SCMP Hong Kong·Monday, December 29, 2025

SCMP Hong Kong - Monday, December 29, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Hong Kong auxiliary policeman charged over alleged indecent act while driving taxi

An off‑duty Hong Kong auxiliary police officer has been charged with acts outraging public decency after he was arrested for allegedly committing an indecent act while driving a taxi in Causeway Bay. The 57‑year‑old man was suspended from duty following his arrest on September 1 and is scheduled to appear in Eastern Court on Tuesday. Police said the suspect was driving a taxi with a 55‑year‑old woman as his passenger when he allegedly masturbated during the journey. The passenger reportedly...

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‘Let us return’: some Tai Po fire survivors petition government for on-site rebuilding

A group of survivors of the deadly inferno in Hong Kong last month has petitioned the government to redevelop the Wang Fuk Court site as a long-term resettlement plan, as authorities review options to rehouse them. In an open letter seen by the Post, the group of displaced residents urged Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other top officials to let them rebuild their lives with dignity and hope at the same site in Tai Po. “We implore the government to rebuild housing on the site of Wang Fuk..

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Woman, 27, killed after being hit by KMB bus at road crossing in Hong Kong

A 27-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a KMB double-decker bus at a pedestrian crossing in Hong Kong on Monday. The accident, reported at about 3.30pm, occurred when the route 85 bus reached the junction of Ma Tau Wai Road and Bailey Street in To Kwa Wan. The woman was knocked down and trapped underneath the vehicle. Firefighters freed her and rushed her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where she was pronounced dead at 4.03pm. The female bus driver, 68, is helping police...

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Hong Kong homeowner fined HK$180,000 for ‘wilful’ structural flat wall removal

A Hong Kong court has fined a flat owner HK$180,000 (US$23,160) for wilfully removing a load-bearing wall without approval as part of a HK$1 million modification of his new home. Magistrate Lau Suk-han said on Monday that owner Ku Chun-ho bore responsibility for checking whether removing one of the three walls in his 681 sq ft flat in Lohas Park’s The Capitol, in Tseung Kwan O, was a structural one and required approval from the Buildings Department. The court heard that documents concerning the

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Hong Kong to close roads in Central from 2pm on New Year’s Eve ahead of countdown

Hong Kong police will close roads in Central starting from 2pm on New Year’s Eve ahead of a countdown event at the Chater Road pedestrian zone, featuring music and light shows to replace fireworks displays after the deadly inferno in Tai Po. Mason Hung Chung-hing, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s lead adviser for event and product development, said on Monday that organisers hoped the event, themed “New Hope, New Beginning”, could foster a sense of renewal. “We will use a new format that combines...

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Hong Kong exports jump 18.8% in November, sharpest increase in 22 months

Hong Kong’s exports posted their sharpest increase in 22 months, rising 18.8 per cent in November from a year earlier, driven by strong demand for electrical equipment, machinery and appliances, according to data released on Monday. The value of goods exported from the city during the month stood at HK$468.9 billion (US$60.3 billion), according to the Census and Statistics Department. Imports soared 18.1 per cent to HK$517.4 billion. Combined with exports, this resulted in a trade deficit of...

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Hong Kong sets up Hung Shui Kiu industrial park operator, sweetens land tender

Hong Kong’s government will set up a dedicated company to run a huge industrial park in Hung Shui Kiu and launch a six-month tender for a pilot area within the zone, offering incentives to encourage bids as part of an initiative to accelerate development of the Northern Metropolis. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Monday that the newly formed Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company was expected to be financially self-sustaining despite the government’s initial capital...

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Hongkongers make 2.73 million outbound trips over Christmas, up 11% from last year

Hongkongers made more than 2.7 million outbound trips over the Christmas holiday period, about 11 per cent more year on year than in 2024, but an industry leader reported a boost in local nightlife business amid lacklustre food and drink sales noted by other experts. The Immigration Department said on Monday that 2.73 million departures were recorded between December 23 and 28, compared with 2.36 million over the same period last year. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fell on Thursday and Friday...

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Hong Kong taxi driver, 82, acquitted of using foul language at teenage customer

An 82-year-old taxi driver has been acquitted by a Hong Kong court after a teenage passenger accused him of swearing and refusing to print a receipt for a midnight trip last year. Yen Ken-hoi became embroiled in the legal dispute after the 16-year-old male passenger filed a complaint to police regarding the cabby’s alleged rude manner during a trip in Sham Shui Po on September 21, 2024. The teenager, surnamed Ng, earlier testified before Deputy Magistrate Christine Leung Wan-chong that Yen...

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District councillors call for more public amenities in Hong Kong Jockey Club school bid

District councillors have called for more amenities for Tseung Kwan O residents, after the Hong Kong Jockey Club floated a plan last week to build its fourth public riding school in the neighbourhood. Some residents were also worried about the light and noise pollution that could arise from the proposed school, the councillors said on Monday, urging the club to address those concerns. “Some residents have said amenities in the area are insufficient,” Christine Fong Kwok-shan, a Sai Kung district

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