Hong Kong's retail sales reached HK$33.8 billion in May, with a 10.6% increase for the first five months of the year compared to last year. This growth is attributed to economic expansion, rising labor earnings, and a continued increase in inbound visitors, including over 1 million mainland tourists during the Labour Day holiday.
An investigation into the death of Baby Justin raises questions about why an inquest was never held. A One Nation official with a history of racist social media posts is revealed. Locals discuss the impact of a shark attack. Cape Verde shocked Spain in the World Cup.
An investigation into the death of Baby Justin raises questions about why an inquest was never held. A One Nation official with a history of racist social media posts is revealed, and locals react to a shark attack. Cape Verde shocked Spain in the World Cup.
A Brisbane private schoolboy, 16 at the time of his arrest in 2024, allegedly plotted terrorist attacks against the Liberal party and the Labour Day march, influenced by the Unabomber. He researched bomb-making, bought chemicals, and wrote his own manifesto.
A Brisbane private schoolboy, 16 in 2024, allegedly plotted terrorist attacks against the Liberal party and the Labour Day march, influenced by the Unabomber. He researched bomb-making, bought chemicals, and wrote a manifesto mirroring Ted Kaczynski's anti-technology and anti-capitalist ideology. He pleaded not guilty in Queensland Supreme Court.
Hong Kong's Ham Tin Wan beach was overrun with 500 tents during Labour Day, raising concerns about balancing ecotourism with conservation and sustainable tourism practices.
Hong Kong’s tourism sectors have entered 2026 with renewed momentum. The broader economy has strengthened, expanding by 5.9 per cent in the first quarter, its fastest pace in nearly five years. Visitor arrivals also reached 14.3 million in the first quarter, up 17 per cent year on year. The recent Labour Day “golden week” holiday offered a further boost, with the city receiving more than 1 million mainland visitors. Across the border, travel volumes reached unprecedented levels, with an...
History was made this Labour Day, as China’s southern Shenzhen Bay port cleared 24 tonnes of South African apples and central Hunan province processed 6,000 bottles of South African wine – the first time these goods had reached the Asian economic giant under a new zero-tariff arrangement. The duty-free access for African partners from May 1, which saw the 10 per cent tariff rate for apples removed, arrived as a lifeline for South African exporters looking to diversify away from increasingly...
Hong Kong received more than 1 million mainland Chinese visitors during the five-day Labour Day “golden week” holiday, a 10 per cent rise from a year ago, exceeding government expectations, but industry leaders said their spending was uneven. Immigration Department data showed the city recorded 1.01 million mainland visitor arrivals between May 1 and 5, surpassing the forecast of 980,000. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Wednesday some shopping centre operators had reported year-on-year...
A backpacker has shared photos of herself holding a MacLehose Trail sign apparently removed from its metal stand during the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, drawing criticism from Hong Kong internet users. In one of two photos posted on her RedNote account, “2 star”, on Monday, the woman is seen holding the wooden panel, with a caption reading: “This is my favourite tourist picture” and a hashtag for Po Pin Chau, a well-known natural landmark in Sai Kung and a popular destination for...
Hong Kong should adopt a top-down, comprehensive ecotourism policy to safeguard the city’s natural attractions, with a designated authority taking the lead, experts have urged, after a surge in Labour Day “golden week” visitors overwhelmed ecologically sensitive spots. The call on Monday came after a viral video showed a Mandarin-speaking tourist smoking a cigarette in front of the press and claiming he had confirmed with law enforcement officers that smoking was allowed at the beach of Ham Tin...
China’s state broadcaster has given a glimpse of the first export variant of the J-35A – the country’s second land-based fifth-generation fighter jet – with Pakistan the most likely recipient, according to reports and analysis. The CCTV clip featured during the “2026 May 1st International Labour Day ‘Heart to Heart’ Special Programme” shows a J-35A model bearing the serial number 001 rolling out of the hangar with the logo of China’s largest military aircraft manufacturer, Aviation Industry...
Hong Kong should adopt a top-down, comprehensive ecotourism policy to safeguard the city’s natural attractions, with a designated authority taking the lead, experts have urged, after a surge in Labour Day “Golden Week” visitors overwhelmed ecologically sensitive spots. The call on Monday came after a viral video showed a Mandarin-speaking tourist smoking a cigarette in front of the press and claiming he had confirmed with law enforcement officers that smoking was allowed at the beach of Ham Tin...
Hong Kong recorded a 4.8 per cent increase in mainland Chinese visitors in the first three days of the Labour Day “Golden Week” holiday, but industry players warned that uneven spending and more flexible travel patterns could weigh on business despite hotel occupancy rates potentially reaching 90 per cent. Immigration Department data showed mainlanders made 714,765 visits into the city between May 1 and 3, up by about 4.8 per cent from 682,114 in the same period last year. Total visitor...
A green group has spotted people landing on an uninhabited island in the southern Hong Kong waters known to be a regular breeding site for a seabird species during mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday, which coincides with its breeding season. Terns, known as “sea swallows”, are seabirds with typically white or light grey streamlined bodies, long pointed bills and forked tails. While about 40 tern species exist globally, one-third of them, or 12, have been recorded in Hong Kong....
A green group has spotted people landing on an uninhabited island in the southern Hong Kong waters known to be a regular breeding site for a seabird species during mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday, which coincides with its breeding season. Terns, known as “sea swallows”, are seabirds with typically white or light grey streamlined bodies, long pointed bills and forked tails. While about 40 tern species exist globally, one-third of them, or 12, have been recorded in Hong Kong....
Tents set up inside Hong Kong bus terminuses during Labour Day golden week have sparked online complaints, with some social media posts suggesting mainland tourists were camping. However, visits found the tents were used by domestic helpers who have been gathering at locations including Tai Po, Central and Tseung Kwan O intermittently for about two years due to having nowhere else to rest on their days off.
Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong are setting up tents under bus terminuses during their days off, sparking online complaints that mistakenly blamed mainland tourists during Labour Day golden week. Helpers say they have been gathering at these locations for about two years because they have nowhere else to go on their rest days.
Hong Kong's economy is expected to see its strongest quarterly growth in five years, driven by a 17% rise in visitor numbers and increased retail and catering activity, according to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po.
Hundreds of visitors, including unlicensed tour groups, packed the Ham Tin Wan campsite in Sai Kung during the Labour Day 'golden week', leading to facility congestion and sanitation issues.
Hong Kong recorded a 13% year-on-year increase in mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the Labour Day holiday, though local restaurant operators report that tourists are spending more cautiously.
Sharp Island and High Island Reservoir experienced high visitor numbers on Friday, with officials deploying extra staff to manage crowds. The surge, linked to social media promotion, has sparked concerns regarding potential ecological damage from overtourism.
Hong Kong saw 251,212 mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the Labour Day golden week holiday, a 13% increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, 430,862 Hongkongers left the city, representing a 45% surge from last year's 296,273. Total cross-border trips reached 1.32 million.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited a bakery in Saint-Julien-Chapteuil on Labour Day to buy baguettes and flowers, sparking controversy with unions who argue 1 May should remain a compulsory rest day. The visit was part of a government drive to exempt independent bakeries and flower shops from mandatory closure, with a bill allowing them to open requiring employee volunteers to work in writing and receive double pay. A baker named Eric faces a €5,250 fine for opening on May 1, which Lecornu said he would not have to pay.
