8 h. ago Should Hong Kong hit luxury homeowners with heavier fines for illegal works?

Hong Kong authorities should appeal against the “light” penalties imposed on two property owners for erecting illegal structures at their luxury Redhill Peninsula homes, experts have said, warning that the fines are not hefty enough to deter offenders. The specialists weighed in after the two property owners were told to pay more than HK$110,000 (US$14,015) in total after admitting to carrying out unauthorised building works. Their convictions are the first among 30 prosecutions made against...

Events

30 h. ago 2 owners of luxury homes in Hong Kong fined HK$110,000 over illegal structures

Two owners of luxury homes at Redhill Peninsula have been fined more than HK$110,000 (US$14,015) in total after admitting to carrying out unauthorised building works, the first convictions among 30 prosecutions taken against the landlords of the estate on Hong Kong Island where rampant illegal structures were found. A spokesman for the Buildings Department said on Friday evening the two owners pleaded guilty at Eastern Court to carrying out unauthorised building works on Thursday. They were...

Events

35 h. ago Huawei’s AI chip output limited to 200,000 in 2025, US commerce official says

Huawei Technologies is expected to ship no more than 200,000 of its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors this year, according to a senior Trump administration official overseeing US export controls, who estimated that “most or all of” those chips would be supplied to enterprises within China. That figure would pale in comparison to the more than 1 million China-specific H20 graphics processing units (GPUs) produced by Nvidia in the last nine months of 2024, according to a January...

Politics

4 d. ago TikTok adds 500 UK jobs in expansion as US fate remains uncertain

TikTok, the short video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is expanding in the United Kingdom, adding a new office and more than 500 jobs, while its fate in the US remains uncertain as a June 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. The new 135,000 sq ft office in Barbican, London, is set to open early next year, according to a statement published on TikTok’s website on Monday. The additional jobs will grow its UK workforce to 3,000 this year, the company said. In addition to its existing 88,500...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump deploying 700 Marines and 2,000 more National Guard to quell LA unrest

The US Pentagon ordered hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles and an additional 2,000 National Guard members on Monday to quell unrest that has led to a political stand-off between Washington and officials in the West Coast state. Earlier in the day, California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to sue US President Donald Trump for dispatching National Guard troops to America’s second-most populous city without state authorisation. Chinese and Asian residents in the economically powerful state...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump orders 700 Marines, more National Guard to quell LA unrest

The US Pentagon ordered hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles and an additional 2,000 National Guard members on Monday to quell unrest that has led to a political stand-off between Washington and officials in the West Coast state. Earlier in the day, California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to sue US President Donald Trump for dispatching National Guard troops to America’s second-most populous city without state authorisation. Chinese and Asian residents in the economically powerful state...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Landmark kid’: Japan dad spends US$700,000 on ads featuring cute son’s photos

A Japanese father who runs a real estate company has gone viral for spending 100 million yen (US$700,000) to plaster advertisements bearing his son’s photos on footbridges, buses and convenience stores. The boy, who is known as Yu-kun, is well known in the Adachi area of Tokyo and has been affectionately dubbed “The Landmark Kid” by local residents. His smiling image is everywhere, from massive footbridge banners and parking signs to city buses. His image even appears in convenience store...

Economics

6 d. ago Japan ‘cutest’ Lolita character is singing dad, says girly look makes music softer

A Lolita-style singer and father of two in Japan believes dressing up in feminine clothes makes his music softer. Takuma Tani, 47, who is known for his outfits and vocals, has more than 20,000 followers on social media. Lolita fashion is a subculture and a style of dress that originated in Japan, in the 1990s. It is inspired by Victorian and Rococo styles. Tani started learning piano at the age of three and later studied vocal performance in Liverpool, England. After returning to Japan, he...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong McDonald’s spot close to topping London as world’s busiest

McDonald’s flagship store in Hong Kong is close to claiming the crown as the busiest in the fast-food chain’s global network of more than 40,000 outlets, a capstone in a half-century of operating in the city. The 9,000 sq ft (836 square metre) Admiralty Centre store, which reopened for business last month after a three-week renovation, serves more than 1,000 customers an hour during peak periods, putting it on a trajectory to surpass the chain’s outlet in the concourse of London’s Liverpool...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong police received over 440,000 leads on cyberattacks against city in 2024

Hong Kong police received more than 440,000 pieces of intelligence on cyberthreats targeting the city last year, while 5 per cent of publicly accessible technology assets owned by critical infrastructure operators were vulnerable to online attacks, a first-of-its kind review has found. In a report released on Monday, police said they assessed 90,000 pieces of technology assets, including digital resources such as IP addresses and online domains, and found 4,500 tested items had system...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s MTR Corp opens the Island line in 1985 — from the SCMP archive

This article was first published on June 1, 1985. by Francis Li and Louis Liu Massive roll-up as new line opens Huge crowds rolled up to try out the Mass Transit Railway Island line which went into operation without a hitch on Friday (May 31, 1985). An MTR Corporation spokesman said on Friday night more than 136,000 people travelled on the line between Chai Wan and Admiralty stations in the first five hours after it opened for commuters at 2pm. Rostered station staff helped by volunteer MTR...

Politics

2 w. ago Beijing Internet Court Handled Almost 700 Cases of Minors' Extreme Online Spending Over Past Three Years

Beijing Internet Court Handled Almost 700 Cases of Minors' Extreme Online Spending Over Past Three Years  Yicai Global

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong policeman admits hiding debts to cheat credit union out of HK$280,000

A Hong Kong policeman has admitted concealing the full extent of his debts to secure HK$280,000 (US$35,723) in loans from the force’s credit union, claiming that his divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife had clouded his judgment. Traffic officer Shum Sze-long, 45, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a count of fraud and one of attempted fraud for providing inaccurate and incomplete information to the Hong Kong Police Credit Union when he applied for two loans in 2020 and 2021. Fanling Court...

Economics

3 w. ago Education University of Hong Kong to nearly double master’s admissions to 5,000

President of EdU reveals intake in coming academic year will be nearly twice of previous 2,700 and rake in total gross income of HK$800 million.

Events