Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump. In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that…
Prediction markets occupy a grey area under Hong Kong’s gambling laws, with experts warning that the increasingly popular betting platforms could pose risks related to market manipulation and consumer protection. Lawyers and a legislator said that while a ban could restrict access to these largely unregulated betting platforms, authorities would face challenges in gathering evidence…
A government investigation into an alleged indecent assault of a four-year-old kindergarten pupil at an international school in Hong Kong’s Stanley has concluded that the claim of child maltreatment was “not established”, drawing the weeks-long probe to a close. The International Montessori School (IMS) welcomed the Social Welfare Department’s conclusion, expressing “immense relief” after going…
A Hong Kong tour guide accused of threatening visitors into making shopping purchases has been struck off for damaging the sector’s reputation and breaching professional conduct, in the second disciplinary action of its kind in less than two months. The Travel Industry Authority said on Friday it revoked Siu Man-chung’s tour guide licence after investigating…
Hong Kong’s exports rose by nearly 43 per cent year on year in April, driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronics, although the government warned that the Middle East war could cloud the near-term outlook. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Thursday showed that the total value of exports…
Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has given approval for 3,600 old low-rise residential buildings to install a new Internet of Things (IoT) smart fire alarm system as an alternative to traditional fire-safety equipment, following a successful pilot scheme in the first quarter of this year. The IoT-enabled system consists of detectors installed in individual flats…
Hong Kong health authorities have deployed an AI chatbot developed by a local university to help residents quit smoking, after missing their target despite a clampdown on tobacco products. The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office noted on Wednesday that the city’s smoking rate had dropped to 8.5 per cent last year, one of the lowest…
Residents of the only block left largely unscathed in Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire have brought large suitcases, trolleys and cardboard boxes as they return home for a second time to collect their belongings. Homeowners on Wednesday also said they felt they had played a passive role and still had many questions about the government’s…
More than 400 cancer patients are set to benefit from Hong Kong health authorities’ decision to subsidise a leukaemia drug, and will go from paying up to HK$500,000 (US$63,800) a year for treatment to forking out just HK$240. The Hospital Authority said on Wednesday that it began subsidising the medication, Dasatinib, in April, with the…
Visitors enjoy a bright weekend afternoon at Shek O beach in Hong Kong on May 3, 2026. (SHAMIM ASHRAF / CHINA DAILY) Hong Kong’s weather was exceptionally warm last month, with the city recording its second highest mean temperature for April, the Hong Kong Observatory said Tuesday. The HKO said the city’s monthly mean temperature…