Hong Kong remains at 140th place on Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) global press freedom index of 180 countries and territories, with the NGO highlighting the 20-year sentence handed down to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai earlier this year.

The press freedom watchdog released its annual index on Thursday, ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday.

Hong Kong’s position is unchanged from last year. At 140th place, between Rwanda and Syria, the city also remains in the “red zone” – meaning a “very serious” situation.

It has tumbled down press freedom indices since Beijing imposed a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, in the wake of the pro-democracy protests and unrest that began the summer before.

In 2019, it was at 73rd place. From 2021 to 2022, it fell from 80 to 148, after independent media outlets Apple Daily, Stand News and Citizen News shuttered under authorities’ pressure.

Hong Kong has ranked higher in subsequent years, though RSF has said this was mostly due to changing situations in other places. The city’s press freedom score has fallen consistently, from 41.64 in 2022 to 39.49 this year.

RSF said in a press release that press freedom was at a “25-year low” across the world, with the average score of all countries and territories hitting a record low.

See also: Explainer: The decline of Hong Kong’s press freedom under the national security law

The US fell seven places, and other countries in the Americas, including Ecuador and Peru, also dropped.

Meanwhile, Norway ranks No. 1 for the 10th straight year, followed by the Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden.

In Asia, Taiwan is the highest-ranked place at 28. China placed 178th, just after Iran, with North Korea and Eritrea at the bottom of the list.

‘Systemic collapse’

RSF’s Asia Pacific advocacy manager, Aleksandra Bielakowska, told HKFP on Wednesday that Hong Kong had seen a “systemic collapse” in its press freedoms.

The city ranked 18th in 2002, the first year the index was published, she said.

“Hong Kong used to be a stronghold of free press, not only regionally but globally,” Bielakowska said.

She said that in recent years, authorities have been pursuing different ways of dissuading the media from independent reporting, including denying visas to journalists or barring them from entering Hong Kong.

Reporters have also reported being followed by unknown individuals. Most recently, in April, media outlet InMedia said its journalists had received harassing text messages “in recent months” and suspected they were being stalked after work.

When the Hong Kong Journalists Association wrote to the Security Bureau about it, the bureau accused the association of making “groundless speculations” that law enforcement was following reporters.

Aleksandra said this was in line with the authorities’ trend of dismissing claims of harassment of reporters as “rumours.” She said there were “strong indications” that authorities were targeting reporters via “centralised operations.”

Declining press freedom

In a press release published on Thursday, RSF referred to the February jailing of pro-democracy media mogul Lai, the founder of now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily.

The watchdog wrote that “a draconian national security law has allowed the authorities to imprison independent publisher Jimmy Lai, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison.”

Lai’s sentence is the longest to be meted out under the national security law so far. He was found guilty in December of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious materials.

Six former Apple Daily employees were also jailed for up to 10 years, with judges saying they played “affirmative and extensive roles.”

In recent years, there have been reports of journalists being denied visas or entry to Hong Kong. The independent media sector has been targeted by tax audits, while reporters have said they believed they were being followed.

Authorities, however, have maintained that the city continues to enjoy a large degree of press freedom.

After Lai was sentenced, the government said in a statement that it condemned claims that Lai was the victim of “political prosecution.”

“The… case has nothing to do with freedom of the press at all. Over the years, the defendants were using journalism as a guise to commit acts that brought harm to our country and Hong Kong,” the government said.

Hongkongers caught carrying more than five vape pods or 100 heat sticks in public will face up to six months behind bars and a HK$50,000 fine from Thursday.

Cases involving smaller quantities will attract fines of HK$3,000.

The rules cover alternative tobacco products such as vapes, herbal cigarettes and electronic smoking products.

They are part of a government effort to tighten controls on smoking, and apply regardless of whether a person is consuming the products.

“No person may import, promote, manufacture, sell, or possess for commercial purposes alternative smoking products, including electronic smoking products, heated tobacco products and herbal cigarettes. Starting 30 April 2026, no person may possess a specified alternative smoking product in a public place,” the Department of Health’s Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office says.

The import, manufacture, sale, distribution and promotion of alternative smoking products was banned in April 2022, meaning there is no legal means to acquire them.

Obstructing the police enforcement of the new legislation, or failing to show an ID card, can lead to a fine of HK$10,000.

Not applicable to private property

The ban does not cover private premises such as homes at this stage, said Grace Wong, senior medical and health officer at the Department of Health, as reported by TVB.

From December 1 next year, cigarette packaging will be standardised with brands and product names minimised to thwart the promotional effect.

According to the Department of Health, 9.5 per cent of Hongkongers smoked in 2023 – a reduction from 23.3 per cent in 1982.

The Hong Kong government has announced it will provide diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies for public and commercial vehicles, amid higher fuel prices due to the ongoing Middle East war.

The diesel subsidy of HK$3 per litre will run for two months, from 12am on Thursday to 11.59pm on June 29, finance chief Paul Chan told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the subsidy, which will benefit public and commercial vehicles, as well as vessels that use diesel fuel, would be reflected in the listed price at petrol stations, and the government would reimburse the price difference to oil companies or distributors.

The government proposed the diesel subsidy scheme earlier in April, with an estimated expenditure of HK$1.8 billion, and the proposal was “swiftly approved” by the legislature, Chan said.

The finance minister also said the LPG subsidy of HK$0.5 per litre for taxis, minibuses and school buses would run for two months. The measure will benefit around 16,900 taxis, 3,440 minibuses and 170 school buses in the city.

Authorities plan to roll out the LPG subsidy in late May, he said, without saying exactly when.

See also: Hong Kong to see ‘shocks, volatility’ in oil supply amid Middle East war, leader John Lee says

Chan said that due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, the cap price for LPG at dedicated filling stations would rise by over HK$1 per litre – an increase of more than 28 per cent.

“Given that the majority of minibuses and taxis run on LPG, this will place significant pressure on their operations,” he said in Cantonese.

Transport minister Mabel Chan said at the Legislative Council on Wednesday that the LPG subsidy would cost the government around HK$38.4 million.

She said the expenses would be “reallocated internally” through three bureaus: the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and the Transport and Logistics Bureau.

Tse Chin-wan, the environment and ecology minister, told the media at the legislature on Wednesday that the government would sign contracts with oil companies and conduct audits to prevent abuse of the subsidies.

China will ban the sale of drones in Beijing and require users to apply for permission for all flights in the capital under strict regulations that enter force on Friday.

Officials have cited public security for the new rules, which also forbid bringing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or their core components into Beijing.

E-commerce platforms will be banned from shipping UAVs to Beijing, though drone owners who have completed real-name registration of their gadgets before May 1 will be allowed to take them in and out of the capital.

Drone users in the city of 22 million will have three months after the new rules kick in to register their devices with local police stations.

Several sellers across the city had already removed drones from displays ahead of the rules change, AFP saw Tuesday. An employee at a DJI outlet in central Beijing said the gadgets were being boxed up for transport to other cities.

DJI, which is the world’s largest drone maker and has been sanctioned by the US government over security concerns, is dominant in the Chinese market but now faces being locked out of its home capital by the new rules.

The city’s airspace will be closed to all drone flights without prior approval from authorities, with fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,463) for illegal flights and possible confiscation of the drone.

Organisations or individuals caught selling drones or 17 core components will also face fines under the new rules.

‘One-size-fits-all’

Drone storage rules will also be tightened in the capital, with individuals allowed to keep at most three drones at a single location within Beijing’s sixth ring road.

Online, many users complained that the new rules were onerous and left them with few opportunities to fly their gadgets in Beijing.

“This is a crazy one-size-fits-all system,” one user wrote on the social media platform WeChat.

Others said they would sell their drones ahead of the new rules.

At one drone-flying school in central Beijing, staff told AFP they were worried about how they would acquire new drones or components when their stock breaks or needs maintenance.

But they hoped that educational and sports facilities like theirs would eventually receive some exemption from the rules.

The new regulations hold that exemptions may be provided for special purposes like counter-terrorism, agriculture, education and sport.

“As the capital, Beijing faces more challenges in low-altitude airspace safety, making it more urgent to strengthen the management of UAVs,” Beijing municipal official Xiong Jinghua said when the rules were announced in March.

National laws have also been tightened this year in China, with illegal drone flights now punishable by up to 15 days detention and UAVs required to provide real-time data to authorities during flights.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has recorded a 36 per cent drop in net profit in its latest fiscal year, although other figures, including hotel occupancy rate and guests’ per capita spending, trended upwards.

The theme park announced its results for its 2024-25 fiscal year, ending in September 2025, on Monday.

Amid rising costs, Disneyland saw a net profit of HK$536 million, down from HK$838 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The park’s attendance was also down, from around 7.7 million to 7.5 million, while the hotel occupancy rate improved.

The resort has three hotels – Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and Disney Explorers Lodge. The overall occupancy rate rose from 73 per cent during the last fiscal year to 80 per cent, the park said.

Per capita spending also increased by 2 per cent, the statement said.

“Our steady performance is a testament to the resort’s resilience and timeless appeal,” Tim Sypko, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, said in a press release on Monday.

The park is set to expand with the addition of new Pixar- and Marvel-themed experiences. The new Pixar attractions will coincide with the animation studio’s 40th anniversary and the upcoming release of Toy Story 5.

Opened in September 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort had struggled to turn a profit for nearly a decade before turning the ship around in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Before that, it had suffered nine consecutive years of losses. The park had three years of steep losses of over HK$2 billion from the 2019-20 fiscal year to the 2021-22 fiscal year amid the 2019 protests and unrest, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The park relies heavily on tourists. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, 64 per cent of visitors were inbound guests, while the remaining were local.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, with festivities to continue until early June.

A domestic worker has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse after allegedly putting her employer’s two toddlers in a dog cage on two occasions.

Police said they received a report on Tuesday from the children’s mother, who alleged that the Indonesian domestic worker had put the two boys, aged two and three years, in a dog cage on two separate occasions in February.

The mother said she saw the incident on surveillance footage broadcast to her mobile phone.

The 32-year-old domestic worker was arrested at a residential estate in Tsing Yi on Tuesday on suspicion of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person.

The mother also reported the case to the worker’s employment agency before deciding to file a police report.

The case has been passed to the Kwai Tsing police crime unit for further investigation.

The two toddlers did not have any visible injuries and had been discharged from hospital after treatment, according to local media reports.

The mother – a single parent who has three boys and a dog – began hiring the domestic worker in mid-2023, local media reported, citing unnamed sources.

Call for regulation

In a statement emailed to the media on Wednesday, lawmaker Elaine Chik expressed concern about the case and called for strengthened early warning and prevention measures to combat child abuse.

She urged employers to prioritise hiring domestic workers with first aid training, nursing, or child psychology backgrounds, adding that hiring agencies should advise workers on managing stress when caring for infants.

Chik, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), also called on authorities to implement mandatory training on Hong Kong child protection laws and to look into establishing a regulatory authority to oversee standards for domestic workers.

The lawmaker also said she would bring up the incident at the Legislative Council and ask the government to provide follow-up measures for child abuse cases.

The United States led a group of regional countries in calling China’s actions during a dispute over the Panama Canal a “threat,” prompting backlash from Beijing on Wednesday.

Washington and Beijing accuse each other of seeking to control the Panama Canal, a vital trade link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Panama took control of two of the canal’s ports previously operated by a Hong Kong-based conglomerate following a decision by the Panamanian Supreme Court in January.

Since then, Washington has alleged China detained two Panama-flagged ships in response to the takeover, while China has threatened Panama with payback and rejected the US claims.

The United States led countries including Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday in calling China’s actions “a blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade and infringe on the sovereignty of the nations of our hemisphere”.

“Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system, and as such must remain free from any undue external pressure,” the US State Department said in the joint statement.

“Any attempts to undermine Panama’s sovereignty are a threat to us all.”

China’s foreign ministry slammed the statement as a “smear” on Wednesday.

“It is the United States that is politicizing and over-securitizing the port issue,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing.

“It is the United States that is hypocritically posturing and spreading rumors and smears everywhere.”

Trump returned to office last year vowing to seize back US control of the Panama Canal, which was handed over in a deal reached by former president Jimmy Carter, who vowed that the US would respect its sovereignty.

After Panama’s moves against the Hong Kong-based company, Trump declared victory and the canal issue largely disappeared as a point of contention between the countries.

In a national security strategy last year, the Trump administration vowed aggressively to promote US interests in Latin America against outside powers led by China.

A government official has said authorities will “look into” the situation after a resident at the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court found rubbish and other items that did not belong to his flat when he retrieved his belongings.

The resident of Wang Cheong House, the first block hit by the blaze, told reporters on Tuesday that he found items such as cigarette butts, face masks, and drink packets that he believed were left behind by construction workers who had entered his unit.

He also found other items that did not belong to his flat, which he believed were his neighbours’, local media reported.

“When our neighbours come up looking for their things, will they know that their belongings have been placed in my flat?” said the resident.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said at a press conference on Tuesday: “Regarding the situation where it appears people had discarded items in the flats, I will have to look into that.”

Tuesday marked the ninth day of Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units to retrieve their belongings.

On that day, residents of Wang Cheong House, which sustained the most fire damage, and Wang Tao House were allowed to return to their homes in batches.

The blaze broke out in November last year and engulfed seven of the Tai Po housing estate’s eight blocks, killing 168 people and displacing thousands.

‘Easy to say’

On Tuesday, resident Ma Chung-kui, who plays the zheng, salvaged his collection of the traditional Chinese musical instrument from his flat at Wang Tao House.

He said he hoped to return to his flat again, as the three-hour time slot was only enough for him to retrieve a third of the instruments.

“How could I let go? That’s crazy. It’s easy to say, but not to do,” he said, referring to Cheuk’s earlier remarks advising residents to be mentally prepared to “let go” of some of their belongings and prioritise things with sentimental value.

Another family, who returned to Wang Cheong House, laid down flowers to mourn their parents, who died in the fire.

At the same Tuesday press conference, housing chief Winnie Ho also addressed concerns about why residents were not allowed to take the lift to their flats. She said that the water used to combat the blaze might have rusted the metal components of the lifts.

“We take residents’ safety very seriously. We understand that residents wish to take the lifts to make it easier for them to get in and out, but safety must be our top priority,” Ho said.

Hong Kong residential estate Richland Gardens has sparked controversy after announcing the hiring of non-local workers as security guards.

The owners’ corporation of Richland Gardens – a government-subsidised housing estate in Kowloon Bay – announced on Threads on Monday that its management company was training a group of “non-local security guards,” who started working on Monday.

The announcement also included a photo of 30 security guards in blue and black uniforms.

According to the owners’ corporation, most of the security guards came from Guangdong province and are fluent in Cantonese. They have also obtained certificates after completing relevant security training courses in Hong Kong.

The estate’s management company turned to non-local hires after finding it difficult to hire full-time local security guards, the Threads post said.

“Most Hong Kong security guards prefer to work part-time. After the management company took over security work in 2023, it had seen a turnover of more than 200 security guards,” the Chinese-language post read.

The move has sparked criticism online, with netizens questioning why the estate chose to hire non-local workers amid the rising unemployment rate in the city.

Some asked whether the management company turned to non-local hiring to save labour costs.

In the Facebook group “We Are Richland Garden-ers,” some netizens said they were worried about the estate’s security, as they could not verify if the non-local workers had committed any crimes in mainland China.

The owners’ corporation defended the hiring and denied it was to save costs, saying that the salaries of non-local security guards are “similar” to those of local staff.

Richland Gardens’ management company is Pacific Extend, according to the owners’ corporation.

Last year, Pacific Extend – a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate Shui On Group’s SOCAM Development – was acquired by Chinese firm Wuhan Tianyuan Property Management, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported.

Expanded schemes for non-local workers

In 2023, the Hong Kong government increased the quota for non-local workers in the construction and transport industries and in residential care homes, citing a labour shortage.

It also launched the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) in September 2023, which allows Hong Kong employers to import workers for 26 types of jobs that were previously only open to local residents, such as security guards, cashiers, hair stylists, sales assistants, and waiters.

In January, the labour and welfare chief Chris Sun told the legislature that as of December 31, a total of 96,195 non-local workers had been approved to work in Hong Kong, including 4,984 working as security guards.

Hong Kong authorities have said they will extend their buyout plan to include flats in the only Wang Fuk Court block unaffected by the deadly fire if three-quarters of the owners agree to sell their properties.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong announced the plan at a press conference on Tuesday, around two months after the government unveiled the initial buyout plan covering the housing estate’s seven fire-hit buildings but not Wang Chi House.

The buyout price for Wang Chi House will be consistent with the seven other blocks, at HK$8,000 or HK$10,500 per square foot, depending on whether the premiums for the homes have been paid.

Wong also said a preliminary survey suggested that 77 per cent of Wang Chi House residents were willing to sell their homes to the government for cash or move into another government-subsidised estate under a flat-exchange exercise.

“We do think that the proposal is a good one for them… but it doesn’t mean we would like to force them to accept the proposal. At the end of the day, it is their decision,” he said.

“But we do think that what we have on the table is very reasonable and should actually be quite attractive.”

He said that owners faced a slew of difficulties and uncertainties, including the wait before they could move back into the Tai Po housing estate, as well as matters involving the land agreement and deed, high maintenance costs, and complex insurance matters.

Some owners had concerns about the emotional toll of moving back into the estate and about drops in property value, he added.

The total cost of buying out 248 units at Wang Chi House will be about HK$1 billion, he said.

Threshold

Wong said that a government liaison team had reached out to 99 per cent of Wang Chi House flat owners, 77 per cent of whom were willing to sell their flats to the government.

“We believe the 75 per cent threshold adequately reflects the requirement of a high degree of consensus,” Wong said.

Speaking at the same press conference, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said 14 per cent of Wang Chi House flat owners were still considering the offer, while the remaining 9 per cent were not willing to sell their properties.

Those who agree to the buyout will have to sign and submit a letter of acceptance to the government. Those who do so before June 30 will be given special priority to choose another flat offered by the government, while the deadline for expressing interest has been set for August 31.

While the government respects private property rights, it would also offer the buyout option if the threshold is reached, the deputy minister said.

If the final number of purchasing agreements does not meet the threshold, the government “has the right” to roll back the buyout scheme.

Wong said in February that the government would look into whether special legislation would be needed to handle the cases of owners who refuse to sell their property rights.

However, on Tuesday, he said the authorities had yet to come up with a concrete legislative plan.

He vowed that the government would proceed by adhering to the principle of respecting private property rights under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and offer compensation for buyouts.

A Hong Kong political commentator charged with disclosing details of a national security investigation will stand trial in October.

Wong Kwok-ngon, known by his pen name Wong On-yin, appeared at the District Court on Tuesday.

Judge Stanley Chan said the pre-trial review would take place behind closed doors on August 11, and the trial would begin on October 9.

Before the hearing began on Tuesday, Judge Chan told those in the public gallery that police would take down their names if they called out words of encouragement for Wong after the hearing ended.

Chan noted that at the court mention last month, after the hearing ended and he had left the room, people made comments of support to the defendant.

Wong, 72, has been detained since his arrest in December for allegedly divulging in a YouTube video details of enquiries made by police during a national security investigation.

The offence falls under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, a homegrown security law known as Article 23. It was added to the ordinance in May as part of subsidiary legislation, and Wong is the first to be charged under the new law.

Wong is also charged with sedition over videos posted on YouTube between January 3 and December 6 last year. He plans to plead not guilty to both charges.

The defendant, who continues to represent himself, told the court he had dropped his legal aid application.

Asked by the judge whether he had legal knowledge for self-defence, Wong said he had “three law degrees” and was confident of handling the case.

The prosecution has set aside eight days for its case and plans to go through around 30 commentary videos on Wong’s YouTube channel. The transcripts of the videos run to more than 900 pages.

The prosecution added that it had lined up six witnesses, all police officers.

Wong was taken in by national security police in December, on the same day he was set to appear at a press conference about the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire, which had occurred days before. He was then released.

He was arrested four days later on suspicion of “prejudicing of investigation of offences endangering national security” and “doing an act that has a seditious intention with a seditious intention.”

Greenpeace has called the Hong Kong government’s planned measures at Sai Kung’s Sharp Island “a toothless tiger,” as authorities predict a daily influx of 1,000 visitors to the ecological hotspot during China’s Golden Week holiday in May.

The environmental NGO issued a statement on Tuesday in response to the measures announced by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) ahead of the five-day Labour Day holiday in China, which begins on Friday.

To prevent environmental degradation due to excessive tourism, the AFCD will deploy 11 staff members to patrol Sharp Island – part of Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark – and conduct hourly drone inspections, local media reported on Tuesday.

Buoys will also be positioned at sea to mark coral reefs and prevent tourists from trampling the fragile ecosystems.

The AFCD expects 1,000 tourists to descend on Sharp Island every day during the Golden Week holiday – far higher than the average 600 to 800 visitors during regular weekends and public holidays.

Many tourists lack environmental awareness but generally cooperate when told about “sea-friendly” behaviour, said Jim Chu, assistant director of fisheries and marine conservation at the AFCD.

He said authorities would distribute maps marking reef locations, while World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) representatives will be on-site to promote conservation.

Greenpeace said the AFCD’s measures were advisory in nature and lacked deterrence, describing them as “a toothless tiger.”

The verbal advice by AFCD officers carries no legal weight and will be inadequate to tackle excessive snorkelling and other problematic activities, such as clam digging, the NGO said.

‘Short-term painkiller’

Greenpeace urged authorities to integrate Sharp Island into the city’s legally protected areas and roll out environmental protection policies for tourism hotspots.

Without data to assess Sharp Island’s tourism capacity, “the temporary measure of stepping up patrols is merely a ‘short-term painkiller’ that could not address the coming water sports season,” the green group said.

Chu acknowledged that the government has limited power in Sharp Island as it “is not a country park, marine park or marine reserve” – which means lacking the status of a legally protected area.

“The government is actively looking at whether to integrate Sharp Island into marine parks,” he added.

Greenpeace also urged the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to cooperate with the AFCD to promote eco-friendly habits among tourists and formulate a conservation-oriented ecotourism framework alongside the Environment and Ecology Bureau.

During the National Day Golden Week in October, Greenpeace found tourists trampling corals and littering on Sharp Island, which drew more than 4,000 visitors on October 1, according to the NGO.

Authorities stepped up patrols on the island and said corals in shallow water sustained “minor damage” following the surge of tourists.

Chief Executive John Lee has pledged to step up management of the city’s eco-tourism sites after the influx to Sharp Island.