A UK-registered air ambulance and family support charity has issued an urgent appeal for a donated private flight to bring a critically ill baby boy home from Hong Kong. Lia’s Wings said on Friday that nine-month-old Matthew, from Nottinghamshire, had travelled to Hong Kong with his mother several months ago to visit relatives. He fell ill with influenza A and suffered three cardiac arrests, leaving him critically ill in hospital. His brain was reportedly deprived of oxygen for 47 minutes. His...

The personal data of nearly 17,000 mainland Chinese-based students who applied to take two international exams through the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has been leaked after its information system was compromised. The authority said the leaked data included the names, dates of birth and email addresses of about 16,900 students. It added that there was no evidence that the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) or any other examinations had been...

A 66-year-old Hong Kong woman was swindled out of HK$2.7 million (US$344,158) in a phone scam after a caller alleged that her bank account had been involved in money laundering. Police said the woman, who lives in Sau Mau Ping, told the force at about 5am on Saturday that she had received the call earlier this month from a suspected scammer. He claimed her bank account, the one she used to buy insurance online, had been involved in money laundering and allegedly instructed her to transfer funds...

Eight companies have applied for licences to provide ride-hailing services in Hong Kong under the new regulatory regime ahead of Friday’s deadline, the Transport Department has confirmed. US-based Uber, Singapore-based Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing, all of which currently serve the market, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that they had submitted applications. Amap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the SCMP. A department spokesman said receiving eight applications ahead of...

Traffic police have issued more than 220,000 tickets for parking-related offences in each of the past three years, raking in at least HK$70 million (US$8.92 million) a year for Hong Kong’s coffers, but a lawmaker said inspections could be enhanced to target more offenders. In a written reply to the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said police issued 259,589, 242,550 and 225,489 fixed penalty tickets in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively to...