Hong Kong lawmakers back 5-year plan as firms urged to align with blueprint

🔮 Hong Kong and Shenzhen confirm Huanggang Port to open on Monday Authorities say new border crossing will commence operations at 6.30am on October 12 as sole 24-hour checkpoint The revamped Huanggang border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen will open on Monday, after both sides confirmed the facility was ready for service.

🔮 While the department said the irregularities did not “pose obvious danger”, it did not mention whether it would examine the other properties in the development, which comprises 32 detached houses and 11 low-rise blocks containing 50 flats in total.

🔮 Advocacy group warns that some subdivided flat tenants are struggling to resettle and are becoming worse off under the new housing regime Housewife May and her three children were overjoyed last September when they moved into a 200 sq ft subdivided flat in Kwai Tsing, a Hong Kong district with one of the city’s lowest average monthly household incomes.

🔮 Return of 11 Skies project to Airport Authority will spur hub development: experts

🔮 Cathay extends Dubai, Riyadh flight suspension through January as Iran war drags on ‘Affected travellers will be offered the flexibility to rebook, divert or refund their tickets,’ airline says Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has extended its suspension of passenger flights to the Middle East until the end of January next year, marking the third postponement since the US-Israel war on Iran began. The airline said on Monday that passenger services to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia would remain cancelled through January 31, 2027.

🔮 Finance chief says cross-departmental committee in ‘close discussions’ with several firms over setting up operations in city A handful of leading firms from emerging industries are expected to receive preferential policy packages and set up operations in Hong Kong within the “next couple of months”, the city’s finance chief has said, as part of efforts to attract investment.

🔮 Finance chief says HKMA playing greater role in gold market will enrich city’s financial ecosystem and that Hong Kong not considering interest rate rise Hong Kong’s plan to raise its gold holdings will further cement the city’s status as an international financial centre, with the possibility of building vaults in the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment, according to authorities.

🔮 Hong Kong leader vows accountability over faulty lifts at Queen Mary Hospital John Lee orders report within a month over defective lift installation and says those responsible, including officials, will be held responsible Hong Kong authorities will hold construction firms and government personnel accountable for faulty lift installation work at Queen Mary Hospital’s new block, the city’s leader has said, as he tasked the Development Bureau with submitting a report within a month.

🔮 It said passengers could check the official 12306 train service app, the relevant MTR website and announcements at the station for details.

🔮 After two months of public consultation, city leader says five-year plan will focus on long-term well-being, policy address on immediate improvements

🔮 Mainland Chinese arrivals to Hong Kong beat ‘golden week’ forecast in just 6 days Mainland arrivals hit 1.3 million, up 11.6 per cent year on year, surpassing entire holiday forecast of 1.29 million, as malls and hotels report brisk trade Mainland Chinese visitor arrivals in Hong Kong exceeded the government’s forecast for the entire National Day “golden week” holiday in the first six days, as major shopping centres and hotel operators reported brisk business. The city recorded 1.3 million mainland visitor arrivals over the first six days of the week-long break, up by 11.6 per cent from the same period last year and surpassing the government’s forecast of 1.29 million for the entire holiday, according to Immigration Department figures.

🔮 “If you are talking about larger flats, especially those with sea views, there will definitely be demand,” Lee said, adding that the development was likely to appeal to major developers given its scale and prime location.

🔮 ‘We will have more revenue in the coming months such as from the upfront fees from the tender of the residential project,’ authority CEO Betty Fung says The authority managing Hong Kong’s arts hub in West Kowloon recorded a wider deficit in the 2025-26 financial year but expects to generate more income next year by putting a residential development project out to tender. The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s deficit ballooned to HK$998 million (U$127 million) in the year to March 30, from HK$769 million in the same period a year earlier.

🔮 Growth had slowed from 7.9 per cent in May to 4.6 per cent in June.

🔮 About 1.29 million mainland Chinese visitors are expected over holiday, but trade groups say cautious spending could limit gains across wider sector

🔮 Hong Kong is expecting about 1.29 million mainland arrivals over the October 1 to 7 holiday period, with the daily average forecast to rise by more than 5 per cent from last year.

🔮 Hong Kong Stadium could host tennis events amid Victoria Park court upgrade: minister Sports chief Rosanna Law says stadium site already well equipped, allowing authorities to seek hosting higher-level events Hong Kong Stadium could serve as an interim home for major tennis tournaments during the redevelopment of Victoria Park’s centre court, the city’s sports minister has said, adding that the government will seek to attract higher-level events even before the new facility is ready.

🔮 How Hong Kong’s old businesses are adapting to new times Change does not follow a single formula and may involve creating new experiences, rebuilding unglamorous systems and adopting AI Late into the night, Hong Kong football fans in their twenties, thirties and forties sat in Lin Heung Lau restaurant on Wellington Street watching World Cup matches over dim sum rather than pints at a sports bar.

🔮 University calls for government funds for shared sites in Northern Metropolis Saint Francis University head says authorities should contribute more towards facilities that will be jointly used by institutions in megadevelopment Hong Kong authorities should shoulder a larger share of the cost of facilities jointly used by institutions at the Northern Metropolis university towns, a varsity president has said, while calling for dedicated research funding to encourage collaboration among campuses.

🔮 Finance chief says blueprint’s targets and timelines will help businesses align investment decisions with government goals Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will give businesses greater certainty to make long-term investment decisions amid a volatile external environment, the city’s finance chief has said.