HONG KONG BREAKING NEWS

Hong Kong’s leader has said the housing minister’s resignation was his “comprehensive political decision” in establishing accountability for the city’s deadliest fire in decades as he pledged to go after the roles of up to 50 civil servants. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Thursday…

Hong Kong’s security chief has vowed to implement tougher enforcement against unauthorised shutdowns of fire safety systems and a structural overhaul of the Fire Services Department after it was criticised for relying on a “passive, paper-driven” audit regime. The independent committee that…

The lack of a sense of crisis and an overreliance on an “honour system” prevented the buildings, labour and fire safety authorities from acting on fire safety risks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a judge-led panel that investigated Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades has found. But among the four…

No government department took effective ownership of fire safety risks ahead of the deadly Tai Po fire, leaving complaints made by residents to fall into a vacuum, an independent committee found, singling out four departments as partly responsible for the disaster. At the release of the 1,154-page…

Hong Kong’s housing chief has resigned to take political responsibility for the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, offering condolences to the families of the victims and expressing hope that those who perished may rest in peace. Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Thursday that she submitted her…

Hong Kong will establish a dedicated body to oversee building renovations as part of a wide-ranging overhaul that includes restructuring the Buildings Department and tightening regulation of contractors. The move was revealed on Thursday as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers offered…

Hong Kong’s disgraced Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be disbanded as part of reforms in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after a judge-led inquiry identified it as the government arm with the greatest responsibility for the Wang Fuk Court inferno. Chief Executive John Lee…

The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po…

Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the disappearance of jewellery worth nearly HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) from a woman’s home in the upscale Southern district neighbourhood of Chung Hom Kok. The woman, 56, called police at about 1pm on Thursday, two days after returning to her…

Hong Kong authorities have scrapped a controversial plan to install decorative lights along a scenic trail on The Peak to increase the city’s nighttime tourism appeal following a public outcry, promising to restore the natural landscape as soon as possible. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau…

A combination of a lit cigarette and an “abundant fuel” of combustible materials caused Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, according to a long-awaited report which found the blaze would not have killed so many people, or happened at all, without “human fault”. Eleven months after the deadly…

Later opening times are unlikely to boost wine sales by the bottle, exhibitors returning to Hong Kong’s annual Wine and Dine Festival have said, with new overseas participants believing that the city serves as an indicator for broader trends in Asian markets. The festival returned to the Central…

A long-awaited report on the Wang Fuk Court fire released by Hong Kong authorities on Thursday set out how a chain of systemic failures across the government and the construction sector led to the deaths of 168 people. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu alongside top officials announced an array of…

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A police officer has denied failing to properly label DNA samples taken from slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s ex-husband after his arrest more than three years ago. Testifying in the High Court on Thursday, Sergeant Lam Chun also denied using excessive force to subdue Alex Kwong…

This live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account. The Hong Kong government has released a deeply scathing report by an independent committee probing the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu holding a press…

At least one senior official will take the rap for the deadly Tai Po fire as part of a set of “bold, comprehensive and far-reaching reforms” the Hong Kong government will announce on Thursday afternoon, sources have told the South China Morning Post. The official’s expected resignation would be…

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a teenager with triad links to eight years in prison for splashing corrosive liquid on a Singaporean tourist last year in return for a promised payment of HK$10,000 (US$1,280). Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai of the High Court said on Thursday that defendant Anson…

Samsung Electronics is reportedly ending home appliance sales in Hong Kong, months after withdrawing from the mainland Chinese market. Samsung’s Hong Kong office told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that it would focus on televisions, monitors, audio products, business-to-business display…

Immigration rules are discouraging a growing number of air travellers from visiting certain destinations, a global aviation survey has found, while geopolitical tensions are also influencing travel decisions, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The International Air Transport Association…

On a hillside in Anji, in Zhejiang province, a cluster of umbrella-like canopies steps gently down the slope, following the rows of tea bushes. There is no grand entrance, no plinth, no monumental block of stone. On October 22, at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, this project, Anji Hood by…

Hong Kong International Airport has become one of the first two organisations certified under an international aviation industry group’s digital identity programme, as it seeks to expand its facial recognition system beyond the city. However, the wider adoption of facial recognition technology has…

Traffic police have issued more than 220,000 tickets for parking-related offences in each of the past three years, raking in at least HK$70 million (US$8.92 million) a year for Hong Kong’s coffers, but a lawmaker said inspections could be enhanced to target more offenders. In a written reply to the…

A police officer investigating the alleged murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has denied tampering with the evidence he collected from a rural village flat where her dismembered remains were found. Detective Constable Chan Wai-hung on Wednesday rejected a defence contention that the…

Hong Kong authorities will give public transport priority at Huanggang Port this Halloween weekend, warning that cross-border private car travellers could face wait times exceeding an hour during late-night peak hours. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the peak departure window for…

Soft skills and deep domain knowledge will decide how far young workers go in the age of artificial intelligence, Hong Kong’s labour chief has said, predicting that demand for AI practitioners with both technical capability and professional expertise will grow three- to fourfold. Rejecting fears…