Police have arrested three people in connection with the death of a mainland university student, whose body was dumped in an open area after he fell unconscious from suspected drug use. They will appear at Fanling Magistrates' Courts on Thursday. Frank Yung reports:

A mental health expert says it is taking longer for organisations to come across people with drug issues. Sky Siu, executive director of the KELY support group, was commenting on official figures that showed the total number of reported drug abusers in the first three quarters of the year increased by five percent, while those aged under 21 declined by 12 percent. Siu said occasional drug use took longer to detect than daily use, and users may not reach out for support in the initial stage of their habit. She told Samantha Butler that the latest drug data may not reflect the actual situation:

A psychiatrist says she expects there will be "huge" demand for the government's new 24-hour mental health hotline, which has just been launched. Dr May Lam, founder and president of the Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association, says combining all the support lines available in the community to a single number that is easy to remember will make it easier for people to access support and services. She spoke to Ben Tse:

Two Hong Kong people who were injured in a traffic accident in northern Guangdong on Monday are said to be in a stable condition, with one suffering from serious injuries. The doctor at a hospital in Shaoguan city who is treating the victims said they were in intensive care and his team was providing them with good medical care. Kelly Yu reports:

A green group says recycling centre operators and members of the public are responsible for preventing waste from piling up outside recycling facilities when they are closed for the holidays. Authorities have said they are issuing a warning to a government-funded recycling facility in Hung Hom after bins used to collect waste when the centre is closed were seen to be overflowing during the Christmas break. Edwin Lau, founder and executive director of The Green Earth spoke to Frank Yung:

A concern group has urged the government to provide free rubbish bags for disabled people, in which they can dispose of medical waste, after the waste charging scheme takes effect in April. The Direction Association for the Handicapped interviewed 180 disabled people and their carers. Almost 90 percent of them said they were unable to reduce their use of medical consumables, such as disposable gloves and diapers. The group also pointed out that about 30 percent of respondents said their spending on designated rubbish bags would be four times that of a normal household after the scheme takes effect. The group's Senior Corporate Communications Officer, Pearl Siu, spoke to Vanessa Cheng:

Lawmaker Scott Leung has suggested industrial units should be converted to transitional housing. His suggestion comes after the government announced it would not continue with a pilot scheme under which hotel and guesthouse rooms could be used as transitional housing. Leung said the scheme should not be scrapped as it had provided support for non-elderly singletons. Kelly Yu reports:

Sluggish economic growth and high interest rates in the US are behind a seven-year-low in home prices seen in November. Property services group, Colliers Hong Kong, also predicted the downward trend would stretch into 2024. Anne Chan reports:

A property analyst says home prices meet market expectations despite reaching their lowest point since February 2017. Hannah Jeong, the head of valuation and advisory services with Colliers Hong Kong, also told Anne Chan that she expected a further drop of up to 10 percent in home prices next year, depending on interest rates:

Financial authorities here plan to introduce a rule requiring stablecoin issuers to obtain a licence. Under the proposal, only issuers licensed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will be allowed to sell the cryptocurrency to investors and unlicensed entities will be prohibited from advertising stablecoins. The chairman of the Hong Kong FinTech Association, Neil Tan, welcomed the proposal. He told Anne Chan that regulating stablecoins would establish a strong foundation for Hong Kong to become a global virtual assets hub:

A public consultation on how to regulate stablecoins is being held until the end of February. The co-chair of the Hong Kong Digital Finance Association, Emil Chan, told Anne Chan that authorities would likely put strict regulations in place for stablecoins to prevent scams:

Two people have been sentenced in a mainland court in connection with the 1997 abduction of a two-year-old boy. His father's persevering search for him inspired the hit movie "Lost and Love" in 2015, which starred Andy Lau. Natale Ching reports: