Cat and dog owners will soon be able to bring pets on board the light rail on weekends and public holidays once the MTR Corporation rolls out a HK$99 monthly pet pass from May as part of a trial scheme. Under current regulations, only guide dogs are allowed on trains. The two-month pilot scheme will require owners to board the light rail with pets …

The government announced on Monday that tennis and billiards have retained their Tier A sport status for two years, avoiding a downgrade that would result in significant funding cuts. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law also announced the promotion of golf as a Tier A sport, and canoeing and para swimming to Tier B status, effecti…

South Korean auto giant Hyundai on Monday announced a multi-billion-dollar investment in the United States, including a new US$5.8 billion steel plant. The plant, which will be based in the US state of Louisiana, "will create 1,300 American jobs," Hyundai executive chairman Euisun Chung told reporters at a White House event alongside President Dona…

The tense first day of the trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu over sexual assault allegations ended on Monday, with both sides trading jabs on their approach to the legal procedure. Depardieu is on trial over alleged sexual assaults on a film set, in a case that placed one of France's best-known movie stars at the heart of the country's broader…

The secretary for culture, sports and tourism has called on the ticketing platform Cityline to explain misprints on Coldplay concert tickets. According to the platform's website, the inaccurate information is printed on HK$1,399 "Coldplay: Music Of The Spheres World Tour – delivered by DHL" standing tickets. Rosanna Law pointed out that the platfor…

China has not received any application for asylum from Philippines' former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday. Duterte's trip to Hong Kong was for his personal holidays, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference. The former president was arrested on March 11 at Manila's ma…

There's no way Hong Kong's public healthcare system will be sustainable in the long term if the government continues to subsidise nearly all of the expenses, according to an adviser tasked with reforming the body managing the hospitals. The government is currently reviewing fees and charges for public hospital services, with details to be announced…

A lawmaker suggested on Monday that the ticketing platform Cityline deal with exchanges necessitated by printing errors on some Coldplay concert tickets by post. The inaccurate information is printed on HK$1,399 "Coldplay: Music Of The Spheres World Tour – delivered by DHL" standing tickets, according to Cityline's website. On top of the seven tick…

Want to see vampires travelling through time and space? Local art space Para Site is turning Art Basel's film section into a sci-fi wonderland. Breaking from tradition, the SAR’s premier art show has handed over its film programming reins to Para Site – marking the first time an organisation will be in charge of curating the section. "We're almost …

Environment minister Tse Chin-wan said on Monday that Hong Kong will continue to strive for carbon neutrality by 2050, highlighting the SAR’s multi-pronged plan to achieve this goal. Speaking at a climate forum organised by the Environment and Ecology Bureau and University of Hong Kong, the minister said the city's efforts to achieve carbon neutral…

South Korea's Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday, reinstating him as acting president – a role he was given after the president was suspended for declaring martial law. "Han's impeachment was dismissed in a 5-1 vote by the court's eight justices. Two justices voted to reject the impeachment motio…

The Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau has urged more individuals to register as organ donors, as many patients continue to wait for life-saving transplants. Speaking at a ceremony honouring organ donors on Sunday, Lo noted that over 2,600 patients in Hong Kong are currently on the waiting list for organ transplants. He said that while nearly 400,00…

The head of the Science Park called for a balanced approach in technological development, saying while research and development is important, the results must also be applied in practical and real-world settings. Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation CEO Albert Wong noted the SAR's st…

Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for more than five weeks, will be discharged from hospital on Sunday but will need a further two months of rest at the Vatican, the head of his medical team said on Saturday. Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that became the most seri…

Thousands of people flocked to Ocean Park on Saturday as they can now see the panda twins and their mother, Ying Ying, all in one go. Visitors who collect an entry ticket can meet the pandas for three minutes, though all tickets for the last session at 4:20 pm were gone by noon. The park distributed more than 3,000 entry tickets in total. Lau, a fr…

Commissioner for primary healthcare Pang Fei-chau said on Saturday that it is expected more patients will be detected with high cholesterol after a government-led primary healthcare scheme expands to cover blood lipid testing from Friday. The Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme, launched in November 2023, was set up to detect chronic diseases at a…

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said on Saturday that the government is preparing to file a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding US tariffs. The US has imposed an additional 20 percent duty on goods from Hong Kong, the same as for mainland China. Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Yau accused…

The MTR says Light Rail services are returning to normal after several routes in Tin Shui Wai were disrupted on Saturday morning. It took maintenance staff about four hours to fix an overhead line near Tin Yuet, which had been damaged by a crane lorry at around 7:30 am. Routes 705, 706 and 751 were diverted as a result. The MTR asked people to use …

Requiring patients to pay separately for tests and scans at public hospitals will leave them with a "minimal" financial burden as such services will still be "highly subsidised" by the government, health officials say amid plans to adjust medical fees. Currently, the government covers the cost of diagnostic radiology services at public hospitals. T…

Flights at Britain's Heathrow resumed late on Friday after a fire knocked out its power supply and shut Europe's busiest airport for the day, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and causing travel turmoil worldwide. Heathrow said its teams worked tirelessly to reopen the world's fifth-busiest airport after it was forced to close entirely afte…