SCMP Hong Kong·Wednesday, January 7, 2026

SCMP Hong Kong - Wednesday, January 7, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Off-duty Hong Kong police sergeant suspended for alleged drink-driving

Hong Kong police have arrested and suspended an off-duty sergeant who allegedly drove a private car under the influence of alcohol and crashed into a van at Kowloon East regional headquarters. A police spokesman said on Wednesday that the station sergeant from the regional headquarters had been charged with four offences – drink-driving, careless driving, failing to stop after a traffic accident and failing to report a traffic accident. The man’s case is scheduled to be heard at Kwun Tong Court.

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Hong Kong firms set to return to projects as new scaffolding nets expected soon

Hong Kong contractors will be able to start installing new scaffolding nets to resume renovation works as early as next week after the deadly Tai Po blaze triggered the citywide removal of mesh at around 420 buildings, an industry body has said. The Construction Industry Council planned to procure 50,000 scaffolding nets, costing HK$170 (US$21.80) each, with the first batch of 12,000 expected to be ready on January 15, executive director Albert Cheng Ting-ning said on Wednesday. Cheng said the..

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Hong Kong’s embattled Urban Renewal Authority raises HK$8 billion in bond sale

Hong Kong’s beleaguered Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has raised HK$8 billion (US$1.02 billion) by selling bonds to finance capital expenditure and new projects. The cash-strapped authority on Wednesday said it sold two tranches of bonds, one worth HK$5 billion with a five-year term and the other for HK$3 billion with a 10-year term. The coupon rates were 2.95 per cent and 3.48 per cent, respectively. It marked the URA’s return to the bond market for the first time since August 2024, when it...

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Tight race for Hong Kong’s Legco presidency as parties allow free vote

Two candidates vying to become the next president of Hong Kong’s legislature are locked in a tight race as major political parties have given their members a free vote. The newly sworn-in members of the Legislative Council will on Thursday elect either Starry Lee Wai-king of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) or finance sector representative Ronick Chan Chun-ying through a secret ballot. Before voting begins, both candidates will present their election...

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Hong Kong developers rush new flats as sentiment lifts, pressuring fragile recovery

Hong Kong’s leading property developers are accelerating new residential launches, with two major firms unveiling plans to roll out more than 4,300 flats this year as sentiment shows signs of improvement, but analysts caution that a surge in supply may add fresh pressure to a market that has only begun to stabilise. Developers, including Wheelock Properties and Kerry Properties, are pressing ahead with large-scale launches, adding new supply on top of still-elevated inventory from previous...

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Nestle Hong Kong’s baby formula recall: what parents need to know about risks

Nestle Hong Kong has recalled 21 batches of baby milk formula products over potential contamination with a toxin that can cause food poisoning. The company revealed the precautionary recall on Tuesday, with the Centre for Food Safety urging parents to refrain from feeding their infants and young children the affected batches of powdered formula. The Post examines the recall, the risk associated with the cereulide toxin, and the recommended disposal steps for affected items. 1. Why did Nestle...

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Hong Kong equestrian coach denied bail over hotel room drug death case

An equestrian coach with the Hong Kong Jockey Club has been denied bail after being charged with manslaughter and drugs possession, with prosecutors alleging that he killed a man last week in a suicide pact. British national Kyle McCullock, 36, appeared at Kowloon City Court for the first time on Wednesday after missing an earlier hearing this week for medical reasons. McCullock initially faced three drug-related charges for allegedly keeping an unspecified amount of methamphetamine, sildenafil.

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Man jailed for 4 weeks in Hong Kong for taking upskirt photos on Cathay flight

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a man to four weeks in jail for secretly taking upskirt photos of a woman on a Cathay Pacific flight from Osaka last year. Japanese IT manager Onishi Ryu, 46, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to unlawfully recording a woman’s intimate parts on the flight on November 24. He was en route to India on a business trip with a stopover in the city. The West Kowloon Court heard in mitigation that the defendant was merely an “opportunist” who had “accidentally” captured the...

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Hong Kong police safely dispose of WWII British grenade found in park

A World War II British grenade was discovered on Wednesday morning in Aberdeen Country Park, Hong Kong, according to police. The Model 36M grenade, measuring about four inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter, was found by staff from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department as they were filling a hole along a walking path. A police spokeswoman said officers from the explosive ordnance disposal bureau handled the grenade safely with no injuries. No evacuation was necessary, though...

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Hong Kong pharmacies pull Nestle baby milk formula amid recall over toxin risk

Hong Kong pharmacies started pulling batches of Nestle baby milk formula from their shelves on Wednesday after a recall by the manufacturer over potential contamination, prompting frantic searches by thousands of mothers for alternative products. Nestle Hong Kong apologised to parents for any distress or inconvenience caused, saying that it had not received any reports of illness or discomfort related to the products to date. Hong Kong food safety authorities said on Tuesday that Nestle had...

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