News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Fluency in Cantonese has captured public attention after a mainland Chinese contestant in a celebrated Hong Kong beauty queen contest spoke about her difficulties learning the language, prompting a talent group to call for inclusion as the city seeks to preserve its culture. A political observer also said it was unnecessary to focus solely on contestants’ fluency in Cantonese, suggesting instead that the organiser could include more local elements in the contest to strengthen representation at...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Two rare brown wood owls have been bred at a botanic garden in Hong Kong, with the two chicks growing their flight feathers last month. Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Tai Po kept the breeding programme under wraps for weeks, allowing the chicks to grow undisturbed before announcing it. The chicks, still downy white, were seen peering curiously from their nest among ferns in the farm’s mature forest. Their mother kept watch from a nearby tree during the day and foraged for food at night, the...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
With more than 20 years of experience as a light goods van driver, Hongkonger Fung Fu only started considering switching to becoming a private driving instructor when he noticed the economic outlook was getting gloomier. “Many restaurants have closed down, and companies are making fewer orders of goods. Besides, more drivers are joining the logistics industry, resulting in keener competition,” the 48-year-old told the South China Morning Post. “As I am getting older, my job of carrying heavy...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 7:37 AM
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory cancelled the amber rainstorm warning for a second time on Saturday, after the city was hit by heavy showers and thunderstorms under the combined influence of a southwest monsoon trough and a low-pressure trough. The earlier downpours prompted the forecaster to issue an amber rainstorm warning – the lowest in the three-tier system –...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Hong Kong’s Development Bureau will test whether heavy-duty drones, weighing nearly 150kg (330.6lbs) each, can carry essential items across up to six sites over the next 12 months, the South China Morning Post has learned. In response to queries from the SCMP, the bureau revealed it was partnering with two companies to test whether the devices could carry heavy materials such as cement and manhole covers for construction work. Other potential applications include clearing drains and cleaning...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 9:07 PM
A one-year-old boy remains in a critical condition in a Hong Kong hospital after contracting Covid-19, the second infant confirmed as severely infected with the contagious disease within a week, according to health authorities. The Centre for Health Protection at the Department of Health said on Friday that both boys had good past health but had not been inoculated against Covid-19. The centre urged unvaccinated high-risk groups to get vaccinated, warning that the overall Covid-19 activity could...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Three property sites will be handed over to the future operator of the planned green transit system in Hong Kong’s East Kowloon to boost the project’s financial viability under arrangements approved by the government. The project, which will link Choi Hung and Yau Tong, will be put to tender next month with the goal of opening the 7km (4.3 mile) rail line by 2033. Similar to the arrangements for the transit system in Kai Tak, the successful bidder for the East Kowloon project will be responsible...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Hong Kong airport’s security contractor has expanded its canine patrol unit to the newly relaunched Terminal 2, deploying its 20 dogs and their handlers to cover the upgraded facility as needed. Jacob Cheung Tat-keung, executive director of the Aviation Security Company (Avseco), said on Friday that operations at Terminal 2 had been generally smooth, although passenger numbers had increased as 15 airlines had moved in over the past few weeks. Cheung said the deployment of the dogs would depend...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Hong Kong is reeling from a double tragedy on Wednesday after a 48-year-old social worker jumped to her death from her 19th-floor home in Taikoo Shing after arguing with her 12-year-old daughter about “education problems”. Hours later, the girl also jumped from her living room. The South China Morning Post breaks down the sequence of events and examines how Hongkongers can cope with stress and maintain harmonious family relationships. 1. How did the tragedy unfold? First, a government social...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:41 PM
The Hong Kong government gazetted a bill on Friday that, if passed, would waive salary tax on fund managers’ performance-linked bonuses, so long as they meet certain requirements, in a move to introduce further tax reform to strengthen the city as a wealth management centre. The bill, which will be first read by lawmakers on June 24, may attract more fund managers and family offices to operate in the city, the government said. The measure would make Hong Kong the first major Asian financial...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Hong Kong actress Barbara Chan Man-yee has died at the age of 66, five years after the death of her husband, actor Liu Kai-chi. Chan’s sons said that she died peacefully on Friday morning, surrounded by family at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin after an illness. The announcement did not specify the nature of her condition. Her husband died in the same hospital in 2021 after reportedly battling stomach cancer for several months. “In accordance with her wishes during her lifetime, the memorial...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Hong Kong can be “more than New York and Silicon Valley combined” by positioning itself as a hub that integrates global financial depth with technological innovation and manufacturing capacity, the finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Friday that Hong Kong had a unique edge over New York and Silicon Valley, thanks to advanced manufacturing capabilities that its American rivals lacked, which were the result of integration with the Greater Bay Area. Speaking at the...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 11:30 AM
A Hong Kong retiree has received 40 hours of community service for slapping a five-year-old boy who threw a tantrum and berated his domestic helper at a shopping centre earlier this year. Lok Kam-ming, 61, returned to Tuen Mun Court on Friday to be sentenced for what his lawyer described as an incident arising from the “unfortunate encounter” between him and a child whom he first met at Grand Yoho in Yuen Long on January 8. Lok, who pleaded guilty last month to assault occasioning actual bodily...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 10:57 AM
A Hong Kong school recovering from the suicides of a Primary Six pupil and her mother does not subject students to intense academic pressure, a student and the vice-principal have said, emphasising that promotion to its secondary section is automatic. Their remarks came on Friday as an experienced psychologist advised against allowing surviving relatives to return home immediately after the suicide of a family member at the residence. A 48-year-old woman took her own life at her flat in Lu Shan...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Hong Kong’s catering industry is aiming for 6 to 8 per cent business growth during this year’s Fifa World Cup, with the sector exploring creative ways to attract customers and keep fans from travelling to mainland China, despite time differences for matches. Edward Leung Hei, chairman of the Hong Kong Feast and Retreat Association, said on Friday that measures included offering discounts on snacks and drinks, broadcasting match replays during happy hours, hosting lucky draws to boost the...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 8:15 AM
This article was first published on June 13, 1966 36 feared dead in storm horror At least 36 people are feared to have died in the fierce floods following one of the worst rainstorms in Hongkong’s history. Last night (June 12, 1966) officials— still working on rescue operations — revealed that 32 people were still missing, and 33 were injured. More than 600 people were rendered homeless by the 78 landslides which occurred. Among the dead are two journalists, Mr John A. Stuart, 31, and Mr Kevin...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Before Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes last week, he accused CBS’s editor-in-chief of “murdering” the programme he had served for over two decades. For a show that once defined hard-edged journalism, his dismissal raises questions about what institutional independence means. The split followed a tense staff meeting in which Pelley confronted the show’s new executive producer. In a statement after his firing, Pelley said the organisation was becoming more policitised and tried to get him...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 5:30 AM
A sea of 500 tents covered the white sands of remote Ham Tin Wan in Sai Kung during a recent holiday, turning one of Hong Kong’s most scenic beaches into a makeshift campsite for crowds of overnight visitors. Some of the campers had joined tours from mainland China for the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, sleeping in rows of identical tents and gathering around camping tables for hotpot dinners, with ingredients hauled across the border by their guides. By morning, the sink in the beach’s only...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Prices for some new homes in Hong Kong have rebounded by as much as a third from the housing market’s lowest level a few years ago amid robust demand, according to analysts. Developers have priced new units this year in Tseung Kwan O, Wong Chuk Hang and Tai Wai between 7 and 36 per cent higher than those sold in the same projects or in the same districts in previous years, data tracked by JLL showed. The consultancy said that on average, prices for the first sales in new developments this year...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 9:00 PM
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong Academy (HKA) has long been recognised as a leading international IB World School. As they wrap up their 25th anniversary celebrations and look forward to the next academic year the school is proud to unveil an exciting addition to its Early Childhood programming: The Maker’s Atelier. Beginning August 2026, this optional Reggio-inspired afternoon programme for Pre-K learners is structured to intentionally...
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