This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong has seen its hottest Lunar New Year’s Eve since records began in the 19th century, with the mercury hitting 27.9 degrees Celsius (82.2 Fahrenheit), 0.1 degrees above the previous record. The Hong Kong Observatory said temperatures on Monday were expected to range between 22 and 28 degrees. The previous record for the warmest Lunar New Year’s Eve was...