SCMP Hong Kong·Friday, December 19, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Friday, December 19, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Robbery suspect flees Hong Kong hospital barefoot but is caught after taxi rides

A robbery suspect escaped police custody barefoot while being escorted for an X-ray scan at a hospital in Hong Kong, but he was rearrested hours later after stealing from a cabby while taxi hopping, the Post has learned. The 35-year-old suspect, surnamed Lam, was receiving stomach cancer treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan at around 11am on Friday when he escaped. He was escorted to get an X-ray scan by two police officers, both with about 20 years of experience in the force, when he

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Labour MPs urge UK to protect Hong Kong BN(O) migrants from residency reforms

A group of Labour Party MPs have urged the British government to ensure changes to permanent residency requirements do not undermine support for Hongkongers on a bespoke visa pathway or others admitted on humanitarian grounds. They have asked the Home Office to consider exempting the BN(O) routes from the government’s proposed overhaul of the wider settlement system as part of four requests to extend support for Hongkongers under the scheme. James Naish and 33 of his Labour colleagues sent a...

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Hong Kong fire: authorities seek to dissolve Wang Fuk Court owners’ committee

Hong Kong authorities are seeking to dissolve the management committee of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation and appoint a new administrator for the residential estate, in an unprecedented move following the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Friday that the government was intervening for the first time on record in an estate’s affairs by applying to the Lands Tribunal to dissolve the management committee of the owners’...

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Hong Kong to exempt 90% of households from ‘re-engineered’ 2026 census

Hong Kong authorities will exempt 90 per cent of households from a population census next year, opting instead for a “re-engineered” model that uses existing data to track the city’s demographics – a major break from decades of statistical tradition. Commissioner for Census and Statistics Leo Yu Chun-keung said on Friday that the 2026 population census had been revamped to improve workflow while saving on manpower. “To modernise the mode of Hong Kong’s population census, we will implement...

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Tech pivot: Chinese AI, chip start-ups court global investors with Hong Kong listing plans

More Chinese artificial intelligence firms and chipmakers are turning to Hong Kong for fundraising, testing the appetite of global investors following stellar onshore debuts of graphics processing unit (GPU) developers Moore Threads Technology and MetaX Integrated Circuits. GigaDevice Semiconductor is a step closer to its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) after passing a listing hearing, according to bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). The company is expected to...

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Market rates set Hong Kong’s HK$150,000 subsidy for Tai Po fire victims: minister

Hong Kong authorities took market rates into account before setting a two-year annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,278) for flat owners displaced by the Tai Po fire, the city’s home affairs minister has said, amid calls for the government to monitor whether the new measure will further drive up rents in the area. Under the new measure, homeowners of the fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court will each receive the subsidy to rent homes in the private market, at a total cost of HK$1.2 billion. Both flat...

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5 arrested in Hong Kong over HK$1.8 million stolen from eMPF pension accounts

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s new online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to immediately suspend its paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee Chun-man of the

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Hong Kong court orders trial to compensate Mo Li, dancer paralysed in Mirror show

A Hong Kong court has ordered a trial to determine the compensation an employer must pay to a dancer who was paralysed from the neck down in an accident at a concert featuring the popular boy band Mirror. District Court judge Phillis Loh Lai-ping said on Friday she believed that Studiodanz, Mo Li Kai-yin’s employer at the time of the accident, was “evading civil responsibility” as its representatives had failed to attend any hearings in the case and had been uncontactable. Loh noted that Li’s...

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Hong Kong Santa Hash run spreads festive cheer and raises funds for charity

Dressed in festive outfits, nearly 140 people dashed through Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday for the annual Santa Hash charity run, raising vital funds in the process. The event began at Lockhart Road Playground in Wan Chai and covered a 6km (4-mile) route past landmarks including the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, Chater Garden, St John’s Cathedral, the Peak Tram and Hong Kong Park, before looping back to the finish. Participants navigated the trail in true “hash” style – a mix of running and...

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Hong Kong customs arrests 2 party room operators over suspected pirated songs

Hong Kong customs has arrested two party room operators on suspicion of providing pirated karaoke songs to customers after raiding eight properties across the city. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that officers launched an operation between December 3 and 10 after analysing intelligence, with the help of copyright owners, and identifying party rooms suspected of possessing and providing infringing karaoke songs. Officers raided party rooms in various areas, including Kwun Tong,.

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