SCMP Hong Kong·Wednesday, December 17, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Wednesday, December 17, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Hong Kong scraps New Year’s Eve fireworks, moves countdown to Central

Hong Kong will cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks display at Victoria Harbour following the deadly inferno in Tai Po last month. The Hong Kong Tourism Board on Wednesday said that its New Year countdown would instead be held at the Chater Road pedestrian zone in Central. “Through this event, the [board] hopes to convey positive energy, care and blessings of peace to both locals and visitors, and to welcome a hopeful new year together,” it said in a statement. It did not give a reason for...

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University of Hong Kong professor loses key role over retracted paper

A prominent population expert from the University of Hong Kong has stepped down as an associate faculty dean and agreed with the retraction of a paper after the institution ruled it contained references to non-existent publications generated by AI. Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai of the department of social work and social administration had stepped down from his associate deanship at the faculty of social sciences and withdrawn his membership from research committees of the faculty and the...

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Hong Kong fire: chairman, former head of Wang Fuk Court owners’ group arrested

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has arrested the current and former chairmen of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation as part of an investigation into renovation works linked to the city’s deadliest fire in decades, the Post has learned. The owners’ corporation has come under heavy scrutiny after the contractors it chose were found to have covered the estate buildings with substandard protective nets and foam boards, which are believed to be the cause of the unusually fast spread of last..

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Hong Kong dental drive serves 10,000 teens and poor, adds 1,500 street sleepers

More than 10,000 teenagers and underprivileged Hongkongers have benefited from subsidised dental care programmes launched earlier this year, with about 1,500 street sleepers set to be included from next month. The Department of Health on Wednesday said its community dental support programme would be expanded to reach more people in need and provide advanced treatments such as bridge or crown removal and denture fitting. Since its launch in May, the scheme has provided free or affordable dental..

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Hong Kong to offer 9,783 new subsidised flats from HK$1.5 million next year

Hong Kong housing authorities will sell more than 9,700 new subsidised flats sized at least 280 sq ft under two separate schemes next year at prices as low as HK$1.5 million (US$193,000), the Post has learned. Insiders said on Wednesday that the Housing Authority, the city’s main public housing provider, would offer 9,783 new subsidised flats for sale under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) and the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH). Scott Leung Man-kwong, a member of the...

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Chinese University of Hong Kong to offer free autism test for 200 young children

The Chinese University of Hong Kong will offer free autism screening for 200 young children with suspected symptoms under a pilot project using a newly developed tool that tests stool samples and can provide results as quickly as one week later. Researchers at the university said on Wednesday that they and a spin-off company, MicroSigX, would start screening children between the ages of 18 months and four years from January next year. Professor Ng Siew Chien, an associate dean at the...

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Hong Kong gym’s CCTV by doorless toilet among 200 surveillance complaints

A Hong Kong fitness chain was cautioned by the city’s privacy watchdog after it installed a CCTV camera facing a men’s bathroom missing a door, one of about 200 complaints involving video surveillance this year. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on Wednesday also revealed that it had received 1,166 inquiries of the same nature over the same period, prompting it to issue guidelines on CCTV usage in October. About 80 per cent of the complaints were related to disputes...

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Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium lifts city’s status as a major sports and entertainment venue

The 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium is transforming Hong Kong into a major sports and events destination, as it drives repeat tourism, supports retailers and helps prop up the city’s retail property landlords, according to experts. It served as the venue for British rock band Coldplay’s four-night concert in April and K-pop girl group Twice’s first-ever shows in the city earlier this month. A three-night gig by K-pop sensation Blackpink will also be held there next month. The stadium has been ranked

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Hong Kong police probing HK$88,000 in burned banknotes seen falling from building

Hong Kong police are investigating the source of more than HK$88,000 (US$10,280) in banknotes seen falling from a residential block, many of which were burned. Security staff at Lei Yue Mun Estate’s Lei Sang House reported at 8.20am on Wednesday that a number of banknotes were falling from the building and scattering across the ground. Officers arrived to find numerous HK$500 notes, some with scorch marks or burned corners. Police collected a total of HK$88,030 in banknotes, including HK$26,030.

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Singaporean community in Hong Kong comes together to help Tai Po fire victims

The Singaporean community in Hong Kong will donate HK$1.83 million (US$235,230) to the government’s relief fund for the Tai Po blaze, praising city residents for embodying the “Lion Rock Spirit” as groups rallied to support those affected. The Singapore consulate said on Wednesday that the fundraising was jointly organised with Singapore International School, the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, the Singapore Association and other members of the community. The fire, which broke out on November 26.

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