Hongkong Land will acquire Singapore’s Wheelock Place for about S$1.1 billion (US$900 million) through its Singapore Central Private Real Estate Fund (SCPREF), marking the fund’s first acquisition since its launch in February. The mixed-use commercial property on Orchard Road is being acquired from an entity owned by Hong Kong-listed Wharf Real Estate Investment Company, according…
A former Hong Kong fencer has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for laundering more than HK$10 million (US$1.27 million), saying in mitigation that he opened the mule accounts to “make a quick buck”. The District Court on Tuesday heard the guilty pleas from Chiu Man-to, 26, who admitted to laundering…
Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has warned that downpours are approaching the city, saying they are expected to become more frequent throughout the day. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Observatory said at 8.20am on Tuesday that an area of thundery showers over western Guangdong was gradually moving eastwards. “Showers are expected to be heavier in…
Hong Kong’s weather forecaster may issue a No 1 typhoon standby signal between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, warning that the city should brace for heavy rainstorms. The Observatory said on Monday at 12.30pm that an area of low pressure over the northern part of the South China Sea would edge closer to the coast…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong recorded at least 11 flooding cases in the northern New Territories while the amber rainstorm warning signal was in force. The Hong Kong Observatory cancelled the warning signal at 11.55am on Tuesday,…
The Hong Kong government has said it is open to making a controversial labour importation scheme permanent, with tighter hiring rules for the catering industry and stiffer penalties for non-compliant employers to take effect on Tuesday. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said on Monday that the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), launched in September…
Hong Kong may enter its summer flu season earlier than usual this year, with a peak likely to occur later this month, health authorities have said, urging unvaccinated residents to receive jabs for protection. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, said on Tuesday that influenza activity in the city had…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning for more than three hours on Tuesday evening. The warning, the lowest level in a three-tier system, was issued at 6.15pm and cancelled at 9.55pm….
A Hong Kong school that instantly dismissed its principal after he was filmed swearing at security guards in Singapore has published an advertisement to recruit a new head, requiring applicants to have “excellent character”. The advertisement was posted on the school’s website on Tuesday morning, six days after its governing board decided to terminate principal…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong issued its first “very hot weather” warning of the year on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit). The forecaster said an anticyclone aloft would…