elderly

Hong Kong’s labour minister has dropped the biggest hint yet that authorities intend to scrap a proposal to raise the tax deduction amount for employers’ voluntary pension contributions to older workers, a plan for encouraging greater workforce participation. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday that a government working group on promoting the silver economy decided that the proposed tax initiative “complicated” the policy objective of the Mandatory Provident Fund...

Politics

22 h. ago Average cost of EV licence in Hong Kong could rise 536% under government proposal

The average cost of an electric vehicle (EV) licence in Hong Kong could increase by more than 500 per cent over the next five years, authorities have said, adding that they will also raise the tolls at two tunnels by 60 per cent amid a significant budget deficit. The proposed measures announced by the Transport and Logistics Bureau on Wednesday also included doubling metered parking fees and a 25 to 50 per cent increase in penalties for illegal parking and 19 other traffic violations. The...

Politics

23 h. ago Hong Kong introduces bill to expand scope for punishing lawmakers’ misconduct

Hong Kong authorities have introduced a bill to the legislature that will pave the way for establishing an expanded mechanism under which lawmakers could face suspension and pay cuts for misconduct. The Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill was tabled by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki for its first reading on Wednesday. The bill aims to expand the scope of financial penalties to cover situations in which lawmakers were suspended for violating the proposed Codes for...

Politics