More than 70 advocacy organizations are calling on Meta to halt reported plans to introduce facial recognition technology into its Ray-Ban smart glasses, warning of serious risks to privacy and public safety.
Only 23 per cent of Hongkongers want children, a survey has shown, with the majority citing economic pressure as the biggest obstacle.
The Hong Kong Women Development Association (HKWDA) said at a press conference on Monday that 98.7 per cent of respondents identified economic pressure as the biggest barrier to having children.
Meanwhile, 92.7 per cent mentioned housing problems as an obstacle, followed by a busy work schedule at 80.6 per cent.
The group said it surveyed a total of 2,413 people aged 19 to 49 between January 26 and February 23 this year.
The results showed that 33 per cent of those aged 30 to 39 wanted to have children – the highest share compared with other age groups. For the 19 to 29 and the 40 to 49 age groups, the figure was 16 per cent.
The HKWDA said the share of respondents expressing interest in having children was lower than in previous years. Since 2022, the figure had hovered between 24 and 31 per cent.
The survey results come as Hong Kong continues to struggle with declining fertility despite cash handouts and tax relief in recent years to boost childbirth.
In 2023, the government announced HK$20,000 handouts for families with newborns.
The following year, the number of registered births increased to 36,767, up from 33,288.
But it fell again in 2025 to 31,714, a record low.
Karen Law, a vice-president of the group and a Sha Tin district councillor, said during the press conference that the rise in births in 2024 was only “surface-level,” boosted by the handouts and the fact that it was the Year of the Dragon, known as an auspicious year to have children.
During the budget address in February, Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced some tax relief measures for families with children, although some lawmakers said this was still insufficient.
Chan did not say whether the HK$20,000 cash handout, initially announced as a three-year scheme set to expire this year, would be extended.
As of Friday, an independent committee investigating the deadly Tai Po fire has held 10 hearing sessions. Those who have testified include Wang Fuk Court residents as well as employees of firms responsible for fire safety and building management at the estate.
The hearings began on March 19, nearly four months after the fire killed 168 people and displaced thousands in late November. The full-day sessions – from 10am to around 4.30pm – will continue on most weekdays in April and are open to the public.
So far, the testimonies have painted a picture of residents’ complaints falling on deaf ears, as well as potential negligence of the firms engaged at Wang Fuk Court.
With the first round of hearings concluding on April 2, and the second round beginning on Wednesday, here are the major takeaways so far.
At the time of the fire, Wang Fuk Court was undergoing a large-scale renovation project. During the hearings, multiple residents said they had seen workers smoking.
Senior Counsel Victor Dawes, lead lawyer for the committee, said on the first day of the hearing that the likely cause of the initial fire was a lit cigarette on a flat roof of the light well outside flats 104 and 105 of Wang Cheong House.
The finding is based on a preliminary report by the government laboratory and the Fire Investigation Task Force, an interdepartmental team set up by the authorities.
Dawes said the cigarette was believed to have ignited nearby combustible carton boxes. The concrete at the bottom of the light well was severely damaged, and a metal fence was also deformed, showing the severity of the fire there.
He added that “all the evidence” points to this as the start of the fire. During the hearing, he played videos filmed by a passer-by that showed a fire on a lower floor of one of the buildings.
In response to residents’ reports of workers smoking, the Labour Department conducted 16 inspections, but said the complaints were unsubstantiated.
It is also unclear which government department is in charge of enforcing no-smoking rules on construction sites. In response to one complainant, the Labour Department referred the matter to the Fire Services Department (FSD), which replied by email that the issue was not under its purview.
Cheng Tsz-ying, a property officer at Wang Fuk Court’s estate management company ISS EastPoint Properties, confirmed that she had received complaints about workers smoking.
She said ISS EastPoint passed the complaints on to the main renovation contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering. While Prestige appeared to have put in place “some measures,” the problem remained, and ISS EastPoint did not follow up.
Cheng said the management company had limited power and was not able to “control Prestige workers.”
The hearings also drew attention to the use of flammable foam boards to protect windows during renovation work. It is believed that the boards played a role in exacerbating the spread of the fire and blocked residents’ views, making it more difficult for them to realise the severity of the blaze.
On the second day of the hearings, Dawes said residents filed complaints about the boards with the FSD, but the department responded that the matter was “beyond [its] ambit.”
Meanwhile, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, which oversees building safety for government housing, said regulations on the use of external wall cladding did not apply to Wang Fuk Court because the foam boards were used on a “temporary basis” – despite having been installed for a full year.
Non-functioning fire alarms at Wang Fuk Court have been attributed to the high death toll at Wang Fuk Court. Multiple residents, as well as a building attendant, told the hearings that the fire alarms did not go off during the blaze.
Electrician Law Kwok-shui, employed by ISS EastPoint, testified that he turned off main switches in all eight of the estate’s buildings because he was told to empty the fire water tanks ahead of maintenance involving tiling their interiors. Prestige gave the order to ISS EastPoint, he said.
Law testified that he was aware he did not have the necessary licence to operate fire safety equipment. He said he raised this with Lok Sin-ying, an ISS EastPoint clerk who gave him the task, but Lok told him to just follow the order. Lok later testified that she did not recall Law telling her that.
Law still carried out the order, saying he feared there would be consequences if he did not.
Law said he did not know that turning off the main switches would also deactivate fire alarms, and had he known, he would not have done so.
Prestige had contracted two fire safety firms, Victory Fire Engineering and China Status Development and Engineering Company.
Victory Fire had been conducting annual fire safety inspections at Wang Fuk Court since 2016, while China Status was in charge of fire safety matters related to the estate’s renovation.
Following the annual inspection in March last year, Victory Fire carried out maintenance on fire safety equipment in October and November.
Chung Kit-man, a director and engineer at Victory Fire, said he found out on November 19 – a week before the blaze – that the main switches were off, meaning the fire alarm system was also disabled.
Testifying on March 31, Chung agreed with lawyer Richard Khaw – representing ISS EastPoint- that this was surprising. But when asked if he followed this up, Chung replied: “It didn’t have to do with our work.”
Leung Ping-kay, a director of China Status, testified the following week. He told the committee that, as ordered by Prestige, he had notified the FSD of the shutdown of the fire hydrant and hose reel system to carry out water tank maintenance.
But Leung said he was unaware that the main switches were off and fire alarms were disabled. And despite signing off on notices, neither he nor his colleagues went to the estate to check fire safety equipment.
Dawes asked whether Leung agreed that if his company had performed their duty to conduct checks, his colleagues would have turned the switches back on, and “a lot of lives would have been saved.”
After hesitating, Leung agreed that he bore some responsibility.
Leung also told the committee that Prestige asked China Status to submit shutdown notices to the FSD. The notices were intended to inform the department that the fire hydrant and hose reel system would be disabled.
Under FSD rules, fire safety contractors can suspend fire safety systems for repair work and must notify the department if the work is expected to be carried out overnight or continuously for more than 24 hours.
As a result of the prolonged shutdown of the fire hydrant and hose reel system, fire hoses did not work during the fire, exacerbating the difficulty of rescue efforts.
Since each shutdown could last a maximum of 14 days, China Status submitted 85 notices to renew the shutdowns across all eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court from April to September last year – without ever visiting the estate to inspect the fire safety installations.
Leung confirmed that neither he nor any other company personnel went to Wang Fuk Court to understand the maintenance work or assess the necessity of disabling the fire hydrant and hose reel system.
He said he had been told that the management company would not let them inside the estate, a claim that Dawes called “ridiculous,” as China Status was Wang Fuk Court’s fire safety contractor.
The FSD’s assistant director of licensing and certification, Keung Sai-ming, told the hearing on Friday that he did not find it odd that the water tank maintenance had lasted seven months. No questions would be asked as long as the works were ongoing, Keung said.
Dawes cited records showing that the department conducted an inspection at Wang Fuk Court on the night of October 19 – about five weeks before the fire – dispatching a fire truck to check fire hydrants and for obstructions on the estate’s emergency vehicle access path.
The lawyer also cited a firefighter’s testimony saying that they did not enter pump rooms, did not inspect fire alarms or the hose reel system, and found nothing amiss.
Asked if this was a large-scale inspection, Keung said it was “standard procedure.”
ISS EastPoint clerk Lok also testified that unauthorised proxy votes were prevalent in voting procedures at meetings, during which homeowners cast ballots on estate-related matters such as renovations.
She said that at times, when she attempted to verify the authenticity of proxy votes, she found that the homeowner whose name appeared on a vote did not give permission for someone to vote on their behalf.
Asked by Chan Kin-por, a member of the committee, whether the proportion of proxies was typically more than half, Lok said, “Yes, you can put it this way.”
Resident Wong Suk-lan testified that many Wang Fuk Court residents chatted with her while shopping at her market stall, telling her that volunteers for Tai Po South District Councillor Peggy Wong asked flat owners to sign authorisation letters – documents allowing someone else to vote on their behalf.
Peggy Wong is a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the city’s biggest pro-Beijing party. Between 2021 and 2024, she was a consultant to the management committee of Wang Fuk Court’s owners’ corporation, which approved the controversial renovation project.
Phuket – Immigration Police in Phuket have arrested a French national wanted on an Interpol warrant for more than 30 serious drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. Phuket Immigration told the Phuket Express about the incident on Thursday (April 9th). The suspect, identified only as Mr. Ani, 50, was apprehended at a luxury hotel in […]
French Fugitive Wanted in 32 Drug and Money Laundering Cases Arrested in Phuket
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Phuket— Thai immigration police have successfully apprehended a Swedish national identified as the leader of a notorious Nordic crime syndicate, ending his attempt to evade justice by hiding in Phuket. The Phuket Immigration told the Phuket Express that the suspect, described as highly dangerous, was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice for serious offenses including […]
Nordic Mafia Boss Wanted on Interpol Red Notice Captured in Phuket
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Bangkok– A smooth and practical transition to full regulatory compliance will be a key factor in ensuring the long-term stability of Thailand’s app-based ride-hailing ecosystem, especially as the country enters the phase of enforcing regulations for these services. A seminar titled “Transitioning to Regulatory Compliance for App-Based Ride-Hailing Services in Thailand” was recently held at […]
Experts Urge Thailand to Accelerate Removal of Barriers and Update Regulations to Align with Reality for a Sustainable Future of App-Based Ride-Hailing Services
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Intensive Inspections of Hotels and Entertainment Venues Planned to Boost Tourist Confidence During Songkran Festival 2026 Bangkok, 9th of April 2026 – At 9:30 AM today, at the Department of Provincial Administration (Wang Chaiya), Mr. Naruecha Khosasiwilai, Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration, assigned Mr. Withoon Sirinukun, Deputy Director-General, to preside over the launch […]
Thai Department of Provincial Administration Joins Hands with 5 Agencies to Launch “Songkran Safe and Care” Operation
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When unscrupulous individuals steal components from photovoltaic parks and generator sets, affecting the National Electrical System, these acts constitute the crime of sabotage.
Believe it or not, Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed with all-party support back in 2007. Subsequently, of course, it was undermined through numerous exemptions and approvals for harmful activities, and now, through Bill 5, the Government of Ontario is tossing it aside completely. It is being replaced by the Species Conservation Act, 2025, (SCA) which is in no way its equal. With a view to eliminating barriers to development, it is claimed the new law will “help speed up project timelines and provide greater certainty for proponents.”
Devastating Changes
Under the SCA, no migratory birds, aquatic species or species of special concern will be provincially listed. The rationale for removing protections for migratory birds and aquatic species is that they already receive federal protection under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). In the case of special concern species, the provincial government is not listing them because they were not subject to “prohibitions under the ESA”. The provincial government is thus abandoning responsibility for 106 out of the 270 or so species currently deemed to be at risk in Ontario.
National Accord
In 1996, federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for wildlife committed to a national accord to protect species at risk by agreeing to “establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for effective protection of species at risk throughout Canada.” Canada and Ontario went a step further in 2011 by developing an Agreement on Species at Risk that commits to coordination and cooperation on preventing species from becoming at risk, as well as protecting and recovery identified species.
The Government of Ontario has abandoned these commitments. Species do not recognize arbitrary political boundaries, and cooperative federalism is absolutely necessary to conserve species at risk, especially amid a biodiversity crisis.
Limitations of SARA
The SARA is not equivalent to the ESA and to date, the federal government has been reluctant to exercise its power under the act on non-federal lands. The Government of Ontario has given no indication that the federal government was engaged on the draft SCA or agreed to step in and provide protections for the migratory birds and aquatic species that have lost provincial protections. On the contrary, Minister McCarthy along with the Alberta Environment Minister sent a letter to their federal counterpart in June, 2025 that requested the federal government amend SARA “to respect the constitutional jurisdiction of the provinces”, along with request to weaken other environmental regulations.
Further evidence that SARA is not fit to purpose to make up for the once gold standard provincial ESA, is that the backlog of species needing reassessment by Environment and Climate Change Canada will grow to 574 by the end of 2030. Additionally, as of 2022, the Auditor General of Canada found that 10% of federally listed species did not have recovery strategies or management plans in place as required by the act. Furthermore, of the 409 recovery strategies prepared by 2022, 20% did not identify the species’ critical habitat, which is necessary for protections under SARA.
Despite the Government of Ontario’s claims that the protections under the ESA for migratory birds and aquatic species were duplicative with federal protections, it is clear that SARA and the federal government are not equipped to provide equivalent protections.
Call to Action
Extinction threatens one million of approximately 8 million plants and animals worldwide. Responding effectively requires cooperation across all levels of government, as previously agreed to under the national accord and Canada-Ontario agreement.
Ontario’s weakening of protections for species at risk threatens our long-term well-being. Join us in urging the Government of Ontario to repeal Bill 5.
Effective tomorrow, the Royal Gazette has published new rules for alcohol sellers like bars, nightclubs, convenience stores, restaurants, etc to determine if a customer is too drunk before serving them to avoid possible fines or penalties. It is unclear what the level of enforcement will be. Thailand Rolls Out Standard Field Sobriety Tests for Alcohol […]
Thailand Publishes New Rules for Alcohol Sellers Before Selling Booze to Test Customers Who May Be Too Intoxicated
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Thailand is set to implement strict nationwide enforcement of traffic laws starting April 1st, marking the end of a three-month “warning before fine” period that began in January. Relevant officials also said this is no April Fool’s Joke and will be taken seriously. The transition to full enforcement is to boost road safety and curb […]
No More Soft Warnings: Thailand to Strictly Enforce All Traffic Laws Nationwide as of April 1st
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Bangkok Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has directed an urgent, comprehensive crackdown on fuel hoarding and the illegal smuggling of oil out of Thailand, wanting to safeguard the country’s energy supply and protect consumers from artificial shortages and price distortions. Acting in his capacity as Director of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the Prime Minister […]
Thai Prime Minister Orders Immediate Nationwide Crackdown on Fuel Hoarding and Illegal Oil Smuggling
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