HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader said on Tuesday an independent committee would be established to investigate the cause of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, including oversight of renovations blamed for the disaster that has claimed 151 lives.

Police have arrested 13 people for suspected manslaughter in a criminal investigation into last week’s disaster, and the anti-corruption body has also arrested 12 people in a probe into possible graft. It is unclear if any of those people were arrested on both counts.

Authorities have pointed to substandard plastic mesh and insulation foam used during renovation works at Wang Fuk Court as fueling a blaze that quickly spread to seven high-rise towers, home to more than 4,000 people.

“In order to avoid similar tragedies again, I will set up a judge-led independent committee to examine the reason behind the cause and rapid spreading (of the fire) and related issues,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, told a news conference.

Investigators have combed all but two of the seven burnt-out towers, finding bodies of residents in stairwells and on rooftops, trapped as they tried to flee the flames. Around 30 people are still missing.

With pockets of public anger simmering, some groups have called for more transparency and accountability, amid warnings from Beijing and Hong Kong that any attempts to politicize the disaster would be severely punished.

Asked about the detention of a student from one of the groups, and two others who media reported are being investigated for possible sedition, Mr. Lee said: “I will not tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy that we are facing now.” He did not comment on the specific cases.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both issued statements criticizing the reported arrests.

“Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire…rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions,” Amnesty International said.

China’s national security office has warned individuals against using the disaster to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019, when massive pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.

“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’,” the office said in a statement. “No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished.”

Legislative elections due to take place on Sunday will go ahead as planned, Lee said.

RESIDENTS WARNED OF FIRE RISKS
Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovations, the city’s Labor Department said.

The residents raised concerns in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of the mesh that contractors used to cover the scaffolding, a department spokesperson said.

Tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not match fire retardant standards, officials overseeing the investigations told a news conference on Monday.

Contractors working on the renovations used these substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, effectively hiding them from inspectors, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said.

Foam insulation used by contractors also fanned the flames and fire alarms at the complex were not working properly, officials have said.

Thousands of residents have turned out to pay tribute to the victims, who include at least nine domestic helpers from Indonesia and one from the Philippines. Vigils are also due to take place this week in Tokyo, Taipei, and London.

SEARCH MOVES TO WORST AFFECTED BUILDINGS
The remaining buildings being scoured for remains are the worst damaged and the search may take weeks, authorities have said.

Images shared by police showed officers clad in hazmat suits, face masks and helmets, inspecting rooms with blackened walls and furniture reduced to ashes, and wading through water used to douse fires that raged for days.

More than 60 pets, including 34 cats, 12 dogs and 7 turtles, perished in the fire, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. More than 200 were rescued.

The apartment blocks were home to more than 4,000 people, according to census data, and those that escaped must now try to get their lives back on track.

Nearly 1,500 people have been moved out of evacuation centers into temporary housing, with a further 945 put up in youth hostels and hotels, authorities said.

With many residents leaving behind belongings as they fled, authorities have offered emergency funds of HK$10,000 ($1,284) to each household and provided special assistance for issuing new identity cards, passports and marriage certificates.— Reuters

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday defended a US admiral’s decision to conduct multiple strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel in September, saying he had Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s authorization, even as critics questioned the legality of a strike on survivors.

The Washington Post had reported that a second strike was ordered to kill two survivors from the initial strike and to comply with an order by Mr. Hegseth that everyone be killed.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would not have wanted a second strike on the boat and said Mr. Hegseth denied giving such an order.

But White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Mr. Hegseth had authorized Admiral Frank Bradley to conduct the strikes on September 2.

“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated,” Ms. Leavitt said.

Ms. Leavitt said the strike was conducted in “self defense” to protect US interests, took place in international waters and was in line with the law of armed conflict.

“This administration has designated these narco terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations,” Ms. Leavitt said.

Starting in September, the US military has carried out at least 19 strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America, killing at least 76 people.

Critics have questioned the legality of the strikes, and both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have pledged to look into them.

International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on incapacitated combatants. The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual states that shipwrecked persons cannot be knowingly attacked and must receive medical care unless they act with hostility or attempt escape.

George Washington University law professor Laura Dickinson said most legal experts do not believe the boat strikes qualify as armed conflict, so lethal force would only be allowed as a last resort.

“It would be murder outside of armed conflict,” she said. Even in war, the killing of survivors “would likely be a war crime.”

A group of former military lawyers, the JAGs Working Group, called the order “patently illegal,” saying service members have a duty to disobey it and that anyone who complies should be prosecuted for war crimes.

On X, Mr. Hegseth defended Mr. Bradley, calling him “an American hero” and saying he has his “100% support.”  Mr. Hegseth said he stands by Mr. Bradley’s combat decisions “on the September 2 mission and all others since.”

Mr. Trump on Monday discussed with top advisers the pressure campaign against Venezuela, among other topics, a senior US official said.

US OPTIONS INCLUDE EFFORT TO OUST MADURO
Mr. Trump has flagged the possibility of US military intervention in Venezuela. On Saturday, he said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas.

Mr. Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the US considers an illegitimate leader, but Mr. Trump declined to provide details of the conversation.

The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Mr. Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Mr. Maduro has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

Reuters has reported the options under US consideration include an attempt to overthrow Mr. Maduro, and that the US military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela’s coast. Mr. Trump also has authorized covert CIA operations in the country.—Reuters

SYDNEY — A teenager suing the Australian government to overturn a ban on social media for under-16s says the measure would make the internet more dangerous for young people and be widely circumvented.

Noah Jones, 15, is a co-plaintiff in a High Court case against Communications Minister Anika Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

The law, due to take effect on December 10, would block minors from platforms such as Meta’s Instagram, TikTok, and Snap’s Snapchat. The government says the ban will protect children from harmful content and online predators.

Jones argues the policy will isolate teens and push them into riskier behavior.

“We should be cutting off the bad things about social media,” he told Reuters from his home in Sydney. “When kids do things in secret, that’s when things can be really harmful.”

Mr. Jones said social media is essential for staying connected and sharing ideas, likening it to a modern-day town square.

“I have almost all the people in my year on Snapchat. It’s a light way of being connected. Most people will get quite separated,” he said.

Mr. Jones warned the ban would create a “social divide” between those who evade restrictions and those who do not. “I most likely will get around the ban. I know a lot of my mates will,” he said.

Mr. Jones said parents, not the government, should decide how children use social media.

The Communications Minister and eSafety Commissioner were not immediately available for comment. Wells has said the government stands by the law regardless of any legal challenges.

The lawsuit, which includes another 15-year-old student, argues the ban infringes constitutional rights and should be replaced with targeted measures against cyberbullying and predatory behavior. It is backed by an advocacy group run by a Libertarian Party member of the New South Wales state parliament.

The case has yet to be scheduled for hearing. — Reuters

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to China this week for his fourth state visit, as Europe seeks to balance economic and security threats from Beijing with reliance on the world’s second-largest economy during a time of global trade turmoil.

Mr. Macron in the past has sought to project a robust European front in dealing with China, while being careful not to antagonize Beijing, whose growing assertiveness is testing trade, security and diplomatic ties, analysts say.

“He must make clear to China’s leadership that Europe will respond to growing economic and security threats from Beijing, while preventing an escalation of tensions that leads to a full-blown trade war and diplomatic breakdown,” Noah Barkin, a China analyst with Rhodium Group, told Reuters.

“This is not an easy message to deliver,” he said.

CHINESE EXPORTS HAMMERING EUROPEAN INDUSTRY
Mr. Macron, who will start his trip with a visit to Beijing’s Forbidden City on Wednesday, will meet President Xi Jinping on Thursday in the capital and again on Friday during a trip to Chengdu, in southwestern Sichuan province.

His visit comes after a tense trip by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July, when she said ties between the EU and China were at an “inflection point.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit early next year.

Trade tensions between China and Europe have risen as cheap Chinese exports, in the steel sector in particular after being shut out of the US market, are hammering swathes of European industry.

There is also anxiety in Europe at China’s growing technological superiority in the electric vehicle (EV) sector and its dominance in rare earths processing, which could threaten supplies for critical European industries.

With Washington’s tariffs squeezing global trade, Beijing is seizing the opportunity to present itself as a partner for business – hoping to mollify European concerns over China’s backing for Russia and its state-subsidized industrial model.

Ahead of the trip, Mr. Macron’s advisers said he would push for a rebalancing of trade dynamics so that China boosts domestic consumption and hoped the “gains from innovation could be shared”, so that Europe gets access to Chinese technology.

To combat growing concern over China trade, the European Union is expected to unveil a new economic security doctrine that could see the bloc deploy its toolbox of trade instruments in a more aggressive way towards China.

France, whose carmakers have negligible sales in China but are under pressure to succeed in their transition to EVs at home, backed a European Commission push to raise tariffs on Chinese electric car imports.

It also got embroiled in a dispute with Beijing for more than a year over a Chinese investigation into brandy imports, a move widely seen as Chinese retaliation for French support of the EV tariffs, before being offered a respite.

Despite recently opening a new assembly line in China, Airbus is unlikely to clinch a long-anticipated order of up to 500 jets during Mr. Macron’s visit, industry sources said. Such deals give Beijing leverage over Washington, which is pressing for fresh Boeing purchase commitments.

MACRON CANNOT AFFORD TO GO ROGUE
Mr. Macron will also be keen not to repeat the missteps of his last trip in 2023, when his remarks on Taiwan in an interview on his flight back home caused a backlash in the United States.

“Macron cannot allow himself to go rogue as in 2023,” Mr. Barkin said, adding the comments, in which he seemed to refuse to pick sides between China and the US, had “painted a misleading picture about where French policy towards China really was.”

French advisers said Mr. Macron would push for maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and urge China not to escalate, following recent Japanese comments on the island that triggered a diplomatic spat with Beijing.

“I expect him to be more disciplined this time,” Mr. Barkin said. “There is much more at stake for France and for Europe.” — Reuters