Having all seats contested in Sunday’s Legislative Council election and the resulting strong performance by independent candidates signal emerging political diversity within Hong Kong’s reformed electoral system, political analysts have said. However, a record number of invalid ballots cast suggested continued resistance to the “patriots-only” framework, they noted, urging the government to also take heed…
Hong Kong’s largest political party won far fewer votes in Sunday’s battle for directly contested seats in the legislature compared with four years ago as its candidates grappled with tough races and public anger over the deadly fire in Tai Po. While the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) retained…
8 Dec – Just as fans in Hong Kong were anticipating the release of James Cameron’s third “Avatar” movie on 17 December, it was revealed that the film release has been postponed. In a statement released by 20th Century Fox, it said, “In light of the recent tragic events in Tai Po, and out of…
Hong Kong mother Moon Li was just HK$65,000 (US$8,350) away from paying off the mortgage on the flat she and her husband bought 17 years ago, but a deadly blaze at their Tai Po estate may have shattered her dream of owning a home. “I used to have a cosy home,” the 40-year-old clinic assistant…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Some 31.9 per cent of registered voters cast their ballots in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election on Sunday, surpassing the record low turnout…
An estimated 31.4 per cent of voters had cast their ballots by 10.30pm on Sunday in Hong Kong’s second Legislative Council election under a “patriots-only” system, beating the record low turnout of 2021 in a sombre poll held just 12 days after the tragic fire in Tai Po. Almost as soon as polls opened, Chief…
An Indonesian domestic helper has recalled how she and her employer’s elderly parents huddled together in a smoke-filled bedroom for an agonising three hours, covering their noses with wet towels as they lay trapped while a deadly inferno engulfed a Hong Kong estate last month. The helper, who gave her name as Olive, recalled to…
The fire that tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po and killed at least 159 may have started on scaffolding between the first and second floors of one of the blocks, according to preliminary investigations by Hong Kong fire services. The city’s fire services director also said a life-size replica of…
A scaffolding net sample from a large Hong Kong housing estate produced flaming droplets and ignited a fire in a lab experiment despite passing the authorities’ safety standards, a test commissioned by the Post has found. The findings have prompted calls from experts to review the standards set for the nets and improve the existing…
A project offering counselling to teenagers with depression and anxiety in Hong Kong will be expanded next year to reach more students, after about half of those it has helped showed no further signs of mental health problems, according to a local charity. Mind HK, the charity running the three-year initiative, also offers psychological support…