Publication
NATION TO FOCUS ON ECONOMIC RESILIENCE
China will focus on economic resilience as lawmakers gather in Beijing for the country’s annual legislative session – just weeks before US President Donald Trump touches down in the Chinese capital. Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the National People’s...
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MIDEAST TURMOIL ‘LIKELY TO SPARK BEIJING POLICY RETHINK’
The escalating crisis in Iran is unlikely to dominate the agenda at this year’s national legislative sessions in Beijing but is expected to feature in policy discussions, according to observers. Analysts said the turmoil could prompt a broader rethink...
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War continues to spiral as both sides launch strikes
Day three of the US-Israel war on Iran was marked by fresh barrages of air strikes, as Tehran unleashed retaliatory missile waves amid mounting casualties. China has been directly affected by the conflict. One Chinese national was killed in the...
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IRAN VOWS TO AVENGE KHAMENEI’S KILLING
Iran moved swiftly to fill a power void following the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in American and Israeli air strikes over the weekend, with the Middle East bracing for more conflict. Yesterday’s confirmation of Khamenei’s...
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TRUMP CALLS ON IRANIAN PEOPLE TO RISE UP
Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to overthrow their government after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran early yesterday in what the US president described as “major combat operations”. “We are going to destroy [Iran’s]...
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Nine housing sites to be offered under city land sale plan
Hong Kong will offer nine residential sites to developers under the government’s land sale programme for the coming financial year, providing about 6,650 flats, after authorities said in the latest budget that the property market had...
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HKEX AIMS TO SPEED UP DRIVE FOR LISTINGS
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will roll out a broad package of market reforms aimed at attracting more international listings and expanding into fixed income, commodities and other asset classes over the coming years, its CEO has...
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PAUL CHAN BETS BIG ON INNOVATION AND A.I.
Hong Kong is betting big on innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) and redoubling its focus on its international financial centre role as it aligns its economic future with the country’s development goals, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said...
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TECH HUB ‘TO GET BIG BOOST’ IN FUNDING
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will earmark substantial funds for a new innovation hub near the border and include incentives to attract more aerospace players to the city in his budget, government sources have said. Highlighting innovation as a...
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Court deals Trump weaker hand ahead of Xi meet
US President Donald Trump may find himself wielding less leverage when he heads to China in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that overturned his signature tariff policy, analysts and exporters say. They said the court’s decision could weaken Trump’s...
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Stocks and gold in mixed start to Year of the Horse
Hong Kong’s financial markets yesterday greeted the Year of the Horse with a mixed response, with stocks and gold moving in different directions on the first trading day of the year. Markets reopened on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, with the...
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Record day at races as tourists join fun
Hong Kong racing welcomed in Lunar New Year with the biggest attendance in seven years, booming visitor numbers and officials hailing “a fantastic start” to the Year of the Horse. A bumper crowd of more than 92,000 descended on Sha Tin Racecourse...
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CITY PUTS ON DAZZLING DISPLAY TO GREET SURGE IN VISITORS
Visitor numbers to the city on the first two days of Lunar New Year are at least 8 per cent higher than in 2025, with yesterday’s fireworks display boosting momentum further as tens of thousands of spectators lined both sides of Victoria Harbour for...
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Police hope to implement CCTV facial recognition this year, chief says
Surveillance cameras are expected to incorporate facial recognition technology as early as this year, pending the resolution of legal and technical issues, according to Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming. Chow yesterday also said the force would...
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RUBIO, WANG MANAGE GREAT POWER RIVALRY
The US and China sought to manage their great power competition at Europe’s premier defence summit yesterday, even as their top diplomats traded thinly veiled barbs at their respective roles in the current global tumult. In back-to-back speeches at...
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FACE CHECK SYSTEM TO EASE FLOW AT BORDER
A new clearance channel using facial recognition will be tested at one of the city’s checkpoints by June to cut processing time to five seconds, with immigration authorities handling a record 335 million people entering and leaving Hong Kong last...
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RULES FOR ENGLISH IN CLASS MAY BE RELAXED
More junior secondary school pupils may be allowed to use English as their medium of instruction (MOI), with Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin pointing to an improved learning environment, better qualified teachers and other developments...
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MTR SAYS SORRY AFTER RUSH-HOUR DISRUPTION
The city’s rail operator has apologised after items from a maintenance vehicle and damage to track equipment caused a 1½-hour partial suspension of the MTR Island line, throwing yesterday’s morning rush hour into chaos. Train services between Sheung...
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Jakarta hails strong ties with Beijing
Indonesia is ready to build on its “strong relationship” with mainland China, its top economic minister has said, while Beijing is committed to upholding fairness and stability amid global uncertainty, according to former Hong Kong chief executive...
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LAI JAILED 20 YEARS FOR ‘EVIL’ CRIMES
The High Court sentenced former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to 20 years in jail yesterday for national security crimes, in what mainland authorities described as a “powerful declaration” that severe punishment awaited those who dared to challenge...
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Takaichi poised for election sweep, exit polls show
The ruling coalition of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has swept the lower house election, according to exit polls, implying a potential defence build-up as she doubles down on her stance on China. The conservative Takaichi, Japan’s first...
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Table for 1,600, thanks
The aroma of 140 hearty stews known as poon choi – meaning “basin feast” in Cantonese, that directly references the large casserole dish in which it is served – fills the air at a playground in Yuen Long yesterday as more than 1,600 residents enjoy an...
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RIDE-HAIL LAUNCH BY FOURTH QUARTER
Hong Kong’s first licensed ride-hailing platforms are expected to start operations by the fourth quarter this year, while authorities will further promote the development of autonomous vehicles as part of a transport blueprint for the city. The...
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FIRE INQUIRY FINDS EVIDENCE OF ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ LOOPHOLES
An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has found “key clues” pointing to systemic loopholes it called “unacceptable”. At the committee’s first meeting, lasting 1½ hours yesterday, senior counsel Victor Dawes said...
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Hutchison takes Panama dispute to arbitration
CK Hutchison Holdings has launched arbitration proceedings to challenge a Panama court ruling that nullified its right to operate two ports on the country’s canal, hours after Beijing warned that the Central American nation would pay a heavy political...
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RETAIL OUTLOOK BRIGHTENS AS LAST YEAR’S SALES EDGE UP 1%
Hong Kong’s retail sales rose 1 per cent in 2025 after recording a 6.6 per cent year-on-year increase in December, with authorities saying that improving consumer sentiment and growth in visitor arrivals would continue to support the sector. Figures...
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Calm before the storm
High-speed trains are lined up at a railway station yesterday on the first day of the annual Spring Festival travel rush in Nanjing, in eastern Jiangsu province. The 40-day period, commonly referred to as the world’s largest annual human migration,...
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GRADUATES FACING GLOOMIEST JOBS OUTLOOK IN FIVE YEARS
University graduates in Hong Kong are facing the gloomiest employment market since 2021, with the number of available jobs plunging by 55 per cent in 2025 and the average salary of new hires increasing by only 0.5 per cent year on year. A veteran...
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CITY ‘MUST KEEP CASH BUFFER TO HANDLE SHOCKS’
Hong Kong must maintain cash reserves to cope with geopolitical shocks and support long-term growth, even with a surplus expected in the government’s operating account this year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said. Chan also said yesterday...
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U-TURN ON BUS SEAT BELTS OVER ‘DEFICIENCIES’ IN LEGAL CLAUSE
Transport authorities will repeal a law that took effect on Sunday requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts after strong public criticism and the revelation that the rule only covered new vehicles registered from late January. Secretary for...
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XI CALLS FOR ‘NEW CHAPTER’ IN TIES
China and Britain pledged to deepen dialogue and cooperation in Beijing yesterday as their leaders met in a sign of warming relations between the countries. President Xi Jinping called for a “new chapter” in ties and British Prime Minister Keir...
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EXCHANGE FUND POSTS RECORD EARNINGS
The Exchange Fund posted its best annual gain since the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) was set up in 1993, as solid stock and bond market returns boosted the city’s financial war chest used to defend the local currency. The Exchange Fund’s...
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MAINLAND AFFAIRS CHIEF QUITS AMID PROSTATE CANCER FEARS
Erick Tsang Kwok-wai has resigned as Hong Kong’s constitutional and mainland affairs chief, saying that he has elevated prostate cancer markers in his blood and cannot cope with the heavy workload. State news agency Xinhua first reported the State...
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Number of foreign and mainland firms at record
The number of foreign and mainland companies in the city soared by 11 per cent to a record 11,070 last year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu revealed yesterday. Speaking at the 19th Asian Financial Forum, Lee hailed the city’s “unprecedented...
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TWO MILITARY LEADERS FACING PROBE FOR ‘SERIOUS VIOLATIONS’
Top military leaders Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are under investigation for suspected “serious” disciplinary violations, according to the Ministry of National Defence. Zhang is the first- ranked vice- chairman of the Central Military Commission (...
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CHAN PREDICTS POSITIVE YEAR DESPITE VOLATILITY
Shifting policies under US President Donald Trump’s administration are expected to heighten market volatility in Hong Kong this year, the finance chief has said, while also expressing “cautious optimism” about the capital market. Explaining his upbeat...
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‘GDP TARGET TO BE SET AT RANGE OF 4.5% TO 5%’
The central government is likely to set this year’s economic growth target in a range of between 4.5 per cent and 5 per cent, according to three sources briefed on the matter. Such a target would indicate a tolerance for a modest deceleration from...
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TRUMP RULES OUT USING FORCE TO TAKE OVER GREENLAND
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would not deploy American military might against Greenland as tensions mounted over his repeated threats to acquire the world’s largest island by force if necessary. His much-anticipated appearance at the...
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EX-LOGISTICS HEAD DENIED TOP AWARD OVER WATER SCANDAL
City authorities will hold three officers from the logistics department accountable over their roles in a bottled water procurement scandal, while its former head had his Silver Bauhinia Star nomination rescinded despite being cleared of direct...
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RULE OF LAW ‘ROBUST AND ENDURING’
Hong Kong’s rule of law is “more robust and enduring than the outcome of any single case”, the city’s chief justice has declared after former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty in a landmark national security case that drew international...
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CANADA AND CHINA HIT RESET ON RELATIONS
China and Canada have agreed to remove the triple-digit tariffs imposed on each other’s imports – a major thaw in relations after years of icy diplomatic and trade ties – as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrapped up his state visit in...
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TAI PO BLAZE TOPS AGENDA AS NEW LAWMAKERS START WORK
Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers, many of them fresh faces on the political scene, held their first meeting yesterday, with officials pledging to address policy gaps exposed by the deadly Tai Po inferno, from tightening oversight of maintenance...
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CHINA, E.U. STEP CLOSER TO SETTLING E.V. DISPUTE
Beijing and Brussels yesterday announced a milestone in resolving their years-long trade dispute over Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), with the European Union (EU) releasing guidance set to address the countervailing tariffs it levied in 2024. The...
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CHAN CONFIRMS EARLY RETURN TO SURPLUS AS MARKET SURGES
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has confirmed the city will achieve an early operating account surplus thanks to strong financial market performance and increased stock trading stamp duty revenue, as he addressed calls for more welfare measures for...
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HANG SENG BANK INVESTORS APPROVE US$14b HSBC BUYOUT
Hong Kong’s banking sector began a new chapter yesterday as Hang Seng Bank shareholders approved HSBC Holdings’ bid to take the lender private in a deal worth nearly US$14 billion. The proposal, under which HSBC offered shareholders HK$155 a share –...
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Questions over US plans as Maduro appears in court
Abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro faced narcoterrorism and weapons charges during his first appearance in a US court on Monday, as questions swirl over Washington’s transition plans amid contradictory statements by members of US President...
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MADURO IN U.S. COURT AS TRUMP LAYS OUT PLANS
Abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was transported by helicopter yesterday morning to a New York federal court to face charges of narcoterrorism and illegal weapons possession as the world grappled with the implications of the Trump...
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NEW ERA OF BRAZEN U.S. MILITARY MIGHT
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were transported to New York by helicopter, ship and plane within hours of their capture for arraignment in a US federal court as the world woke up yesterday to a new era of brazen American...
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MADURO ‘CAPTURED’ AS U.S. STRIKES CARACAS
Military strikes targeted Venezuela’s capital before dawn yesterday, with explosions shaking Caracas as US President Donald Trump claimed the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife had been captured and flown out during the operation. The...
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LEE SPELLS OUT PRIORITIES FOR NEW INTAKE OF LAWMAKERS
Newly elected lawmakers should be “representatives of the public” rather than mere commentators, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said after their swearing-in, warning against “soft resistance” and acts that stir conflicts under the guise of...
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LEE ISSUES NEW YEAR VOW TO IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS IN 2026
Tens of thousands of residents and tourists packed Central and Tsim Sha Tsui to usher in the new year, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pledged to improve livelihoods and strengthen innovation and technology-driven growth in 2026. In his new year...
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WANG YI IN CALL FOR REVAMPED U.S. LINKS
Top diplomat Wang Yi called yesterday for a new paradigm for engagement with the United States, emphasising the need for stable, cooperative ties while firmly defending what he described as China’s core interests, particularly Taiwan. During a speech...
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FIRM TO BE SET UP FOR METROPOLIS’ INDUSTRIAL PARK
The government will set up a dedicated company to run a huge industrial park in Hung Shui Kiu and launch a six-month tender for a pilot area within the zone, offering incentives to encourage bids as part of an initiative to accelerate development of...
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PAUL CHAN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2026 OUTLOOK
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has struck an upbeat tone about the city’s economic outlook for 2026, while forecasting that growth this year will accelerate to 3.2 per cent, surpassing earlier projections. Chan said the optimistic outlook was...
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10% RISE IN CHRISTMAS VISITORS, WHILE TRIPS OUT SURGE BY 22%
Hong Kong received 10 per cent more visitors during the Christmas period compared with last year, while residents made nearly 1.7 million outbound trips, a 22 per cent increase from 2024. Ahead of New Year’s Eve, the retail sector also expressed...
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CHARGING BOOST FOR MAINLAND CARS IN CITY
More chargers compatible with mainland electric vehicles will be made available in Hong Kong as demand grows, the transport chief has said, after the first batch of drivers from Guangdong province entering the city’s urban areas under a new scheme...
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WORK ON BRIDGE STARTS AS LEE OPENS HK SIDE OF TECH ZONE
Construction has begun on a bridge linking technology parks in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu yesterday inaugurated the city’s side of the major cross-border innovation hub. At the opening ceremony for the Hong Kong side...
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Long-awaited bypass opens to traffic
The long-awaited Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass opened yesterday and is expected to slash peak-hour travel times between West and East Kowloon by 80 per cent, with Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po saying it and other planned...
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City seeks to replace fire towers owners’ committee
Hong Kong authorities are seeking to dissolve the management committee of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation and appoint a new administrator for the residential estate, in an unprecedented move following the city’s deadliest fire in...
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Cleared for take-off
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu yesterday examines the cockpit of an aircraft at the launch ceremony of the Aircraft Engineering Training Centre organised by the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and the Elior Group at the airport. Lee said the...
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Aircraft dismantling firm calls for more support
A French aeronautical services company planning to set up Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business has called on the government to support the new industry with measures such as tax breaks, as it launched its training programme for local...
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XI OFFERS ‘STRONG SUPPORT’ FOR CITY’S EFFORTS AFTER LAI TRIAL
President Xi Jinping has expressed his “strong support” for the Hong Kong government and the judiciary in exercising their duty to safeguard national security following the conviction of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in a landmark national...
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JIMMY LAI FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
The High Court found former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying guilty on all charges in his national security trial yesterday, ruling that he had used his tabloid newspaper and international connections to push for foreign intervention and sanctions...
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WARNING AGAINST JAPANESE MILITARISM AT NANKING EVENT
A top official has warned against moves to revive Japanese militarism as China held its annual national commemoration of the Nanking massacre amid tense ties with Tokyo. Speaking at a memorial ceremony in Nanjing yesterday, Shi Taifeng, head of the...
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ELECTORAL COMMISSION HEAD TO LEAD FIRE INVESTIGATION
Judge David Lok Kai-hong, who chairs the Electoral Affairs Commission, will lead an independent review committee set up by the government to investigate the Tai Po fire that killed at least 160 people. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said yesterday...
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Strong demand as first Chinese medicine hospital opens
Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital has opened its doors to patients, with subsidised general outpatient services for the first month fully booked, prompting the facility to add extra slots to meet demand. The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong...
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Authorities, professional bodies step up fire probes
Hong Kong authorities and professional bodies have stepped up investigations into the city’s deadliest fire in decades and have started taking disciplinary action against any parties found to have breached regulations, the Post has learned. The probes...
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Lawmakers vow utmost effort to aid fire recovery
Newly elected and outgoing Hong Kong lawmakers have met the media jointly for the first time, pledging to work closely with the government in the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po fire, with the Legislative Council president urging them to communicate and...
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TAI PO TRAGEDY FIRST TEST FOR LAWMAKERS
New and younger faces who will fill nearly half of the 90 seats following the second “patriots-only” Legislative Council election now face the immediate task of tackling the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po inferno, including the policy gaps it exposed...
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SYSTEMIC REFORM THE FOCUS OF NEW LEGCO
An estimated 31.4 per cent of voters had cast their ballots by 10.30pm yesterday in the 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...
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