HONG KONG/BEIJING ¨C A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong high-rise apartment complex that has killed at least 94 people with almost 300 missing poses the biggest test of Beijing¡¯s grip on the city it has transformed since the mass pro-democracy protests of 2019.
Under sweeping legislative changes, pro-democracy voices and other critics have been silenced and elections limited to ¡°patriotic¡± candidates, with the next legislative council poll set for Dec. 7.
The fire struck as Hong Kong braces for the sentencing of media tycoon Jimmy Lai ¡ª the most prominent of hundreds of pro-democracy figures and activists facing lengthy jail terms under national security and protest-related charges.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.