Education Secretary Christine Choi said on Saturday that a rise in school fees will not hurt the competitiveness of the SAR’s universities. Starting the next academic year, the government will hike the current tuition fees of HK$42,100 for eight public universities by just under 18 percent in phased increases over three years. The fees have been fr…

Preliminary figures for the Lunar New Year point to a rebound in tourist numbers, including overseas visitors. The Tourism Board said on Saturday that Hong Kong attracted close to 680,000 tourists from Tuesday to Friday, a 6 percent year-on-year increase. The board's executive director Dane Cheng told a Commercial Radio programme that the percentag…

Chief Secretary Eric Chan said on Saturday that things went smoothly at the border crossings during the Lunar New Year holiday, despite changes from last year's travel arrangements. Unlike last year, border checkpoints at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay didn't extend their hours, leaving Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Port …

The Tourism Bureau said the Travel Industry Authority is working with Miramar Travel to help relatives of a male tour guide who died in a traffic accident in Shanghai on Friday. The coach was taking a 16-member tour group to Shanghai Pudong International Airport when the accident occurred. Miramar general manager Alex Lee said the travel agency wou…

The police commissioner on Friday warned the public to be on guard, amid a rise in investment scams in recent months, with most cases involving cryptocurrency. Raymond Siu revealed that the frauds usually begin with fake romances - scammers would show concern for their target before providing them with a link. He emphasised the cases were too good …

Worshippers on Friday flocked to Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin to pray for good fortune and prosperity in the Year of the Snake. According to Chinese traditions, people tend to avoid visiting family and friends on the third day of the Lunar New Year when quarrels are believed to be more likely. Police implemented crowd control measures as devotees que…

The Hong Kong Tourism Association said on Friday that even though the city saw a rise in outbound tour groups over the Lunar New Year holiday, it was smaller than the increase in 2024 when the city celebrated the festival for the first time since the lifting of Covid restrictions. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, executive director Timothy Chui…

Thousands of people gathered around Victoria Harbour on Thursday for the New Year firework display, traditionally held on the second day of the Lunar New Year. A secondary school student told RTHK she had arrived at 3.30 pm. "I wanted to enjoy the festive atmosphere, and get a good spot. This is the first time I have come to see the fireworks. I th…

Scores of people are feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, officials said. Officials did not provide a death toll from the collision. But US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, wher…

A catering representative said on Thursday that reservations at Chinese restaurants over Lunar New Year were up ten percent from last year. Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management chairman, Leung Chun-wah, said despite a number of Hong Kong residents travelling during the holidays, those who stayed in the city were willing to spend. …

A rural leader has urged officials to come up with policies that are practical rather than window dressing in the upcoming budget, after drawing a fortune stick for Hong Kong in an annual Lunar New Year ritual. On Thursday morning, Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau picked a No 24 "neutral" stick at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. The stick corresp…

More than 500,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza, according to the media office in Gaza. "More than half a million displaced Palestinians have returned in the past 72 hours from the southern and central governorates to Gaza and northern governorates via Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din roads," the media office said in a statement. …

Rwanda-backed fighters advanced on a second front in their offensive across eastern DR Congo on Wednesday after seizing control of most of the key city of Goma during heavy fighting with the Congolese military. The weeks-long advance by the M23 armed group prompted calls from mediator Angola for urgent talks, as well rising international criticism …

A pre-dawn stampede at the world's largest religious gathering killed at least 30 people in India on Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders. Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions…