SCMP Hong Kong·Saturday, December 27, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Saturday, December 27, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Clip of 3 hikers scaling slope at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park goes viral

A video circulating online showing hikers scaling a section of a mountain connected to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has prompted safety concerns. The video from December 23, which appears to have been taken from a cable car at the park, shows three hikers climbing along a giant seahorse carved into the side of Brick Hill. The identities of the hikers and how they accessed the slope were not immediately clear. The side of the mountain appeared rugged and steep with no clear path. At least one of the...

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Requests for help after 2 Hongkongers reportedly killed in Ukraine war

Immigration authorities are following up on requests for assistance after two Hongkongers were reportedly killed in Ukraine while volunteering in the country’s war against Russia. In a reply to the Post, the Immigration Department said on Saturday that it had been following up on the requests and was providing support to the families of those involved. “Upon receiving the relevant requests for assistance, the Hong Kong Immigration Department immediately sought information from the Commissioner’s

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Hong Kong’s role to be discussed in China’s top legislature annual session

China’s top legislative body will review the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March, where Hong Kong’s role in contributing to national development is also expected to be discussed, according to the city’s sole delegate to the body. Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that the proposed agenda for the session – which includes the 15th five-year plan, as well as the government’s work report and.

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Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel fully reopens after fuel truck crash

Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel has resumed full operations nearly seven hours after it was forced to partially close when a fuel truck tipped over inside. Police received a report at 12.52pm on Saturday that a medium-sized truck had crashed into the right wall of the tunnel while driving along Cha Kwo Ling Road in the direction of Tseung Kwan O. The force added that the driver, a 53-year-old man, had sustained injuries to his head. “The crash had broken some traffic signs and damaged..

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Hong Kong records 10% rise in festive period visitors as outbound trips surge 22%

Hong Kong received 10 per cent more visitors during the Christmas period compared with 2024, while residents made nearly 1.7 million outbound trips, representing a 22 per cent increase from last year. Ahead of New Year’s Eve, the retail sector also expressed concerns that the absence of the annual fireworks display could affect the number of visitors to the city in the coming days, further dampening local consumer sentiment following the deadly fire in Tai Po. “Because of the Tai Po fire,...

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Hong Kong police arrest off-duty officer after elderly man knocked down by car

Hong Kong police have arrested an off-duty officer who allegedly lost control of his vehicle and knocked down an elderly man in Yuen Long. The force said on Saturday that the 34-year-old driver, surnamed Chan, was travelling along On Lok Road towards Tai Kiu Road at around 2.23pm when he lost control of his Porsche and crashed into the 70-year-old man. Officers were deployed to the scene and discovered the elderly man, also surnamed Chan, unconscious. The driver sustained injuries to his hands..

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2 more arrested in Hong Kong over illicit cigarette murder case, taking tally to 27

Hong Kong police have arrested two people at Shenzhen Bay Port in connection with the murder of a 51-year-old man in August, bringing the number of people apprehended over the case to 27. The force said on Saturday that the pair, two men aged 29 and 32, had been arrested a day earlier at the border crossing on suspicion of murder. Police laid a holding charge on the 29-year-old for one count of murder, while the 32-year-old was released on bail. The 29-year-old’s case will be mentioned at...

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Hong Kong man arrested after extendable baton found in US-bound air luggage

Hong Kong police have arrested a man after finding an extendable baton in his checked luggage bound for the United States, marking the second discovery of an unauthorised weapon in airline baggage this week. The force received a report on Friday after airport security staff made the find, prompting officers to arrest the 62-year-old local man. “Preliminary investigations showed that the man had hidden a suspected extendable baton, an unauthorised weapon, in his checked suitcase,” a police...

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‘Hell car parks’: mainland Chinese drivers hit bumps navigating Hong Kong roads

A mainland Chinese motorist travelling to Hong Kong under the southbound drivers scheme was fined for illegally parking this week, while another faces accusations of using tinted windows. The force said on Saturday that it was following up on the second case in response to a complaint about a social media post, with the driver in question accused of not adhering to the city’s requirements for windscreens to have a “transparency that would not obscure the view of the interior”. Hong Kong...

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Hong Kong to deploy 1,000 hospital staff to guide patients through fee reform

Hong Kong’s public hospitals will deploy more than 1,000 service ambassadors to help residents adjust to healthcare reforms taking effect next Thursday, with authorities saying the system revamp for the fee changes is entering its final stage. Dr Wong Yiu-chung, the Hospital Authority’s director of cluster services, said on Saturday that public hospital systems, including billing and dispensing, had been updated to reflect the adjusted fees, which aimed to address structural challenges in the...

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