Vendors were on the fence on Tuesday about how much revenue they would generate as people flocked to wet markets to buy food for their family reunion dinners. Reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve is traditionally regarded as the most important meal of the year in Chinese culture. One man said he spent over HK$1,000 shopping at the wet market. “I …

Chief Executive John Lee issued a Lunar New Year message on Tuesday, saying that Hong Kong would be agile and resilient in the Year of the Snake, and would continue to seek innovation and change. In the pre-recorded message, John Lee said the city has had a year full of cheer, including the gift of two giant pandas from Beijing and the birth of two…

Cross border coach operators will increase their frequency of services by 20 percent over the Lunar New Year holiday, the Hong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association said today. Vice chairman Freeman Cheung told an RTHK radio programme that he expects the city to see the highest number of Hongkongers heading north on Thursday and Friday, …

A Hong Kong resident who had been detained for illegal work in Myanmar returned to the SAR late Monday night. Accompanied by members of a government task force, the man arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport via a flight from Bangkok. He was subsequently taken to the airport police station. During a press briefing, Assistant Secretary for S…

Masses of displaced Palestinians began streaming towards the north of the war-battered Gaza Strip on Monday after Israel and Hamas said they had reached a deal for the release of another six hostages. The breakthrough preserves a fragile ceasefire and paves the way for more hostage-prisoner swaps under an agreement aimed at ending the more than 15-…

The Director of Immigration on Monday said he is confident that Hong Kong’s border checkpoints have enough capacity to handle an influx of tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday. Border crossings won’t operate beyond the usual hours during the period. At a year-end press conference, Benson Kwok said he expects 7.3 million land border crossings …

As the Year of the Snake approaches, various floats and international performing groups are putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the annual Chinese New Year night parade. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and sponsored by Cathay Pacific, the parade will kick off at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, winding its way thro…

Officials closed the Cheung Sha Wan Lunar New Year fair for several hours on Monday after some stalls were damaged by strong winds overnight. Goods were left scattered on the ground and scaffolding was damaged, with a similar scene at a fair in Tsz Wan Shan. A woman selling orchids at Cheung Sha Wan told RTHK she thinks she has lost tens of thousan…

Monday marks the 28th day of the 12th lunar month. According to Chinese tradition, it is a day designated for "spring cleaning", when families deep-clean their homes in the run up to the Lunar New Year and put up new "fai chuns" -- red banners bearing auspicious phrases. While the market is flooded with mass produced, digitally-printed "fai chuns",…

Hongkongers braved the chilly conditions to explore the 1.1-kilometre section of the East Coast boardwalk from Fortress Hill to North Point, which opened on Sunday. North Point resident Adrienne Garvey told RTHK that her family is looking forward to using the promenade. "The kids play area here is fantastic… the kids are loving and exploring it, an…

The head of the government's investment promotion agency on Sunday said her office will focus on bringing in non-local companies that can "create a larger financial impact" in Hong Kong. In the past year, InvestHK helped a record 539 non-local companies establish or expand in the SAR, with total investment reaching HK$67.7 billion. "The companies w…

A University of Hong Kong (HKU) paediatrician on Sunday called on people to stay on the alert, saying the current influenza outbreak may worsen after the Lunar New Year holiday. Speaking on a radio programme, Mike Kwan from HKU’s Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine said the flu season is expected to peak next month, and people should …