City Digest, December 8, 2012

Police seized 125 boxes of protected snakes - cobras and common rat snakes - and pangolin scales and confiscated two delivery vans in a raid on the waterfront at Pak Mong on Lantau Island at about 12.30am yesterday. Police said the haul was worth about HK$780,000. Six smugglers escaped on a speedboat or on foot. No one was arrested.

Activist Koo Sze-yiu pleaded not guilty in Eastern Court to two charges of desecrating the national flag. He is accused of burning a flag twice during a protest on June 10. The case was adjourned to January 30 and bail was continued.