Some travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to helpSome travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say.The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Continue
Some travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to help
Some travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say.
The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Fishing companies can also access subsidies in loosening of state aid rules to cover fuel and fertiliser price risesThe EU is to subsidise up to 70% of the extra cost of fuel and fertilisers caused by the Iran war for farmers, fishing businesses and road hauliers as part of a package of emergency measures.Individual companies can claim up to €50,000 each between now and the end of the year with minimum paperwork, a measure the EU hopes will remove what it sees as an existential threat to haulier
Fishing companies can also access subsidies in loosening of state aid rules to cover fuel and fertiliser price rises
The EU is to subsidise up to 70% of the extra cost of fuel and fertilisers caused by the Iran war for farmers, fishing businesses and road hauliers as part of a package of emergency measures.
Individual companies can claim up to €50,000 each between now and the end of the year with minimum paperwork, a measure the EU hopes will remove what it sees as an existential threat to hauliers and farmers.
The Hong Kong government has announced it will provide diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies for public and commercial vehicles, amid higher fuel prices due to the ongoing Middle East war.
The diesel subsidy of HK$3 per litre will run for two months, from 12am on Thursday to 11.59pm on June 29, finance chief Paul Chan told reporters on Wednesday.
A petrol station in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
He said the subsidy, which will benefit public and commercial vehicles, as
The Hong Kong government has announced it will provide diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies for public and commercial vehicles, amid higher fuel prices due to the ongoing Middle East war.
The diesel subsidy of HK$3 per litre will run for two months, from 12am on Thursday to 11.59pm on June 29, finance chief Paul Chan told reporters on Wednesday.
A petrol station in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
He said the subsidy, which will benefit public and commercial vehicles, as well as vessels that use diesel fuel, would be reflected in the listed price at petrol stations, and the government would reimburse the price difference to oil companies or distributors.
The government proposed the diesel subsidy scheme earlier in April, with an estimated expenditure of HK$1.8 billion, and the proposal was “swiftly approved” by the legislature, Chan said.
The finance minister also said the LPG subsidy of HK$0.5 per litre for taxis, minibuses and school buses would run for two months. The measure will benefit around 16,900 taxis, 3,440 minibuses and 170 school buses in the city.
Authorities plan to roll out the LPG subsidy in late May, he said, without saying exactly when.
Chan said that due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, the cap price for LPG at dedicated filling stations would rise by over HK$1 per litre – an increase of more than 28 per cent.
“Given that the majority of minibuses and taxis run on LPG, this will place significant pressure on their operations,” he said in Cantonese.
Transport minister Mabel Chan said at the Legislative Council on Wednesday that the LPG subsidy would cost the government around HK$38.4 million.
Petrol stations in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
She said the expenses would be “reallocated internally” through three bureaus: the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and the Transport and Logistics Bureau.
Tse Chin-wan, the environment and ecology minister, told the media at the legislature on Wednesday that the government would sign contracts with oil companies and conduct audits to prevent abuse of the subsidies.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has recorded a 36 per cent drop in net profit in its latest fiscal year, although other figures, including hotel occupancy rate and guests’ per capita spending, trended upwards.
Hong Kong Disneyland on May 15, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The theme park announced its results for its 2024-25 fiscal year, ending in September 2025, on Monday.
Amid rising costs, Disneyland saw a net profit of HK$536 million, down from HK$838 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has recorded a 36 per cent drop in net profit in its latest fiscal year, although other figures, including hotel occupancy rate and guests’ per capita spending, trended upwards.
Hong Kong Disneyland on May 15, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The theme park announced its results for its 2024-25 fiscal year, ending in September 2025, on Monday.
Amid rising costs, Disneyland saw a net profit of HK$536 million, down from HK$838 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The park’s attendance was also down, from around 7.7 million to 7.5 million, while the hotel occupancy rate improved.
The resort has three hotels – Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and Disney Explorers Lodge. The overall occupancy rate rose from 73 per cent during the last fiscal year to 80 per cent, the park said.
Per capita spending also increased by 2 per cent, the statement said.
Hong Kong Disneyland on May 15, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
“Our steady performance is a testament to the resort’s resilience and timeless appeal,” Tim Sypko, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, said in a press release on Monday.
The park is set to expand with the addition of new Pixar- and Marvel-themed experiences. The new Pixar attractions will coincide with the animation studio’s 40th anniversary and the upcoming release of Toy Story 5.
Opened in September 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort had struggled to turn a profit for nearly a decade before turning the ship around in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Before that, it had suffered nine consecutive years of losses. The park had three years of steep losses of over HK$2 billion from the 2019-20 fiscal year to the 2021-22 fiscal year amid the 2019 protests and unrest, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The park relies heavily on tourists. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, 64 per cent of visitors were inbound guests, while the remaining were local.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, with festivities to continue until early June.
High fuel prices and passenger delays as result of EU’s EES entry-exit system leading to problems, says trade bodyBusiness live – latest updatesEurope’s smaller airports may not survive if jet fuel shortages triggered by the Middle East crisis lead to widespread route cancellations, the industry’s trade body has warned.Although airlines insist there are currently no supply problems within the normal four- to six-week horizon, the US-Israel war on Iran and the effective closure of the strait of H
Europe’s smaller airports may not survive if jet fuel shortages triggered by the Middle East crisis lead to widespread route cancellations, the industry’s trade body has warned.
Although airlines insist there are currently no supply problems within the normal four- to six-week horizon, the US-Israel war on Iran and the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz have doubled the price of jet fuel, prompting some carriers to cancel flights.
Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortagesJapan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks.Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the c
Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortages
Japan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks.
Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage.
Efforts continue to free two trapped passengers in wreckage after long-distance train collides with commuter train outside Jakarta, injuring 81The death toll from a train collision near the Indonesian capital Jakarta has risen to 14 with another 84 injured, the train operator said on Tuesday, as rescuers worked to extract survivors still trapped in the wreckage.The collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train happened late on Monday in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta. Continue readi
Efforts continue to free two trapped passengers in wreckage after long-distance train collides with commuter train outside Jakarta, injuring 81
The death toll from a train collision near the Indonesian capital Jakarta has risen to 14 with another 84 injured, the train operator said on Tuesday, as rescuers worked to extract survivors still trapped in the wreckage.
The collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train happened late on Monday in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta.
Paramedics on Atlanta-Portland flight help Ashley Blair give birth to ‘gorgeous’ Brielle Renee just before landingWhen baby Brielle Renee was born, new mom Ashley Blair was flying high – quite literally. Blair unexpectedly went into labor shortly before her full Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland touched down on Friday night.The surprise birth was just one of two medical emergencies on board that emergency medical technicians Tina Fritz and Caarin Powell responded to during the flight, cappin
Paramedics on Atlanta-Portland flight help Ashley Blair give birth to ‘gorgeous’ Brielle Renee just before landing
When baby Brielle Renee was born, new mom Ashley Blair was flying high – quite literally. Blair unexpectedly went into labor shortly before her full Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland touched down on Friday night.
The surprise birth was just one of two medical emergencies on board that emergency medical technicians Tina Fritz and Caarin Powell responded to during the flight, capping the end to their vacation in the Dominican Republic, the pair told the Associated Press. They were helping another passenger when flight crews called for assistance for Blair.
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