John Lee and his wife Janet celebrate after Lee was named as the city's new leader in Hong Kong John Lee and his wife Janet celebrate after Lee was named as the city's new leader in Hong Kong AFP/ PETER PARKS
Hong Kong’s former deputy leader John Lee will become the city's next Chief Executive in July.
Lee received a majority endorsement for the top job on Sunday with 1,416 votes from the city’s Election Committee, which is stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists.
Eight voted to "not support" him.
As the sole candidate, Lee has vowed to re-establish Hong Kong’s image as an international city after several years of political upheaval.
Set to be the city's first leader with a police background, Lee thanked his supporters and said it was an important, historic day for him.
He was partly responsible for ending the city's massive protests that began in 2019 when he was security minister, and enforced a harsher regime under a national security law imposed by Beijing in mid-2020.
The law has since been used to arrest scores of pro-democracy politicians and activists, disband civil society groups and shutter liberal media outlets. Beijing says the law restored stability in the former British colony.
Lee will replace Carrie Lam, whose popularity has plunged over her rocky five year term.
The death toll from Myanmar's devastating earthquake has surpassed 3,000, with hundreds more missing, as forecasts of unseasonal rain presented a new challenge for rescue and aid workers trying to reach people in a country riven by civil war.
Russian forces unleashed an hour-long barrage of drones on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, late on Wednesday, triggering a number of fires but causing no casualties in the second such attack in the course of the day, the regional governor said.
Hamas decided not to respond or engage with Israel's counter-proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, an official told Reuters on Wednesday, affirming it is committed to the mediators' plan instead.
Israel launched airstrikes on military airbases and infrastructure sites in the Syrian cities of Damascus, Hama and Homs on Wednesday, the Israeli military said.
The White House has confirmed that tech billionaire Elon Musk will stay on to complete his mission to slash government spending and downsize the federal workforce, dismissing media reports that he will leave the role soon.
Every weekday afternoon, Helen Farmer will help you to navigate the highs and lows of life in the UAE. Stay up to date with what’s happening and where to go.
Apple Inc. shares fell Monday after a closely followed analyst warned that demand for the firm’s new iPhone 16 Pro model has been lower than expected. Is this a sign that the AI software just isn’t ready?
Dubai’s current population is more than double compared to almost twenty years ago, which now stands at 3.7 million. Lots of families are also moving to the UAE now. So what does it mean for the property market?