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...

Events

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...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong fire disaster brings victim ID unit’s grim task back into focus

More than 600 officers from the Hong Kong Police Force’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) searched two fire-ravaged blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po without finding any more bodies on Saturday. The death toll from the blaze remains at 128, but 150 people are still unaccounted for. Dressed in white full-body protective gear, the DVIU officers went through Wang Yan House and Wang Tao House and collected evidence to confirm the identities of victims. No bodies...

Events

1 week ago Tech focus for doctors trained at new Hong Kong medical school, HKUST head says

Hong Kong’s new medical school will focus on training “future-embracing” doctors to adopt emerging technologies to treat patients, the head of its host university has said. Professor Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, president of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said on Saturday that HKUST would use its strength in research, especially in artificial intelligence (AI), to train future doctors. “AI will have a very important impact on healthcare and could bring another round of industrial...

Science

2 w. ago What must Hong Kong’s new medical school focus on to succeed?

The new medical school set to be run by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) should ride on the institution’s unique technological strengths and expand its capacity in clinical research to become a leading institution, experts and lawmakers have said. Their comments followed the government’s announcement on Tuesday that HKUST had emerged as the top choice to operate the city’s third medical school, taking its place alongside the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and...

Politics

3 w. ago Northern Metropolis, employment focus of Hong Kong’s third Legco poll forum

Candidates in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election have called for more local jobs and faster development of transport infrastructure for a megaproject near the border, using the third government-run forum to pitch their solutions to long-standing problems. At Wednesday’s forum for the New Territories North constituency, which covers the North District and Tin Shui Wai, all five candidates pledged to push forward the development of the Northern Metropolis. The project located in the...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong school fair with mainland China focus set to attract 50,000 visitors

A three-day education fair featuring more than 300 institutions from kindergartens to universities will be held in Hong Kong later this month to boost student enrolment from mainland China, with the organisers expecting it to draw more than 50,000 visitors. The fair, the third since 2023, is being arranged by four major school councils, with the city facing the problem of a shrinking student population. “It is one of the ways to expand our source of students,” said primary school head Jessie...

Politics

3 w. ago 5 candidates raise livelihood issues in first Legco poll forum but avoid debate

Livelihood issues have emerged as a key focus of Hong Kong’s first government-held Legislative Council election forum, although there was little confrontation among candidates who refrained from questioning one another at the event. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai praised the orderly and “vibrant” atmosphere of the event on Tuesday, which covered the New Territories South West constituency. It was the first of 39 “Patriots Collaborate for Good Governance”...

Politics