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SCI & TECH1d agoHong Kong world’s first airport to receive digital identity certification from IATAHong Kong International Airport has become one of the first two organisations certified under an international aviation industry group’s digital identity programme, as it seeks to expand its facial recognition system beyond the city. However, the wider adoption of facial recognition technology has been slower than expected, due to government regulations and privacy requirements, according to a senior aviation industry official. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced on...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoHong Kong lawmaker urges more checks as illegal parking fines top HK$70m a yearTraffic police have issued more than 220,000 tickets for parking-related offences in each of the past three years, raking in at least HK$70 million (US$8.92 million) a year for Hong Kong’s coffers, but a lawmaker said inspections could be enhanced to target more offenders. In a written reply to the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said police issued 259,589, 242550, and 225,489 fixed penalty tickets in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively to...South China Morning Post
WORLD1d agoHong Kong to prioritise public transport at Huanggang Port over Halloween weekendHong Kong authorities will give public transport priority at Huanggang Port this Halloween weekend, warning that cross-border private car travellers could face wait times exceeding an hour during late-night peak hours. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the peak departure window for outbound passengers and vehicles at the 24-hour control point would be 11pm to 2am across the three nights from Friday to Sunday. He urged residents and visitors to avoid peak-hour crossings and use public...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS1d agoWhy Hong Kong rents are hitting records while home price gains lose momentumHong Kong’s lived-in home prices fell 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, their first quarterly decline after five quarters of gains, as a September rebound failed to fully offset a summer slowdown in the residential market. Prices rose 0.19 per cent in September from August, marking a second consecutive monthly increase, according to data released by the Rating and Valuation Department on Wednesday. The index reached 320.8, but remained 19.4 per cent below its September 2021 peak. Prices were...South China Morning Post
WORLD1d agoAuthorities search for elderly Hong Kong man missing in Tai Po for 3 daysHong Kong authorities are searching for an elderly man who went missing in a remote rural area of Tai Po three days ago. Tung Chung-yin, 80, was last seen at Wu Kau Tang in Plover Cove Country Park on Sunday. His family reported him missing to police on Tuesday. A search was launched on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday. Police have appealed to the public for information on his whereabouts. Tung, who has short grey hair, is about 1.7 metres tall (5 feet, 7 inches), weighs about 75kg and...South China Morning Post
POLITICS1d agoKowloon leads as 70% of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats registered for grace periodAbout 70 per cent of subdivided flats in Hong Kong have been registered for a grace period under a new law aimed at eradicating substandard homes, with most submissions coming from landlords in Kowloon’s Yau Tsim Mong district, according to the Housing Bureau. The bureau told the Legislative Council on Wednesday that 75,070 subdivided homes across about 21,000 whole flats had been registered for the three-year grace period since applications opened in March under the new Basic Housing Units...South China Morning Post
WORLD1d agoHong Kong’s third medical school denies poaching veteran HKU professorHong Kong’s third medical school has dismissed allegations of talent poaching after recruiting a veteran haematologist with nearly three decades of service at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). On Wednesday, Professor Anskar Leung Yu-hung met the press at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in his capacity as the new medical school’s senior associate dean of medicine. “The opportunity to be part of a team to [build] a new medical school from ground zero, with a new...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS1d agoHong Kong exports jump nearly 65% in September, highest growth in over 40 yearsHong Kong’s exports jumped by 64.9 per cent year on year in September, the highest growth in more than 40 years, with artificial intelligence-related (AI) products further fuelling the momentum of recent months. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed the total value of exports rose to HK$762.6 billion (US$97.8 billion) last month, after a 53 per cent surge in August. A government spokesman said September marked the 20th consecutive month of...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS1d agoHong Kong luxury expo to connect brands with ‘high-spending travellers’Private jets, fine jewellery, watches, superyachts and luxury property will feature in a new Hong Kong exhibition offering business opportunities to “brands, yacht owners and connoisseurs”, according to the organiser. The inaugural Festival of Connoisseurs, set to take place between November 4 and 6, is the first exhibition of its kind to secure government funding for large-scale international exhibitions, organiser Informa Markets said on Wednesday. Ryan Hui, deputy event director of the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS2d agoWhy Hong Kong developer CK Asset sold a mall at an ‘exceptionally cheap’ priceWith the “exceptionally cheap” sale of a vacant Hong Kong shopping mall, developer CK Asset Holdings is freeing up capital for other projects, while the buyer will have to be patient because the location will struggle to attract tenants in the short term, according to analysts. The developer completed the mall in its residential project Seaside Sonata on Hai Tan Street in Sham Shui Po five years ago but never leased it out. It recently changed hands along with a batch of parking spaces for...South China Morning Post
POLITICS2d agoHong Kong to propose criminal penalties for bid-rigging after deadly Tai Po fireHong Kong’s leader is expected to announce reforms introducing criminal penalties for bid-rigging on Thursday, when the government will also release the final investigation report into the Tai Po inferno, the South China Morning Post has learned. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his senior officials will announce the proposed measures and give an update on efforts to pursue “administrative accountability” at a press conference on Thursday, a government source said on Wednesday. Senior...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS2d agoChinese circuit board firm Dongshan Precision plunges at Hong Kong debutSuzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing Co. slumped in its Hong Kong trading debut after an underwhelming HK$9.9 billion (US$1.26 billion) initial public offering (IPO), as investor sentiment was haunted by the deepening sell-off across China’s artificial intelligence (AI) and tech hardware sectors. Shares of the circuit-board manufacturer, a key supplier of components for AI servers, dropped as much as 6 per cent after its debut in Hong Kong market on Wednesday. It bounced back slightly with a...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS2d agoHow Hong Kong went from a yuan gateway to a complete currency ecosystemIn September, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled the city’s first five-year plan along with his policy address, highlighting Hong Kong’s strategic role in promoting the greater use of the yuan outside mainland China as a key priority. In the second part of a four-part series on the globalisation of the yuan, Daisy Wu examines Hong Kong’s evolution from an offshore reservoir into a self-sustaining yuan ecosystem. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who cross the border between mainland...South China Morning Post
POLITICS2d agoHong Kong lawmakers raise concerns about fresh HK$27 billion funding for tech hubHong Kong lawmakers have raised concerns about the hefty cost of developing a flagship tech hub and a neighbouring wetland park near the city’s border with mainland China, as the government seeks to secure a fresh HK$27 billion for the second round of works. During a Legislative Council development panel meeting on Tuesday, government officials explained the HK$27.2 billion proposal. It covers forming 175 hectares (432 acres) of land at the San Tin Technopole, establishing more than one-third of...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS2d agoDelta Air Lines bets on premium travel to win share of Hong Kong marketUS-based Delta Air Lines has expressed confidence that the quality of its service will help it win a share of Hong Kong’s fiercely competitive aviation market, saying demand for its recently relaunched route to Los Angeles has exceeded expectations, driven by corporate bookings. Jeff Moomaw, the airline’s vice-president for Asia-Pacific, said on Tuesday that demand for premium travel was helping drive its growth in the region. “Hong Kong is [a] highly competitive market with premium carriers,...South China Morning Post
WORLD2d agoHong Kong beautician gets 4 years for selling friends to Myanmar scam hubA Hong Kong beautician has been sentenced to four years in jail for tricking two friends into forced labour and confinement in Myanmar’s notorious “KK Park” scam farm, with a judge slamming her actions as “vicious and inhumane”. District Court Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching on Tuesday said the 33-year-old defendant, Poon Sum-yi, had premeditated the fraudulent scheme to lure the two victims into travelling to Thailand, before selling them to the Chinese-run scam compound in neighbouring Myanmar...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS2d agoInjured Hong Kong delivery rider seeks full trial on employment status questionA former Deliveroo rider who suffered severe brain injuries in a traffic accident has taken the platform to a Hong Kong court to seek compensation, arguing that resolving the legal question of his employment status at the time of the accident warrants a full trial. In the District Court on Tuesday, Deliveroo’s Hong Kong liquidator applied to strike out the lawsuit, contending that the injured worker, Lok Sze-chu, offered only a “bare assertion” to support his claim of being entitled to...South China Morning Post
DISASTER2d agoFire at Hong Kong’s first incinerator prompts calls to rethink waste strategyThe abrupt suspension of Hong Kong’s first waste incinerator after a fire is a stark warning against relying too heavily on the HK$31.3 billion (US$4 billion) plant, environmentalists have said, while a former lawmaker has urged the government to keep its landfill-free timetable on track. Monday’s blaze broke out on the roof of the third incineration module at the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase 1, or I·PARK1, on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau. More than 900 people were...South China Morning Post
CYBER3d ago2,000 customers of Hong Kong Airlines, 2 appliance shops, get scam calls after data breachAlmost 2,000 customers of Hong Kong Airlines and two electronic appliance retailers received fraudulent calls after their personal information was leaked by the companies, the city’s privacy watchdog has found. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Monday that it had received more than 40 inquiries and complaints linked to the suspected data leaks involving Hong Kong Airlines and the electronic appliance retailers Yoho and Broadway Lifestyle. “We have initiated...South China Morning Post
POLITICS3d agoPrincess Anne begins her official visit to Hong Kong in 1971 – from the SCMP archiveThis article was first published on October 27, 1971. Hongkong’s royal welcome for Princess Anne Princess Anne, radiant in a stylish knee-length beige suit and a matching wide-brimmed hat, flew in yesterday (October 26, 1971) to a warm welcome from the people of Hong Kong. She begins her official visits today (October 27, 1971) – a public holiday – when thousands of people will be able to see her during her calls at places like the Tung Wah Hospital, the Po Leung Kuk and the ancient Man Mo...South China Morning Post
WORLD3d agoHong Kong wants to be a regional hub for Halloween. Why not?Hong Kong’s determination to become a hub for everything – innovation, finance, trade, culture and sport – appears to know no bounds. Now, Halloween has been added to the list. The city is aiming to become Asia’s premier destination for the annual spookfest. Of all the regional hubs Hong Kong wishes to become, this is one of the more unlikely. But with Beijing urging the city to ensure “tourism is everywhere” and draw ever more visitors, Halloween, falling between the National Day “golden week”...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS3d agoCan Hong Kong deliver in trying to build its yuan credentials?In September, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled the city’s first five-year plan along with his policy address, highlighting Hong Kong’s strategic role in promoting the greater use of the yuan outside mainland China as a key priority. In the first of a four-part series on the internationalisation of the yuan, Lam Ka-sing and Denise Tsang examine Hong Kong’s efforts as an international financial centre to reform its market infrastructure, including building a larger offshore renminbi...South China Morning Post
WORLD3d agoEvening sessions urged as fraud, money-laundering cases pack Hong Kong courtsThe long wait for criminal cases to be heard in Hong Kong’s courts could persist because of a surge in fraud and money laundering litigation, the judiciary has warned, as the Law Society suggested extending sitting hours into the evening. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s panel on administration of justice and legal services, the judiciary said that the total caseload in 2025 reached about 537,000, around 4 per cent higher than the annual average over the previous five years. As...South China Morning Post
BUSINESS3d agoHow Shimao’s sale of 2 hotels reveals the growing complexity of Hong Kong debt workoutsThe HK$2.7 billion (US$344 million) sale of two Shimao Group hotels in Hong Kong leaves an estimated HK$1.8 billion shortfall against their secured loans. Still, receivers managed to squeeze out improved bids in the final stages, with all shortlisted parties improving their offers, said Una Ge, a managing director at AlixPartners who oversaw the sale as a joint receiver. The deal offers a glimpse into how mainland China’s developer debt crisis is reshaping Hong Kong’s restructuring industry,...South China Morning Post