Jessie Ho recalls facing traumatic questions in court that focused on tiny details of her sexual assault case four years earlier, from whether the accused had used his left or right hand to why she had not kicked or bitten him to protect herself. As the grilling went on, Ho realised the defence lawyer was trying to portray her as having agreed to the actions of the accused and only later changing her mind. “I felt confused at first as I didn’t know what had happened to me. But I have never been...

The US Federal Reserve under a new chairman in 2026 is expected to press ahead with interest rate cuts of up to 75 basis points, a move that would lower Hong Kong’s interbank-linked loan costs but leave prime lending rates stuck at their historical low, according to analysts. The Fed and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) both reduced their key policy rates by a total of 75 basis points in 2025, following a full percentage-point rate cut in 2024. Hong Kong’s base rate now stands at 4 per...

Hong Kong police have arrested a 13-year-old girl who allegedly assaulted and injured a 15-year-old student during a countdown celebration at a promenade dubbed the “Lan Kwai Fong of Gen Z”. Police said that the incident involving the two girls – who knew each other – took place at around 1am on New Year’s Day at Kwun Tong Promenade. “The victim had on multiple occasions spread false rumours about [the 13-year-old], making her upset,” acting chief inspector Leung Sze-nok of Kwun district police...

The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve rose by 25 per cent from 2024, despite the city forgoing its traditional fireworks display because of the deadly Tai Po fire, with bars and hotels appearing to benefit the most from the increase in footfall over the holiday. But with the number of departures by Hongkongers also increasing by nearly 21 per cent over the same period, not all businesses stood to gain equally. Immigration Department figures compiled by the Post on...

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu is suffering from sciatica, the Chief Executive’s Office has revealed, after he appeared to be in pain while standing for 1½ hours at the lawmakers’ swearing-in ceremony on New Year’s Day, with a cane placed nearby. The office said on Thursday that Lee was suffering from sciatica, but stopped short of revealing details of the city’s leader’s health condition. Sciatica is a condition that causes pain along the sciatic nerve, which is the largest in the body,...

Hong Kong’s forecaster has issued its first cold weather warning of the season on New Year’s Day as temperatures are expected to fall to a low of 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit) in urban areas on Friday. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the warning at 4.20pm on Thursday and said a cold front moving across the coastal areas of Guangdong would bring cooler weather to the city in the coming days. Minimum temperatures in urban areas are forecast to be around 12 degrees on Friday and a couple of...

About 85 per cent of those injured in the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong have been discharged, while the rest are in a stable condition, according to health authorities. The Health Bureau also said on Wednesday that 63 affected residents received free family doctor consultations, 18 received free denture replacements in private dental clinics, and 24 were scheduled to receive Chinese medicine services. The fire at Wang Fuk Court in November claimed at least 161 lives and injured 79 others,...