Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau on Saturday warned people not to touch freshwater fish with their bare hands, after an outbreak of a deadly infection linked to fish. The Centre for Health Protection said 27 cases of Group B Streptococcus had been reported over the past couple of weeks, two of which proved fatal. It said the strain involved – ST283 – …

Chief Executive John Lee announced that he will deliver his Policy Address on October 16, as he wrapped up a visit to Wong Tai Sin to gather views on Saturday. The CE stopped off at a pharmacy, a social services coordination centre, a health centre and a Chinese restaurant. He was accompanied by the health secretary Lo Chung-mau and the home and yo…

Paediatrician and government advisor Lam Ching-choi on Saturday said a school-based system to help prevent young people from taking their own lives is having an effect and should stay in place. Lam, who chairs the advisory committee on mental health and sits on the Executive Council, said about 200 vulnerable pupils had been identified, and about a…

Sports minister Kevin Yeung on Friday said the resignation of Sam Wong as sports commissioner won't affect the sector's development. Wong has cited personal reasons for his departure, just a little over a year since he took up the role. The former international windsurfer will leave his post on September 20. Speaking to reporters after a visit to B…

Hong Kong should slash taxes on strong alcohol to 20 percent so mainland companies can use the city as a platform to take traditional Chinese liquor to the world, industry leaders said on Friday. The SAR hasn't imposed duty on wine since 2008, but there's a 100 percent levy on liquor with an alcohol strength of more than 30 percent. Raymond Luk, fr…

Technology minister Sun Dong said on Friday that everyone in Hong Kong has a role to play in ensuring cybersecurity. Sun made the comment at a forum marking this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign, which runs alongside the annual China Cybersecurity Week. He said officials are working with public and private organisations to build a comprehens…

The head of the government's investment vehicle on Friday said it plans to boost local start-ups with millions of dollars it will manage under a scheme to draw wealthy investors to Hong Kong. People arriving under the scheme will have to invest at least HK$30 million here, including HK$3 million in a portfolio managed by the Hong Kong Investment Co…

Chief Executive John Lee on Friday said his government is doing everything it can to strengthen ties with members of Southeast Asia's Asean bloc. This includes the planned opening of an Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur. The SAR already has such offices in Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta. Speaking at a summit, the CE said connections don't j…

Millions of people across Southeast Asia struggled on Thursday with flooded homes, power cuts and wrecked infrastructure after Typhoon Yagi swept through the region, as the death toll passed 250. In worst-hit Vietnam, the fatalities rose to 226, with nine confirmed dead in northern Thailand – where one district is suffering its worst floods in 80 y…

The week-long lantern carnival in Victoria Park opened its doors on Thursday, with Mid-Autumn Festival just round the corner. It is one of three carnivals to mark the festival this year, with the other two held in Tsing Yi Park and Cultural Centre Plaza in Tsim Sha Tsui. One of the highlights of the Causeway Bay edition – themed "Charm in the Air: …

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned on Thursday that the UK's state-run National Health Service must "reform or die", after an independent report said the venerated institution was in a "critical condition". Starmer, whose Labour party was elected by a landslide in July, promised "the biggest reimagining" of the NHS since it was founded 76 y…

A man was killed in a work-related accident in Yau Ma Tei on Thursday when he was hit by an industrial oven weighing 1.7 tonnes that slipped off a lorry in a cargo area. The 29-year-old suffered multiple injures in the incident at about 1pm and was certified dead after being taken to Kwong Wah Hospital. The Labour Department said it sent staff to t…

A Physical Fitness gym branch in Wan Chai on Thursday reopened under the new name of "HEALTHY". Last week, Physical Fitness announced it was closing down all of its branches temporarily and looking for new investors. According to an announcement at the Wan Chai branch, the new "HEALTHY" gym would be free for existing Physical customers and would no…

New People's Party lawmaker Adrian Ho on Thursday called on the authorities to allow all clubs under the Hong Kong China Swimming Association to be allowed to use lanes in public pools. Under the association's three-tiered membership system, only clubs in the top two tiers are allowed to apply to use lanes, while the "competition clubs" from the lo…

Customs officers on Thursday said they have arrested five people on suspicion of selling counterfeit mooncakes, cutlery and lanterns worth some HK$28,000. In an operation ahead of next week's Mid-Autumn Festival, undercover officers were deployed to buy the goods. They ended up arresting two men and three women, aged 21 to 70, who are suspected of …

Housing minister Winnie Ho on Thursday said the well-being design guide dedicated to public housing development would serve as a reference for future public housing designs and improvement of existing estates. Speaking at a symposium, she said authorities from the Housing Bureau and Housing Authority visited 26 estates to collect the opinions of ov…

Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who steered economic growth during the 1990s but was later jailed for human rights abuses stemming from a bloody war against Maoist rebels, died on Wednesday. He was aged 86. Close colleagues visited him earlier in the day, reporting that he was in a critical condition. "After a long battle with cancer, o…

North Korea fired multiple short range ballistic missiles into waters east of the Korean peninsula Thursday, Seoul's military reported, days after the nuclear-armed North marked a state anniversary. Seoul's Joint Chief of Staff said it had detected multiple "short-range ballistic missiles launched into the East Sea around 07:10 from Pyongyang today…