13 h. ago Hong Kong steps up mental health support for Tai Po fire victims

Hong Kong authorities will step up mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po fire, the city’s deadliest blaze in several decades, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, with about two-thirds of patients having been discharged from hospitals. Ten days since the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday that all 79 patients admitted to hospital due to the fire were considered no longer at risk, but noted some expressed feelings of guilt...

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13 h. ago Hong Kong to focus on mental health support after fire, seek smoking ban at sites

Hong Kong authorities will make mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po blaze a priority in the aftermath of the tragedy, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, as the government said it intended to push for a blanket ban on smoking at construction sites. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Lee said that not only the residents of Wang Fuk Court, but the entire community could move out of deep sorrow with proper mental health support. “Everyone is experiencing this...

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13 h. ago Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

About 4,000 Muslims from Hong Kong gathered on Friday to pray for and offer condolences to the victims of the Tai Po fire, while other religious groups held prayer meetings to show spiritual support. The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong held a special prayer session at 1.30pm at Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui to pay respect to the victims. The blaze at Wang Fuk Court killed at least 159 people. Among them were nine Indonesian domestic helpers and one Filipino...

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16 h. ago Hong Kong Baptist University suspends student union amid fire

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has suspended the operation of its student union after removing messages from campus that mourned victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and demanded justice. According to the union, they were informed by the university on Thursday night that their operations had been halted until further notice. The university did not specify whether the suspension was linked to the union’s recent posts about the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court on the campus bulletin board it...

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60 h. ago Hong Kong insurers identify 8,700 policies owned by Tai Po fire victims

About 30 Hong Kong-based insurance companies, including AIA and Manulife, have issued 7,600 life insurance and 1,100 property policies to policyholders listed as residing at Wang Fuk Court, according to the Insurance Authority. Insurance Authority CEO Clement Cheung Wan-ching said the authority had set up a special task force, led by senior executives, to urge all insurers to identify policyholders affected by the blaze at Wang Fuk Court last week that killed 159 people, injured 79 and left an...

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5 d. ago Scammers using Tai Po fire relief efforts to prey on Hongkongers, police warn

Police have issued warnings for a second day in a row about scammers preying on grieving Hongkongers under the guise of donations and relief efforts, with aid pouring in for victims of Wednesday’s deadly inferno at a Tai Po housing estate. Police said in an online post on Sunday that officers had noticed a fraudulent “Tai Po Wang Fuk Court victims registration form” circulating, warning residents to remain vigilant when providing their personal details. “The force urges residents to stay...

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5 d. ago In betting on Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong is really betting on itself

Hong Kong’s financial identity is entering a new chapter, shaped as much by strategic alignment as capital flows. By co-launching a US$1 billion investment fund with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the city is taking one of its most assertive steps yet to redefine Hong Kong’s financial identity in a rapidly changing global economy. The message is clear: Hong Kong intends to be a serious player in the next phase of global capital realignment. This comes as Hong Kong companies are...

Politics

5 d. ago What are the right lessons from Hong Kong’s worst fire in 7 decades?

As Hong Kong mourns the victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and questions emerge on accountability, experts have called for much tighter supervision of building maintenance and fire safety by authorities to hold relevant parties responsible so that future tragedies can be averted. They gave this assessment as the government set up an interdepartmental task force to probe Wednesday’s fire, including the cause, the reasons it spread so quickly and the factors leading to the heavy casualties. The...

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6 d. ago HK$60,000 fire subsidy only for Wang Fuk Court residents: Hong Kong minister

The Hong Kong government’s HK$60,000 (US$7,710) subsidy for victims of the Tai Po fire is only for residents living in Wang Fuk Court, the home affairs minister has clarified amid alleged cases of abuse online. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Saturday that authorities had not received any formal abuse reports so far and vowed to look into any that arise in the future. “This subsidy is for those affected residents, households living in the court during the mega...

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7 d. ago ‘Hongkongers’ solidarity’: volunteers pick up pieces for Tai Po fire victims

Against the backdrop of the seven charred residential blocks, an open plaza next to Wang Fuk Court has transformed into a bustling relief centre, manned by hundreds of volunteers aiding thousands of displaced residents on the third day since Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. As large quantities of donated supplies continuously flowed into the area, volunteers – mostly mobilised through social media and chat groups – sorted the items systematically and divided the plaza into different zones...

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8 d. ago Regal Hotels to offer 160 free rooms for 2 weeks to help Tai Po victims

Regal Hotels International will offer free lodging at a dozen of its hotels across Hong Kong to the victims of Wednesday’s Tai Po fire, as it joins other hoteliers and corporate donors in rushing to the aid of the city’s worst blaze in seven decades. The hotel will make 160 rooms freely available to those affected by the Tai Po fire for two weeks, a spokeswoman said, citing instructions from the hotel’s chairwoman Poman Lo. The rooms will be sourced from Regal’s 12 properties across the city,...

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8 d. ago Hong Kong developers, hoteliers offer free lodging to Tai Po fire victims

Regal Hotels International will offer free lodging at a dozen of its hotels across Hong Kong to the victims of Wednesday’s Tai Po fire, as it joins other hoteliers and corporate donors in rushing to their aid after the city’s worst blaze in seven decades. The hotel group would make 160 rooms freely available to those affected by the Tai Po fire for two weeks, a spokeswoman said, citing instructions from the hotel’s vice-chairman Poman Lo. The rooms would be sourced from Regal’s 12 properties...

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9 d. ago Xi Jinping sends condolences as at least 13 die in massive Hong Kong blaze

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to the victims of a raging fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood in a late evening statement, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Thirteen people including a firefighter were killed and at least 15 others critically injured in an inferno ravaging a housing estate in Tai Po, as flames lashed over bamboo...

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9 d. ago Xi sends condolences as baby, elderly woman rescued in deadly Hong Kong blaze

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to the victims of a raging fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood in a late evening statement, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Thirteen people including a firefighter were killed and at least 15 others critically injured in an inferno ravaging a housing estate in Tai Po, as flames lashed over bamboo...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific broadens reach as regional tensions grow

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will step up diversification efforts to mitigate growing geopolitical risks that have “affected our business a lot”, its CEO has said, as the airline expands the group’s network to 103 destinations by the end of this year. During a visit to a pilot training centre in Adelaide, Australia, Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said the group also took a flexible approach to accommodating customers’ requests, such as ticket cancellations, in response to...

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1 week ago Hong Kong steps up voter turnout efforts with video targeting minority residents

Hong Kong authorities have ramped up efforts to drive voter turnout for the coming Legislative Council election, including releasing a new video featuring a bomb disposal chief urging ethnic minority residents to cast their ballots. Raymond Suryanto Chin-chiu, head of the explosive ordnance disposal bureau, made the appeal in Indonesian in a video released on Sunday via Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan’s social media account. “Dear Indonesian friends in Hong Kong, if you...

Politics

2 w. ago Financial education stepped up for Hong Kong’s helpers to avoid dodgy loans

A year after arriving in Hong Kong in 2017, Filipino domestic helper Maria Nemy Lou Rocio took out a HK$25,000 (US$3,200) loan from a local bank to settle her family’s debts and provide for her three children at home. The 44-year-old had learned from other domestic workers about how to apply for the loan but said it took more than a year to repay it. With a monthly salary of less than HK$5,000, she was left with little for herself and had to borrow from friends to cover her daily expenses in the...

Politics