Chinese FM holds talks with Montenegrin counterpart

China Global Television Network (CGTN) - Oct 19, 2026

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that China is ready to expand practical cooperation and elevate ties with Montenegro to a higher level.

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Tai Po fire risks went unchecked as ‘honour system’ exploited, report says

Tai Po fire risks went unchecked as ‘honour system’ exploited, report says

The lack of a sense of crisis and an overreliance on an “honour system” prevented the buildings, labour and fire safety authorities from acting on fire safety risks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a judge-led panel that investigated Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades has found. But among the four government bodies singled out in the independent committee’s final report on the fire, the Labour Department should bear the least responsibility, it said. “Firstly and most importantly, there was a...

Residents were left helpless as Hong Kong departments ‘passed the ball’ on safety complaints

Residents were left helpless as Hong Kong departments ‘passed the ball’ on safety complaints

No government department took effective ownership of fire safety risks ahead of the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, allowing complaints made by residents to fall into a vacuum, according to an independent committee. At the release of the 1,154-page full report on Thursday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said he would lead a steering committee to review and implement the more than 100 recommendations of the independent committee. The recommendations included the criminalisation of...

Hong Kong housing chief quits over Tai Po fire, accepts political responsibility

Hong Kong housing chief quits over Tai Po fire, accepts political responsibility

Hong Kong’s housing chief has resigned to take political responsibility for the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, offering condolences to the families of the victims and expressing hope that those who perished may rest in peace. Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Thursday that she submitted her resignation to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu the previous day, becoming the only minister-level official so far to resign over the fire. “As the secretary for housing, I’m willing to bear political...

Hong Kong to set up new body to oversee building renovations in regulatory overhaul

Hong Kong to set up new body to oversee building renovations in regulatory overhaul

Hong Kong will establish a dedicated body to oversee building renovations as part of a wide-ranging overhaul that includes restructuring the Buildings Department and tightening regulation of contractors. The move was revealed on Thursday as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers offered a formal apology over the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last November. His administration was establishing a Building Maintenance Support and Services Council as part of the reforms, the...

Hong Kong to replace disgraced housing unit over deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong to replace disgraced housing unit over deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s disgraced Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be disbanded as part of reforms in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after a judge-led inquiry identified it as the government arm with the greatest responsibility for the Wang Fuk Court inferno. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that the Housing Bureau would undergo internal restructuring, under which the ICU would be replaced by a new Public Housing Building Control Section. Deputy Financial Secretary...

New images suggest China’s fourth aircraft carrier could launch in 2027, analysts say

New images suggest China’s fourth aircraft carrier could launch in 2027, analysts say

China’s fourth aircraft carrier, widely believed to be the country’s first with a nuclear-powered system, could launch as early as next year, according to US researchers, as Beijing pursues a fleet capable of projecting naval and air power far beyond its shores. A launch in 2027 would coincide with the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, with the anniversary falling on August 1. Beijing has previously used major military anniversaries to showcase developments in its armed forces. The...

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po blaze. The regulatory overhaul on bid-rigging was announced on Thursday, as the government released the long-anticipated report of the independent committee investigating the causes of the devastating...

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the disappearance of jewellery worth nearly HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) from a woman’s home in the upscale Southern district neighbourhood of Chung Hom Kok. The woman, 56, called police at about 1pm on Thursday, two days after returning to her four-storey, stand-alone block at Bauhinia Garden on Chung Hom Kok Road to discover that a pearl necklace worth about HK$39 million and a diamond necklace worth HK$700,000 had disappeared. She had placed...

China accuses Philippines of setting up ‘obstacles’ to attending Asean defence meeting

China accuses Philippines of setting up ‘obstacles’ to attending Asean defence meeting

China has accused the Philippines of setting up “numerous obstacles” to attending a meeting with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and of violating “basic diplomatic protocols”. The row, which follows years of tension over the two countries’ competing claims to the South China Sea, saw Beijing sending its defence attache to the meeting in the Philippines – the lowest-ranking Chinese representative at the event since it was first held in 2010. “The...

Hong Kong scraps lighting attraction at The Peak after public outcry

Hong Kong scraps lighting attraction at The Peak after public outcry

Hong Kong authorities have scrapped a controversial plan to install decorative lights along a scenic trail on The Peak to increase the city’s nighttime tourism appeal following a public outcry, promising to restore the natural landscape as soon as possible. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and Tourism Board concluded there was no urgent need to roll out the project after assessing the effectiveness of a watered-down version of the attraction, according to a document they submitted to the...

Lit cigarette, combustibles and ‘human fault’ led to deadly Hong Kong fire: report

Lit cigarette, combustibles and ‘human fault’ led to deadly Hong Kong fire: report

A combination of a lit cigarette and an “abundant fuel” of combustible materials caused Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, according to a long-awaited report which found the blaze would not have killed so many people, or happened at all, without “human fault”. Eleven months after the deadly fire tore through Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 and displacing thousands, an independent committee’s report released on Thursday assigned blame to the main contractor for renovations at the housing estate,...

Later hours unlikely to boost bottle sales at Hong Kong wine festival: exhibitors

Later hours unlikely to boost bottle sales at Hong Kong wine festival: exhibitors

Later opening times are unlikely to boost wine sales by the bottle, exhibitors returning to Hong Kong’s annual Wine and Dine Festival have said, with new overseas participants believing that the city serves as an indicator for broader trends in Asian markets. The festival returned to the Central Harbourfront on Thursday with over 340 booths, an increase of more than 10 per cent from last year, with over 30 countries and regions represented. Operating hours are from 1pm to 1am on Friday and...

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