Hong Kong authorities could have provided better guidance to the organiser of a HK$30 million (US$3.85 million) botched hot-air balloon festival, lawmakers have said, even as the government stressed it had already offered professional advice. Lawmakers Doreen Kong Yuk-foon and Michael Tien Puk-sun said on Monday that the government should be more proactive when dealing…
Hong Kong authorities could have provided better guidance to the organiser of a HK$30 million (US$3.85 million) botched hot-air balloon festival, lawmakers have said, even as the government stressed it had already offered professional advice. Lawmakers Doreen Kong Yuk-foon and Michael Tien Puk-sun said on Monday that the government should be more proactive when dealing…
Hong Kong police have arrested a married couple suspected of being at the centre of a rapidly unfolding controversy surrounding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) contract to supply drinking water to some government offices. The pair allegedly defrauded the government and are suspected of breaching the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by providing false information about the…
A proposed piece of legislation by the Hong Kong government to recognise same-sex partnerships is set to be the first bill the legislature will reject since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system in 2021 to ensure only “patriots” held political power. The new law, opposed by the major political parties, was the government’s response to…
Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of potentially extending a baby bonus scheme to talent admitted to Hong Kong to boost the birth rate, despite some professionals complaining about being left out. Experts and lawmakers said that other incentives and measures were needed to encourage childbearing and boost the birth rate. Last month, Secretary…
A law amendment proposal to reduce the number of prepaid SIM cards per user from 10 to three is not robust enough to deter rampant phone scams, according to Hong Kong lawmakers, who called for a more holistic approach to handling the issue Hong Kong authorities have proposed reducing the maximum number of prepaid SIM…
Hong Kong should step up victim protection by outlawing deepfake pornographic content, advocates and lawmakers have said, after a university student was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate explicit images of his classmates. The Education Bureau weighed in on the case on Sunday, saying publicly funded universities had autonomy in how they managed…
Chan Tak-ching, 92, spends her day at a stall set up next to a Hong Kong railway station, as her colleagues manage operations under a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) heat. She is not concerned about the earnings of about HK$500 (US$63.70) to HK$600 a day. Chan’s main concern is being present at the…
Chan Tak-ching, 92, spends her day at a stall set up next to a Hong Kong railway station, as her colleagues manage operations under a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) heat. She is not concerned about the earnings of about HK$500 (US$63.70) to HK$600 a day. Chan’s main concern is being present at the…
Hong Kong’s leader has announced 10 follow-up measures to resolve a freshwater contamination saga at two public housing estates a week after residents voiced their worries, as the government faced mounting criticism over its slow response. A veteran political analyst also called the government’s response “embarrassing”, saying it undermined the city’s efforts to show improvements…