SCMP Hong Kong·Tuesday, January 13, 2026

SCMP Hong Kong - Tuesday, January 13, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

WHO, ex-Hong Kong leader CY Leung’s charity pledge to boost health ties

A UN agency and a charity established by former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying have agreed to strengthen collaboration on public health projects, following talks in Switzerland. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, met GX Foundation chairman Leung and CEO Emily Chan Ying-yang in Geneva, the charity said in a social media post on Tuesday. “Both parties held in-depth discussions [on Monday] on the various medical and public health projects GX is...

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‘Mr and Mrs Ho’ in Hong Kong court unrepresented as assault case draws crowds

Hong Kong internet couple “Mr and Mrs Ho” still have no legal representatives in a domestic violence dispute that escalated into a criminal case, which has drawn wide public attention and filled the courtroom. The District Court heard on Tuesday that Ho Huen, 77, widely known as Mr Ho, and his 44-year-old wife, Ye Xiuding, known as Mrs Ho, had yet to hire lawyers to defend themselves after being charged in May last year with unlawfully and maliciously wounding each other. Judge Stanley Chan...

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US$1.7 billion SciNeuro-Novartis deal offers hope for 55 million Alzheimer’s patients

A partnership between China’s SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Monday has revived hopes for treating Alzheimer’s disease, which affects some 55 million people worldwide and could cost the global economy US$2.8 trillion by 2030. The deal, worth nearly US$1.7 billion, grants Novartis exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise SciNeuro’s antibody candidates to develop drugs for the progressive brain disease. SciNeuro’s novel amyloid beta targeted...

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More cross-border tours, visitors expected on expanded Hong Kong high-speed rail

More train tour packages to mainland China are expected to be launched with 16 newly added destinations to Hong Kong’s high-speed rail network, industry leaders have said, with the enhanced connectivity expected to boost cross-border traveller numbers in both directions. Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said on Monday that local travel agencies were pivoting to capitalise on this “game-changing” high-speed rail network as a formidable competitor to

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Online shopping scams cost Hongkongers HK$14 million in first week of 2026

Internet fraudsters tricked more than 270 Hong Kong residents out of nearly HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) through online shopping scams in the first week of 2026, police have said. The average daily loss of HK$2 million prompted the force to issue a scam alert on Monday, urging caution among online consumers and people selling products on the internet. One of the victims was a 26-year-old man who was targeted after he tried to sell a suitcase on the online platform Carousell and left his...

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Chip designer GigaDevice surges 45% in Hong Kong debut amid China’s self-reliance drive

Mainland chip designer GigaDevice Semiconductor jumped more than 45 per cent on its first trading day in Hong Kong on Tuesday, as the Beijing-based firm’s debut catered to investor appetite for tech companies amid China’s push for self-reliance. The firm’s shares started trading at HK$235, versus the offer price of HK$162, before ending the morning session up 40 per cent at HK$226.80. Its shares closed between HK$224.20 and HK$226.80 on the grey market on Monday evening, helping some investors..

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Operation Santa Claus: the charity changing lives through swimming in Hong Kong

When Libby Alexander and Simon Holliday noticed that many domestic helpers and Hong Kong residents at local beaches could not swim, they decided to take action. They soon learned that despite Hong Kong being surrounded by water and having an abundance of pools, many residents did not have the opportunity to learn to swim. Swimming lessons are not mandatory, many schools lack pools and private classes are expensive. A 2014 survey by Baptist University found that 46.7 per cent of Hong Kong...

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Hong Kong and Nansha target global drone benchmark via cross-border trials

Hong Kong has taken a significant stride towards cross-border drone flights by teaming up with Nansha in mainland China to develop unified standards, policies and validation pathways through joint tests and trials – an effort that could set a global benchmark. The collaboration follows an accord signed on December 25 between the Hong Kong Productivity Council and Nansha’s International Advanced Technology Application and Promotion Centre (GBA). Edmond Lai Shiao-bun, the council’s chief digital..

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Jimmy Lai trial: Hong Kong lawyers for publisher, activists seek reduced jail time

Lawyers for a former newspaper publisher and two activists have called for less than 10 years’ imprisonment for their roles in attempts to instigate sanctions against Hong Kong and mainland China, saying they deserve additional reductions in securing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s conviction in his national security trial. Arguments over appropriate sentences for the former media boss and eight other defendants began on Monday at West Kowloon Court. Aside from Lai, the rest pleaded guilty before his...

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Hong Kong judges question Jimmy Lai’s bid for lighter sentence, citing stable health

Hong Kong judges in Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial have questioned whether the former media boss is entitled to a reduced sentence on health or custodial grounds, citing records showing he is in a stable condition and had requested solitary confinement of his own free will. The three High Court justices on Monday began hearing arguments on the length of the sentences to be handed down to the Apple Daily founder and eight others. The other defendants pleaded guilty before Lai’s...

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