Record numbers of Hong Kong residents turned out to vote on Sunday in district elections regarded as a barometer of support for city Chief Executive Carrie Lam, protests and Beijing authorities.
Government data has revealed that more than 2.6 million people cast their vote by 7.30pm local time, with polling stations set to close at 10:30pm.
The territory, beleaguered by nearly six months of often violent pro-democracy protests, was electing 452 district councillors.
This surpasses the more than 1.4 million people who voted in district elections four years ago.
A record 4.1 million people are registered to vote, with turnout reaching nearly 50 per cent. The first results should start to come in before midnight.
A record 1,104 candidates are vying for 452 district council seats. The body has some control over spending and deciding on issues such as recycling, public health, community activities, and mostly advises the chief executive.
The elections are the first chance to express sentiment since the protests started.
Ms Lam, who is backed by Beijing, cast her ballot and pledged that her government, which is regarded as being detached from the city's people, would listen "more intensively" to the views of councils.
She said she hoped that the relative calm of the past few days would hold.
"I hope this kind of stability and calm is not only for today's election, but to show that everyone does not want Hong Kong to fall into a chaotic situation again, and let us have a fresh start," Ms Lam said.
I hope this kind of stability and calm is not only for today's election, but to show that everyone does not want Hong Kong to fall into a chaotic situation again
Over the past four days, even with the Polytechnic University stand-off entering its seventh day, the city has had a respite from violent protests after one of the fiercest weeks of clashes between protesters and police.
Police officers were sent to more than 600 polling stations.
The protests have at times forced government, businesses and schools to close in the city's worst political crisis in decades.
Police have used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in response to petrol bombs, bricks and recently bows and arrows.
Attacks on election candidates in recent weeks have thrust the lowest tier of government in China's special administered region into the world spotlight as the Hong Kong government and Beijing struggle to quieten angry demands for universal suffrage.
One of the candidates to be attacked, in October by men wielding hammers, is Jimmy Sham, a candidate for the Civil Human Rights Front that organised some of the mass anti-government rallies of recent months.
I hope our Hong Kong citizens can vote for the future of Hong Kong
"We can see Hongkongers are longing for a chance to express their stand," Mr Sham said.
"We don’t know yet if the democrats can win a majority but I hope our Hong Kong citizens can vote for the future of Hong Kong."
The vote comes at a time of unprecedented political polarisation in the city as the protests turn more violent.
While most support the protesters' goals of meaningful elections and an independent inquiry into police abuse, they are increasingly frustrated with tactics including vandalising transport networks, seizing universities and using medieval-style weapons.
Some pro-establishment supporters are very angry because they cannot go to work, as roads are blocked by protesters. They say businesses considered to be pro-Beijing are being vandalised.
If the pro-democracy campaigners gain control in district elections, they could secure six seats on Hong Kong's Legislative Council and 117 seats on the 1,200-member panel that chooses the chief executive.
The protests started over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial, but quickly evolved into calls for full democracy.
The unrest poses the biggest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
