More than half of the reading glasses tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog failed to label pupillary distance, a key measurement for aligning lenses to ensure clear vision and reduced risk of eye strain. The Consumer Council tested 17 models of ready-to-wear reading glasses between January and May this year, with the claimed degree of…
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…
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…
Hong Kong’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.7 per cent in the first quarter, marking a second consecutive decline across rolling three-month periods. The Census and Statistics Department said on Thursday the jobless rate stood at 3.7 per cent for January to March, down from 3.8 per cent in the preceding period…
Hong Kong’s retail sales rose 5.5 per cent year on year in January, with authorities crediting inbound tourism for supporting the sector. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed sales reached HK$37.3 billion (US$4.77 billion) in January, marking the ninth straight month of growth since May 2025, after 14 consecutive…
The loss-making authority that manages Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub will sell bonds for the first time, aimed at raising up to US$1 billion to fund its operations. According to documents submitted to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on Thursday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority appointed the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and…
Hong Kong’s property transactions slipped in January, official data showed, but agents are betting on a Lunar New Year “mini-boom” after several new-home launches sold out in recent weeks. Deals covering new and existing homes, offices, shops, car parking spaces and industrial units fell 15.2 per cent month on month to 7,631, while transaction value…
People generally don’t like change. But if you have ever had to take the worst seat on a bus – lower deck, last row, middle seat – then you would have probably put on the seat belt to avoid being catapulted down the aisle should the driver slam on the brakes. And if you’re on…
Nearly 100 companies filed new listing applications in Hong Kong in January, marking a strong start to 2026 for initial public offering (IPO) activity. A total of 95 companies applied to list on Hong Kong’s main board, while one sought a place on the Growth Enterprise Market, which primarily served smaller and growth-stage firms, according…
Hong Kong’s transport chief has said the government will suspend a mandatory seat belt requirement for bus passengers and later revise the legislation, after the law was found to be only applicable to new buses registered from January 25. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Friday conceded there were “deficiencies” in the law,…