Hong Kong

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UK Jails 2 Over 'Truly Chilling' Spying for Hong Kong

Border official, retired HK cop spied on Hong Kong dissidents in Britain

(Newser) - A former UK border official and a retired Hong Kong police officer were given prison sentences on Thursday for spying on dissidents and critics of Beijing in Britain. Border Force officer Peter Wai and Bill Yuen, a former superintendent in the Hong Kong Police, posed as police or intelligence officers...

Construction Officials Charged in Deadly Hong Kong Blaze

2 firms, 7 people hit with 25 counts, including manslaughter

(Newser) - Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday charged seven people and two companies with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the city's deadliest fire in decades , per the AP . The massive blaze engulfed seven apartment buildings and killed 168 people on Nov. 26, 2025. Former residents and relatives of...

China's Latest Space Mission Is Historic

It includes Li Jiaying, the first astronaut from Hong Kong

(Newser) - China just checked off a first for Hong Kong in orbit. A three-person crew blasted off Sunday night on the Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station, including 43-year-old Li Jiaying (or Lai Ka-ying), the first astronaut from Hong Kong, per the BBC . A police officer and mother of three,...

Panama Seizes Ports for 'Reasons of Urgent ... Interest'

Nation's high court OKs takeover of 2 Panama Canal terminals run by Hong Kong for decades

(Newser) - The Panamanian government seized two ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal on Monday, according to a Hong Kong-based company that has operated them for decades—a move triggered by a final ruling by Panama's Supreme Court that declared the company's concession unconstitutional.
  • A decree issued Monday
...

Rubio Slams 'Unjust, Tragic' Jimmy Lai Sentence

Rubio urges humanitarian parole after Hong Kong sentences pro-democracy publisher to 20 years

(Newser) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Hong Kong just sent a blunt message about dissent—and the world should pay attention. In a statement Monday, Rubio blasted a Hong Kong court's 20-year sentence for media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, calling it an "unjust and tragic conclusion"...

Jimmy Lai Learns His Fate in Closely-Watched Hong Kong Trial

Ex-media tycoon gets 20 years in landmark national security case

(Newser) - Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city's dissent, the AP reports. Lai, 78, was convicted...

A Mourning Hong Kong Rings in 2026 Without Fireworks

Traditional display was skipped after deadly fire

(Newser) - Fireworks are typically a centerpiece of Hong Kong's New Year celebrations. Not this year. The territory rang in 2026 without spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbour after a massive fire in November that killed at least 161 people. The city's tourism board...

Jimmy Lai's Daughter: Dad's Fingernails Are Falling Off

Daughter urges UK to press China for jailed mogul's release

(Newser) - Jimmy Lai's family says the 78-year-old Hong Kong media tycoon is physically breaking down behind bars, even as Chinese authorities insist he's in "good health." In a letter seen by the BBC , relatives of the British citizen are urging UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to press...

Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial Ends With a Conviction

Former pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai could end up sentenced to life in prison

(Newser) - Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in a landmark national security trial in the city's court on Monday, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life, the AP reports. Three government-vetted judges found Lai, 78,...

Man Tries to Open Plane Door 15 Minutes Before Landing

He was arrested after Boston to Hong Kong flight landed safely

(Newser) - A 20-year-old man from mainland China was arrested in Hong Kong early Thursday after he allegedly tried to open a door on a Cathay Pacific flight from Boston while the plane was in the air. "Our cabin crew immediately attended to the situation, inspected the door to ensure it...

Man's Criticism of Hong Kong Fire Response Called 'Seditious'

71-year-old accused of inciting hatred against the government

(Newser) - Hong Kong's national security police have acknowledged the first arrest related to criticism of the Nov. 26 apartment fire that killed more than 150 people. A 71-year-old man is accused of stirring public resentment online following the Wang Fuk Court complex blaze —the city's deadliest fire in...

After Deadly Fire, Hong Kong Stifles Dissent

City is following Beijing's playbook

(Newser) - After a deadly fire in Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court apartment complex claimed at least 159 lives and left thousands homeless, residents called for answers and accountability—only to be met with a government crackdown. Authorities detained a university student for distributing fliers demanding an independent investigation, and a...

Hong Kong: Netting on Buildings in Horrific Fire Didn't Meet Code

100 people still unaccounted for after disaster killed at least 146

(Newser) - Hong Kong officials said Monday that the protective netting that covered scaffolding around buildings that caught on fire last week in a massive blaze did not meet codes for fire resistance, as a wave of public sympathy and support was met by government moves to stifle criticism. Chris Tang, Hong...

Grim Toll in Hong Kong Fire Keeps Going Up

146 now confirmed dead with more than 100 still missing as city mourns

(Newser) - The death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex blaze rose to 146 on Sunday as investigators discovered more bodies in the burned-out buildings. A steady stream of people placed bouquets of flowers at an ever-growing makeshift memorial at the scene of the disaster, reports the AP , among the worst...

More Arrests Made as Hong Kong Death Toll Hits 128

Search for victims of city's deadliest fire in decades is ongoing

(Newser) - Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies Friday during an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise tower complex, after a massive fire engulfed seven of its eight buildings. The death toll in one of the city's deadliest blazes is now at least 128.
  • Crews prioritized apartments from which they
...

Hong Kong Fire Survivor: Our Windows Were Covered

And he says no alarm sounded

(Newser) - As the death toll continues to mount in Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, the New York Times describes one survivor's chance escape. The Wang Fuk Court high-rise complex had been under renovation for more than a year, and Lau Yu Hung, 78, says most of his 19th-floor...

3 Arrested in Connection With Hong Kong Fire
3 Arrested in Connection
With Hong Kong Fire
UPDATED
Nov 27, 2025 6:41 AM CST

3 Arrested in Connection With Hong Kong Fire

Construction company execs accused of gross negligence in high-rise fire that killed at least 55

(Newser) - Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades burned through the night, leaving at least 55 people dead and 290 missing as of 6pm local time Thursday, reports the Guardian . Police arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire which began Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex...

Almost 300 Missing in Hong Kong High-Rise Fire

Death toll hits 36 in city's deadliest fire in decades

(Newser) - Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades blazed late into the night on Wednesday as the city's leader confirmed at least 36 people, including a firefighter, had died and another 279 people were reported missing. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the blaze spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings...

Deadly Inferno Engulfs 7 Hong Kong High-Rises

At least 13 people have been killed and others are trapped

(Newser) - A fire spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, including a firefighter, and leaving others still trapped. Authorities said nine people were declared dead at the scene and four others who were sent to the hospital were later confirmed...

Cargo Plane Skids Off Runway Into Car, Both Fall Into Sea

Tragedy kills 2 in Hong Kong

(Newser) - A cargo aircraft skidded off a Hong Kong runway and collided with a security patrol car before both fell into the sea early Monday, killing the two people in the car, authorities said. The plane's four crew members were unhurt. The Boeing 747, flown by Turkey-based ACT Airlines, was...

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