Today in HK (12.6.2024)

Thanks to the high birth rate in 2012, public secondary schools have been recorded to add 10 form-one classes this academic year. This is called the 'dragon baby effect' as 2012 is a dragon year. However, it is known as the 'final peak', since the expected numbers of form-one classes in several future years are going to decrease. It is predicted that the student population would decline in coming years due to the lowering birth rate. By prediction made by the Education Bureau, there will only be 49,300 students to join the Secondary Schools in 2025, which is an eight-year low.

According to a survey by a reliable accounting body, thanks to the recovering economy, Hong Kong business are going to expand, which leads to the foresight of more employees being hired next year, and this will help rising revenue. More than 50% of Hong Kong-based professionals expect a revenue increase, and hiring intentions have reached a four-year top, claimed CPA Australia on Thursday. It is believed that this optimizing outlook is mostly attribute to Hong Kong's lenient tax system, and the US rate cut in September is perceived as the second biggest contributor.

Hong Kong bus companies are asking government for urgent help. They claim that they are facing an about HK$6 billion (US$770 million) vacuum to consolidate the fleets to reach zero-emissions targets, and they need business model adjustment. The time is running out that there are less than eight years left for the firms to stop buying diesel-powered buses and to replace the rest of them with electric and hydrogen-fuel-cell buses. This task is mandatory as is required by the government, however, there is no additional funding provided for the renovation, which causes the industry struggling.

Lawmakers are required to make restrictions of display on electric vehicles (EVs) for safety consideration. Lam Sai-hung, secretary for Transport and Logistics, has promised to submit a related legislative amendment set this month. By this change, content unrelated to driving would potentially be allowed to be played on the screen in front of the driver's seat, and motorists would be allowed to use a mobile phone to help park their vehicle remotely, which is common for EVs in other places. As the number of EVs is continuously rising, their functions are advancing and laws are also adapting these fancy vehicles as fast as they can.