A surprise U-turn on plans for basketball betting and the public hearing into the deadly Tai Po blaze led the news in Hong Kong this week. Read on for details about these top stories and others covered by the City desk.

In today’s edition:

• Basketball bets off 

   

• Emergency call bottlenecks

   

• Forced shopping returns 

Basketball bets off

Authorities announced they would put a plan to launch basketball betting on hold amid the rapid growth of the prediction market, seven months after lawmakers passed a bill to legalise the activity to boost government revenues.

Some observers questioned why the government failed to foresee the impact of the prediction market, which had been emerging for some time, while others believed the about-turn might be intended to align with Beijing’s efforts to curb gambling.

Home affairs minister Alice Mak Mei-kuen warned against “excessive speculation” and stressed the decision was made solely by the government.

Emergency call bottlenecks

The second round of public evidential hearings on the Tai Po blaze, which killed 168 people last November, continued, as residents recalled how family members died in the inferno. 

The independent committee investigating the disaster scrutinised the police and fire services' handling of emergency calls, finding a bottleneck in the communication line between the two departments. 

The longest referral call took 15 minutes, the inquiry heard. Some calls might also have been prematurely terminated by police without being referred to fire services.

Forced shopping returns

The notorious practice of tour guides coercing mainland Chinese visitors into buying items in shops returned to the public spotlight after authorities revoked the licences of Star Link Travel and one of its employees, Kuk Wa, for such alleged wrongdoing. 

Industry representatives said the unreasonably low prices offered by some mainland tourist groups were a major factor behind coerced shopping. They also urged authorities to step up random inspections during the coming Labour Day “golden week” holiday.

Stay tuned to SCMP.com for these stories and more. Enjoy your weekend! 

Politics

• ‘Show patriotism through concrete actions,’ Xia Baolong tells businesspeople

   

• Advisory body to be given power to probe department heads for serious offences

   

• Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs meets city’s leaders in capital

   

• Macau finance minister steps down for ‘personal reasons’

   

• Hong Kong to slash over 10,000 civil service posts by mid-2027, minister vows