Hong Kong, China | AFP | by Holmes CHAN with Irwanda SAPUTRA in Padang An Indonesian woman who was beaten and burned by her former Hong Kong employers was awarded more than $110,000 in damages on Friday. The abuse meted out to Kartika Puspitasari, 40, made headlines a decade ago and sparked calls for better protections for the army of women who come to the city to cook, clean and care for its children and […]
Tag: Hongkong
Hong Kong’s sovereign wealth fund suffers record loss
Hong Kong, China | AFP Hong Kong’s half-trillion-dollar investment fund set up to defend the financial hub’s currency has suffered its largest loss on record of more than HK$200 billion ($25 billion), authorities said Monday. The Exchange Fund, the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s de facto sovereign wealth fund, is one of the largest public investment vehicles in the world. Its slump last year was only the third loss since Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority (HKMA) began disclosing […]
Excitement at Hong Kong’s China border as quarantine lifted
Hong Kong, China (AFP) by Su Xinqi Hugging her boyfriend goodbye, student Yuri Tan was among hundreds excitedly heading north across Hong Kong’s border with mainland China on Sunday as pandemic travel restrictions were mostly lifted, finally allowing separated families to reunite. “I am going back because I don’t have to undergo quarantine anymore,” an elated Tan told AFP, clutching luggage containing a few boxes of fever medication for family. Tan, 23, was planning […]
Hong Kong asks Japan to reverse ‘hasty’ Covid flight curbs
Hong Kong, China (AFP) Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday asked Japan to remove restrictions on direct flights from the city, which were imposed following the explosion of coronavirus cases in mainland China. The city deployed similar curbs during its own fight against Covid, including rapid bans on airlines for carrying virus-positive passengers and travel restrictions for nations with major outbreaks. Japan became one of the first countries to impose China-specific travel restrictions this week […]
Hong Kong eyes reopening border with China by mid-January: leader
Hong Kong, China (AFP) Hong Kong is aiming to reopen its border with China by mid-January, city leader John Lee announced on Saturday after returning from meetings in Beijing. The border has been effectively shut for nearly three years while China enforced a zero-Covid strategy of snap lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing that battered the world’s second-largest economy. After abruptly reversing on its pandemic policies last month, Beijing has been grappling with a […]
HSBC bank sells Canadian ops for over US$10 bn
London, United Kingdom (AFP) HSBC has agreed to sell its Canadian division to Royal Bank of Canada for US$10.1 billion, the Asia-focused banking giant announced Tuesday. The large sale comes after UK-listed HSBC faced calls from biggest shareholder Ping An Insurance Group to cut costs and shift more resources to Asia. HSBC added in a statement that it would use the funds to invest in its core business and return cash to investors. “We decided […]
Hong Kong crypto exchange falls silent, fuelling shutdown fears
Hong Kong, China (AFP) A major Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange has scrubbed some of its social media presence two weeks after it halted withdrawals, fuelling fears the firm may collapse as the sector reels from the implosion of giant FTX. Atom Asset Exchange (AAX) prevented customer withdrawals on November 15, saying its capital position was under “acute pressure” after some investors asked for their money back. This came after the stunning fall of industry leader […]
Vast Hong Kong villa development plot sold to cover Evergrande debts
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Struggling Chinese property giant Evergrande has had a lucrative building plot in suburban Hong Kong sold off by its American receiver to cover some of the company’s massive debts, according to company filings. The undeveloped plot in the border district of Yuen Long was sold for nearly $637 million, with Evergrande saying it expected to record a loss of approximately $770 million on the land, according to a statement […]
Crowds, colour and Covid rules as Hong Kong Rugby Sevens returns
Hong Kong, China | AFP | by James LEGGE Fans of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens shrugged off a three-year pandemic absence as the weekend sporting spectacle kicked off with fancy dress — and Covid rules. Teams from nations as far-flung as Samoa, Spain and South Africa converged for one of Asia’s biggest sports events, which Hong Kong bigwigs hope can prove that normality is on the way for the city. Hong Kong has languished […]
Hong Kong court allows UK trial lawyer for Jimmy Lai
Hong Kong, China | AFP | A Hong Kong court on Wednesday allowed a veteran British lawyer to represent jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai at his upcoming national security trial despite opposition from city authorities. Lai and a group of executives from the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper are being prosecuted for “colluding with foreign forces”, an offence under a new security law China imposed on Hong Kong to stamp out dissent. The trial is set […]
Hong Kong to ‘trawl world for talent’ in reboot attempt
Hong Kong, China | AFP | by Holmes Chan and Su Xinqi Hong Kong’s leader unveiled plans to resuscitate the business hub’s fortunes on Wednesday, hoping to lure back international expertise after an exodus of talent — but he vowed no let-up in a political crackdown that has transformed the city. John Lee, a Beijing-anointed former security chief, gave a debut policy speech that prioritised the revival of an economy mired in recession and […]
Tortured domestic worker seeks compensation in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, China | AFP | An Indonesian woman who suffered daily “torture” as a domestic worker in Hong Kong went to court Thursday to seek compensation from her employers over treatment that left her physically scarred and mentally traumatised. The abuse meted out to Kartika Puspitasari, 40, made headlines a decade ago and sparked protests over the treatment of foreign helpers in Hong Kong. Her employers, who were convicted and jailed, waged a two-year campaign […]





