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Couple in newborn registration case agrees to DNA test as child neglect probe continues

A couple arrested on suspicion of child neglect have agreed to undergo DNA testing to verify their relationship with their alleged home-born baby boy, Danny, and proceed with his birth registration, police said.

P1 allocation results announced after mishap day before

Primary One Central Allocation results were officially released on Wednesday morning, after the Education Bureau sent erroneous messages a day before.

Wang Fuk Court owners’ meeting to go ahead after Lands Tribunal ruling

Hop On Management Company Limited, the administrator of the Incorporated Owners of Wang Fuk Court, said on Wednesday it is studying a court judgment while continuing to verify signatures and source a venue for a special owners’ general meeting.

Civil service pension spending to top $50b next year

Nearly 170,000 retired civil servants and judicial officers will draw government pensions in the next fiscal year, with annual spending expected to exceed HK$50 billion.

Last year’s LegCo election sees 34,000 staff deployed, $236 million spent

About 34,000 election staff were appointed for last year’s Legislative Council General Election, involving total expenditure of about HK$236 million, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa said on Wednesday.

Business Today

Hong Kong PMI rises to 50.4 in May

The S&P Global Hong Kong purchasing managers index rose from 48.6 in April to 50.4 in March, marking a return to expansion territory for the first time since March.

HK remains world's least affordable housing market for 16th year, survey shows

Hong Kong retained its title as the world's least affordable housing market for a 16th straight year, and a household would need to spend 14.1 years of income, without other expenses, to buy a median-priced home, according to the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey.

 MPF investors earned $9,886 on average in May amid AI boom, GUM say

Mandatory Provident Fund investors each earned an average of HK$9,886 in May, Hong Kong's MPF and Employee Benefits (EB) consulting firm, GUM, announced on Wednesday, highlighting the sharp rise in the AI investment cycle and profit expectations.

New World's new Shanghai office tower records 70pc pre‑leasing rate

New World Development (0017) said its office tower of K11 ELYSEA in Shanghai recorded a pre‑leasing rate of nearly 70 percent, with tenants expected to begin moving in starting in October.

John Lee proposes ‘hub-to-hub’ economic partnership with Kazakhstan to connect Central Asia with Asian markets

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has proposed a strategic “hub-to-hub” cooperation model with Kazakhstan, seeking to strengthen economic and trade links between Central Asia and the rest of Asia. Lee outlined the initiative during an official visit to Kazakhstan, highlighting opportunities to connect Central Asian countries with Hong Kong’s gateway to Asian markets.

World/China

Indonesia free meals agency office locked down as investigators raid premises

Investigators from the office of Indonesia's Attorney General raided the headquarters of the country's National Nutrition Agency in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said, saying the building of the agency spearheading President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals programme was under lockdown.

Fire in Delhi hotel kills at least 21, police say

At least 21 people were killed in a fire at a hotel in Delhi on Wednesday, police said, in one of the worst such incidents in the national capital in recent years.

China defends subsidies after OECD report alleging unfair edge

Beijing on Wednesday rejected the notion that the strength of Chinese firms was built on generous state subsidies, pushing back against an OECD report claiming they had given the country an unfair advantage.

Philippine president urges senators to end boycott

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned on Wednesday that important laws may be derailed as senators backing Vice President Sara Duterte stopped attending sessions ahead of her impeachment trial next month.