By Selena Li HONG KONG, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Investment banks preparing Hong Kong initial public offering applications have been asked to make sure their submissions are up to standard, the city's securities regulator and the stock exchange operator said.

Authorities have scrambled to contain public anger over the blaze, in which poor oversight and shoddy materials used in a renovation have been cited as factors.

Hong Kong stocks extended their losing run for a fourth day on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street’s overnight pullback, as traders priced in an interest-rate cut but grew uneasy about the pace of reductions expected next year.

The death toll from a high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong has risen to 159. Authorities arrested six people on suspicion of deactivating fire alarms during maintenance work.

HashKey is seeking up to HK$1.67B, about $215M, in a Hong Kong IPO that would make it the city’s first listed crypto exchange.

The authorities accused “some foreign media” of smearing the government’s response to a fire at a high-rise complex, saying: “Do not say you have not been warned.”

A couture spectacle set against Hong Kong’s iconic harbour skyline at Pier 4, Central, cementing Hong Kong’s role as a global couture capital

Eight-time Hong Kong jockey champion believes local riders have an edge in the competition. "We know all the nuances (to the course)," he said. “We know the horses that we’re competing against as well.

Hong Kong has been ranked the world's No 4 financial hub in a new NYU Abu Dhabi index, but trails rivals on growth and innovation Hong Kong boasts the strongest institutional environment of any major financial hub but lags in growth and future readiness,