Hong Kong Customs has arrested six men and seized suspected counterfeit football products worth HK$156 million ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, including “highly authentic-looking” player-edition jerseys.

Around 230,000 suspected fake items were seized in an operation codenamed “Clean Sheet,” which ran from May 26 to Wednesday, authorities said on Thursday – hours before the World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.

A 36-year-old male driver was arrested after customs officers discovered two batches of suspected counterfeit goods from two incoming lorries at border crossings with mainland China, said Wayne Chung, a senior inspector of the Intellectual Property Transnational Investigation Unit at the Customs and Excise Department.

The two vehicles were intercepted at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and the Shenzhen Bay Control Point.

Five men, aged 17 to 30, were arrested on suspicion of selling fake football jerseys on the internet, Chung said.

The six suspects have been released on bail pending further investigation, he added.

According to customs, among the seized goods were around 30,000 player-edition jerseys, replicas of the shirts worn by professional footballers.

These counterfeit jerseys – priced between HK$1,100 and HK$1,300 each, higher than fan-edition shirts – were “highly authentic-looking” and “delicately made,” Chung said.

He added that around 80 per cent of the confiscated items were for export to the Americas.

“Considering this World Cup is the largest ever in scale… we expect that the smuggling of World Cup-related products will become active during the course of the tournament due to increased demand from fans around the world,” Chung told reporters in Cantonese.

This year’s World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, marking the first time the event features an expanded 48-team format, up from 32 teams in previous tournaments.

Under the city’s Trade Descriptions Ordinance, importing, exporting, selling, or possessing counterfeit items for sale is an offence with a maximum penalty of a HK$500,000 fine and five years in jail.

Hong Kong authorities are exploring the introduction of a real-name reservation system for a popular hiking trail in Sai Kung to curb overtourism.

Speaking at a Legislative Council (LegCo) panel meeting on Monday, Dianne Wong, under secretary for environment and ecology, said the registration system could prevent excessive arrivals at the Po Pin Chau section at Sai Kung’s East Dam during holidays, allowing better visitor flow management and preventing overcrowding.

Po Pin Chau, located in Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark, is known for its scenic views and has become a tourist hotspot, especially among mainland Chinese visitors, who flock to the site in large numbers during Golden Week holidays.

On New Year’s Eve, a 21-year-old tourist from Guangzhou fell to his death after falling from a 70-metre cliff into the sea at Po Pin Chau, according to local media.

Wong said on Monday that authorities had been conducting crowd control measures in recent months, such as stopping people from entering the hiking trail at Po Pin Chau when the number of visitors reached capacity.

But having to ask visitors to queue is not ideal for promoting eco-tourism in the city, Wong said, adding that a real-name registration system could limit arrivals and avoid overcrowding during peak hours.

“In the future, [tourists] will only come if they have made a booking, which will be better for their own expectation management,” Wong said in Cantonese.

Lawmaker Kitson Yang expressed concern over potential abuses of the registration system, such as people scalping their spots for money or failing to show up.

He suggested that authorities consider drawing lots for the registrations and charging a deposit that would only be returned if the visitors showed up after securing a spot.

Wong said the real-name system should tackle the issue of no-shows as the government would adopt “appropriate measures” for offenders, but added that the government would study the possibility of a ballot.

Sharp Island to be designated as marine park

Speaking at the same LegCo panel on Monday, Fabia Tam, deputy secretary for environment and ecology, said authorities also planned to designate the coral areas located on the east and west sides of Sai Kung’s Sharp Island as a marine park.

The proposed area spans approximately 63 hectares, Tam said.

Under the city’s Marine Parks Ordinance, the designation will strengthen the legal protection of wildlife and the marine ecosystem in the area.

Monday’s proposal comes after excessive tourism caused environmental damage to Sharp Island during China’s National Day Golden Week in October, with some tourists seen trampling on corals and digging up marine life.

According to a policy briefing submitted to LegCo, the statutory designation process is expected to be completed by mid-2027.

Wong said that before the completion of the marine park designation, the government would continue its crowd-managing measures and educational campaign to promote “sea-friendly” behaviours to visitors on Sharp Island.

Hong Kong authorities recorded 40 online sexual grooming cases targeting minors in the first four months of this year, the city’s security chief has said, as the government mulls a legal revamp.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Wednesday that police logged 100 such cases in 2025, while a total of 2,156 child sexual abuse cases were recorded over the past three years.

Since last year, the police force has begun tallying figures related to online child sexual grooming, the minister said in a written reply to enquiries by lawmaker Elizabeth Quat.

Online child sexual grooming refers to cases whereby adults befriend children through the internet, typically via social media, online games, or messaging applications, to sexually abuse them.

The government also aims to propose legislative amendments to the city’s sex offence laws this year, Tang said.

“The exercise aims to review and improve the laws on sexual offences in Hong Kong in a comprehensive manner, which includes enhancing the legal protection to children,” Tang said, without elaborating further.

The proposals will be based on two reports published by the Law Reform Commission in 2019 and 2022, which outlined a raft of recommendations to improve the city’s sexual offence laws, he said.

Authorities plan to consult lawmakers and the public on the proposals in the second half of this year and hope to complete the legislative amendments by the end of June next year, when the term of the current administration concludes, he added.

A new set of recommendations for minors regarding the proper use of electronic devices and social media is expected to be ready this year, Tang said.

The Advisory Group on Health Effects of Screen and Social Media Use for Children and Adolescents, established in October, is reviewing scientific evidence and overseas experience and engaging with experts on the matter.

The updated health recommendations are expected to be released this year, he added.

Tang vowed that Hong Kong police would continue to combat crimes relating to online child sexual abuse material through cooperation with other jurisdictions.

Last month, the force arrested nine men in a joint operation with law enforcement in six other jurisdictions targeting online child sexual abuse material.

At a press conference last month, police psychologist Michael Fung warned of the pervasiveness of online sexual grooming of minors, citing a survey conducted by the force and two universities in the city.

The survey said 15 per cent of respondents admitted to having consumed child sexual abuse material on the internet, Fung said, but added the figure represented only “the tip of the iceberg.”

10 people have sustained minor injuries after a truck collided with a double-decker KMB bus on a downhill stretch in Kwun Tong.

Police said they received a report of the crash on Po Lam Road, Sau Mau Ping, at about 6.20am on Tuesday. The collision involved a light goods vehicle and a Route 600 KMB bus, which travels between Kwun Tong and Central.

The truck overturned following the crash, while the KMB bus struck a traffic light pole before coming to a halt, police said.

Eight bus passengers and both drivers were reportedly mildly injured and were sent to United Christian Hospital for treatment.

Dashcam footage circulating online appeared to show the truck violating traffic signals by making a right turn towards Po Tat Shopping Centre on Po Lam Road, as the KMB bus was travelling downhill.

Images from the scene showed the truck lying on its side, while the windscreen of the KMB bus was shattered. Traffic in the area was disrupted following the incident, according to RTHK.

In an emailed reply to HKFP’s enquiry, KMB said on Wednesday that an investigation showed its bus was crossing the intersection on a green light, while the truck ran a red light by turning right from the opposite lane.

The bus operator said it would cooperate with the police.

The Hong Kong government said it has issued buyback offer letters to homeowners of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court, moving forward with its plan to acquire property titles from displaced residents.

The government said on Thursday that it has distributed “letters of offer” to flat owners of the seven blocks affected in the massive inferno in November that killed 168 people – Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades.

The move follows the authorities’ announcement in February that they would spend up to HK$6.8 billion to buy back flats from owners. The budget consists of HK$4 billion in taxpayers’ money and HK$2.8 billion from a support fund largely made up of public donations.

Owners can choose cash or a flat swap for a new government-subsidised unit under a special sales scheme, according to the February plan.

The government has established a company named Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited, which has distributed the offer letters to owners, it said on Thursday.

Owners have until August 31 to sign a “letter of acceptance” enclosed with the offer letter and return it to the company if they choose to accept the acquisition, it said.

“Upon receipt of the owners’ duly signed ‘Letter of Acceptance,’ the government will make every effort to promptly assist in completing the Agreement for Sale and Purchase and the [Deed of] Assignment,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.

Early flat selection

For owners who opt for cash, authorities will expedite the payment for them to make purchases in the private market, the government said.

Those who want to participate in the government’s special sales scheme will be allowed to select their flats earlier if they accept the buyback offer quickly, authorities added.

They will receive priority if they return the letter of acceptance by June 30.

For homeowners of Wang Chi House, the only block not affected by the blaze, the government said that if 75 per cent of owners sign the letter of acceptance by June 30, the buyback plan will be made available to them. The government previously said buying out Wang Chi House would require an additional HK1 billion.

The Thursday statement did not mention what arrangements were available for those choosing not to accept the government’s buyback offers.

Amid calls from some residents for the housing estate to be rebuilt at its original location, the government has said that the buyback plan is final.

Authorities said the seven towers hit by flames suffered “irreversible” internal damage, and that they would be torn down to build a park or other community facilities.

However, some residents expressed scepticism about the government’s proposal after a public inquiry into the fire revealed that damage was concentrated in a number of buildings.

Some residents also expressed a desire to return to the estate after they were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve their personal belongings and found their flats largely unscathed, according to local media.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who is leading the buyback plan, said in February that the government would study whether “special legislation” would be needed if some owners refuse to sell their flats.

Hong Kong police have launched a two-week campaign to clamp down on jaywalking and inattentive driving following a surge in fatal traffic accidents over the first five months of this year.

Police said on Friday that two law enforcement operations, codenamed “Clearview” and “Autobinder,” would run until June 19, targeting careless driving and reckless road crossing.

“As of May 31 this year, the number of deaths from traffic accidents in Hong Kong reached 51, up 42 per cent from the same period last year,” police said in a Chinese-language media briefing. “Pedestrian deaths accounted for half of the total.”

See also: Hong Kong taxi driver in court over Ngau Tau Kok crash that killed 2

Police said an analysis showed that the primary causes of the high death toll were jaywalking and careless driving, with commercial vehicles identified as the most frequent vehicle type involved in fatal incidents.

During the operations, the police force will strengthen patrols using unmarked police vehicles, conducting strict enforcement against speeding, tailgating, using mobile phones while driving, and other forms of careless driving.

Police urged professional drivers to stay focused behind the wheel and adhere to traffic rules, and called on pedestrians to avoid jaywalking, weaving through traffic or ignoring traffic signals.

Pedestrians should utilise designated pedestrian crossings, subways and footbridges, police added.

The maximum penalty for careless driving in Hong Kong is a HK$5,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment. Jaywalking carries a fine of up to HK$2,000.

Full-time job vacancies suitable for Hong Kong university graduates have plummeted by 60 per cent, as artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps through the city’s labour market, a minister has said.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Wednesday that entry-level jobs vulnerable to automation have been hit hardest, with vacancies in administration dropping nearly 90 per cent over the three-year period and roles in information technology and programming falling by 80 per cent.

The number of full-time job vacancies suitable for university graduates shrank from 80,000 in 2022 to just 31,000 in 2025, the minister said.

The figures were derived from the Joint Institutions Job Information System, an online job search platform for students from Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities seeking employment, Sun said in his reply to enquiries by lawmaker Priscilla Leung.

“We all know the impact of AI is sweeping and global. We are all exploring how to help young people find jobs in a world changed by AI,” Sun told the Legislative Council in Cantonese.

Citing a survey by global consulting firm International Data Corporation, Sun said over 60 per cent of companies surveyed around the world had indicated they would cut entry-level positions in the next three years due to AI.

He vowed that the Labour and Welfare Bureau would analyse the impact of AI on Hong Kong’s overall labour market and specific industries.

Findings are expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year as part of the mid-term update of the government’s Manpower Projections, he added.

He also said that, between 2025 and 2028, the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities will introduce 30 new academic programmes covering emerging sectors, such as AI, cybersecurity, and the creative industries.

Sun noted that, despite the drops in job vacancies, the unemployment rate among university graduates has not increased significantly.

The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 with a degree or above was about 268,000 in 2025, compared with 270,000 in the previous year, Sun said, citing government data.

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the use of generative AI chatbots and tools has become increasingly common across industries around the world.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has pushed for expanding the applications of AI across government departments and social sectors. In his Policy Address last year, he said the authorities would promote “extensive and deep integration of AI” across industries.

During his annual budget speech in February, finance chief Paul Chan announced that he would chair a new “AI+ and Industry Development Strategy” committee.

The government will also provide “AI training for all,” embedding AI education at different levels of education and vocational training, Chan said at the time.

A Hong Kong government proposal that will allow the city’s leader to certify criminal acts as national security offences is intended to “make the law clear,” Chief Executive John Lee has said.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said the new subsidiary legislation for Hong Kong’s homegrown national security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, “is purely to make the law even clearer.”

Shortly after, Lee approved the subsidiary legislation during a meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body.

Under the new law, which was gazetted and came into effect the same day, the chief executive will be able to certify “other offences endangering national security.”

Criminal cases classified as endangering national security will have tougher court procedures, such as a higher bar for bail and trial before designated judges.

“The purpose of introducing the subsidiary legislation is to make it clear, make it much, much clearer, how offences… endangering national security under the law of Hong Kong will be so classified,” Lee told reporters on Tuesday.

“It is not intended and will not expand the definition of the offences, and it’s not adding any new offences or any new powers or punishments. It also does not expand the scope of the application of the law,” he added.

‘Sensitive’ information

Lee said the new piece of legislation would reduce “controversy or debate in court” about what constitutes national security offences.

Asked whether he was concerned about giving an impression of further centralising power into his hands, Lee said the city’s chief executive must shoulder the “important responsibility” of safeguarding national security.

Lee said he would exercise the new power with “prudence and seriousness,” but added that, as city leader, he has access to exclusive information regarding threats to national security.

A lot of activities endangering national security “are committed by state players of another place. They are professional, sophisticated, and the series of information that may be available to indicate the seriousness of the matters [is] privy to the chief executive,” he said.

“A lot of this information is sensitive and not suitable for public disclosure,” he added.

Under the government proposal, the certificate issued by the chief executive will be binding on the city’s courts and cannot be challenged.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said the designation of national security offences involves “highly confidential” information that would not be available to the courts.

“The judiciary would not be capable of making such a decision,” Lam said.

Asked whether the chief executive’s certificates will be announced, Lam only said “people will know” as court proceedings are open to the public.

“If you see designated judges or other special arrangements in a trial, you will know” that the case has been designated as relating to national security, he said.

Hong Kong police have detained a man on suspicion of indecently assaulting a teenage girl on a double-decker bus, after the incident was caught on camera and went viral online.

Police said over the weekend that the man, a 65-year-old hardware salesman surnamed Wu, was arrested on Friday night at the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge boundary crossing as he attempted to re-enter the city from mainland China, following the alleged assault which took place earlier on that day.

A viral video clip on Friday afternoon showed a male bus passenger on the upper deck reaching his arm toward the armpit of a woman sitting directly in front of him.

The clip, which was filmed by a bystander from the street level, showed the woman shifting away from his arm, but the man did not withdraw. The netizen who uploaded the clip said in a comment that the incident occurred at around 12.10pm on Friday aboard a Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) Route 16 service travelling between Lam Tin and Mong Kok. The clip prompted a swift investigation by the police.

Suspect denied bail

Police Inspector Wan Ka-nam said during a media briefing on Saturday that officers contacted the victim, a Secondary Form three student, via her school, adding that the suspect was a stranger to the victim.

“At the time of the incident, the victim had just finished her classes and was taking the bus home. The victim was frightened by the incident and did not immediately report it to the police,” Wan said in Cantonese.

“The force will maintain close contact with the family of the victim and her school, so as to offer appropriate assistance to the victim,” Wan added.

Using its SmartView CCTV system, police identified the suspect, who left the city after the incident and was arrested that night at the boundary crossing, Wan said.

The suspect has been denied bail and will be brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to face one count of indecent assault, Wan said.

After the clip went viral on social media on Friday, KMB said it was extremely concerned and was cooperating with a police investigation, according to local media.

The bus operator urged passengers to seek immediate help from staff or call the police if they encounter similar situations.

Some Wang Fuk Court residents have said they “are given no choice” over the government’s plan to buy back their flats, urging authorities to reconsider rebuilding the fire-hit estate on site.

Residents continued to return to the housing complex in Tai Po on Wednesday, half a year after the massive fire in November, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands. They were permitted to visit their flats for a second time to retrieve personal belongings, following an initial round of trips last month.

Speaking to the media outside the cordoned area, several residents expressed dissatisfaction with the buyback plan. The government has given flat owners until the end of August to accept the offer, while those who opt in before June 30 will be given priority in selecting flats in a special sales scheme.

“We are given no choice,” a Wang Tao House resident surnamed Lee told reporters in Cantonese. “It’s either sell your flat or sell your flat,” she said.

A Wang Shing House resident, surnamed Sze, said his family were inclined to accept the buyback plan, calling it the “only rational option.”

“We have concerns about how to conduct our lives after selling the flat, because it has not been made clear,” Sze told InMedia in Cantonese. “It’s not an easy decision [to sell the flat], but people will understand that, in our situation, we don’t really have many options.”

A Wang Tao House resident, surnamed Lai, criticised the government’s June 30 deadline for early flat selection as “putting the cart before the horse.”

“A sensible way would be to let us pick what we really want to buy, before making us sell the flat,” he told local media outlet The Collective in Cantonese.

Another Wang Shing House resident, identified only as Mrs Wong, similarly slammed the deadlines in the government buyback plan.

“Why do we have to decide before June 30 or the end of August? Why can’t we wait until the report by the independent committee?” she said in Cantonese. She was referring to a public inquiry that is due to report on a range of issues relating to the blaze by September.

She also questioned how the HK$2 billion fire insurance covering Wang Fuk Court would be claimed if the government decided not to rebuild the estate.

“Why can’t you use that HK$2 billion to rebuild? We can wait. I am not dying,” she told The Witness. “But [the government] is not giving us a choice.”

‘Never communicated directly’

Lee, the Wang Tao House resident, said her flat was not affected by the fire and expressed hope that she could live there in the future. She supports the idea of rebuilding the estate, she added.

She also called on the government-appointed administrator, Hop On Management, to organise an owners’ meeting to facilitate communication and improve transparency.

Wang Tao House resident Lai also appealed for an owners’ meeting, saying it would allow residents to communicate their preferences regarding the government buyback plan as well as to communicate directly with the government.

“Often, residents’ voices are only heard through the media. In fact, the government has never communicated with us directly,” he said.

More residents have been calling on the government to reconsider rebuilding Wang Fuk Court in media interviews. Some have also expressed this wish through handmade posters and drawings displayed in their flats’ windows.

The second round of visits will run until May 29. It is unclear whether residents will be allowed to make more trips in the future.

The authorities have said the buyback plan is final. So far, there have been no announcements regarding the arrangements for those choosing not to accept the buyback offers.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said in February that the government would study whether “special legislation” would be needed if some owners refused to sell their flats.

The driver of a Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) double-decker has been arrested after the bus collided with a maintenance vehicle on Tsing Kwai Highway on Monday, injuring 22 people. The driver was among the injured.

Police said on Monday they arrested the driver, 39, on suspicion of dangerous driving after the collision left 21 bus passengers mildly injured. The driver also sustained injuries to his neck, waist, and legs.

The KMB route 960 bus was seen in dashcam footage travelling towards New Territories before appearing to ram into a stationary maintenance vehicle, which was fitted with flashing arrow signs.

The bus continued to roll forward and came to a halt only after it hit a second maintenance vehicle. A member of the maintenance team on the highway was seen running for safety moments after the first collision.

The front of the bus sustained major damage, trapping the driver in his cabin. He was later rescued and sent to hospital in a conscious state, according to the police.

KMB said the incident took place at roughly 2pm on Monday near Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park. The bus was travelling towards Tuen Mun at that time.

“The driver has been suspended from his duties and the KMB will cooperate with police investigation,” the company told HKFP.

Passengers said there were about 10 people on the lower deck at the time of the collision, which threw many off balance and onto the ground, according to local media reports.

The Hong Kong government could raise civil servants’ salaries by up to 4.12 per cent this year and plans to introduce a revamped appraisal system for its employees in October, a minister has said.

Secretary for Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said on Thursday that the tentative results of the 2026 Pay Trend Survey suggested a 4.12 per cent pay rise for senior civil servants, 2.64 per cent for middle-tier employees, and 1.17 per cent for junior staff.

The suggestions are based on findings from a survey of around 155,000 employees from 104 private companies conducted between April 2025 and April 2026. The survey’s results will be one of six factors considered by the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body, for a pay adjustment, Yeung said.

The other factors include “civil servants’ demand for salary adjustment and their morale,” Yeung said, adding: “I will meet with their representatives next week on these matters.”

The government resumed the pay trend survey this year following a salary freeze in 2025 amid a three-year fiscal deficit that strained public finances.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan estimated in his annual budget speech in February that the government could see a HK$2.9 billion surplus in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Asked on Thursday whether a pay rise for civil servants would lead to a backlash in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire, Yeung said the “vast majority” of government employees “are professional, efficient, and committed.”

“For the few underperforming civil servants, I believe the best way is to handle them through established mechanisms,” she said.

Yeung also said that under the revised appraisal system, civil servants’ performance assessments would be curved, and the bottom five to 10 per cent of staff may not receive a pay rise.

Department heads, especially those leading smaller teams or highly professional workers, may make a case to the Civil Service Bureau if they find the performance of all their staff members to be satisfactory, she added.

She promised that authorities would review the new mechanism to ensure fairness in the appraisal.