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Paul Zimmerman, that rarest of creatures, a foreigner who has won a district council seat, says his win was purely a victory for reason, carried by his reputation as a fighter for Hongkongers' rights to a better urban environment. Zimmerman, a Dutchman who has lived in Hong Kong for almost 30 years but who has far from fluent Cantonese, won the Southern District by-election on Sunday.But rather than seeing it as a new dawn for foreign residents with political aspirations in the city, Zimmerman, who is a Civic Party member and veteran conservation activist, said it was really a victory for reason because people increasingly wanted a better living environment. [more...]

The Civic Party's Paul Zimmerman won yesterday's Southern District Council by-election after a late run of voters boosted turnout. At 10.30pm when the poll closed, 1,982 registered voters had cast ballots, with a turnout of 39.47 per cent. Zimmerman won with 1,183 votes, while Savantas Policy Institute-backed Ellis Lau Ying-tung drew 792 votes, the Registration and Electoral Office said when the final count was through just after midnight.  [more...]

The new Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (HKCoCNL) and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI)have signed a cooperation agreement in Hong Kong on 2 September during the 50th anniversary dinner of the HKFI. Mr. George Ammerlaan, Chairman of the HKCoCNL and Mr Roy Chung, Deputy Chairman of the FHKI, signed the MOU in the presence of over 1200 guests including the Acting Chief Executive of the HKSAR Mr. Wong Yan-lung, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Mr. Li Guikang, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, Mr. Lu Xinhua, and Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province Mr Tan Juntie. The Dutch Consul General Mr Robert Schuddeboom, the Chairman of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Mr Alexander de Neree tot Babberich and Member of the Advisory Board of the HKCoCNL, Ms Jennifer Chan, also witnessed the signing ceremony.  [more...]

The pall of grief over Hong Kong was palpable yesterday, with flags flying at half mast, company nameplates and logos draped in black, the Hong Kong stock exchange struck silent for its opening minute, and even the Symphony of Lights cancelled. [more...]

Pick-and-mix approach to designs risks a mishmash in West Kowloon, critics warn [more...]

Château Margaux, a Premier Grand Cru Classé from Bordeaux, France, has set up a representative office in Hong Kong. Mr Thibault Pontallier has been appointed as its brand ambassador in Asia. [more...]

Scientists from the Netherlands and Hong Kong have signed an agreement to work together in mathematics, chemistry, astronomy and computer knowledge in Hong Kong on 12 August.The Dutch organisation for scientific research NWO and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong are setting up eight travel bursaries and the money for four workshops; two in the Netherlands and two in Hong Kong. [more...]

Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product rose 6.5% in the second quarter (year-on-year), following an 8% rise in the first quarter, marking the second quarter of above-trend growth. [more...]

Shares of Hutchison Whampoa (0013) jumped 6 percent to HK.85 yesterday (11 August 2010), matching its previous high hit on September 2008, as managing director Canning Fok Kin-ning raised his stake in the conglomerate. Hutchison also had the largest turnover on the bourse yesterday. [more...]

The big are getting bigger.Just seven years ago, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SEHK: 0016) (SHKP) and Cheung Kong (Holdings) (SEHK: 0001) accounted for just over a third of the new private homes put up for sale.This year, seven out of 10 new homes will come from them - a near-doubling of their market share and a dramatic illustration of how the market for new homes is increasingly dominated by a handful of firms. [more...]