World News by Wild Rose

The number of private secondary schools in Hong Kong has risen by more than half in five years as demand for alternative curricula grows and new operators seek to attract families drawn by the city’s highly ranked universities, education authorities and principals have said. Between 2021-22 and 2025-26, the number of private secondary institutions increased from 16 to 25, a jump of 56.3 per cent, Education Bureau figures show. Leaders at schools offering alternative curriculum pathways said that...

Two women have been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of child abuse after an 11-year-old girl posted videos on social media in a plea for help, capturing moments of emotional distress inside her home. Police arrested a 61-year-old local woman and a 43-year-old foreign woman in Wong Tai Sin on Friday on suspicion of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person. The girl, found with red and swollen limbs, was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei in a conscious...

An elderly man was pulled unconscious from a flat after a fire broke out in a residential building in Hong Kong’s Western district on Monday night, with about 60 residents evacuating the premises. Police received a report at 8.57pm that flames had erupted in a flat in Hang Fai Building on Pok Fu Lam Road in Sai Ying Pun. Firefighters deployed a water jet and a breathing apparatus team to tackle the fire, which was extinguished at 9.54pm. A man in his 70s was found unconscious and was rushed to...

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after allegedly throwing a dog into the sea in Hong Kong. The incident occurred at about 1pm on Thursday, when the woman was reportedly seen throwing a dog from the waterfront near 29 Tai On Street in Sai Wan Ho into the water. She then retrieved the animal and left the scene. A passer-by who witnessed the incident alerted police. Following an investigation, officers arrested a 59-year-old local woman on Saturday near the junction of Tai...

Hong Kong tourism authorities have pledged to review the roll-out of a lighting project along a trail on The Peak after mounting complaints that flowers and trees were chopped down to make way for the installations. But the Tourism Board defended the project, saying it had consulted local residents and sought advice from tree experts to minimise the impact on the surrounding environment. In a statement on Sunday, the board said it valued residents’ views and would now “conduct broader...

Slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s partner has told a court she initially misled him about her former in-laws’ wealth before describing them as horrible and ungrateful after a bitter family dispute. Chris Tam Fong-chun’s testimony also shed light on his complex relationship with Choi and his former classmate Alex Kwong Kong-chi. The three remained connected through their four children, as Choi had two with each man. During the third week of Choi’s murder trial, Tam told the High...

For nearly five decades, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has worked to bring its music to a wider audience, including people who might never have considered entering a concert hall. Executive director Celina Chin Man-wah said the orchestra had long sought to ensure Chinese music was not seen as distant, formal or difficult to understand. That has meant commissioning new works, exploring different musical styles and developing programmes for younger audiences. “We cannot rely on the old...

Download the PDF This is the third in a series of Factsheets on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and 2026 policy address. Part I – Hong Kong’s new chapter Part II – The story begins ... Part III – Sharpening Hong Kong’s edge Part IV – Tapping into tech and talent The series has been produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will appear in the SCMP print edition on October 20....

Hong Kong authorities have uncovered alleged corner-cutting and false declarations involving fire-safety components in a contractor’s replacement of 48 lifts at two public housing estates. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said on Thursday that surprise inspections had found serious deficiencies in projects carried out by Taizoom Elevator (Hong Kong) at Tsui Ping (North) Estate in Kwun Tong and Pok Hong Estate in Sha Tin. It said 39 lifts replaced between May 2025 and July this...

The Hong Kong Pride Parade committee has cancelled an indoor event at Central Market next month after being told the venue is unavailable due to an “administrative error”. In a social media post on Thursday, the committee said its Rainbow Market, scheduled for November 14 at the revamped landmark, had been cancelled because the venue “could no longer host it”. The group said it approached Central Market, which is managed by Chinachem Group, in early June, confirmed the booking and paid a deposit...

Hong Kong police have arrested a suspect in less than 24 hours after he allegedly stole a gold necklace worth nearly HK$80,000 (US$10,193) from a Chow Sang Sang jewellery store in Tai Po, the South China Morning Post has learned. The suspect was tracked down in the same district on Thursday afternoon, but the stolen jewellery has not been recovered, a source said. The unemployed man, in his forties, entered the store on Kwong Fuk Road at about 3.10pm on Wednesday. The suspect, believed to be...

Three Hong Kong taxi drivers have been disqualified from driving cabs for three months after accumulating 15 demerit points or more under a penalty system in place for two years, the transport chief has said, disclosing such figures for the first time. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Wednesday that since the mechanism took effect in September 2024, 229 taxi drivers had incurred demerit points as of October 2, with 125 cases involving a refusal to accept a hire. In a...

Complaints about noisy and inconsiderate passengers on Hong Kong’s public transport have more than doubled over three years, with authorities recording a surge in reports of people playing loud music and putting their feet on seats. The Transport Department and Environmental Protection Department received 66 complaints about noise nuisance and improper or unhygienic behaviour in 2025, up from 31 in 2023, according to figures released by the government on Wednesday. “[Passengers] should be...

The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung called her a “birthing machine” and tried to assault her before he allegedly plotted with his two sons to kill her three years ago, a court has heard. Choi’s partner, Chris Tam Fong-chun, recounted on Tuesday a bitter argument between the influencer and her former in-laws in what he said was a watershed moment leading to a breakdown in the relationship in mid-2022. Choi was previously married to Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 31, who...

Hong Kong schools should not require students with special educational needs or severe mental illness to repeat a grade, under revised education authorities’ guidance that warns the practice could worsen their adjustment difficulties. The latest version of the Education Bureau’s School Administration Guide requires subsidised schools considering grade retention for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) to consult parents through a team of professionals, including an educational...

The mother of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has denied in court that she was repeatedly in debt because of gambling, calling her former son-in-law’s claim that he had financially supported her “a pack of lies”. Cheung Yin-fa accused Alex Kwong Kong-chi on Monday of acting unscrupulously by demanding the return of HK$150,000 (US$19,113) in shopping expenses she owed him, while failing to repay any of the more than HK$70 million he had received from Choi for investment. Testifying...

A grassroots singer in China rose to fame after standing in for Hong Kong singer Hacken Lee, giving an impromptu two-hour set after Lee was delayed. On the evening of September 26, the touring concert Hear Yourself, featuring six acclaimed singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, was held in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, in northern China, Shenzhen TV reported. Lee was scheduled to give the grand finale performance. But he did not arrive in time because his flight, originally bound for the nearby city of...

Guangdong-registered yachts will be allowed to sail into Hong Kong waters from next Friday under a new travel scheme, the city’s transport minister has confirmed. Writing in her weekly blog on Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the maiden voyage ceremony for the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme would be held on launch day. “Building on the groundwork laid by the Northbound Yacht Travel Scheme, the maiden voyage ceremony for the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme marks a...

Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has raided 11 offices and homes over alleged bid-rigging for contracts to supply virtual reality (VR) systems to schools and non-profit organisations, with the deals valued at HK$10 million. The Competition Commission revealed on Friday that it had secured warrants and searched the 11 premises, including those of several IT service and equipment providers, other firms and the residences of several suspects, in an operation the day before codenamed “Lens”. The...

The revamped Huanggang border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen will open on Monday, after both sides confirmed the facility was ready for service. The Hong Kong government said on Friday that the new Huanggang border crossing would commence operations at 6.30am, October 12, replacing the current Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang port as the sole round-the-clock clearance point. “Acceptance inspection of the new port building of the Huanggang Port has been completed. Following the completion of a...

Psychological abuse can be hard to detect, Hong Kong welfare experts have warned, urging social workers and teachers to look for subtle changes in children’s behaviour amid outrage over a viral video showing a girl carrying heavy bags of beer as her stepfather called her “useless”. Welfare groups said on Thursday that emotional and verbal abuse were among the most common yet least recognised forms of child abuse. Signs often emerged through changes such as social withdrawal and anxiety, they...

The mother of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has told a court that her daughter’s former brother-in-law was a “bootlicker” who coaxed her into funding an egg waffle shop and hiring him as a driver months before her death. Choi’s mother, Cheung Yin-fa, said on Wednesday that Anthony Kwong Kong-kit had frequently sought financial support from her daughter before he allegedly joined his father and younger brother in a plot to murder her in February 2023. “It is during the time when we...