PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - June 26
HONG KONG, June 26 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
-- Beijing's top representative in Hong Kong on Thursday night hailed pro-establishment lawmakers' support for the electoral reform package and did not take them to task for the botched walkout before the vote last week. The news emerged from a "tea gathering" for 40 Beijing loyalists that also saw an unusually warm reception for the media pack. (http://bit.ly/1QSgmI1)
-- The government received no dividend from the HK$7 billion ($903.09 million) profit made by the Airport Authority in the last financial year, as it prepares to build a HK$140 billion third runway, its annual report shows. (http://bit.ly/1KfKokN)
-- Hong Kong's stock market watchdog, Securities and Futures Commission, said it did not support a draft proposal to allow companies to issue weighted voting rights, a week after the markets operator, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, said it would launch a second round of consultation on the contentious topic later this year. (http://bit.ly/1LykgSB)
THE STANDARD
-- Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing has apologised for taking part in a WhatsApp group chat on last week's political reform vote, but denied violating the principle of neutrality. He said his participation in the group chat was aimed at facilitating the motion debate so that the vote would not end up taking place at night. (http://bit.ly/1Lt5XxU)
-- Several pan-democrat lawmakers have turned to the instant messaging app Telegram following the fallout from the WhatsApp scandal that has gripped the pro-establishment camp. Telegram allows users to exchange messages just like WhatsApp, and can set up "secret chats" that offer end-to-end encryption with no trace of the message and users can set up self-destruct timers on messages. (http://bit.ly/1BFdt6m)
-- Restaurant chain Tsui Wah Holdings posted a flat profit last financial year despite robust growth in revenue, highlighting local eateries' wrestling with soaring rent and labour costs. For the year ending March, net profit edged up just 0.88 percent to HK$157.41 million ($20.31 million). (http://bit.ly/1NgtaBz)
HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES
-- Property group Wharf (Holdings) has won a bid for two residential sites in China's Hangzhou for 1.437 billion yuan ($231.46 million).
For Chinese newspapers, see............... ($1 = 7.7512 Hong Kong dollars) ($1 = 6.2084 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
