Inspections into lift safety across Hong Kong have found no missing fire-resistant door frames among contractors other than Taizoom Elevator, authorities have said, after 338 buildings served by the firm were confirmed to lack the crucial components. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department provided an update on the checks on Thursday after the government pledged to expand the inspection scope to cover lifts handled by other contractors as well to check whether the problem existed...

A senior Hong Kong health official has warned of a higher risk of influenza infection as vaccination rates fall and the city’s summer flu season stretches on, following the death of a second unvaccinated child from the virus. Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin issued the warning as Hong Kong’s current flu season, which began in June, showed no sign of easing. He said authorities were monitoring possible changes in how the virus spreads after two consecutive summer flu...

Hong Kong’s exceptionally warm October weather is being driven by a combination of a super typhoon, El Nino and global warming, a climate expert has said, warning that higher-than-usual temperatures are likely to persist through the winter. The warning came as autumn temperatures across the city topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) over the past few weeks. Professor Amos Tai Pui-kuen, of the earth and environmental sciences department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, explained on...

Despite a downturn in Hong Kong’s food and beverage sector, foreign enterprises are still betting on the city as a fine-dining destination, with a South Korean hydroponic ginseng grower and a 123-year-old Japanese confectioner choosing it for their first overseas ventures. Jack Kwon, founder and CEO of Seoul-based Biofx, signed a deal with Hong Kong hydroponics firm Farm66 last Thursday to grow Korean gourmet ginseng in the city and sell it to local consumers and restaurants. The deal marks the...

Established performing arts groups in Hong Kong should rely less on public subsidies to make way for emerging companies, industry experts have said, after the city’s leader announced a revamp of the funding model in favour of a more flexible, non-permanent and merit-based system. But a few directors of the city’s nine designated major performing arts groups in music, dance and theatre said the economic downturn had made private funds harder to secure and urged the government to take a long-term...