Gale force winds buffeted some areas of Hong Kong early on Thursday morning as Tropical Storm Toraji slowly made its way towards the Pearl River Estuary. The T8 storm signal was issued at 11.10pm on Wednesday and will remain in force until 10am on Thursday at the earliest. By 3am, Toraji was centred around 140 kilometres south-southeast of Hong Kon…

Executive Council convenor and New People's Party chairwoman Regina Ip on Wednesday said her party had fruitful exchanges with British government officials, think tanks and business leaders during a recent visit to the UK. "The key takeaways are that they are very interested in Hong Kong's development – in particular the development of our financia…

The government is determined to build an inclusive work environment for ethnic minorities (EM), Undersecretary for Labour Ho Kai-ming said as he officiated at the opening ceremony of a jobs fair on Wednesday. Ho told reporters that the Labour Department has been assisting non-Chinese people in landing government jobs, such as relaxing language requ…

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on Wednesday said it is actively communicating with the catering industry on ways to enhance awareness among staff about anti-discrimination measures. Paralympian Ho Yuen-kei, who uses a wheelchair, recently complained that she was denied entry into a restaurant due to limited space. The restaurant apologise…

Bus company KMB has applied to put fares up by 6.5 percent while Citybus is seeking increases of nearly 10 percent, sources have told RTHK. The firms' ticket prices last rose in June last year, by four to five percent. KMB said on Wednesday that it's facing a number of issues such as fewer passengers, a rise in operating costs and unstable fuel pri…

Test events for next year's National Games will get underway in Hong Kong this month, a government official said on Wednesday. Hong Kong will co-host the Games for the first time next November, alongside Guangdong and Macau. The eight competitive events to take place in the SAR are fencing, track cycling, rugby sevens, golf, triathlon, beach volley…

Peru is keen to deepen its strategic partnership with China when it hosts President Xi Jinping for the Apec summit in Lima this week, while the Peruvian Chinese community says they are highly regarded by the locals because of their law-abiding and hardworking nature. China is already Peru’s largest trading partner, accounting for 53 percent of all …

Everyone is encouraged to become a hero of goodwill as Operation Santa Claus 2024 kicked off on Tuesday. Co-organised by RTHK Radio 3 and the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the annual charity campaign has been holding fundraising projects for over 35 years. Speaking at the launch ceremony, acting director of broadcasting Christine Wai said the ca…

A workers' rights representative on Tuesday said systemic issues in the construction industry were to blame for a drop in workplace safety. Siu Sin-man from the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims told a press conference that more than 100 workers, 11 of them from the construction industry, have died on the job since the start…

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) says it will consider issuing a T3 on Wednesday afternoon as Severe Tropical Storm Toraji continues to move towards Hong Kong. The forecaster said it expects Toraji will skirt around 200 kilometres to the south of the territory on Thursday morning. "Depending on the intensity of Toraji at that time, the distance of i…

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Tuesday expressed confidence that Hong Kong's exchange traded-fund (ETF) market will continue to grow and reinforce the SAR's status as an international financial centre. At a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Tracker Fund, Chan said the city has established itself as a leading ETF hub, offering a wide ra…

Former National People's Congress Standing Committee member Tam Yiu-chung on Tuesday called for stronger communication between the SAR government and the city’s business community, saying officials could do more to support local enterprises. Tam, who's now vice-president of the think tank Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said tha…

The top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has told business leaders to show their love for the SAR and take concrete action to promote the economy, Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday. Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, held exchanges with 29 business and industrial representatives during a seminar…

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday called for mutual respect from the United States in its relationship with Hong Kong, saying bilateral trade is "beneficial" to both sides. He also said no country should interfere in the city's internal affairs, in response to a question before his weekly Executive Council meeting relating to potential policies t…

Chief Executive John Lee plans to garner support for Hong Kong's accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) during a high-level summit in Peru this week. Lee, who is leaving for Lima to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference (Apec), also said on Tuesday that he is going to meet with other leaders to promote…

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged to take tougher measures against misuse of political funds after he was re-elected by parliament on Monday following a major loss in the polls last month by his governing coalition. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost a majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the…

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Standing Committee member Henry Tang on Monday said Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election will not diminish Sino-US tensions. "I believe the US-China tension will not change with the new president," Tang told reporters after attending a forum. "We always wish to cooperate and…

Japanese lawmakers voted on Monday for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to stay on as leader, after his scandal-tarnished coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a lower house election last month. Ishiba, who called the snap poll after taking office on October 1, must now run a fragile minority government. His Liberal Democratic Party and coaliti…

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Monday said bringing more strategic enterprises to Hong Kong helps the government get closer to the vision of the city becoming an innovation and technology centre. The finance chief made the comment at a signing ceremony involving the government's Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) and 17 companies…

Police on Monday urged people to think twice before turning to social media or web forums for financial advice after the force recorded around 3,500 cases of online investment fraud in the first nine months of the year. Officers said the losses reported reached HK$2.2 billion in total, although both the amount of money swindled and the number of ca…

Chief Executive John Lee on Monday called on the business sector and entrepreneurs to actively contribute to Hong Kong's development. Speaking at a forum, the SAR leader said businesspeople should take action to build up their industries, not stand idly by. "The business sector and entrepreneurs in Hong Kong are both participants in and beneficiari…

A concern group for industrial accident victims on Monday stressed it is crucial to step up workers' training on the use of cage lifts in emergency situation. Siu Sin-man from the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims made the comment on an RTHK radio programme. This came as a worker lost his life after he was crushed by a cage …

The Hong Kong government is looking to finalise a free trade agreement with Peru, as Chief Executive John Lee heads to the South American nation to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting this week. The Trade Development Council (TDC) also hopes a brand new port near the Peruvian capital of Lima will provide fresh impet…

A massive drone strike rattled Moscow and its suburbs overnight into Sunday, injuring a woman and temporarily halting traffic at some of Russia's busiest airports, while a huge nighttime wave of Russian drones targeted Ukraine, officials reported. A top UK defence official meanwhile said that Russian forces had suffered their worst month of casualt…