A catering representative said on Thursday that reservations at Chinese restaurants over Lunar New Year were up ten percent from last year. Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management chairman, Leung Chun-wah, said despite a number of Hong Kong residents travelling during the holidays, those who stayed in the city were willing to spend. …

The Airport Authority’s acting chief executive Vivian Cheung on Wednesday said she expected passenger numbers to be about 30 percent higher this Lunar New Year holiday, when compared to last year. She said the airport had been operating smoothly and around 160,000 people had passed through on the first day of the Year of the Snake. That's about 20 …

A rural leader has urged officials to come up with policies that are practical rather than window dressing in the upcoming budget, after drawing a fortune stick for Hong Kong in an annual Lunar New Year ritual. On Thursday morning, Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau picked a No 24 "neutral" stick at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. The stick corresp…

More than 500,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza, according to the media office in Gaza. "More than half a million displaced Palestinians have returned in the past 72 hours from the southern and central governorates to Gaza and northern governorates via Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din roads," the media office said in a statement. …

Rwanda-backed fighters advanced on a second front in their offensive across eastern DR Congo on Wednesday after seizing control of most of the key city of Goma during heavy fighting with the Congolese military. The weeks-long advance by the M23 armed group prompted calls from mediator Angola for urgent talks, as well rising international criticism …

A pre-dawn stampede at the world's largest religious gathering killed at least 30 people in India on Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders. Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions…

People headed to the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree in Taipo on Wednesday, a traditional event on the first day of Lunar New Year. It's believed that throwing a placard with one's wishes, and a mandarin, onto the tree will make the wish come true. "I wished everyone good fortune, good health and for wishes to come true. And for a better year. Everyone went…

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the space oil drug problem in Hong Kong has got worse at a rapid rate over the past year. The government is planning to list etomidate, a main component of the substance, as a dangerous drug on February 14. Speaking on RTHK’s Overview Policy programme, Tang said the number of cases related to space oil increas…

Citybus has said it is providing training for their drivers to help them better understand the needs of older passengers. More than 850 bus captains have attended Citybus' one-day training programme since it was rolled out last year. As part of the training, drivers put on special outfits and goggles to restrict their sight and movement, and carry …

Vendors were on the fence on Tuesday about how much revenue they would generate as people flocked to wet markets to buy food for their family reunion dinners. Reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve is traditionally regarded as the most important meal of the year in Chinese culture. One man said he spent over HK$1,000 shopping at the wet market. “I …

Chief Executive John Lee issued a Lunar New Year message on Tuesday, saying that Hong Kong would be agile and resilient in the Year of the Snake, and would continue to seek innovation and change. In the pre-recorded message, John Lee said the city has had a year full of cheer, including the gift of two giant pandas from Beijing and the birth of two…

Cross border coach operators will increase their frequency of services by 20 percent over the Lunar New Year holiday, the Hong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association said today. Vice chairman Freeman Cheung told an RTHK radio programme that he expects the city to see the highest number of Hongkongers heading north on Thursday and Friday, …

A Hong Kong resident who had been detained for illegal work in Myanmar returned to the SAR late Monday night. Accompanied by members of a government task force, the man arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport via a flight from Bangkok. He was subsequently taken to the airport police station. During a press briefing, Assistant Secretary for S…

Masses of displaced Palestinians began streaming towards the north of the war-battered Gaza Strip on Monday after Israel and Hamas said they had reached a deal for the release of another six hostages. The breakthrough preserves a fragile ceasefire and paves the way for more hostage-prisoner swaps under an agreement aimed at ending the more than 15-…

The Director of Immigration on Monday said he is confident that Hong Kong’s border checkpoints have enough capacity to handle an influx of tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday. Border crossings won’t operate beyond the usual hours during the period. At a year-end press conference, Benson Kwok said he expects 7.3 million land border crossings …

As the Year of the Snake approaches, various floats and international performing groups are putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the annual Chinese New Year night parade. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and sponsored by Cathay Pacific, the parade will kick off at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, winding its way thro…

Officials closed the Cheung Sha Wan Lunar New Year fair for several hours on Monday after some stalls were damaged by strong winds overnight. Goods were left scattered on the ground and scaffolding was damaged, with a similar scene at a fair in Tsz Wan Shan. A woman selling orchids at Cheung Sha Wan told RTHK she thinks she has lost tens of thousan…

Monday marks the 28th day of the 12th lunar month. According to Chinese tradition, it is a day designated for "spring cleaning", when families deep-clean their homes in the run up to the Lunar New Year and put up new "fai chuns" -- red banners bearing auspicious phrases. While the market is flooded with mass produced, digitally-printed "fai chuns",…