Hong Kong businesses, specially small and medium-sized ones, are set to receive a boost to enhance their environmental, social and governance practices with the launch of a new AI tool to help them comply with rules. Green360 was launched by The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) on Friday, and it is an online learning platform aimed at …

Stargazers across a swathe of the world marvelled at a dramatic red "Blood Moon" during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of Friday. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, earth and moon line up, c…

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday the government is reviewing fees and charges for public hospital services, including charging for such services as CT scans and MRIs to prevent abuse. However, he said that emergency and hospitalised patients would be exempted. “The demand for some complicated imaging services such as CT scans and MR…

China urged an end to "illegal" sanctions on Iran as it hosted diplomats from that country and Russia on Friday for talks Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme. Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi held their…

Some parents at a primary school that won't get public funding to operate first-year classes in the next academic year said on Friday they're shocked by the development. Price Memorial Catholic Primary School in Wong Tai Sin is one of two schools left with the options of running the primary one class with private funds, merging with other schools o…

An American Airlines plane caught fire after landing at Denver International Airport, prompting slides to be deployed so passengers could evacuate quickly. Flight 1006, which was headed from Colorado Springs to Dallas, diverted to Denver and landed safely around 5.15pm on Thursday after the crew reported engine vibrations, the Federal Aviation Admi…

Australia is reviewing an American influencer’s visa after she posted video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother. Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter,” made her Instagram account private on Thursday after she was widely condemned for the video. It shows her lifting the wombat joey by its front legs in darkn…

A driver, who was behind the wheel of a light goods vehicle travelling along the West Kowloon Highway on Thursday, died after crashing into a fire engine in Tai Kok Tsui. The fatal accident occurred at about 2pm, near Olympian City. The driver had initially been stuck in the van, which was severely damaged, before being brought to Kwong Wah Hospita…

China called on Thursday for a "diplomatic" resolution to the Iran nuclear issue as it prepared to host diplomats from Tehran and Moscow for talks in Beijing. "In the current situation, we believe that all parties should maintain calm and restraint to avoid escalating the Iran nuclear situation, or even walking towards confrontation and conflict," …

The chairman of the Hong Kong Society for Infectious Diseases on Thursday said it would "not be surprising" if some students might have already caught norovirus – which can cause gastroenteritis – before departing for an exchange trip on the mainland. More than 50 secondary students and teachers from three local schools who had eaten meals at the s…

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Wednesday hinted that the city could double the funds raised for its initial public offering (IPO) market this year compared to that of last year, as optimism over the nation’s tech sector grows. Chan made the remarks in a speech, during which he noted that the SAR will ramp up efforts to woo leading firms to list h…

The government is optimistic about the number of people who will stay under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, labour chief Chris Sun said on Wednesday. More than 90,000 people have been granted visas of up to three years under the scheme since its launch at the end of 2022. Sun said the government is currently handling visa-renewal requests by more than …

Development secretary Bernadette Linn said reviewing construction standards and centralising procurement of materials are among concrete measures that the government will take to lower costs. Her bureau had conducted research last year on why construction costs are high by comparing projects here with those in other major cities around the world. S…

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Wednesday he believes the Social Workers Registration Board will review any renewal application as required by law. Sun was speaking a day after social worker Jackie Chen was convicted of rioting during the 2019 protests. According to the board’s website, Chen’s registration as a social worker expi…

Greenland voted on Tuesday in legislative elections that could yield a timeline for independence for the Danish self-governing territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Possibly signalling a Trump effect, turnout was higher than usual in the sole polling station in the capital Nuuk, according to election officials who extended voting - which …