35 m. ago Politicisation of Hong Kong’s fire tragedy in Western media a new low

As sure as night follows day, you can always count on the big Western media outlets to politicise anything bad that happens in Hong Kong or on the mainland. So with the horrific Tai Po fire, you can be sure those platforms will go to town with that approach. The real cause of the fatal fire? Well, of course, it’s all about democracy and freedom, or rather the lack of their Western versions in China. The same old “democracy” explains everything, which turns every ignorant foreign commentator into...

Politics

64 m. ago ‘Like a ghost town’: Hong Kong neighbourhood struggles to adjust after fatal fire

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has been put out, but the sight of the charred remains of Wang Fuk Court’s housing blocks still conjures up painful emotions and all too vivid memories for many people in the surrounding neighbourhood. The fire started on Wednesday last week, raging for 43 hours and engulfing seven of the estate’s eight towers before it was extinguished. At least 159 people died in the inferno. On Friday, residents from the nearby Kwong Fuk Estate public housing complex were...

Events

9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ resolution on Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ Jimmy Lai resolution

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

11 h. ago Legco election hopefuls scale back campaigning in Hong Kong fire aftermath

Candidates started campaigning again this week for Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council election, but opted for a more subdued approach, including fewer street booths and volunteers, in the aftermath of last week’s deadly fire in Tai Po. Some Legco hopefuls also unveiled new policy platforms in the run-up to Sunday’s poll, such as calling for a thorough investigation into the fire and enhanced building safety oversight. As of Friday, two major political parties also said they were facing...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung accuses former agent of HK$8.8 million fraud

Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi has accused her former agent of exerting undue pressure on her and defrauding her out of 8 million yuan (US$1.13 million) by making false representations. Cheung, 45, took the witness box at the High Court on Friday to counter allegations that she reneged on a promise to Asia Entertainment Group (AEG) president Samuel Yu Yuk-hing to appear in four films produced by the now liquidated company between 2011 and 2019. “Throughout my life, I, Cecilia Cheung,...

Economics

13 h. ago Some Hong Kong fire survivors reluctant to relive horror for judge

Some survivors of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have voiced concerns over reliving the tragedy and sharing personal information if they take part in an investigation ordered by the city’s leader, with psychologists calling for a balance between justice and compassion. A number of residents from Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which was engulfed in flames last week, told the Post they wanted a fair, just and open investigation that took the feelings and privacy of the survivors into...

Events

13 h. ago Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

For about two years, six nights a week, performers from mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia have entertained hundreds of guests at the HaveFun Live Show in Singapore, but its organisers are now in a fix ahead of coming work permit changes. On Monday, the manpower ministry announced that a scheme allowing foreign performers a work permit of up to six months at public entertainment outlets in Singapore would cease in June after enforcement operations uncovered syndicates abusing the scheme. A...

Politics

14 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

14 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

14 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...

Events

16 h. ago Hong Kong fire: dead Indonesian helper found huddled with ward hailed as selfless

The last time Sugeng Widodo spoke to his wife, Indonesian domestic worker Sri Wahyuni, something did not feel right for him. It was around 1pm Hong Kong time on November 26, just a few hours before a devastating fire would rip through Wang Fuk Court in the city’s Tai Po district, killing at least 159 people. Wahyuni, 42, would be among the dead – her body found in a room on a fourth-floor flat at the estate, hugging her employer, a 93-year-old woman, according to Widodo, citing information...

Events

16 h. ago Tai Kwun art head Pi Li to step down for new role in Shenzhen

Veteran Chinese curator Pi Li will step down as head of art at Tai Kwun when his three-year contract expires in February 2026, the Hong Kong heritage and arts centre has confirmed. Pi declined a request for an interview, but sources have told the Post that he is going to play a leading role in the founding of a new art museum in Shenzhen. The 51-year-old moved to Hong Kong in 2012 to become the senior curator in charge of the Sigg Collection of Chinese art at M+ museum. Born in Wuhan, in...

Politics

17 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...

Events

18 h. ago 500 Hong Kong primary pupils resume classes in university facilities after fire

About 500 primary school pupils of Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS) have resumed classes in temporary classrooms set up on the premises of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), with most students returning to their normal routines ten days after the deadly blaze in their district. EdUHK president John Lee Chi-kin said on Friday the university had offered its gymnasium and converted activity rooms into about 10 temporary classrooms, while a university psychologist shared that the...

Events

18 h. ago 500 pupils affected by Hong Kong fire resume classes at university this week

About 500 primary school pupils affected by the deadly fire in Tai Po started learning again this week in makeshift classrooms at a university in the same district, with the children settling back into normal study routines. John Lee Chi-kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), said on Friday that the institution had converted its gymnasium and activity rooms into about 10 temporary classrooms to accommodate affected schools. The number of primary school pupils attending...

Events

19 h. ago China’s Baidu Is Said to Weigh Hong Kong IPO for AI Chip Unit Kunlunxin

China’s Baidu Is Said to Weigh Hong Kong IPO for AI Chip Unit Kunlunxin  Yahoo Finance

Politics

21 h. ago After the Hong Kong fire, Beijing confronts a grief it can’t easily police

After the Hong Kong fire, Beijing confronts a grief it can’t easily police  The Irish Times

Events

21 h. ago Hong Kong developers push for smoking ban at construction sites after deadly fire

Major Hong Kong developers are considering a blanket ban on smoking for workers at all construction sites following the deadly Tai Po blaze that killed 159, with at least two already demanding that all their contractors impose the tough rule or step up penalties. The Real Estate Developers Association (REDA) told the Post on Friday that it was gathering views on the smoking ban from its members, including major developers such as Sino Land, Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai and New World...

Events

21 h. ago Japan moves to ease tensions; China’s reusable rocket: SCMP’s weekly roundup

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Japan’s Sanae Takaichi moves to ease weeks of tensions with China over the Taiwan Strait After weeks of turmoil in relations with China, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to dial down tensions with Beijing over a...

Events