SCMP Hong Kong·Wednesday, January 14, 2026

SCMP Hong Kong - Wednesday, January 14, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Anti-crash bollards in Hong Kong shopping area necessary but ‘could cause disruption’

A HK$5 million (US$641,000) plan to install anti-crash barriers in Hong Kong’s busy Causeway Bay shopping area will enhance pedestrian safety, but their exact location, size and number must be further discussed, with installation possibly worsening crowds, a district councillor has said. Wan Chai district councillor Peggy Lee Pik-yee agreed on Wednesday with the government’s plan to introduce about 60 safety bollards in the area, but said the move needed to meet residential and commercial needs.

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Mainland Chinese money to drive 10% rise in Hong Kong commercial property deals: Colliers

Surging mainland Chinese investment in Hong Kong’s commercial real estate sector has helped set the stage for a “measured recovery” in 2026, according to Colliers. Investment from the mainland rose to the highest level in five years in the last quarter of 2025, and deal value in 2026 was set to increase by 10 per cent, Colliers said. In the luxury residential segment, mainland capital accounted for about 80 per cent of transactions exceeding HK$100 million on The Peak and in Southern district,..

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Hong Kong to boost authorities’ powers to crack down on bid-rigging, officials tell Legco

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council is holding its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu addressed the new batch of 90 lawmakers, highlighting government..

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Registered births in Hong Kong hit record low in 2025, ending 2-year uptick

The number of registered births in Hong Kong plunged to a record low of 31,714 in 2025, despite a range of government incentives to encourage families to have more children, ending two years of growth, the Post has learned. The figure was also well below the government’s target of increasing births by 20 per cent from the previous historic low recorded in 2022. Experts and parents said the government needed to tackle the underlying causes of the city’s low birth rates. “Those incentives were...

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HK$5 million plan to install anti-terrorism bollards near Hong Kong’s Sogo store

Authorities plan to spend HK$5 million (US$641,025) to install safety bollards near the popular Sogo department store in Causeway Bay as a precautionary measure against potential vehicle-ramming attacks targeting pedestrians in one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping districts. In a paper submitted to Wan Chai District Council for discussion on January 20, police and the highways and transport departments outlined the plan for locations around 555 Hennessy Road. The proposal calls for bollards and..

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Most Hong Kong residents support more smoking control measures, study finds

Nearly 90 per cent of Hong Kong residents support stronger smoking control measures, a poll has found, while a separate study estimates that raising tobacco tax progressively could cut the city’s smoking rate significantly within a decade. The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) and academics on Tuesday announced findings of both a survey and a study by two universities. The survey gauged public opinion on tobacco control policies while the study projected and analysed the effects of.

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Hong Kong activist loses legal fight over prison shorts ban for female inmates

A jailed activist has lost a judicial review against a Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD) rule that prohibits female inmates from wearing shorts in summer, with the court ruling that the women’s standard prison uniform was carefully designed and did not constitute discrimination. High Court judge Russell Coleman said on Tuesday that there was “little merit” in Chow Hang-tung’s argument that the department’s clothing policy violated her right to equality. Under the existing rules,..

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Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb dies at 60

David Webb, the corporate governance activist renowned for his free public database and his explosive “Enigma Network” exposé that rocked the Hong Kong stock exchange, has died aged 60 of metastatic prostate cancer. A notice posted on one of his social media accounts confirmed his death on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two children. “It is with great sadness that we share that David M Webb MBE passed away peacefully in Hong Kong on Tuesday January 13, 2026 from metastatic prostate...

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Nearly 1 in 4 Hong Kong students can’t finish homework without AI, study shows

A leading Hong Kong think tank has called for a centralised platform for AI in schools, revealing that while 95 per cent of students use the technology, nearly one in four struggle to finish homework without it, putting their problem-solving and analytical thinking skills at risk. Our Hong Kong Foundation on Tuesday also said a more comprehensive AI curriculum should be formulated to cover students at all academic levels. The think tank surveyed 1,200 primary and secondary teachers and students.

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Hong Kong government to replace Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan

Hong Kong authorities have replaced Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man, who recently apologised for her choice of attire at the funeral of the firefighter who died in the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court blaze. Two government sources said on Tuesday that her removal was not triggered by the episode, but had been planned “for a long period of time” after multiple internal complaints against Chan, who had served in the role for seven years. Those complaints were related to her abrasive...

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