Heng Fa Chuen in Chai Wan under the force of Typhoon Hato (Typhoon No.10). The most searched news story this year in Hong Kong was about Typhoon Hato, according to a recently released Google Trends report.
It was followed by headlines about Hong Kong Chief Executive election, as well as stories on a police investigation into the management of Hing Tak School in Tuen Mun, a dangerous social media phenomenon called the Blue Whale Game, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s policy address.
The top trends report was not based on the number of searches, but was put together by analysing which searches grew the most in 2017, compared to previous years.
The report also revealed that Hurricane Irma, the Category 5 hurricane that hit the United States’ east coast earlier this year, was the most searched news item globally. This is followed by news about the Las Vegas shooting in October, and news on North Korea’s many missile tests this year.
The report not only covers headlines; it also shows the newsmakers and names that people read about. Hong Kong’s top name in the news was Rex Tso Sing-yu, the city’s boxing superstar. Others included democracy activist Howard Lam Tsz-kin, who had claimed he had been kidnapped by mainland agents, defeated chief executive candidate John Tsang Chun-wah, and former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.
The trendiest names in global news included people such as Meghan Markle, the fiancée of Prince Harry, and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of decades of sexual harassment by dozens of women.