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A police inspector has become the first Hongkonger selected for China’s space programme as a “preparatory astronaut,” local media reported on Tuesday. Police Chief Inspector Lai Ka-ying was named in reports as the first Hongkonger picked for the possible space role, although authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the candidate. The China Manned Space Agency announced on Tuesday that a payload specialist from Hong Kong and another from Macau were among 10 candidates selected for the country’s fourth batch of astronauts. Payload specialists carry out scientific and applied research i...
Hong Kong Free Press
The number of traffic accidents involving taxis last year rose 26 per cent to 4,585 compared to the previous year, according to Transport Department figures presented to legislators on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the number of official complaints stood at 1,006 in 2023, up three quarters from 574 in 2022. However, the department said that the number of complaints in 2022 may have been affected by lower public transport patronage during Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. All anti-epidemic measures were lifted last March. The figures were presented by Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun...
Hong Kong Free Press
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA), the city’s redevelopment body, has announced a series of free “citywalk” tours in Central and Sheung Wan to showcase Hong Kong’s history and vibrance. The body will hold 40 guided tours in October catering to over 500 local residents or tourists, URA’s managing director Wai Chi-sing said on Sunday. These tours will highlight the URA’s redevelopment projects as well as historic spots, shops and street art in Central and Sheung Wan, Wai said. The tours will feature the three themes – history and architecture; food and community; and art and culture. The URA wil...
Hong Kong Free Press
Electric cars are a wonderful invention, reducing pollution and the demand for oil. They are also killers. The main problem is that they are so quiet. Blind people, animals and those trusting souls who walk through car parks while checking their mobile phones, all rely on the noise of an approaching car to warn them of its existence. Electric and hybrid vehicles, at low speeds, are virtually silent, or at least inaudible over normal levels of noise around them. People have been complaining about this since the 2000s, when those who follow these things noticed an increase in accidents involving...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong expects to bring in some HK$4.3 billion to the local economy from “mega events” this year, the city’s deputy finance chief has said as he announced 106 events for the latter half of the year. In all, this year’s 210 events are expected to attract some 1.7 million visitors and HK$7.2 billion in spending, which would amount to some HK$4.3 billion in economic value to the economy, deputy financial secretary Michael Wong said at a press conference on Tuesday. Of the 106 “mega events” for the second half of the year announced on Tuesday, 15 are new to the city, including the “Kungfu x Dan...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong leader John Lee has urged residents not to conduct undercover operations targeting ride-sharing services, after videos went viral of people calling the police on their Uber drivers. Addressing reporters at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, Lee said the public should leave law enforcement to officers, who have the necessary training and legal knowledge to deal with any “sudden situations.” “Those who are untrained and have limited legal knowledge should not do this. Otherwise, you could run afoul of the law,” he said, speaking in Cantonese. See also: Taxi group head denounces unde...
Hong Kong Free Press
The head of one of Hong Kong’s largest taxi groups has denounced undercover vigilante operations targeting Uber drivers, saying enforcement should be left to authorities. Chau Kwok-keung, chair of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, responded on Monday to reports that people had been posing as passengers in recent weeks and hailing Uber rides, only to then call the police on those drivers. Uber operates in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering ride-hailing services to have a hire car permit. Taxi driver unions have long called on the authorities to crack do...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s economic outlook has been improving, with a marked increase in the city’s property sales and a significant rebound in the stock market, Financial Secretary Paul Chan has said. On his official blog on Sunday, Chan wrote that the total number of residential property sales had bounced back, with sales in April totalling 8,551 – a more than 115 per cent increase from last March’s figures. The price index for private residential properties rose by one per cent in March, according to the Rating and Valuation Department, marking an end to a downward trend that began in May 2022. The rise ...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s government has defended its decision to approve a limited taxi fare increase against criticism from both passengers and drivers, saying it took the views of both sides into consideration. Chief Executive John Lee and the Executive Council on Tuesday approved the increase as of July 14 for taxis servicing the urban areas, the New Territories and Lantau island. Flagfall will rise by HK$2 to HK$29 for urban taxis, HK$25.5 for New Territories cabs and HK$24 for Lantau taxis. Incremental charges will rise as well. The adjustment faced criticism online as passengers complained about poor...
Hong Kong Free Press
The Tourism Board will give HK$200 vouchers to visitors from eight Chinese cities who will soon be able to come to Hong Kong under an expanded solo travel scheme, allowing them to experience the city’s “extraordinary charm.” Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee said the vouchers could be spent at “many different types of restaurants and shops.” “The government and the Tourism Board have prepared a series of arrangements so mainland Chinese visitors can feel like they are in a home away from home, and personally experience the extraordinary charm of Hong Kong as an internat...
Hong Kong Free Press
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