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AdvertisementHong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedyHong KongSocietyFire services to be ‘gatekeepers’ for safety, Hong Kong security chief vowsSecretary for Security says responsibility for fire safety ultimately lies with Fire Services Department, amid fallout from Tai Po blaze
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenJess MaPublished: 11:01pm, 5 May 2026Updated: 12:40am, 6 May 2026Hong Kong’s security chief has reaffirmed that fire services will act as the gatekeeper for safety after a legal vacuum was exposed during an inquiry into the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, stressing the department’s existing manpower could cope with expanded oversight duties.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Tuesday reiterated the pledge earlier made by Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung Yan-kin during the hearings into the inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.
The blaze that raged across seven of the eight towers at the housing estate last November was the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 p..

AdvertisementHong Kong societyHong KongSocietyWill Hong Kong’s claw machine regulations curb gaming habits and gambling risks?As cases of addiction linked to claw machines rise, the South China Morning Post examines the city’s regulatory push and lessons from overseas
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenNatalie WongPublished: 10:04pm, 5 May 2026Updated: 12:43am, 6 May 2026After years of debate over whether claw and pinball machines encourage high-stakes gambling, Hong Kong has finally proposed stricter oversight to curb gaming, particularly among teenagers.
Cases of addiction linked to these machines are rising in the city, but drawing a clear distinction between gaming and gambling remains difficult.
As Hong Kong prepares to amend relevant laws, the South China Morning Post examines how other jurisdictions regulate the trend and asks an expert from an addiction counselling centre whether their approaches could work locally.
1. Why and how Hong Kong is stepping up regulationClaw machine shops have p..

The alleged murder case of two Bangladeshi students in the US took a grisly turn after Nahida Sultana Bristy's body was found and the investigators gave minute details of how they cracked the case of the mysterious disappearance of two students from the campus of the University of South Florida. Bristy's body was found days after her friend Zamil Ahmed Limon's body was recovered. The investigation is going on as the bodies have been sent to Bangladesh for the last rites.Forensic technique revealed hidden blood stainHillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called it a monstrous crime as Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, the accused, who was a roommate of Limon, planned the murders, executed them, and then removed all traces.Limon's body was found stuffed inside a trash bag left on the shoulder of the Howard Frankland Bridge. Election Results 2026Vijay’s TVK party emerges as formidable force in Tamil Nadu; all you need to know about its journeyWest Bengal election results:..

Meto Komori and Yuhi Chito (Image Via Getty) The situation around Meto Komori and Yuhi Chito has quickly become a big talking point in the VTuber world. On April 30, 2026, VSPO! announced that both creators would be stepping away from all activities for two months. The reason given was simple but also left many questions. The group said both had been involved in “conduct that partially violated the terms of their contracts.”What made things more confusing is that VSPO! clearly said both cases are not connected. The update came through their official website and a post on X. In that post, they wrote, “We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and kind attention to the activities of our affiliated talents. Election Results 2026Vijay’s TVK party emerges as formidable force in Tamil Nadu; all you need to know about its journeyWest Bengal election results: Mamata lags behind Suvendu Adhikari after 2nd round in BhabanipurTVK pushes DMK, AIADMK to margins; BJ..

AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranUSUS’ Bessent urges China to help open Strait of HormuzTreasury chief says Beijing’s energy buys fund ‘top sponsor of terrorism’, urges action as US asserts ‘absolute control’ over waterway
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenDewey Simin WashingtonPublished: 1:42am, 5 May 2026Updated: 1:44am, 5 May 2026US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday pressed China to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz even as he stressed that the US has “absolute control” over the strategic waterway.
“Let’s see [China] step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said in a Fox News interview.
“Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and China has been buying 90 per cent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
AdvertisementBessent’s call came just ahead of US President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated trip to China – scheduled for May 14-16 – with Iran expected to be on the agen..

AdvertisementAccidents and disasters in ChinaChinaFatal 2022 China Eastern Airlines plane crash points to deliberate fuel cut-offFindings by the US transport safety board support a theory that the aircraft was intentionally brought down, killing all 132 people on board
2-MIN READ2-MIN1BloombergPublished: 1:27am, 5 May 2026The China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed into a hillside in 2022, killing all 132 people on board, had its fuel supply cut mid-flight, newly released investigative material shows, which bolsters the theory that the aircraft was intentionally brought down.
While China still has yet to release a final report on the accident, findings released by the US National Transportation Safety Board this month show that levers controlling the flow of fuel to the jet’s engines were switched to the “cut-off” position while the Boeing 737 aircraft was at a cruising altitude of 29,000ft. The movement would have immediately cut off fuel supply to the engines, forcing them to shut ..