SCMP Hong Kong·Saturday, January 17, 2026

SCMP Hong Kong - Saturday, January 17, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Machinery use suspended after worker severs hand at Hong Kong recycling centre

Hong Kong authorities have issued a suspension notice to a contractor at a government-run recycling centre after a worker severed his palm while clearing debris from a wood-chipping machine. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on Saturday said it was “highly concerned” about the incident, which occurred at around 2pm the day before at the Y·Park yard waste recycling centre in Tuen Mun. The worker was trying to clear debris stuck in an operating wood chipper when his left palm was...

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Hong Kong police arrest another man with knife, days after earlier case in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police have arrested a man who brandished a knife in an apparently disoriented state near a McDonald’s in Tsuen Wan, just two days after officers shot dead another blade-wielding attacker elsewhere in the city. Police said they received a report at 8.42am from a passer-by that a man was seen holding a knife in the area near a McDonald’s on Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan. On arriving at the scene, officers immediately subdued the man, with no injuries reported. According to local media...

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Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

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Thank you, David Webb, you made Hong Kong a better place

Like many long-time reporters in Hong Kong, I had occasional dealings with David Webb, the market transparency and shareholder rights crusader who died this week of prostate cancer at the relatively young age of 60. Almost all of my encounters with him over the years were annoying and slightly unpleasant. But they made me respect him all the more. He once chastised me for misstating a relatively obscure Nasa space mission in the 1960s and demanded a print correction. I thought, who cares? But I.

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Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

The HK$4.4 billion (US$564 million) donated for Tai Po fire victims will grow gradually with interest earned from fixed deposits, the home affairs minister has told the Post, adding the money will also fund long-term resettlement. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the fund’s accountant, the Treasury, had put an “appropriate amount” of the unallocated donated money into fixed deposits. “Some say, ‘you are just leaving..

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Hong Kong needs to ask the hard questions about its net-zero challenge

Net-zero commitments are now commonplace across Hong Kong’s property sector. Many major developers have announced targets for 2030 and 2050, often framed around energy efficiency, renewable energy and greener buildings. This is welcome. However, as climate ambition becomes the norm, a more uncomfortable question comes into focus: how many of these commitments are grounded in a serious understanding of what decarbonisation actually entails? What remains largely missing from Hong Kong’s climate...

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Contractors’ botches lead to bans on bidding for Hong Kong public projects

Contractors at the centre of construction botches at three Hong Kong light public housing sites last year have been banned from bidding for public projects for up to a year, the government has said. The firm responsible for overseeing work quality, Able Engineering, has also been ordered to pay the extra costs for fixing the problems. It also faces a disciplinary hearing for alleged “serious negligence or misconduct in the construction works”, and a possible criminal investigation by police. The

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Hong Kong passport ranks 15th globally, rising 3 places in visa-free access index

Hongkongers hold the world’s 15th most powerful passport, up three places from last year, according to an index measuring visa-free access. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport offers visa-free access to 171 destinations, according to this year’s Henley Passport Index released last week. Singapore retained the top ranking for the third consecutive year, with its passport granting its citizens visa-free entry to 192 destinations. However, data from Hong Kong’s Immigration...

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Hongkonger reported missing in Iran ‘for many days’ amid internet shutdown, protests

Immigration authorities have confirmed receiving a plea for help concerning a Hong Kong resident reported missing “for many days” in Iran, as the country faces a nationwide internet shutdown amid protests against the government. A spokesman for the Immigration Department said on Friday that it had received “a relevant inquiry” and was in touch with the Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ local arm in the city. A source confirmed that the inquiry came from the..

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Hong Kong’s pivot to hi-tech development gets boost as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong took another big step in its journey to become an international tech hub on Friday, as the city basked in its inaugural turn as host of a summit under the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). In his video address to the conference held in the Hong Kong Science Park, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said: “We must harness the power of AI, not just to innovate, but to build – to build more inclusive economies, more resilient communities and a more sustainable future for...

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