WThe 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election was held on 26 March 2017 for the 5th term of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong (CE), the highest office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Former Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam beat former Financial Secretary John Tsang and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, receiving 777 votes from the 1,194-member Election Committee.
WOn 17 August 2017, three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, Alex Chow, Nathan Law and Joshua Wong, were given prison sentences by the Court of Appeal for their roles in a protest at the Civic Square in front of the Central Government Complex in Tamar, Admiralty, on 26 and 27 September 2014. The events at the Civic Square helped set off massive pro-democracy protests, sometimes referred to as the Umbrella Movement, which lasted until police cleared the last of the protest sites in December 2014.
WTropical Storm Pakhar, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Jolina, was a strong tropical storm that impacted South China during late August 2017. This storm followed Typhoon Hato which affected the area a few days prior. Pakhar was the fourteenth named storm of the Pacific typhoon season. Pakhar developed from a tropical depression to the east of Luzon during August 24, and intensified into a tropical storm later that day. Pakhar made landfall over in Aurora on August 25. Pakhar gradually intensified and peaked as a severe tropical storm by August 27, making landfall over Taishan, Jiangmen in Southern China.
WTyphoon Hato, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Isang, was a strong tropical cyclone that struck South China in August 2017. Developing as the thirteenth named storm and the fourth typhoon of the Pacific typhoon season, Hato formed as a tropical depression over the east of Luzon on 19 August. The system further developed and became a tropical storm the next day. On 21 August, Hato emerged over the northern portion of the South China Sea and reached typhoon intensity. Rapid intensification ensued on 23 August, and Hato became a Category 3-equivalent typhoon before making landfall over Jinwan, Zhuhai. The storm further weakened over land and dissipated on 24 August.
WThe 36th Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place at Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 9 April 2017.
WThe Hong Kong Legislative Council members' oath-taking controversy was a series of events surrounding the oaths of office of a dozen pro-democracy and localist members-elect of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) on 12 October 2016 which have resulted in the disqualification of six members, Sixtus "Baggio" Leung and Yau Wai-ching of Youngspiration, who were unseated by the court on 15 November 2016, and Leung Kwok-hung, Nathan Law, Yiu Chung-yim and Lau Siu-lai on 14 July 2017.
WIn October 2014, it was reported that Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, had signed an agreement in 2011 with UGL Limited, an Australian engineering firm, in relation to its takeover of DTZ Holdings, a UK-listed real estate services company in which Leung was the director of the company. In agreement, UGL undertook to pay Leung £4 million in two instalments in 2012 and 2013 respectively, subject to specific conditions. As these payments concurred with the term of office of Leung Chun-ying as Chief Executive between 2012 and 2017, it has aroused concerns of the public in respect of the nature of payment, potential conflict of interests, relevant systems of declaration of interests and taxation implications.