Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
“Hong Kong Art Toys Expo” sponsored by Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency kicks off today
The “Hong Kong Art Toys Expo” reminisces on the legendary journey of Hong Kong’s toy industry, from being an original equipment manufacturer to nurturing internationally renowned art toy artists. The Expo showcases the exquisite craftsmanship and innovation of Hong Kong designers, featuring 12 popular large-scale original intellectual property (IP) figures and over 100 collectibles from nearly 30 Hong Kong toy brands and original IPs, offering visitors a full experience of the unique charm of Hong Kong’s art toy culture.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, remarked that Hong Kong creators have excelled globally in the art toys realm with their innovative designs and increasing influence in the IP market. They are the key representatives of Hong Kong’s creative force. The Government has been fully committed to promoting the development of creative industries, continuously nurturing local talent and supporting expansion into the Chinese Mainland and overseas markets, fostering a conducive environment to facilitate the sustainable development of the industry.
The “Hong Kong Art Toys Expo” is the first event in the “A Tribute to Art Toys of Hong Kong” series, and will be immediately followed by the launch in late January of the Hong Kong Art Toys Chronicle website in which the section of “Masters’ Hall” will feature the lives and creative journeys of original character designers. Thereafter, there will be the Hong Kong Art Toys Parade in the International Chinese New Year Night Parade on Chinese New Year’s Day (February 17); and the Hong Kong Art Toys Carnival from February to March at Victoria Park. This series of events integrates Hong Kong’s original art toys and IPs with tourism, creating unique cultural tourism experiences.
Issued at HKT 17:13
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Land to be occupied for railway works
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Three private lots will be temporarily taken up by the Government from April 9 this year to January 11, 2030, to facilitate construction of the Northern Link (NOL) Main Line.
The arrangement follows today’s posting by the Lands Department of “notices for the creation of rights of temporary occupation of land”, in accordance with the Railways Ordinance. The Government said it will closely liaise with the land owners and affected parties, and ensure that compensation matters are handled properly.
The Government entered into the Part 1 Project Agreement of the NOL Project with the MTR Corporation last July to begin works on high-priority segments of the NOL Main Line. The Government also tasked the MTR Corporation with the detailed planning and design of the NOL Spur Line, including the concurrent management of all relevant statutory procedures.
69 blaze patients discharged
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Health Bureau said today that as of January 6, 69 of the 79 patients admitted to Hospital Authority (HA) hospitals following November’s fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had recovered and been discharged, while the remaining 10 were in a stable condition.
All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation, the bureau added.
All residents of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court, including foreign domestic helpers, are eligible for full medical fee waivers until December 31 of this year. As of January 6, the HA had provided such services to around 1,700 affected residents.
Separately, last month the bureau introduced a free family doctor service scheme, free Chinese Medicine (CM) consultation services and free denture replacement services.
As of January 6, more than 300 private family doctors were participating and free consultations had been arranged for 78 affected residents.
Meanwhile, more than 360 CM practitioners were participating, with CM services having been arranged for 30 residents.
Regarding free denture replacement services, more than 100 private dentists are participating, with free services having been arranged for 23 residents.
District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses across all of the city’s 18 districts have set up hotlines to provide personalised case management services for affected residents.
Support includes matching residents with free medical consultation services, and co-ordinating follow-up appointments with the HA. As of January 6, the hotlines had received 265 enquiries.
Regarding mental health services, the bureau said that from the time of the Tai Po blaze to January 6, the 18111 Mental Health Support Hotline had received over 12,800 calls, around 700 of which were related to the fire. An associated WhatsApp service has handled over 600 messages, with about 50 of these concerning the fire.
The HA’s 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline had received 94 calls related to the blaze, with 34 of these coming from affected citizens.
New District Officer for Yau Tsim Mong assumes office (with photo)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
New District Officer for Yau Tsim Mong assumes office (with photo)
Since joining the Administrative Service in 2009, Mr Lee has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Private Office, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore, and the Civil Service Bureau.
He was the Principal Assistant Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services) before taking up the new post of District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong).
Issued at HKT 15:00
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Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from January 22 to 26
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from January 22 to 26
A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hkIssued at HKT 15:00
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Preliminary Report and Public Notice on BGD Base 3 paraglider accident released
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Preliminary Report and Public Notice on BGD Base 3 paraglider accident released
“The investigation team is conducting a detailed analysis of the data and information collected in order to determine the circumstances and causes of this occurrence, with a view to preventing a recurrence in conjunction with identifying areas for further investigation or lines of inquiry to follow up,” the spokesperson said. Issued at HKT 15:15
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Death on arrival case in Tsim Sha Tsui reclassified as manslaughter
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Death on arrival case in Tsim Sha Tsui reclassified as manslaughter
Upon Police arrival, the 36-year-old foreign man was found lying in the corridor of a hotel on Nathan Road while another 24-year-old man was found lying inside a hotel room. They were rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in unconscious state. The 24-year-old man was certified dead at 7.26pm on the same day (January 2). Some six grams of suspected methamphetamine and drug‑consumption paraphernalia, etc. were seized.Issued at HKT 16:10
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Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service “Pop-up” Tseung Kwan O Donor Centre commences service tomorrow (with photo)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service “Pop-up” Tseung Kwan O Donor Centre commences service tomorrow (with photo)Issued at HKT 16:15
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Monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in December 2025 remains at low level
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 7) announced that the monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in December 2025 was 0.2 per cent, lower than the 0.9 per cent recorded in November, which remained at the lowest Level 1, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the areas surveyed was not extensive.
In December last year, all 64 survey areas recorded an area gravidtrap index (AGI) lower than the alert level of 20 per cent, and most of the areas recorded zero per cent. Moreover, the monthly density index for Aedes albopictus in December last year was one, which represented that an average of one Aedes albopictus adult was found in the Aedes-positive gravidtraps, indicating that the number of adult Aedes albopictus was not abundant in the survey areas. The gravidtrap and density indices for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures are available on the department website at www.fehd.gov.hk
Lands Department issues 11 pre-sale consents in fourth quarter of 2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Lands Department issues 11 pre-sale consents in fourth quarter of 2025
| Expected year of completion The LandsD also issued six consents to assign in the fourth quarter, involving a total of 2 524 residential units in two phases of a development in Tai Po and two phased developments in Tseung Kwan O and Kai Tak respectively, as well as one commercial unit in a phased development in Tin Shui Wai and the hotel portion of a phased development in Lantau Island.
Taking into account the pre-sale consents issued in the first three quarters in 2025, the LandsD issued a total of 23 pre-sale consents for residential developments involving 10 845 residential units in 2025.
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