Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Police complete identifications and forensic examinations of remains from Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fireIssued at HKT 18:50
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Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected dangerous drugs worth about $4.2 million (with photo)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected dangerous drugs worth about $4.2 million (with photo)
During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Yau Tong yesterday afternoon, Customs officers intercepted a man and seized about 3kg of suspected drugs, including MDMA, heroin, cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, inside a rucksack carried by him. The man was subsequently arrested.
Customs officers later escorted him to a mini-storage warehouse and residential premises nearby for a search and further seized about 10kg of suspected drugs, including MDMA, heroin, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, ketamine, etomidate capsules, crack cocaine, cannabis buds and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia.Issued at HKT 18:00
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Home and Youth Affairs Bureau launches HYAB Youth Start-up Internship Programme 2026
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Home and Youth Affairs Bureau launches HYAB Youth Start-up Internship Programme 2026
The HYAB is committed to promoting youth development. In 2021, the HYAB launched the Programme on a pilot basis. Following the success of the pilot programme, the HYAB regularised and expanded the Programme in 2023 in collaboration with Cyberport and the HKSTP. The Programme provides internship placements at start-ups for young people every year, with a view to fostering their interest in pursuing a career in innovation and technology (I&T) and nurturing talent for the industry in support of Hong Kong’s overall direction of promoting I&T development.
Under the new round of the Programme, Cyberport and the HKSTP will provide 200 internship placements of three to six months funded by the HYAB, covering various disciplines such as data analysis, fintech, biotech, artificial intelligence applications, business development, marketing, and design. The participating companies can engage interns on a full-time, part-time, or mixed basis. Applicants should be aged between 18 and 30 and must be (i) a full time post-secondary student (including sub-degree, undergraduate, or postgraduate) holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card; or (ii) a local full-time post-secondary student (including sub-degree, undergraduate, or postgraduate) holding a Hong Kong identity card. Apart from internship placements, Cyberport and the HKSTP will also arrange a series of training and entrepreneurial experience activities and visits to start-ups on the Mainland.
Details of the Programme and information about the internship placements are now available on the dedicated webpages of Cyberport and the HKSTP. Interested young people should submit applications to companies via the electronic application system on the webpages. Upon receipt of the applications, participating companies will conduct assessments to select suitable applicants to take forward the internship arrangements.
Issued at HKT 18:00
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Tai Po fire forensics work complete
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Police announced today that the identification and forensic examination of remains from the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire have been completed, with a total of 168 deceased persons confirmed.
A fireman, two interior decorators, five construction workers, nine Indonesian domestic helpers and one Filipina domestic helper were among the deceased which comprised 58 males and 110 females, aged between six months and 98. Four of them were certified dead after being taken to hospital, while the remains of the other 164 were recovered at the scene.
All bereaved families have been notified of the confirmed identities of the deceased, and all remains recovered in the incident have been positively identified, leaving no unidentified remains outstanding.
Additionally, all enquiries regarding the Wang Fuk Court fire received by the Casualty Enquiry Unit have been verified, with no missing persons unaccounted for.
Police continue to probe the fire, with a death investigation report to be submitted to the coroner, who will then review it and decide whether an inquest should be held.
Should a hearing be convened, Police will submit the deceased individual’s particulars to the court. These particulars will not be disclosed at this stage to respect the wishes of the grieving relatives.
Call the Police casualty enquiry hotline at 1878 999 for enquiries.
MOFA response to false claims regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty made by PRC foreign minister in Africa
Source: Republic of China Taiwan
MOFA response to false claims regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty made by PRC foreign minister in Africa
January 12, 2026
During a visit to Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Lesotho from January 8 to 11, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ignored objective historical facts as he restated the so-called “one China principle” and spread distortions and falsehoods that seriously infringed upon the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Somalia, speaking with Wang by telephone, made the erroneous claim that the Taiwan issue was entirely an internal matter of the People’s Republic of China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protests and condemns these statements and expresses deep regret that countries are taking untenable positions to curry favor with China.
MOFA reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign, independent nation. Any claim that makes Taiwan subject to another country based on false narratives is unacceptable. China continues to use threats, enticements, and rhetoric to spread disinformation in the international sphere, which constitutes a challenge to the international order and to peace. All nations should pay close attention to such a flagrant example of authoritarian interference in the affairs of other countries.
The ROC (Taiwan) has long made efforts to assist the development of like-minded African nations in the areas of education, medicine, and infrastructure, in which it has enjoyed considerable success. MOFA calls on other nations to hold to the principles of independence, sovereignty, and rational thinking when they promote exchanges and cooperation. This is a long-term strategy that leads to national and public well-being. The ROC (Taiwan) is willing to continue to deepen friendly collaboration with all like-minded African nations that respect its sovereign equality and uphold the principle of mutually beneficial ties so as to promote the welfare of their peoples and societies.
Taiwan’s sovereignty belongs to the people of Taiwan. Only they can decide Taiwan’s future. As a force for good in the international community, Taiwan will continue to defend the values of freedom and democracy and uphold the nation’s sovereignty. MOFA calls on like-minded nations that respect democratic values to work with it to curb authoritarian expansionism, and welcomes joint efforts to make further contributions to the sustainable development of Africa and the international community.
12 lease modifications recorded in Q4
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Lands Department said today that it registered 12 lease modifications and two land exchanges in the Land Registry during the quarter ending last month, adding that two of the former were technical changes that did not involve premiums.
Among the 14 land transactions registered, three involved locations on Hong Kong Island, six were in Kowloon and five in the New Territories.
During the period, one other lot was granted by private treaty for an electricity substation in Kwun Tong.
The land transactions registered realised a total land premium of about $3.57 billion.
Volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade in November 2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Further to the external merchandise trade statistics in value terms for November 2025 released earlier on, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (January 15) the volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade for that month.
In November 2025, the volume of Hong Kong’s total exports of goods and imports of goods increased by 15.4% and 15.1% respectively over November 2024.
Changes in the unit value and volume of total exports of goods by main destination are shown in Table 1.
Appointments to Board of Financial Services Development Council announced
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Appointments to Board of Financial Services Development Council announced
Announcing the appointments, a spokesman for the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said, “The reappointees are all seasoned practitioners in the industry with extensive knowledge of global financial markets. We believe that they will continue to offer valuable advice to the FSDC, assisting the FSDC with conducting policy research, promoting market development and nurturing talent, thereby enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre.”
The FSDC was established in 2013 by the Government as a high-level advisory body to engage the industry in formulating proposals to promote the further development of Hong Kong’s financial services industry and to map out strategic directions for development.
The membership list of the FSDC Board of Directors with effect from January 17, 2026, is as follows:
Chairman
———–
Mr Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng
Vice-Chairmen
—————-
Ms Ding Chen
Mr Daniel R Fung, SC
Mr Andrew Walter Bougourd Ross Weir
Members
———–
Mr Edward Au Chun-hing
Mr Ronald Chan Wai-yan
Mr Ben Chan Wei-beng
Dr Adrian Cheng Chi-kong
Mr Damien Allen Green
Mr Jeremy Dinshaw Lam
Ms Luanne Lim Hui-hung
Ms Amy Lo Choi-wan
Ms Aveline San Pau-len
Ms Jennifer Tan Yuen-chun
Mr Tony Tang Xiaodong
Ms Daisy Yeung
Executive Director of the FSDC
Ex-officio member
——————–
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Issued at HKT 16:00
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Postal services to Portugal return to normal
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Postal services to Portugal return to normalIssued at HKT 14:16
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Postal services to Australia return to normal
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Postal services to Australia return to normalIssued at HKT 14:16
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