SCMP Hong Kong·Friday, December 26, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Friday, December 26, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Old Hong Kong police station gets new role hosting film-related show

Hong Kong’s old Yau Ma Tei police station, a century-old building and popular selfie spot among mainland Chinese tourists, will host a new film-related exhibition, with tickets going on sale from Saturday. Opening on January 2, the exhibition is the first to be held inside a police station and aims to promote tourism and culture related to local films. “It allows visitors to experience first-hand the interior design, ambience and iconic scenes of Hong Kong police and crime films inside a real...

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Hong Kong tour bus driver arrested over allegedly stealing HK$110 in fares

A Hong Kong sightseeing tour bus driver has been arrested for allegedly stealing HK$110 (US$14) in passenger fares, according to police. A police spokesman said on Friday that a 27-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of theft on December 23, days before the Christmas holiday. Officers were called to a bus terminus at Man Kwong Street in Central shortly before 5pm on Tuesday following a report about the alleged theft. The suspect was reportedly operating a Citybus H2 open-top sightseeing..

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Hong Kong Jockey Club plans fourth public riding school in Tseung Kwan O

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is planning to build its fourth public riding school on a former landfill site in Tseung Kwan O to shorten waiting times and boost the city’s equestrian talent pool. The project has already gained support in principle from authorities and the club will seek town planning approval in the first quarter of next year before beginning construction by the end of 2027, according to a paper submitted to Sai Kung District Council. The plan is scheduled for discussion at a...

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Hong Kong restaurant sales fall 10% over Christmas as cross-border trips hit 1.2 million

Hong Kong’s food and drink sector recorded a 10 per cent drop in business year on year over the Christmas period, an industry leader said, as 1.2 million trips were made through the city’s borders on the first day of the long holiday. But the city’s hospitality sector appeared to fare better, with some hotels recording more than 90 per cent occupancy and a slight rise in room tariffs. Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, told a radio show on.

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Hong Kong probes mainland Chinese driver for using banned autopilot mode in city

Hong Kong authorities have vowed to investigate a mainland Chinese driver under the southbound travel vehicle scheme and may suspend his eligibility after he posted a video of himself using automatic cruising illegally in the city on social media. The Transport Department said on Friday that it had issued a warning to the driver and had notified mainland authorities about the case. It also urged Guangdong motorists under the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (Entry into Urban Area)”...

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China’s reusable rocket failure, PLA’s growth leaves US ‘vulnerable’: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Pentagon says Chinese aircraft carriers, 6th-gen fighters make US ‘vulnerable’ A Pentagon report contends that China’s development of its aircraft carriers, sixth-generation fighters and nuclear arsenal illustrates Beijing’s...

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Hong Kong could take ‘lead in supporting Greater Bay Area children with autism’

Hong Kong could take a leading role in supporting children with autism in the Greater Bay Area, a former medical faculty dean has said, ahead of plans for a comprehensive care platform to come into operation within a year. Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung of the Chinese University of Hong Kong said the one-stop platform would comprise professionals from the medical, education, insurance and finance sectors, among others. The academic said that a research team from the university’s medical school.

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How Hong Kong’s Tai Po community is finding light in darkness, 1 month after fire

Tai Po residents are forging ahead with new paths forward following a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 161 people. In this first part of a series on how the community is moving on one month from the fire, Fiona Sun explores how the neighbourhood is rebuilding and adapting. A heavy quiet has settled over the neighbourhood in Hong Kong’s Tai Po where seven towers stand charred. Gone are the piles of flowers and notes bearing messages of grief and condolences that filled a makeshift...

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Hong Kong to extend Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay checkpoint hours for New Year’s Eve

Hong Kong authorities will extend the operating hours of Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints while stepping up public transport to manage cross-border passenger flow after the New Year countdown next week. Under special holiday arrangements, the Lo Wu checkpoint will remain open from New Year’s Eve until 2am the next day, while passenger and vehicle checkpoints at Shenzhen Bay will operate overnight, according to a government spokesman. “The government will closely monitor the situation and take.

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Hong Kong firefighter unions slam Ip Man producer Checkley Sin over blaze remarks

Six labour unions with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department have denounced banker turned film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam for comments about its chief’s handling of the Tai Po fire. The unions banded together on Thursday to slam Sin’s comments about the department’s strategies for battling the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze raged for about 43 hours, killing 161 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Sin, a former banker who went on to produce the award-winning kung fu film

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