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WORLDOct 15Hong Kong police arrest suspect in HK$80,000 Tai Po gold necklace theftHong Kong police have arrested a suspect in less than 24 hours after he allegedly stole a gold necklace worth nearly HK$80,000 (US$10,193) from a Chow Sang Sang jewellery store in Tai Po, the South China Morning Post has learned. The suspect was tracked down in the same district on Thursday afternoon, but the stolen jewellery has not been recovered, a source said. The unemployed man, in his forties, entered the store on Kwong Fuk Road at about 3.10pm on Wednesday. The suspect, believed to be...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 15Hong Kong’s Lingnan University scraps English exit test for graduationLingnan University in Hong Kong has scrapped its requirement for undergraduates to pass an English proficiency test before graduating, replacing it with internal language classes. The move has sparked concerns among some observers that the change was intended to accommodate students who struggle to meet international standards. Lau Chi-pang, special adviser to the president on publicity, confirmed on Thursday that the university no longer saw a need for an exit exam, noting that 99 per cent of...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHOct 15AI use fuels frustration as Hong Kong customer service complaints top 2025 totalThe Hong Kong public’s dissatisfaction with customer service is growing, with complaints in the first nine months of the year already exceeding the total for 2025 and many involving companies’ overreliance on artificial intelligence (AI). The Consumer Council received 3,078 complaints about traders’ customer service between January and September, compared with 2,715 for the whole of last year and 2,173 in 2024. “Among the consumer complaints received by the Consumer Council each year, many...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 15Hong Kong ranks third globally as philanthropy hub, behind New York and Seoul, study findsHong Kong has emerged as the third best city in the world for wealthy individuals seeking to make philanthropic contributions over the medium term, trailing New York and Seoul, according to a study by Altrata. The inaugural Giving Opportunity Index by the US-based group that tracks the world’s affluent population ranked 100 cities based on three criteria: wealth, donor affinity and philanthropic infrastructure. The study defined the “global wealthy” as individuals with a net worth of more than...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHOct 15Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: start-up turns to tech to tackle urban wasteInconvenience is one of the biggest obstacles to recycling, a challenge that prompted a Hongkonger to establish a one-stop recycling service. Jorch Wong Ching-hei left advertising in 2019 and started The Loops Hong Kong after finding that recycling different materials often required travelling to different collection points. With no prior background in the industry, he contacted recycling operators, visited plants and learned how paper, plastics and metals were processed. Wong also taught...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 152 Hong Kong MTR disruptions may be linked, expert saysTwo rush-hour disruptions at Hong Kong’s MTR Lam Tin station within 15 hours could be connected if they involved the same power supply circuit or exposed procedural shortcomings, an engineering expert has said, with a lawmaker urging the rail operator to offer more targeted compensation to affected passengers. The first disruption came on Tuesday evening, when an insulating rubber component in a track turnout caught fire, halting services for about an hour. The second struck on Wednesday...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 15Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: veteran who keeps flame of Cantonese opera aliveVeteran Cantonese opera teacher Leung Sum-yee does not expect every child who enters her classroom to become a performer. If they leave knowing what good Cantonese opera sounds and looks like, she considers that worthwhile too. “My purpose was not to train stars or idols. I wanted more people to understand Cantonese opera and to have more audiences,” she said. That approach has guided Leung through more than three decades of teaching and cultural advocacy. She founded an opera organisation in...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 155 Guangdong-registered yachts to sail into Hong Kong as southbound scheme launchesFive Guangdong-registered yachts will sail into Hong Kong waters on Friday when the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme launches, the city’s marine chief has said, adding that officers will step up patrols. A ceremony marking the scheme’s maiden voyages will also take place. The launch is a key step in the government’s plan to develop Hong Kong’s yacht economy, as outlined in the city’s first five-year plan and the latest policy address. Under the scheme, mainland Chinese vessels can register through...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHOct 15Hong Kong teen makes cents of finance, taps AI to tackle economic inequalityAt 17, Hong Kong secondary school student Agastya Rekhi has been teaching finance and economics to younger children for nearly three years. Meeting families struggling to understand how prices, investments and economic news impacted their daily lives during voluntary work convinced him that access to information was only part of the problem. How that information was communicated was just as important. Rekhi, a finalist for the Spirit of Youth Award in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, has...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 14How Jardine Matheson’s street-shop sale reflects Hong Kong retail property’s strugglesAmid Hong Kong’s commercial property downturn, British conglomerate Jardine Matheson has sold a street shop in Causeway Bay for HK$80 million (US$10.2 million) after holding it for more than 50 years, accepting a price HK$10 million below its earlier valuation. The property, a ground-floor shop in H&S Building at 36 Leighton Road, with a gross floor area of about 11,727 square feet, was acquired by Uni Investment Development, according to Land Registry records. Jardine Matheson appointed an...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 14Guangzhou-Hong Kong Zero-Carbon Route Opens“The largest inland river intelligent electric container ship in South China set sail on Tuesday from the Nansha Port in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, heading towards Hong kong International Terminals. The operation of the ship, fully loaded with furniture, daily necessities, and other goods produced in Guangdong, marked the official launch of the […] The post Guangzhou-Hong Kong Zero-Carbon Route Opens appeared first on Human Progress.Human Progress
WORLDOct 14Hong Kong extends smart fire alarm scheme to another 6,000 old buildingsHong Kong’s Fire Services Department has extended a scheme allowing property owners to install smart fire alarm systems rather than traditional safety equipment to another 6,000 old buildings, but conceded that no installations had been completed although the policy was rolled out over five months ago for 3,600 blocks. Lai Kin-mo, acting deputy chief fire officer for building improvement, said on Wednesday that while 300 buildings had expressed interest in installing the system, which can send...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 14Exhibition of pioneering Hong Kong school for national talent in early 1940s opensA new exhibition about a pioneering school that nurtured talent for the country has opened at a Hong Kong history museum as part of the government’s efforts to promote national education, with many exhibits shown in the city for the first time. “National Development and Achievements Series: Cultivation and Renewal – The Education Legacy of Hong Kong’s Ta Teh Institute”, a free exhibition presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will run at the Hong Kong Museum of History in...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 14Nearly 1 in 3 unattended dogs captured in Hong Kong euthanised this yearRoughly one in three unattended dogs captured by Hong Kong authorities had been euthanised as of May this year, a sharp rise from 18 per cent in 2021, according to the latest legislative documents. The proportion of captured unattended dogs later reclaimed by their owners or transferred to animal welfare groups for rehoming has also fallen over the past five years, the Environment and Ecology Bureau told lawmakers on Wednesday. In a written response to the Legislative Council, Secretary for...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 143 Hong Kong taxi drivers banned for 3 months under demerit points systemThree Hong Kong taxi drivers have been disqualified from driving cabs for three months after accumulating 15 demerit points or more under a penalty system in place for two years, the transport chief has said, disclosing such figures for the first time. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Wednesday that since the mechanism took effect in September 2024, 229 taxi drivers had incurred demerit points as of October 2, with 125 cases involving a refusal to accept a hire. In a...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 14Hong Kong police hunt suspect who stole gold necklace from Tai Po jewellery storeHong Kong police are searching for a man who stole a gold necklace worth tens of thousands of dollars from a Chow Sang Sang jewellery store in Tai Po on Wednesday afternoon. According to a source, the suspect, described as a man in his thirties, entered the shop on Kwong Fuk Road around 3.10pm. He asked to try on the necklace before snatching it and making a quick getaway on foot in the direction of Kwong Fuk Lane. Initial investigations revealed that the suspect did not appear to be armed, and...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 14Hong Kong urged to add online safety briefings, penalise no-shows at public gymsHong Kong should make better use of its public gyms by allowing online safety briefings and penalising no-shows, an industry leader and a lawmaker have urged after the ombudsman identified management loopholes. The Office of the Ombudsman launched the inquiry into public gym management on Tuesday, noting that rigid mandatory training requirements combined with a severe shortage of places were creating significant barriers to public participation and leaving facilities underused. The watchdog...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 14In Hong Kong, accountability must be more than a sloganWhen news broke last week that three newly completed housing blocks were to be demolished without ever having been occupied, I suffered an immediate attack of deja vu. In early 1974, I was in the first wave of recruits to the Operations Department of the newly established Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). As luck would have it, my first posting was to the team dealing with the old Public Works Department. That was my introduction to the wide world of corruption and shoddy work in...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 14Complaints of nuisance behaviour on Hong Kong public transport hit 3-year highComplaints about noisy and inconsiderate passengers on Hong Kong’s public transport have more than doubled over three years, with authorities recording a surge in reports of people playing loud music and putting their feet on seats. The Transport Department and Environmental Protection Department received 66 complaints about noise nuisance and improper or unhygienic behaviour in 2025, up from 31 in 2023, according to figures released by the government on Wednesday. “[Passengers] should be...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 14Domestic helper charged with murdering 93-year-old employer in Hong KongAn Indonesian domestic helper in Hong Kong has been remanded in custody after being charged with killing her 93-year-old employer at the weekend. Kharsina, 52, was brought to the Kwun Tong Court on Wednesday to face a count of murder. Police arrested her in the early hours of Monday after her 93-year-old employer was found unresponsive in her flat at Long Yiu House in Kai Tak’s Tak Long Estate on Sunday. Paramedics rushed the elderly woman to hospital after administering emergency treatment at...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 14Hong Kong bus operators seek fare hikes of up to 17.7% amid fuel price surgeFour Hong Kong franchised bus operators have applied to raise fares by up to 17.7 per cent, citing “significant financial pressure” from soaring fuel prices driven by the Middle East conflict. Citybus has sought the steepest increase, at 17.7 per cent, followed by the KMB Company at 16 per cent. Long Win Bus and New Lantao Bus have applied for rises of 8.1 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively, according to a paper the Transport and Logistics Bureau submitted to the Legislative Council on...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 14No rush to T+1: Hong Kong exchange won’t hurry settlement-time change, sources sayParticipants in Hong Kong’s stock market may need to wait longer for shorter transaction settlement times, as market participants want more time to prepare for the change, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) said in a consultation paper in April that it aimed to implement a so-called T+1 system – under which trades would be settled one day after transactions – in the fourth quarter of 2027, replacing the existing T+2...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSOct 14BofA drops out of talks to arrange Moonshot AI's Hong Kong listing: reportBank of America has reportedly withdrawn from discussions to arrange Moonshot AI's public listing in Hong Kong. This development indicates a change in the financial plans for Moonshot AI's market entry.Seeking Alpha Tech
WORLDOct 14Hong Kong urged to better monitor, support carers after elderly woman’s deathThe arrest of a domestic helper over the suspected murder of an elderly woman in Hong Kong has prompted calls to include carers who look after isolated seniors in a government database to strengthen support and monitoring. While stressing that physical abuse was unacceptable, social welfare observers and a migrant workers’ group said domestic helpers often shouldered most of the caregiving burden and needed adequate rest and support, especially as the government promoted “ageing in place” amid a...South China Morning Post