Typhoon Noul is bringing winds and heavy rain to southern China, including Hong Kong, over the weekend, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the province of Guangdong with the region on high alert and at least dozens of flights canceled. Hong Kong’s Observatory said Noul, which had intensified with maximum sustained…
Hong Kong hotels and guest houses are required to provide fire escape hoods to ensure customer safety, with authorities rolling out a grace period for the sector, the city’s home affairs minister has said. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen also said on Saturday that the government would discuss implementation arrangements with…
Close to 170 mainland Chinese motorists are expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Saturday under an expanded cross-border travel scheme, with hotels rolling out accommodation, dining, shopping and parking packages to attract the new visitors. The Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme was extended to cover five more cities – Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou…
Hong Kong authorities issued 21 fixed-penalty notices to workers in the first six days of a citywide ban on smoking at construction sites, the labour commissioner has revealed, describing the situation as not ideal. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said on Saturday that about 530 construction sites had been inspected during the first six…
On a sunny July afternoon along the shores of Hong Kong’s Lamma Island, the receding tide reveals an unassuming patch of greenery that scientists describe as the “ultimate underwater superheroes” for boosting marine biodiversity. Seagrass – an easily overlooked marine plant – can lock away climate-warming carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. But levels…
The administrator of the fire-hit Hong Kong estate is still settling contracts and gradually issuing refunds to owners after organising tens of thousands of documents, the city’s home affairs minister has said in response to residents’ concerns. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Saturday that Hop On Management Company, the…
A social media user has been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat, which included threats of violence, in comments posted on the South China Morning Post’s Instagram account. The 20-year-old suspect, surnamed Hui, posted two comments under an SCMP Instagram post titled “Hong Kong Disneyland rolls out afternoon tickets, extra cooling to beat…
More than 30 restaurants have pulled out of Hong Kong’s new dog-friendly dining scheme, and officers have issued 70 warnings during inspections since its launch, the city’s environment chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Saturday that some 31 eateries had withdrawn from the dog-friendly restaurant scheme since it was…
Hong Kong student Angel Lau Yin-kwan, 16, has wanted to visit China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for some time, to learn more about the birthplace of her favourite mainland Chinese actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. Before embarking on a seven-day northern Xinjiang learning tour in early July under the Solar Project, organised by public broadcaster RTHK, Lau…
Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon signal between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday and afternoon classes will be suspended in some schools. The Hong Kong Observatory said local winds were expected to strengthen gradually with squally showers developing later in the day, as Typhoon Noul moved steadily across the northeastern part…