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HK reports six imported Covid cases

Health authorities reported six new imported Covid-19 cases on Saturday, five of which involved the L452R mutant strain, with test results still pending for the other patient. The patients, who are all fully-vaccinated, include a foreign domestic helper serving quarantine at Penny's Bay and people who were staying in quarantine...
Local

No ADPL members plan to run in Legco poll

The Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood said on Saturday that no members had indicated their intention to stand in December's Legco election before its internal deadline for applications on Friday. The party made the announcement on social media, noting that the matter was therefore not discussed in...
Local

Second quarantine hotel to open for new helpers

The government said on Saturday it had set aside a second hotel for newly-arrived foreign domestic helpers to complete their 21-day mandatory quarantine. For now, incoming helpers can only serve their quarantine in the Silka Tsuen Wan hotel or the government's quarantine centre in Penny's Bay – both of which...
Local

Minister: schools may close as pupil numbers fall

Education Secretary Kevin Yeung said on Saturday that officials would study closing or merging schools as pupil numbers fall. Asked whether some teachers will lose their jobs as a result, Yeung said the government would work with schools to minimise the impact. "There is a very obvious trend in decreasing...
Local

App-for-entry rule ‘unfair to poor’: EOC chief

The head of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Ricky Chu, said on Saturday that a new requirement that everyone uses the LeaveHomeSafe app when entering government buildings is unfair to poor people who can't afford smartphones. The administration says the measure is needed to enhance contact tracing. Exemptions will apply only...
Local

New cross-harbour MTR link delayed again

The MTR Corporation has confirmed yet another delay to the opening of a new cross-harbour section of the East Rail Line, saying the latest target date is June or July next year. The line was originally expected to open in 2020, but this was eventually pushed back to early next...
Local

New alliance to push ‘Third Way’ in Legco

Executive councillor Ronny Tong's Path of Democracy and the Third Side political party announced on Friday that they had formed a new alliance, in case they decide to field candidates in December's Legco elections. At a press conference, the two groups said they share a mission of safeguarding One Country...
Local

11 jailed for up to a year for vote-rigging

The District Court on Friday sentenced 11 people to jail for up to one year for vote-rigging in the IT sector race of the 2016 Legco election. Four of the defendants were executives or staff of the Taxi Drivers & Operators Association, including then corporate affairs director, Li Wai-man, who...
Local

HK records two new imported Covid cases

Hong Kong recorded two new imported cases of Covid-19 on Friday. The patients recently arrived from Maldives and the Philippines. Both of them had been double jabbed and were infected with a mutant strain of coronavirus. Meanwhile, the government reminded anyone who was on the cruise ship Spectrum of the...
Local

Police chief pays tribute to fallen officers

Police Commissioner Raymond Siu on Friday paid tribute to officers who have died in the line of duty. At a Force Remembrance Day ceremony, Siu said officers face a number of dangers in the course of their duties, but always put the people of Hong Kong first to ensure the...
Local

New subsidised homes to cost up to HK$3.85m

The Housing Authority on Friday announced that prices for around 2,100 new subsidised flats under the green form subsidised home ownership scheme will range from about HK$1.18 million to HK$3.85 million. The flats in Kai Chuen Court in Diamond Hill will range from 184 to 481 square feet in size,...
Local

Govt hits back at foreign criticism, US policy

The SAR government on Friday hit out at foreign criticism over the disqualification of district councillors following oath-taking ceremonies. In a statement, the government called statements issued by politicians from the US, the UK, the EU and Australia "biased and groundless", saying they are "flagrant and unsubstantiated attacks" on the...
Local

Spectrum of the Seas cruise grounded for 21 days

A cruise-to-nowhere ship where a staff member tested positive for Covid-19 has been banned from sailing for 21 days after health authorities confirmed the patient to be a re-positive case. The 40-year-old crew member of Spectrum of the Seas, who had tested positive in Malaysia in July, tested positive again...
Local

Plans to assign lawyers under legal aid reform

The government has proposed changes to the legal aid system so that aid recipients in criminal cases can no longer choose their own lawyers, unless under exceptional circumstances. The suggested revamp came after criticism from lawmakers who said the system has been abused. In a paper submitted to Legco, the...
Local

Calls grow to ban mainlanders’ discrimination

The Society for Community Organisation (Soco) has issued a fresh appeal to the government to amend the existing anti-discrimination ordinance to protect new arrivals to the city, especially mainland migrants. Sze Lai-shan, Soco's community organiser, said the government should consider outlawing discrimination based on an individual’s “place of origins”. Sze...
Local

Hong Kong’s jobless rate falls to 4.5 percent

Hong Kong’s unemployment rate dropped from 4.7 percent to 4.5 percent in the July-to-September period, the lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic began last year. The underemployment rate, meanwhile, edged down slightly to 2.1 percent. The Census and Statistics Department said improvements were especially seen in the building, professional and business...
Local

Marathon organiser clarifies that it’s anti-crime

Organisers of this weekend's Hong Kong Marathon have stressed they have zero tolerance for any breaches of the law, saying there's no place in sporting events for any politics or slogans. The clarification came in a statement, after lawmakers took issue with an earlier comment by organising committee chairman William...
Local

National security top priority for new customs chief

Hong Kong's new Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Louise Ho, says she is making safeguarding national security her top priority, including tackling the threat posed by the smuggling of Australian lobsters to the mainland. Ho, the wife of constitutional and mainland affairs minister Erick Tsang, was appointed to the position...
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