70 m. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee defends national security clauses for restaurant licences

Hong Kong’s John Lee Ka-chiu has defended the introduction of national security clauses for restaurant licences, saying the new requirements also apply to Lunar New Year fair stalls. The city leader said on Tuesday that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had made the decision to help fulfil its legal obligation to safeguard national security. “When handling new licensing or the renewal of new licences, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will do their work according to the...

Events

3 h. ago 3 gambling giants to close 11 satellite casinos in Macau amid industry shake

Three gaming concession holders in Macau will shut down 11 satellite casinos by the end of this year, when a three-year transition period for amended legislation is set to expire, with local authorities to monitor the impact on the venues’ more than 5,000 affected employees. Macau authorities announced on Monday that the government had been officially notified by SJM Resorts, Melco Resorts (Macau) and Galaxy Casino that the satellite casinos would cease operations by December 31. The venues set...

Politics

6 h. ago Hong Kong to mark July 1 anniversary with 71,000 free MTR tickets: John Lee

More than 70,000 free MTR tickets will be up for grabs on July 1 as part of citywide celebrations to commemorate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, the chief executive has said. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday he would bring forward his annual policy address by a month to September, in light of the Legislative Council election scheduled for the end of this year. Public consultation is set to kick off on Monday next week. He said the government would...

Politics

6 h. ago Concern in Japan as police investigation uncovers possible yakuza

A police investigation into alleged organised crime activity in Japan has uncovered what experts say could be signs of cooperation between a domestic yakuza faction and Hong Kong’s 14K triad, one of Asia’s most powerful criminal networks. The concern centres around a video found on a mobile phone seized during an arrest in September last year, which shows individuals sharing glasses of sake – a traditional ritual that experts say can symbolise an oath of loyalty or alliance. According to Jiji...

Events

7 h. ago As 2 Hong Kong art chiefs step down, what’s next for city’s culture scene?

Para Site and Asia Art Archive (AAA), two long-standing independent cultural institutions in Hong Kong, are simultaneously seeking new executive directors at a pivotal moment for the city’s cultural scene. On June 2, Para Site in Quarry Bay announced that Billy Tang had stepped down as executive director and curator after concluding his three-year contract. The British-born former senior curator of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum took over from Cosmin Costinas – who had run Para Site for 11 years...

Culture

7 h. ago Hong Kong medical device maker to expand China facility amid US, EU barriers

Vincent Medical Holdings, a Hong Kong-based medical device maker, has doubled down on manufacturing in China by investing in automation and digitalisation, instead of moving operations abroad amid rising trade barriers in the US and Europe. The maker of disposable radiology products and respiratory devices is building a factory in Kaiping in the western part of the Greater Bay Area, CEO Raymond Choi Cheung-tai said in an interview. Trial operations could start before the end of the year, he...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory may raise No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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 Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess the need to raise the alert to a higher level the following day. The forecaster said a broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea was...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory could issue No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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 Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess the need to raise the alert to a higher level the following day. The forecaster said a broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea was...

Politics

10 h. ago Hong Kong advocates on why church sex abuse cases take time to surface

An imbalance of power in churches, a culture of secrecy and the misuse of theology are among the significant barriers victims face in reporting sexual abuse cases, advocates have said, after a retired Hong Kong pastor was arrested in connection with an assault on a minor in the 1990s. An NGO and a Christian group on Sunday called on religious groups to establish sexual harassment policies, noting that sexually abused children took 13 years on average to seek help. They also urged authorities to...

Events

10 h. ago Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto vis Hong Kong

Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto vis Hong Kong  Regulation Asia

Politics

10 h. ago Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto via Hong Kong

Beijing Issues Framework for Liquidating Seized Crypto via Hong Kong  Regulation Asia

Politics

18 h. ago Hong Kong tourism sector urged to provide packages, discounts for National Games

Hong Kong’s tourism sector should consider offering promotional packages including hotel discounts to spectators at the coming National Games, which the city will co-host in November, authorities have said. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Monday that a unified ticket sales platform would be used for all Games events to be held in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, with more details to be announced soon. She said once the Guangdong Provincial Executive...

Politics

18 h. ago Live updates: Trump officials seek to repair frayed trade war truce with China

Live updates: Trump officials seek to repair frayed trade war truce with China  The Washington Post

Politics

19 h. ago Blink and you’re in. Macau launching iris scan immigration for Hongkongers this week

Hongkongers travelling to Macau can speed up immigration clearance using an eye scan starting this week. Authorities in the gaming hub said on Monday eligibility for its iris recognition immigration clearance had been extended to Hong Kong permanent residents who had registered for its automated passenger clearance service. Eligible Hongkongers can begin using the service from noon on Wednesday. Eighty-one iris recognition channels have been installed at six Macau border checkpoints: the Border...

Politics

19 h. ago Slain Hong Kong model Abby Choi ‘took advantage’ of rich husband, court hears

The former mother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung feared the model’s disappearance two years ago would expose how the deceased had financially exploited her wealthy husband, a court has heard. Jenny Li Sui-heung, 65, told the District Court on Monday that she thought it was “shameful” to talk to police about the “chaotic” relationship between Choi, her husband Chris Tam and ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi after the model went missing on February 21, 2023. The defendant, who...

Events

19 h. ago Tariff war ‘not the end of the world’ for Hong Kong companies: trade council chief

The US-China tariff war is “not the end of the world” for Hong Kong businesses, the new head of the city’s Trade Development Council has said, as he outlined strategies to help them capitalise on geopolitical uncertainties. Chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, who took office on June 1, also said on Monday the council would explore setting up more offices in new markets and rebranding the Asian Financial Forum to include more industry elements. The council has 51 offices around the world, including...

Events

21 h. ago Domestic helper gets 14 months’ jail in Hong Kong for jewellery theft

A domestic helper has been jailed for 14 months in Hong Kong after admitting that she stole jewellery from her employer and pawned most of the 47 items for HK$200,000 out of greed. Eastern Court on Monday sentenced Sherelle Lyn Valle Dajay, 41, for the theft of valuables taken from her employer’s home at Black’s Link in Happy Valley over a seven-month span last year. The Filipino national pleaded guilty last month to two counts of theft. She took valuables stored inside an unlocked wardrobe in...

Events

21 h. ago US soybean farmers move to reduce dependence on China as trade war grinds on

Soybean farmers in the United States have stepped up efforts to diversify their export markets while maintaining China as a critical buyer, despite ongoing trade tensions between the two superpowers, according to the head of a leading industry association. Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council, said that while concerns about possible disruptions persist, China’s strong demand for soybeans – a crucial commodity for food and livestock feed – would ensure the US remains an important...

Events

21 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers call for TV stations to show more English

Hong Kong’s broadcast watchdog has been asked to require TV stations to produce more local programmes on their English channels to “tell good Hong Kong stories” to expats and visitors. Stations are permitted to have up to 45 per cent of their English-channel content be in other languages, a threshold some lawmakers said on Monday was too high and at odds with Hong Kong’s role as an international city. Some legislators also urged the government to sponsor TV stations to produce dramas promoting...

Politics

21 h. ago Man arrested after fireworks ignited at Hong Kong’s Avenue of Stars

Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of discharging fireworks at Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars. A video circulating on social media since Sunday shows a man with a braid igniting a firework at the waterfront promenade near K11 Musea. In the clip, the man was heard speaking in Mandarin, repeatedly telling the person filming to stop recording. Officers from the Yau Tsim police district arrested a 21-year-old man from mainland China in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday afternoon, a force...

Events