83 m. ago Silenced by China, Hong Kong struggles to voice its grief over the Tai Po fire disaster | Antony Dapiran

The pain is visceral, but civil society, media and the creative community have been sent into retreat since the 2019 pro-democracy protestsAntony Dapiran is the author of two books on Hong Kong politics and protestWhite flowers at makeshift shrines and messages of support posted in a public square. A rainbow of folded paper cranes. Boxes of donated goods for the those in need. Hongkongers’ responses to the Tai Po fire disaster – in which at least 159 people have died and 31 are still unaccounted for – have, on the surface, resembled similar community expressions of solidarity last seen during the 2019 protests. But beneath the surface, Hong Kong civil society is struggling to respond to this latest collective trauma in a city that has deeply changed in the past five years.The cauterisation of Hong Kong’s civil society that has occurred under Beijing’s national security crackdown has meant that the types of grassroots activism that would traditionally have occurred in response to suc...

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4 h. ago Hong Kong voters’ turnout ticks up amid public anger over deadly fire

About a third of eligible voters cast ballots in the 90-seat legislature vote, the first fully vetted under Beijing’s ‘patriots only’ rule

Events

23 h. ago Hong Kong election overshadowed by anger at fire, crackdown on dissent and threats to international media

A major university has suspended its student union after its forum was used to post messages demanding accountability from the city’s administration

Events

69 h. ago Influencer's Hong Kong fire selfie as dozens perished in tower block behind him

Chinese national, Kenny who runs a YouTube channel called 'Kowloon King' posted harrowing videos and posed in front of fire-ravaged apartments in Tai Po, calling victims 'sinful'

Events

3 d. ago What to know about Hong Kong's legislative election after a fire raised governance concerns

The deadliest fire in Hong Kong in decades is putting pressure on Beijing’s governance system in the city

Politics

4 d. ago Hong Kong orders removal of scaffolding nets as fire toll rises to 159

Local authorities have directed that all buildings undergoing major maintenance must dismantle their scaffolding mesh by Saturday

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong residents and experts defend bamboo scaffolding after deadly fire

Hong Kong residents and experts are pushing back against claims that bamboo scaffolding was a key reason for the city's deadliest fire in decades

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4 d. ago Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 159 as officials order citywide scaffolding net removal

Police say number of dead may still be revised as ‘suspected human bones’ found during search require forensic testingThe death toll in Hong Kong’s apartment complex fire has risen to 159 as officials ordered all scaffolding mesh in the city to be removed by Saturday.The blaze that last week engulfed Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district has become the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Hong Kong warns ‘external forces’ working to exploit apartment fire, as death toll rises to 159

Police say number of dead may still be revised as ‘suspected human bones’ found during search require forensic testingHong Kong and Beijing officials have warned against what they claim are “external forces” threatening to exploit last week’s deadly apartment complex fire for political disruption, as rescuers say at least 159 people have been confirmed dead.The fire at the Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong is the city’s worst disaster in 75 years, and the world’s most fatal residential building fire since 1980. The eight-tower complex – home to nearly 5,000 people – was under extensive renovations that have since been found to contain substandard, flammable materials. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Hosts Australia to face New Zealand in Rugby World Cup pool as England draw Wales

Champions South Africa face Italy, Georgia and RomaniaIreland and Scotland in pool with Uruguay and PortugalThe host nation Australia will face their traditional rivals New Zealand at the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 after the draw was made in Sydney on Wednesday. The Wallabies, hosting a second men’s tournament, were guaranteed to face a top-ranked nation in Pool A due to a current world ranking of seventh, and the renewal of their fierce rivalry with the All Blacks is perhaps the most appetising possible outcome from the draw.The potential for a “Bledisloe Cup” opening match to kick off the global showpiece, on 1 October 2027 in Perth, will be a hugely attractive prospect for fans. Chile, playing at a second Rugby World Cup after their debut in France in 2023, and debutants Hong Kong are also in Pool A. England, who won the men’s tournament in Australia 22 years ago, have been pitted against their Six Nations rivals Wales, with Tonga and Zimbabwe the other sides in Pool F. Wales ...

Politics

5 d. ago British media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s teeth rotting and nails falling out in Hong Kong jail, his children say

Lai’s children say the diabetic founder of now-shuttered Apple Daily has lost ‘a significant amount of weight’ in prison

Events

5 d. ago Family alarmed over Jimmy Lai’s deteriorating health as he languishes in solitary confinement in Hong Kong

Hong Kong media mogul has suffered dramatic weight loss and other worrying ailments since being jailed in 2020, Lai’s family sayThe children of Hong Kong’s jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai have voiced new alarm for his health, describing his dramatic weight loss, teeth rotting and nails turning green before falling off.Lai, who turns 78 next Monday, has been behind bars in Hong Kong since late 2020 as China clamps down on the financial hub to which it promised a separate system when Britain handed it over in 1997. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Tip of an iceberg: Hong Kong's deadly blaze raises anger over corruption and safety lapses

As Hong Kong mourns after a high-rise fire killed at least 151 people, anger is mounting over building safety lapses and government oversight

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong responds to disaster differently from Beijing – but the gulf is narrowing

Independent inquiry into fire and media questions to leader would not happen in mainland China, but crackdown on dissent has begunAs Hong Kong mourns the victims of its worst fire in decades, the response to the disaster reveals the ways in which the semi-autonomous city retains differences from mainland China – and how some of those differences are being eroded.Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, announced on Tuesday the creation of an “independent committee” to investigate the blaze, which killed 151 people at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong chief orders independent probe as he declares 'we must uncover the truth'

At least 14 people have been arrested so far by the city’s anti-corruption body and police

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong says mesh around bamboo scaffolding and polystyrene helped spread fire that killed 150

Seven of over 20 mesh samples sent for laboratory testing fail to meet fire-retardant standards

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong says mesh around bamboo scaffolding and polystyrene helped fire spread

Seven of over 20 mesh samples sent for laboratory testing fail to meet fire-retardant standards

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong arrests 13 on suspicion of manslaughter over apartment fires

Authorities face growing criticism for detaining at least two civilians who have called for accountabilityAuthorities in Hong Kong have arrested 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to last week’s devastating fire, as they face growing criticism from residents over the arrests under national security laws of at least two civilians calling for accountability.Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The death toll rose to 151 and is expected to rise further as the search continues. About 40 people are still missing. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Donations for Hong Kong fire victims reach $115 million, while crackdown on dissent hardens

Donations to victims of a devastating fire in Hong Kong have reached about $115 million after the blaze that began Wednesday claimed at least 146 lives and left thousands homeless

Events

7 d. ago Fury as nearly one in six town clocks no longer work in signal of the ‘collapse of the common good’

BRITAIN’S clocks are crumbling - with nearly one in six town timepieces now totally conked out. Freedom of Information figures reveal a national timekeeping meltdown, as 15 percent of council-owned public clocks no longer tick. Another chunk are in such a state that councils admit it is “unknown” if they even work. Alfie Dennen, from...

Politics