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WORLDAug 26Student of the Year Awards celebrates 45 years of excellence, announces new vision for nurturing Hong Kong’s future leadersCelebrating its 45th anniversary this year, the Student of the Year (SOTY) Awards unveiled a series of forward-looking initiatives while honouring a community-minded student-athlete from Ying Wa College with the Grand Prize for exemplifying this year’s theme: “Leadership in Action: Shaping the Possible.” Organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club, with support from the Education Bureau, the annual awards programme reached another milestone this...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 26Monk remanded after alleged theft of Monkey King statue from Hong Kong templeA mainland Chinese Buddhist monk has been remanded in custody after allegedly stealing a statue of the Monkey King, a deity famed in classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, from a Hong Kong temple. The 57-year-old, Zha Jianxin, appeared in West Kowloon Court on Wednesday after being charged with one count of theft involving a statue belonging to Lung Mo Temple in Tsuen Wan. The statue, valued at HK$2,000 (US$255), depicts Sun Wukong, the mythological Monkey King from the 16th-century...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 26Hong Kong man loses HK$2.8 million in investment scam, among 50 cases in past weekA Hong Kong man has lost more than HK$2.8 million (US$357,000) in an online investment scam in which fraudsters claiming to be employees of electricity companies duped him into investing in a “recyclable waste project”. Police also said on Wednesday that the force had recorded 50 investment scams in the past week, with the total losses exceeding HK$30 million. The force said the man, who is in his sixties, became acquainted with the scammer on Facebook. The fraudster claimed to be an employee of...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 26‘Squeezed further’: calls for SME energy subsidies as Hong Kong power fuel surcharges soarAn industry leader and a lawmaker have called for subsidies for small and medium-sized enterprises after fuel surcharges imposed by Hong Kong’s two power suppliers rose by nearly 80 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, since March, amid the Middle East conflict. HK Electric, which mainly supplies Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, announced that its fuel clause charge would increase by 5.9 per cent from August to 60.7 HK cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in September. The increase is the fourth...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 26Hong Kong police officer accidentally discharges firearm at baseA Hong Kong constable is suspected of discharging his service firearm accidentally at a police base in Mong Kok, the force has revealed. The incident occurred at 11.01pm on Tuesday as the officer was loading a round into his service firearm at the West Kowloon Regional Emergency Unit’s base, police said on Wednesday. A single round was fired and no one was injured. Police stressed that the force had strict regulations on the use of firearms and that the incident was being investigated.South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 26Dog injured, woman bitten in 2 new canine attack cases in Hong KongHong Kong authorities are investigating two new dog attack cases that have resulted in injuries to a canine and a woman, which come amid mounting safety concerns after two other similar but deadlier incidents last week. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Wednesday that it had been notified by police about the first incident involving the injured dog and had contacted its owner to gather more information. “If there is sufficient evidence that persons concerned...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 26As more expats flock to Hong Kong, luxury home rents poised for further upswingHong Kong’s growing number of expatriates is boosting the city’s residential property leasing market with luxury rents likely to rise by about 5 per cent this year and continue their upswing in 2027, according to property consultancy JLL. The private residential rental index by the Rating and Valuation Department had surged by 18.5 per cent as of June to 205.8 from the Covid-19 pandemic trough in January 2023, which was 173.6, marking the first sustained breach of the 200 threshold. “Hong Kong’s...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 25Hong Kong’s property, financial markets face test under cross-border anti-corruption lawChina’s deliberation on its sweeping cross-border anti-corruption law may ripple through Hong Kong’s financial and property markets, as Beijing seeks harsher punishments for corrupt officials and broadens its scrutiny of the massive pool of wealth transferred overseas. Hong Kong remains in focus after the draft law was submitted on Tuesday to the standing committee of the national legislature for deliberation, analysts said. The law was “designed to give mainland authorities a clearer statutory...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 25How mainland Chinese engineers can help Hong Kong firms bridge talent gapMainland China’s vast pool of engineers can help Hong Kong companies expand, bridge their talent gap and scale up operations, industry leaders have said. They shared their insights during a six-day media tour of the Greater Bay Area organised by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. The itinerary included a research institute in Guangzhou’s Nansha district, a cargo facility and a university in Dongguan, a major industrial city in Guangdong province. Among the key stops was the Guangzhou HKUST...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 25Another suspect in HK$7m gold robbery at Hong Kong airport held after car crashA suspect linked to a HK$7 million (US$893,200) gold robbery at Hong Kong International Airport has been arrested after crashing his car inside Tate’s Cairn Tunnel. The 21-year-old man was driving a private car towards Sha Tin around 3am on Tuesday when he crashed into an oncoming vehicle. Police discovered around 66 grams of suspected cocaine, five e-cigarette cartridges suspected to contain etomidate, and drug paraphernalia on the driver and inside the vehicle, with the illicit haul valued at...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 25Woman fined HK$4,000 over unleashed dog attack at Hong Kong pet gardenA woman has been fined HK$4,000 (US$510) after pleading guilty to failing to keep her dog on a leash after it attacked a smaller canine and bit its owner. Eastern Court on Tuesday heard guilty pleas from Chong Oi-lam, 44, who had not leashed her golden retriever while walking it at the pet garden at Wan Chai Temporary Promenade on January 20. The court heard that after the golden retriever pounced on a Pomeranian, its owner picked up the smaller dog to shield it from the attack. The retriever...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 25Hong Kong’s Chinese Medicine Hospital to start 24-hour inpatient services in DecemberThe Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will launch 24-hour inpatient services in December, the first of its kind in the city, and charge patients HK$980 (US$125) per day for subsidised care, more than three times the fee at public hospitals. The city’s first dedicated traditional Chinese medicine hospital will also launch 10 additional special disease programmes within this year to help treat conditions such as eczema and Parkinson’s disease. The hospital, which was opened last December in...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 25Hong Kong jewellery shop slapped with 30-day tour group ban over coerced salesHong Kong’s tourism watchdog has suspended a jewellery shop from receiving tour groups for 30 days after finding it failed to stop a guide from coercing mainland Chinese visitors into making purchases. The Travel Industry Authority (TIA) said on Tuesday that Kaiser Jewellery International would be barred from receiving any inbound tour group visitors from Wednesday until September 24. “The authority adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards coerced shopping and any conduct that damages the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 25Hong Kong power firms to raise fuel charges from September amid geopolitical tensionsHong Kong’s two electricity suppliers will raise fuel-related charges from next month, citing geopolitical tensions and volatility in international energy markets. As electricity costs rise, CLP Power and HK Electric have introduced rebate and relief schemes as grass-roots households face higher air-conditioning expenses after a summer with an unusually large number of very hot days. HK Electric, which supplies electricity mainly to Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, said on Tuesday that its...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 25Hong Kong exports jump 50.7% in July, driven by growth in AI-related electronicsHong Kong exports surged by 50.7 per cent year on year in July, driven by “impressive growth” in artificial intelligence-related electronic products, with the government expecting the robust demand to continue supporting trade development despite geopolitical risks. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday showed that the value of exports jumped to HK$672.5 billion (US$86.2 billion) last month after a 53.4 per cent rise in June. A government spokesman...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 25Hong Kong government statistician cleared of loitering charge near girls’ schoolA Hong Kong court has acquitted a government statistician accused of loitering near a girls’ school and outside a classroom to photograph a pupil, ruling that his conduct did not pose an actual threat despite leaving the girl feeling unsafe. Eastern Court Magistrate Kestrel Lam Tsz-hong on Tuesday found 59-year-old Patrick Lam Win-hon not guilty of one count of loitering causing concern, despite acknowledging that the defendant had loitered at one of Causeway Bay’s leading girls’ schools on July...South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 2558 evacuated, woman taken to hospital after fire at Hong Kong flatAbout 60 people were evacuated and a 98-year-old woman was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a flat in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Police said they received multiple reports of the blaze at 488 Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay at 10.59am. The 58 people evacuated comprised 25 women and 17 men from the building, plus another 11 men and five women from a bank on the ground floor. The elderly woman reported feeling unwell and was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai, police said. At 11.39am, the...South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 25Construction safety design needed to reduce fatal accidents in Hong Kong: expertsHong Kong should make safety design a part of all building development plans and address the culture of rushing work at construction sites, industry leaders have said after the city recorded 15 fatal industrial accidents earlier this year. Their calls followed the warning by Construction Industry Council chairman Thomas Ho On-sing on Monday that the number of such accidents was on the rise despite stiffer penalties, reflecting that a safety culture had failed to take root. Ho pointed out that up...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 25Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sitesFeel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Public debate over Hong Kong’s recent heatwave has rightly focused on protecting frontline workers. However, one group remains largely absent from the discussion: site managers and project supervisors who carry responsibility for worker safety, project delivery and contractual...South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 25Landslide kills 18 people in Hong Kong’s Sau Mau Ping – SCMP archiveThis article was first published on August 26, 1976. Tragedy hits Sau Mau Ping At least seven people, including four children, were killed by the landslide that hit Sau Mau Ping Estate yesterday (August 25, 1976). Yesterday’s disaster was only a few blocks away from a slope which slipped on June 18, 1972, killing 67 people. Fire Services teams, assisted by the Army, spent the night under search lights trying to locate people still not accounted for and thought to be buried under tons of mud...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHAug 25Hong Kong to revamp senior secondary science and maths curriculum from 2029-30Hong Kong’s education authorities will revamp the senior secondary school science and extended maths curriculum by providing additional syllabus options from the 2029-30 academic year in a bid to attract more students and nurture talent in the field. The Education Bureau also said it had asked schools to actively encourage students interested in science and mathematics to take two or more science subjects to create a synergistic effect. The bureau said in a circular to schools on Monday that the...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 25Want to keep a big dog in Hong Kong? Experts share what you should knowHeat, humidity and crowded living spaces could pose challenges for Hongkongers hoping to keep large or aggressive dogs as pets, experts have said, urging potential owners to consider the needs of such animals before deciding to house them. They issued the warning after a woman and two small canines were mauled in two separate attacks last week. The woman was found collapsed in Ping Yeung Tsuen, hours after she was attacked at a dog training centre by a canine suspected of being a mixed-breed...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 24Hong Kong woman arrested for allegedly wearing seditious T-shirt outside courtHong Kong police have arrested a woman for allegedly wearing a T‑shirt with a seditious message outside West Kowloon Court. The force said on Monday night that the woman was detained last week on suspicion of disorder in a public place, obstructing police and acting with seditious intention. “The purpose of the security operation was to ensure public safety and order, though details of the operation cannot be disclosed,” a police spokesman said. The arrest came hours before judges delivered a...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 24Chinese tech, pharma firms eye Hong Kong as springboard for global expansionMainland Chinese technology and pharmaceutical companies are using Hong Kong as a launching pad for global expansion, industry leaders have said, as a major state-owned drugmaker weighs whether to invest in the city’s Northern Metropolis megaproject. The comments highlighting the city’s international background and professional expertise were made during a six-day trip to the rest of the Greater Bay Area, which was arranged by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and started on Sunday. “Hong...South China Morning Post