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POLITICSAug 21Hong Kong's Tiananmen activists guilty in national security trialThree activists were accused of inciting others to subvert state power under the China-introduced law.BBC World
POLITICSAug 21Hong Kong convicts activists in national security trialThe two pro-democracy Tiananmen activists were found guilty of inciting subversion. The high profile case has been widely criticized for highlighting the deterioration of freedom of expression.DW News [en]
POLITICSAug 21Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil organiser, former leaders guilty of inciting subversionSouth China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 21Shanghai’s answer to Nasdaq outstrips Hong Kong amid Chinese tech frenzyStar 50 index up almost a quarter this year, leaving rivals behindFinancial Times
BUSINESSAug 21Hong Kong financiers press for tax breaks after Singapore unveils rival schemeHong Kong should press ahead with its proposed tax break on carried interest, the performance fees earned by hedge fund and private equity managers, after Singapore unveiled a rival tax-exemption scheme, according to industry participants. The bill, submitted to lawmakers in June and expected to come to a vote later this year, has sparked debate in the financial industry. Some participants argue that the exemption is too narrow in scope, while others question the fairness of exempting...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 21More Hong Kong consumers allege coercive beauty sales in wake of Opatra crackdownMore consumers in Hong Kong have come forward to allege aggressive sales tactics across the beauty sector, including credit card abuse, unwanted physical contact and pressure to buy costly products, on the back of a crackdown on the local operations of a UK-based brand. Legal experts warned that such practices could breach the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, which prohibits harassment, coercion and misleading conduct used to pressure consumers into making purchases they otherwise would not have...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 20New Peru government vows to apply Hong Kong trade deal, but is silent on mainland ChinaPeru’s new government has pledged to bring its free-trade agreement with Hong Kong into force this year as part of an effort to position the country as a commercial bridge between South America and the Asia-Pacific, even as its first comprehensive policy programme made no direct mention of mainland China or the Chinese-operated Chancay megaport. Prime Minister Luis Galarreta told lawmakers on Thursday that commercial openness would remain a state policy under Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori’s...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 20Woman found dead in Hong Kong with suspected dog bites, probe under wayA 33-year-old woman who operated a pet training facility in northern Hong Kong has been found dead after being mauled by a dog, police have said. Confirming an earlier South China Morning Post report, investigators said closed-circuit television footage showed the woman working alone at the facility at Ping Yeung Tsuen in Ta Kwu Ling when she was attacked by one of the dogs there on Thursday afternoon. Assistant district commander Matthew Chan Kai-chak of the Border police district said the...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 20Why do hard-sell beauty tactics persist in Hong Kong – and when can consumers fight back?From arrests linked to the Hong Kong operations of beauty chain Opatra London to a surge in online complaints against other skincare brands, high-pressure sales tactics remain widespread and continue to take a toll on consumers. Why do such malpractices remain widespread despite the city’s Trade Descriptions Ordinance, which criminalises aggressive commercial practices that significantly impair a consumer’s freedom of choice? The South China Morning Post spoke to legal experts about common...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Haeco, China Aircraft Leasing Group sign MOU to build maintenance hub in Hong KongHong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (Haeco) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the country’s largest independent aircraft lessor to set up a maintenance centre in the city, forging what authorities described as a “powerful alliance” between industry giants. The Transport and Logistics Bureau on Thursday revealed that Haeco, a sister company of flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways, had signed the agreement with China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (CALC) earlier in the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Top executive at Opatra Hong Kong operator quits amid coercive sales probeAt least one top executive of the Hong Kong operator of UK-based beauty chain Opatra London has resigned, it emerged on Thursday, after customs officers arrested two of the company’s managers over alleged coercive and misleading sales practices. Meanwhile, the Lux Boutique outlet at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is operated by the same company, was boarded up and locked on Thursday. A check by the South China Morning Post found that Sayles Retail filed a “Notice of Resignation of Company...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 20Domestic helper arrested after 1-year-old girl suffers burns in Hong KongA domestic helper has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of child neglect after a one-year-old girl in her care suffered second-degree burns to her hands, according to the child’s mother. A police source on Thursday confirmed that the Indonesian helper, 30, was arrested in Yuen Long the previous day after the girl’s father filed a report. The incident occurred while the helper was caring for the girl and her three-year-old brother at their Yuen Long home and their parents were at work,...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Hong Kong conglomerate seeks $1 . 5 billion in damages from Panama for takeover of canal portsA Hong Kong conglomerate is seeking $1.5 billion in damages from Panama for the alleged takeover of canal ports. This highlights a major international business and legal dispute.mymotherlode.com · United States
SCI & TECHAug 20Hong Kong drivers to renew vehicle licences in 1 day by year-end under AI systemHong Kong drivers will be able to renew their vehicle licences within one day by year-end, down from the current processing time of up to 10 working days, under new artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives aimed at streamlining transport services and traffic management. The “Easy Licence Application Approval” system, announced by the Transport Department on Thursday, will be launched by the end of this year. It will use large language models to automatically recognise, cross-check and verify...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Cathay Pacific to launch direct flights between Hong Kong and Almaty in JanuaryCathay Pacific Airways will launch direct passenger flights between Hong Kong and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, in January, making it the airline’s first Central Asian destination and establishing the only non-stop service between the two. The three-times-weekly service will begin on January 9 next year. Flights will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, subject to regulatory approval, the airline said. The outbound flight will depart Hong Kong at 4.25pm and arrive in Almaty at...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 20Pet owner barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over his dog’s fatal attacksA man has been barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over allegations that he failed to properly control his dog, which mauled two smaller pets to death and injured a third. Yuen Long resident Ng Shui-ting, 52, appeared at Tuen Mun Court on Thursday to face two charges brought by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. He allegedly failed to keep the 60kg (132lbs) dog securely restrained on a leash no longer than two metres, allowing it to enter and remain in the open area...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Hong Kong conglomerate seeks $1 . 5 billion in damages from Panama for takeover of canal ports – Winnipeg Free PressA Hong Kong conglomerate is seeking $1.5 billion in damages from Panama following the takeover of canal ports. This represents a major international business and legal dispute.winnipegfreepress.com · Canada
BUSINESSAug 20Hong Kong sees opportune time for advancing IPO connect scheme: IPO queen Pamela ChungHong Kong is seeing an opportune time to move forward with a so-called IPO connect scheme, according to Pamela Chung Kong-hung, Vistra’s managing director and head of its IPO & Share Registry Services, who says the scheme would allow mainland investors access to initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong, enabling better price discovery and expanding the investor capital pool to better match the city’s large IPO pipeline. “The secondary market connect has been operating very stably without...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 20Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks HK$11.7b from Panama over canal ports disputeHong Kong-based CK Hutchison has launched international arbitration against Panama, seeking more than HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in damages over the government’s takeover of two strategic ports at the entrances to the Panama Canal. Announcing the move on Thursday, the Li Ka-shing family-backed conglomerate said Panama had breached an investment-protection treaty and international law through “sovereign acts” targeting its decades-old concession to operate the Balboa and Cristobal...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 19Hong Kong unveils its first dedicated psychiatric facility for under-18sHong Kong’s main psychiatric hospital has unveiled the city’s first facility exclusively dedicated to child and adolescent patients, as part of a wider redevelopment that offers upgraded wards designed to enhance service quality and foster recovery. The redevelopment of Kwai Chung Hospital has increased the total construction floor area from 80,000 to 134,000 square metres, ensuring it can provide 1,000 beds for psychiatric patients. It also involved the reallocation of specialist outpatient...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 19Prudential Hong Kong expands headquarters amid Beijing’s intensified wealth oversightPrudential Hong Kong has agreed to lease headquarters space at Swire Properties’ One Taikoo Place and One Island East, marking a notable expansion of its office footprint in the city, according to the developer. Under the agreement, the insurer will occupy a total of 83,000 sq ft across the two buildings, “reinforcing the company’s commitment to Hong Kong and Taikoo Place as its long-term headquarters”, said Swire Properties, one of Hong Kong’s largest commercial developers and landlords, in a...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 19Hong Kong Cyclothon returns with new extended ‘five tunnels, three bridges’ routePublic registration for Hong Kong’s flagship annual cycling event will open on Thursday, with more than 6,500 places available across two non-competitive rides scheduled for October 11. This year’s Hong Kong Cyclothon, hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, will feature a new extended 56km (34.8 miles) non-competitive ride on a “Five Tunnels, Three Bridges” route. The new route will take participants along the newly opened Central Kowloon Bypass for the first time, spanning six districts: Yau...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 19Hong Kong parents lose legal bid to get baby Danny back from welfare authoritiesThe parents of a Hong Kong baby taken into the care of welfare authorities have lost a legal bid to have their home-born baby son returned to them, with the judge arguing the father’s child-raising methods failed to consider the possible risks. High Court Judge Queeny Au Yeung Kwai-yue on Wednesday dismissed Tsang Wai-bong’s application after he earlier filed a writ of habeas corpus regarding his son Danny. The boy was placed in a shelter run by the Social Welfare Department after a child...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 19Hong Kong considering euthanising large dog after fatal attacks on 2 petsThe owner of a large dog that mauled two smaller pets to death in Yuen Long earlier this week has expressed “regret” over signing the animal to authorities and hopes to withdraw the surrender, according to the founder of a local animal rescue group. The new development followed a remark made by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Wednesday that the dog might be euthanised if its owner chose to surrender it, or, alternatively, have it formally classified as a “known...South China Morning Post