Hong Kong officials ‘could have provided better guidance to failed balloon event’

Hong Kong officials ‘could have provided better guidance to failed balloon event’

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…

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Hong Kong officials ‘could have provided better guidance to failed balloon event’

Hong Kong officials ‘could have provided better guidance to failed balloon event’

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…

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Another Hong Kong homeowner convicted over illegal structures, fined HK$150,000

Another Hong Kong homeowner convicted over illegal structures, fined HK$150,000

A homeowner in Redhill Peninsula has been fined HK$150,000 (US$19,230) after pleading guilty to carrying out unauthorised building works, marking the 12th conviction following Hong Kong authorities’ crackdown on illegal construction. The owner of a detached home in the private housing estate on Hong Kong Island admitted at Eastern Court on Friday that he knowingly…

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Another Hong Kong homeowner convicted over illegal structures, fined HK$150,000

Another Hong Kong homeowner convicted over illegal structures, fined HK$150,000

Another homeowner in Redhill Peninsula has been found guilty of carrying out unauthorised building works and fined HK$150,000 (US$19,230), marking the 12th conviction after Hong Kong authorities’ crackdown on illegal construction. The owner of a detached home in the private housing estate on Hong Kong Island pleaded guilty at Eastern Court on Friday to knowingly…

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Hong Kong should crack down on illegal medical practices, DAB party urges

Hong Kong should crack down on illegal medical practices, DAB party urges

Hong Kong authorities should step up efforts against illegal medical practices, the city’s largest political party has urged, after the organisation received about 100 complaints related to non-professionals allegedly offering pain relief services. Lawmaker Chan Wing-kwong of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) said on Friday that some of…

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Explainer | What’s the next stage in Hong Kong’s journey to a ride-hailing services framework?

Explainer | What’s the next stage in Hong Kong’s journey to a ride-hailing services framework?

Hong Kong authorities have proposed a legislative framework to regulate ride-hailing services. The proposed law aims to give the public safer, legal and more diverse travel choices while allowing fair competition and the orderly development of point-to-point transport services, according to officials. The legal framework was worked out amid mounting calls for legalising ride-hailing services,…

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Hong Kong students ‘not victims’ in global university hub push: education chief

Hong Kong students ‘not victims’ in global university hub push: education chief

Local students are “beneficiaries and participants” in the process of turning Hong Kong into an international higher education hub, a government minister has said, amid concerns that they will become “victims” whose interests are being undermined. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also told lawmakers on Friday that authorities would closely monitor the need to…

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Hong Kong school’s registration revoked amid cross-border DSE tutorial centre row

Hong Kong school’s registration revoked amid cross-border DSE tutorial centre row

Hong Kong’s education authorities have revoked the registration of a troubled private school due to poor management, following allegations that the institution collaborated with a Shenzhen-based tutorial centre without prior approval. The Education Bureau (EDB) announced on Friday that it had decided to cancel the registration of Tsung Tsin Middle School, which had previously been…

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Financial woes of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub deepen amid weak spending

Financial woes of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub deepen amid weak spending

The managing authority for Hong Kong’s arts hub is contending with deepening financial woes and weakened local spending, with its revenue in the 2024-25 financial year contracting by 18 per cent and its operating deficit ballooning to HK$769 million (US$98.5 million). According to a legislative paper released on Wednesday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s…

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