The strongest typhoon on the planet so far this year has been bashing Hong Kong with hurricane-force winds... especially in the southern part of the territory. As Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, the observatory issued its most severe warning -- Hurricane Signal Number 10 -- at 2.40 on Wednesday morning, and says the signal will remain in force "for some time". Winds well in excess of 100km an hour have been recorded in many parts of Hong Kong -- including urban areas like North Point, Central and Tseung Kwan O. The observatory expects Ragasa to pass around 100km to the south of Hong Kong, and says the storm will be at its closest to the territory in the next few hours. Lee Tsz-cheung is a senior scientific officer:

The No. 10 signal for Ragasa marks the first time in over six decades that Hong Kong's had to issue its highest storm warning twice in a year. The super typhoon has brought violent gusts to the city as public services are disrupted. Frank Yung reports:

A man and his wife, along with their five-year-old son, were rescued after they fell into the sea on Tuesday while watching the waves in Chai Wan. As Sophie Hui reports, authorities called on people not to engage in dangerous activities during a storm:

Expert Benjamin Horton, the Dean and Chair Professor of Earth Science at City University told Raymond Yeung that Hong Kong was lucky to have been spared a direct hit, and the city was better prepared for Ragasa than it had been for Typhoon Mangkhut, which caused widespread damage when it struck the city in 2018:

Former observatory director Shun Chi-ming has warned that Super Typhoon Ragasa is more intense than Mangkhut which wreaked havoc across Hong Kong in 2018. Janice Lo has the details:

Chief Executive John Lee says the SAR government had gone all out to make full preparations for the super typhoon. He made it clear the priority is to ensure people's safety. Sophie Hui reports:

Two government ministers also say precautionary measures have been made to guard against the storm. Here's Sophie Hui:

People had plenty of warning before Ragasa arrived, and many took advantage of a shortened work day on Tuesday to head to the supermarket to stock up before heading home to wait out the storm. Elvis Yu has the story:

Two senior staff members at the Chinese University Medical Centre have been dismissed for allegedly abusing their authority to defraud money from the hospital. Elvis Yu has details:

The government has announced the appointment of Bernard Chan as the new chairman of the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, succeeding Henry Tang. Altis Wong has more:

A group that serves homeless people has called on the government to set up co-living space for homeless women, instead of simply providing accommodation for them, as part of efforts to help those who may have mental health issues. ImpactHK's recommendation came after it co-conducted a two-and-a-half-year co-living pilot programme with Shue Yan University, involving dozens of homeless women aged 25 to 80 who suffer from mental illness. By getting participants to develop a sense of belonging through carrying out daily routines such as cleaning and cooking together, helping them to land a job, and arranging caregivers to offer support for them, it found that their mental health improved significantly. Bess Lam from the university's Counselling and Psychology Department told Janice Lo more about the project:

US President Donald Trump has warned Russia he is prepared to impose strong economic measures over the war in Ukraine, and has rejected a global move toward recognition of a Palestinian state. His comments came in a combative speech to the UN General Assembly. Trump's wide-ranging foreign policy speech included scathing criticism of the United Nations and European countries. Jamie Clarke reports:

Many doctors have reacted with shock and dismay to some medical advice dished out by US President Donald Trump. At a White House news press conference, he linked autism to the pain medication Tylenol and childhood vaccines. Janice Lo reports:

Nato has warned Russia it will use all means to defend against airspace breaches. That's after the downing of Russian drones over Poland this month, and Estonia's report of an intrusion by Russian fighter jets last week. Jamie Clarke reports:

A Palestinian medical charity says Israel has destroyed its main centre in Gaza City after ordering its evacuation. Local health authorities say Israeli fire killed at least 22 people across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday -- 18 of them in Gaza City. In a separate development, Israel has announced the complete closure of the border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. As Jamie Clarke reports, the move comes after an attack last week at the crossing that killed two Israelis: