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AdvertisementHong Kong transportHong KongTransportAspiring taxi drivers taking tests each month up 30% after simplified assessment‘The average monthly number of candidates has now risen to around 1,800,’ transport chief Mable Chan says
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAmbrose LiPublished: 6:06pm, 28 Feb 2026Updated: 6:23pm, 28 Feb 2026The average number of aspiring Hong Kong taxi drivers taking a crucial industry test each month has increased by nearly 30 per cent following the launch of a simplified version of the assessment last year, the transport minister has said.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that the government was increasing the number of dedicated meeting spaces for the city’s five premium taxi fleets at cultural and business landmarks.
“We streamlined the written test arrangements for taxi drivers last year. The average monthly number of candidates has now risen to around 1,800, representing an increase of nearly 30 per cent..

AdvertisementMalaysiaAsiaSoutheast AsiaMan fined US$2,200 in Malaysia for masking Singapore number plate to buy subsidised fuelA judge said Long Sa Kow will be required to serve nine months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPCNAPublished: 2:01pm, 14 Jan 2026The man who was caught on video pumping subsidised RON95 fuel into his Singapore-registered car in Johor was on Wednesday fined 9,000 ringgit (US$2,217) for obstructing the registration number of his vehicle.Malaysian Long Sa Kow, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was charged under Section 108 (3) (E) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for allegedly exhibiting an altered or tampered vehicle registration number.
The offence carries a fine of between 5,000 ringgit and 20,000 ringgit, a prison term of one to five years or both.
AdvertisementIn the video that made its rounds on social media, Long was seen pumping RON95 fuel – which is subsidised only for Malaysians with locally register..

AdvertisementUkraine warWorldUnited States & CanadaTrump says Ukraine talks with Putin off for now, doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’The US president’s comments are the latest twist in his stop-and-go effort to resolve the war
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAssociated PressPublished: 6:28am, 22 Oct 2025US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he doesn’t want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine.
AdvertisementThe decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting,” Trump said. “I don’t want to have a waste of time – so we’ll see what happens.”
Trump’s hesitancy is likely to come as a relief to European leaders, who ha..