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Hong Kong’s planning body has green-lighted the Flower Market redevelopment project, despite residents and florists expressing concern that building high-rises and shopping malls will uproot the historic Prince Edward business community. The Town Planning Board (TPB) disclosed the decision in the minutes of a January 17 meeting, which was published Friday. It said the majority […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has denied lying during his national security trial’s testimony about not knowing about an international group critical of mainland China, despite having promoted the launch of the organisation in his now-shuttered Apple Daily tabloid five years ago. Lai, 77, on Friday also denied giving inaccurate testimony to the court as […]

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation (MTRC) will be fined at least HK$1 million after a disruption on the East Rail Line that lasted for more than seven hours, including during the morning rush hour, on Wednesday. The deputy secretary for transport and logistics, Kirk Yip, said at the Legislative Council’s Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways […]

An animal rights group has slammed Ocean Park Hong Kong for “not caring about animals,” after the theme park suspended the sale of a panda-themed luxury watch following a backlash against its crocodile leather strap. Ocean Park was “ready to cash in on cruel crocodile-skin products” until public outcry forced the product to be taken […]

Hong Kong authorities have said they will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the US’s imposition of additional tariffs on the city’s goods. Last Saturday, US President Donald Trump’s executive order slapped an additional 10 per cent levy on mainland Chinese and Hong Kong products. Hong Kong authorities say Washington ignored the city’s status […]

China on Friday said it “regrets” Panama’s decision to withdraw from Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure programme after the Latin American nation ended its participation in the project in a concession to Washington. “Beijing regrets Panama’s decision,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, urging Panama to “consider the broader bilateral relationship and the long-term interests […]

Hongkong Post has said it will continue to suspend postal services for US-bound parcels despite the US Postal Service’s resumption of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong. The USPS said on Wednesday that it “will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts,” reversing its decision to suspend […]

Canadian immigration authorities have confirmed that a “lifeboat” open work permit scheme for recent graduates from Hong Kong will end this Friday and that it will not be extended. The three-year work permit programme, launched in 2021 in response to the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law, was “always intended as a temporary measure,” a spokesperson […]

French company Decathlon, the world’s biggest sports equipment retailer, on Thursday defended its human rights record after reports it had benefited from forced labour in China. Decathlon, regularly cited as among French people’s favourite brands, employs around 100,000 people in 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries. Two French media outlets, Disclose and France 2, […]

Government social worker resignations have surged over the past five years – nearly six times the number recorded between 2015 and 2019 – HKFP has learned. A total of 367 social workers resigned in the five-year period between 2020 and 2024, the Social Welfare Department told HKFP on Wednesday. There were just 66 resignations in […]

The Communications Authority has lost a bid to challenge a ruling at the top court, after a lower court ruled that the government-funded broadcaster RTHK had not breached its code with a satirical show about the police. The Court of Appeal on Thursday denied an application by the watchdog to take its case to the […]

Hong Kong authorities have urged the US to “rectify” the imposition of additional tariffs on the city’s goods, saying the new policy targeting Chinese exports ignored Hong Kong’s status as a separate customs territory. In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the Hong Kong government expressed “strong disapproval” towards US President Donald Trump’s executive order, […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked visiting Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday for the “strong measures” her country has taken against scam centres targeting Chinese people. Scam compounds have mushroomed along the Thai-Myanmar borderlands, staffed by trafficked foreigners who are forced to swindle their compatriots in an industry analysts say is worth billions. A […]

Animal activists staged a protest outside the Hong Kong Pet Show on Thursday urging the public to adopt dogs and avoid pedigree breeds from breeders and pet stores. Donning dog costumes, pug and bulldog masks, and wielding prop oxygen tanks, they said that fashionable flat-faced breeds suffer from “grotesquely distorted airways.” Such breeding results in […]

A reservoir in Sha Tin has resumed operations, Hong Kong’s Water Supplies Department (WSD) said on Wednesday, after a car was found submerged in the reservoir over the weekend. The Kowloon Reservoir resumed operations on Thursday, the department said in a statement on the Facebook page for its mascot, Water Save Dave. A government-hired contractor […]

A Hong Kong man who was found guilty and jailed for rioting during the 2019 protests and unrest has been acquitted after an appeals court highlighted inconsistencies between a police officer’s testimony and footage of the incident. Liu Hong-leung’s conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday morning. Liu was charged with rioting […]

The US Postal Service (USPS) said Wednesday it would continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong, hours after an order to suspend shipments over President Donald Trump’s new tariffs sparked fears of major trade disruptions. Tensions between the US and China have soared in recent days as the world’s two largest economies slapped a […]

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has received more than 750 complaints from the city’s residents relating to property purchases in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) over the past three years. Clement Chan, chair of Hong Kong’s Consumer Council, told journalists on Wednesday that 709 cases – more than 90 per cent of the complaints – involved […]

The main stadium of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park will officially open on March 1, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has announced. In a social media post shared on Tuesday evening, the bureau said the 50,000-seat stadium would become the “top venue choice” for international sporting events and large-scale cultural and entertainment activities. […]

US-based sandwich chain Eggslut is set to pull out of Hong Kong this month, less than two years after opening in Causeway Bay. Its sole outlet in the city’s shopping thoroughfare – opened to much fanfare and long queues in 2022 – will shutter on February 23. “[W]e must say goodbye for the time being. […]

Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies, a top official said Wednesday, citing privacy and malware risks posed by China’s breakout AI program. The DeepSeek chatbot — developed by a China-based startup — has astounded industry insiders and upended financial markets since it was released last month. But […]

Hong Kong’s leisure services department has announced a nearly two-month closure of a football pitch in Happy Valley days before a press union’s scheduled tournament matches. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LSCD) said on Tuesday that a football pitch at Happy Valley Recreation Ground would be temporarily closed from February 7 to March 31 […]

Australia said Wednesday it is concerned for the health of jailed Chinese-Australian dissident writer Yang Jun, who was handed a suspended death sentence a year ago by a Beijing court. “We hold serious concerns about Dr Yang’s health and conditions,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. “We continue to press to ensure his […]

US President Donald Trump’s new China tariffs, effective Tuesday, also target Hong Kong products, the US government has said. On Saturday, President Trump announced an additional 10 per cent levy on all goods from China, on top of the duties they already endure. The new tariffs include Hong Kong products, according to a note issued […]