Hong Kong recorded about 4.5 million visitor arrivals in July, up 3 per cent from a year earlier, as major international conventions boosted business travel while bad weather weighed on growth from mainland China, according to the Tourism Board. The board said on Monday that a series of major international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), including the 108th Lions International Convention and the technology exhibition LEAP East, helped drive an increase in business...

Hong Kong innovators have won the top prize, eight special awards and 35 medals at a major international invention competition in Silicon Valley, with a solar-powered fertiliser production system claiming the event’s highest honour. The city’s delegation secured 22 gold and 13 silver medals at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF), which concluded at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California on Sunday. Amonova’s regenerative, solar-powered air-to-fertiliser production...

Hong Kong authorities have suspended the main contractor and lift subcontractor working on a new clinical block at Queen Mary Hospital from tendering for public works after serious defects left most lifts unreliable and delayed the launch of services. An engineer and a lawmaker said on Saturday that the extent of the defects was “extremely rare” in Hong Kong and unreasonable, while the government’s decision to temporarily stop the firms from tendering for other projects was appropriate. The...

Hong Kong has raised its full-year economic growth forecast for 2026 to a range of 3.5 to 4.5 per cent following a 4.3 per cent expansion in the second quarter, supported by buoyant external trade and resilient domestic demand. Releasing its half-yearly economic report on Friday, the government revised its 2026 growth forecast from the previous range of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent, citing a stronger-than-expected performance in the first half of the year and taking into account the near-term outlook. It...