Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak on Saturday said 12 care teams have been deployed to Sai Kung in response to the severe rainfall that hit the area. At one point, the Observatory recorded over 200 millimetres of rain in the district, causing significant flooding on several roads, including Po Lam Road North and Wan Po Road in Tseung K…

The Hong Kong Observatory cancelled the amber rainstorm warning signal at 8.45pm on Saturday. It said heavy rain over Hong Kong had started to ease. The Observatory had issued the amber signal to replace the red rainstorm warning just before 4pm. However, the forecaster has also warned that another intense band of thundery showers is edging towards…

The Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Saturday said the new minimum wage formula will provide support to Hong Kong's 17,000 low income workers, who currently earn an hourly rate of HK$40. The new formula - which bars any reduction - takes effect next year, after being given the go-ahead on Tuesday by the Chief Executive, John Lee, and t…

Catering sector representative Simon Wong on Saturday said restaurants saw 10 percent less business than usual this May 1 public holiday, which was also the first day of the mainland's Golden Week break. Speaking to reporters after appearing on a radio programme, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president said this was par…

The Observatory on Saturday said it may issue the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, as heavy rain continues to batter Hong Kong, particularly in the east of the territory. It had issued the Red Rainstorm Signal just before 9 am, as the rainy weather that has hit Hong Kong over the past few days worsened. Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O have seen very heav…

The Hospital Authority (HA) is launching a new round of its overseas training sponsorship programme, fully subsidising eligible participants to earn a bachelor's degree in podiatry at the University of Northampton in the UK. The scheme to send people abroad for training on foot treatment was first introduced in 2005 due to the lack of recognised pr…

Education minister Christine Choi on Friday said students taking Chinese History in the DSE exams will be allowed to skip part of the test from 2026. Under the new arrangement, pupils can choose to take only a compulsory test that covers Chinese historical events ranging from the ancient Xia dynasty onwards, or they can also sit a paper that focuse…

The data of around 17,000 people who were required to undergo Covid tests at the peak of the pandemic has been exposed online, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has warned. In a statement issued late on Thursday, the department said names, phone numbers, identity card numbers and addresses of residents were collected during l…

Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is launching a series of new programmes from May, covering topics from news and current affairs to youth, family, and community activities, as well as education and culture. The new programmes will be broadcast across RTHK's eight channels. Speaking at the launch ceremony on Thursday, RTHK’s assistant director, Vin…

The Inland Revenue Department on Thursday said it expects a 12 percent increase in the amount of tax it collects this year, following a drop last year. Provisional figures show the department collected HK$342 billion in the last tax year, which was HK$18.2 billion or about five percent lower than in 2022-23. But it said it expects tax revenue to ri…

Environment minister Tse Chin-wan on Thursday said the pay-as-you-throw trial would continue this month as planned, despite feedback that cleaners and participants are having a hard time with the scheme. The government selected 14 buildings and premises to test the waste-charging scheme, which began last month, with participants using designated ga…

Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung on Thursday criticised the Consumer Council over a data breach last year, saying the watchdog contravened the Personal Data Ordinance with its deficiencies. An attack by hackers resulted in the leak of personal data on more than 450 individuals, including staff members and people who filed complaints with the council.…

The executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, Timothy Chui, on Thursday said tourist figures for the first day of the mainland's Golden Week holiday were in line with expectations. The Immigration Department said arrivals in the SAR exceeded 460,000 on May 1, including around 180,000 from the mainland. Some tourists complained on soc…

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday his country will sever diplomatic ties with Israel, whose leader he described as "genocidal" over its war in Gaza. "Tomorrow (Thursday) diplomatic relations with the state of Israel will be severed... for having a genocidal president," Petro, a harsh critic of the war against Hamas, told a May Day…