Page 2 - Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific probe finds 15 A350s need engine parts replaced

Aviation Herald, an air safety publication, reported the jet had turned back after a cockpit alert warning of a fire in one of its two Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines

Cathay Pacific halts flights for A350 checks, other airlines await guidance

Rolls-Royce had not yet issued a directive to airlines regarding possible inspections, according to an industry source who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter

What is the issue with Cathay Pacific's A350 engines: All you need to know

A problem unfolded several minutes after take-off on flight CX383 from Hong Kong to Zurich on Monday

Hong Kong court convicts editors over articles on democracy activists

The city's District Court on Thursday announced the conviction of Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, top editors at the shuttered pro-democracy publisher Stand News

Cathay Cargo keen for biz in India, aims for 'coterminalisation' of planes

Hong Kong-based Cathay Cargo is looking to expand in India and wants its freighter planes to be allowed to "co-terminate" while flying between multiple destinations within the country under the open sky framework, a senior company official said. Under the open sky policy, the Indian government allows several foreign cargo carriers to operate from all international airports so as to fast-track movement of goods, especially to push exports of perishable items. "Open sky policy is positive for India," said Tom Owen, Director, Cargo, Cathay Cargo. "...What we (would) also like to see in addition to that is the ability to co-terminate our flights. We like to fly into Delhi and then fly to Kolkata and then fly back to Hong Kong. So we can pick up on two places," Owen told PTI in an interview. He said the company is upbeat on India's economic growth and "we are very keen to grow more in India". Cathay Cargo can "redeploy the capacity to help the country respond to the needs of the market

Hong Kong expects to double Indian footfalls this year with events lined-up

Hong Kong is expecting to double the number of Indian travellers this year with a line-up of festivals and events to boost tourism, a top executive of HK Tourism Board has said. Last year, 2,08,000 Indians travelled to Hong Kong. "We want to double this number this year and have many festivals and events lined up to boost tourism this year. In the first half of 2024, Hong Kong welcomed 1,81,000 visitors from India, which is 89 per cent of the pre-Covid time," Hong Kong Tourism Board Director, South Asia and Middle East, Puneet Kumar told PTI. Looking at this growth in momentum, the HK Tourism Board is hoping to cross the pre-Covid (2018) level of tourist arrivals this year, he added. Hong Kong Tourism Board takes 2018 as the benchmark for pre-Covid times as in 2019, the tourism industry almost came to a standstill with cancellation of hundreds of flights as the country saw protests against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance w

HK-based developer Logan Group gets over $1 bn loan amid restructuring

The newly secured refinancing is a step in Logan's path to restructure around $8 billion of its offshore debt with the firm adding that it will continue to push forward with the restructuring

Asia stocks firm, dollar sags amid low US treasury yields on Fed cut bets

Mainland Chinese blue chips added 0.4%, although Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.3%

Hong Kong billionaire Adrian Cheng expects city to become top wealth hub

The semi-autonomous Chinese territory is trying to regain its stature as a global financial hub following years of draconian Covid-19 restrictions and a sweeping crackdown against political dissent

Collapsing land sales in Hong Kong threatens city's funding model

For decades, the city's government generated massive income from auctioning off land to cash-rich developers as prices soared

7 Hong Kong activists fail to overturn convictions over 2019 protest

Seven of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy activists lost their final bid to overturn their convictions at the city's top court on Monday over their roles in one of the biggest anti-government protests in 2019. Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper; Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the city's Democratic Party; and five former pro-democracy lawmakers were found guilty in 2021 of organising and participating in an unauthorised assembly. Their convictions dealt a blow to the city's flagging pro-democracy movement during a political crackdown on dissidents following the protests. Last year, the activists partially won their appeal at a lower court, with their convictions quashed over the charge of organising an unauthorised assembly. But their convictions over taking part in the assembly were upheld and they continued their legal battle at the city's top court. On Monday, judges at the Court of Final Appeal ruled against their appeal over the remaining

Evergrande aims to recover $6 billion from founder Hui, former top execs

The liquidators said they had obtained injunctions restraining Hui, Ding and Xia from dealing with, disposing of, or diminishing the value of their worldwide assets up to various prescribed limits

Country Garden liquidation hearing adjourned to Jan 2025: Hong Kong court

Ever Credit Limited, a unit of Hong Kong-listed Kingboard Holdings, filed the liquidation petition against Country Garden in February for non-payment of a $205 million loan

Publisher Jimmy Lai to testify in his defence at Hong Kong security trial

A defence lawyer said Thursday that prominent publisher Jimmy Lai will testify in his defence in the landmark national security trial brought under a Beijing-imposed law that has all but wiped out public dissent. Lai, the 76-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was arrested in 2020 during a crackdown on the mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019. He was charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to put out seditious publications. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. On Wednesday, Lai's lawyer Robert Pang argued his client had no case to answer because the prosecutors' evidence was insufficient. Pang said the prosecution had failed to prove Lai's intent after the introduction of the 2020 law and stressed the importance of freedom of speech. But judges Esther Toh, Susana D'Almada Remedios and Alex Lee ruled against him on Thursday. Having considered all the submission, we ruled t

Hong Kong tests its own ChatGPT-style tool as OpenAI plans to block access

Hong Kong's government is testing the city's own ChatGPT -style tool for its employees, with plans to eventually make it available to the public, its innovation minister said after OpenAI took extra steps to block access from the city and other unsupported regions. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said on a Saturday radio show that his bureau was trying out the artificial intelligence program, whose Chinese name translates to document assistance application for civil servants," to further improve its capabilities. He plans to have it available for the rest of the government this year. The program was developed by a generative AI research and development center led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in collaboration with several other universities. Sun said the model would provide functions like graphics and video design in the future. To what degree it would compare to the capabilities of ChatGPT was unclear. Sun's bureau did not respond

Activist Joshua Wong asks lesser sentence in Hong Kong's security case

Prominent activist Joshua Wong asked for a lesser sentence in court on Friday after he earlier pleaded guilty in Hong Kong's biggest national security case. Wong was one of 47 activists charged in 2021 under a Beijing-imposed national security law with conspiracy to commit subversion for their involvement in an unofficial primary. The activists were accused of attempting to paralyse Hong Kong's government and topple the city's leader by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block city budgets indiscriminately. Wong and 44 others admitted their liability or were convicted by the court. They could be sentenced to life in prison, though those who pleaded guilty have a better chance of receiving shorter sentences. Their mass prosecution dealt a severe blow to the city's once-thriving pro-democracy movement. Wong waved at the public gallery after he walked into the courtroom. Former Democratic Party chair Wu Chi-wai, former pro-democracy lawmaker Jeremy Tam and activist Ta

Taiwan urges its citizens to avoid travel to China, Hong Kong, Macao

Taiwan has urged its citizens to avoid travel to China and the semi-autonomous Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao following threats from Beijing to execute supporters of the self-governing island democracy's independence. Spokesperson and deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council Liang Wen-chieh issued the advisory at a news conference Thursday. That came amid growing threats from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. China's threat to hunt down and execute hardcore Taiwan independence supporters follows the election of Lai Ching-te of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party as president. China has refused all contact with Taiwan's government since the election in 2016 of former president Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP, who refused to endorse Beijing's demand that Taiwan recognizes itself as a part of China, seen as a prelude to political unification between the sides. In response to the new guidelines related to the ...

Mega deals in India, IPOs in Hong Kong to make Asia an equity deals hotspot

India's total ECM deals jumped 137 per cent in the first half of this year from the same period of last year, with $28.5 billion raised, according to LSEG data

Hong Kong court nears sentencing activists for unofficial primary

A Hong Kong court began mitigation hearings for prominent pro-democracy activists who were convicted under a national security law and now face up to life in prison. The activists were among 47 democracy advocates who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary, in the biggest case brought under the Beijing-imposed national security law. They were accused of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong's government and topple the city's leader by securing a legislative majority and using it to block city budgets. Forty-five of the defendants either pled guilty or were convicted by a three-judge panel whose membership was approved by the government. The judges said their plans to effect change through the election would have undermined the government's authority and created a constitutional crisis, in a verdict that critics said raised doubt about judicial independence. The first batch of defendants to plead for lenient sentences ...

Singapore costliest city for luxury spending, Hong Kong, London follow

Singapore has continued to attract the ultra-wealthy by maintaining its reputation for political and economic stability