ko Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific eyes ‘structural change’ to see the Hong Kong carrier through pandemic crisis and its aftermath By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:00:14 +0800 Cathay Pacific is looking at “structural change” as it investigates how to downscale its business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Post has learned.Hong Kong’s flag carrier is mulling scenarios that could reduce staff headcount, routes served and planes flown, as well as the possible consolidation of its airline brands, in drastic steps that would mirror those taken by rivals in recent weeks.“We are currently working with colleagues from across the airline to model varying degrees… Full Article
ko Hong Kong doctors first in Asia to perform heart transplant using new preservation technology By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:00:17 +0800 Hong Kong doctors have performed Asia’s first heart transplant using a new technology invented in the United States that keeps the organ warm, beating and supplied with blood during the transfer, in a medical breakthrough that will enable more life-saving operations across borders.Dr Timmy Au Wing-kuk – chief of Queen Mary Hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery department, which carried out the medical procedure – hailed the Organ Care System as a success story that could not only allow up to five… Full Article
ko Boosted by US$6 million Alibaba cash injection, Hong Kong compostable food packaging start-up takes on single-use plastics By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 12:00:17 +0800 Alarmed by the amount of rubbish they were generating by just drinking coffee and eating cup noodles, two former garments entrepreneurs decided it was time to find an eco-friendly alternative to all the plastic packaging that ends up in landfills globally.George Chen Dah-ren and Vivian Chang first approached material scientists in Hong Kong and mainland China, and were in 2013 pointed in the direction of Alexander Bismarck, then a Materials Science professor at Imperial College London. The… Full Article
ko Charles Li moves on in surprise announcement to step down in 18 months as chief executive of Hong Kong’s stock exchange By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 12:56:41 +0800 Charles Li, one of the longest-serving chief executives of a global financial marketplace, has thrown in the towel after more than a decade as head of the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX), in a surprise announcement to let his contract lapse in October 2021.The former oilfield worker, journalist and banker, also known as Li Xiaojia, will not seek reappointment when his current term expires at the end of October next year, according to a statement. He will continue to lead Asia’s third-largest… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Uniqlo and H&M manufacturer making reusable masks for Hong Kong government in Vietnam By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 13:01:57 +0800 The production of reusable masks for all Hongkongers was not for profit, a government official said as she revealed the manufacturer’s identity and defended the lack of a public tender for the project worth hundreds of millions of dollars.Annie Choi Suk-han, permanent secretary of the Innovation and Technology Bureau, said most of the masks were being made by Crystal International Group at a facility in Vietnam.The rest were assembled, disinfected and packed using three local facilities offered… Full Article
ko Two Hong Kong police officers arrested for possessing HK$12 million in drugs, which the force believes were stolen from record crystal meth haul a week earlier By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 14:55:22 +0800 Two police officers have been arrested for possessing more than HK$12 million (US$1.9 million) worth of drugs, which the force believes were stolen from the record haul of crystal meth seized last week.One of the two policemen detained, a 41-year-old station sergeant, who is attached to the Kowloon West anti-triad squad, was caught with 2kg of Ice in the Royal Garden Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East on Thursday, police said, just days after being part of a team that seized 296kg of the drug in a… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: four new infections in Hong Kong, all involving residents returning from Pakistan By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 15:17:09 +0800 Hong Kong recorded four new coronavirus infections on Thursday, all involving returnees from Pakistan the previous night, as the city prepared to bring back more residents stranded in South Asia.The diagnoses ended a two-day streak without any new cases, and takes the city’s total number of confirmed infections to 1,044.Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable diseases branch of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), said the patients in question, aged between 11 and 47, all returned to… Full Article
ko Hong Kong man gets four months in jail over Lennon Wall attack during protests last year By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 20:38:43 +0800 A Hong Kong decorator who suffered a loss of income during anti-government protests was sentenced to four months’ jail for attacking a man following a row over posting messages on a so-called Lennon Wall last year.Kwun Tong Court heard that around 10pm on August 26, Hui Ching-ngai engaged in a heated argument with Ho Chin-leng, who saw Hui tearing down posters from a Lennon Wall inside a pedestrian tunnel in Tseung Kwan O.Hui, 39, who was drunk, picked up a broom and an umbrella from the ground… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong bars to reopen after weeks of Covid-19 shutdown with Lan Kwai Fong venues lining up cheap deals to attract customers By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 21:30:24 +0800 Bars will reopen across Hong Kong on Friday after a month-long coronavirus shutdown, as Lan Kwai Fong venues prepare to slash prices and the nightlife hub’s founder predicts takings as low as half normal levels.More than 100 frontline workers have been tested for the virus as part of the Central party zone’s relaunch, which comes as the government eases social-distancing restrictions in response to the improving Covid-19 situation in the city.Pubs and bars will only be allowed to operate half… Full Article
ko Disqualified Hong Kong lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied chance to respond to allegations of not upholding Basic Law, judge says By www.scmp.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 22:53:51 +0800 Disqualified lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied the opportunity to respond to allegations of not genuinely upholding Hong Kong’s mini-constitution before she was barred from trying to win back her seat in the Legislative Council, a judge has observed.Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming made the remark on Thursday while hearing an election petition from Lau, who has asked the High Court to determine whether pro-establishment lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan had been duly elected to the office of Kowloon West… Full Article
ko Hong Kong’s ‘king of judicial reviews’ faces bankruptcy proceedings but the serial litigant remains unrepentant By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:04:37 +0800 A serial litigant known for taking the Hong Kong government to court faces being declared bankrupt after the justice department filed a petition against him.Retired civil servant Kwok Cheuk-kin, dubbed the “king of judicial reviews” by the media, has been filing applications with the High Court since 2006, often challenging the legality of government policies and decisions.But many of his attempts ended in failure, and despite being ordered to bear the government’s legal costs in such… Full Article
ko Masks, tests, quarantine centres: What can Canada learn from Hong Kong’s Covid-19 successes? By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 05:55:29 +0800 Professor Samuel Yeung-shan Wong says he loves Canada, and wants it to learn from Hong Kong’s successes in the battle with Covid-19.Wong, director of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s school of public health, earned his medical degree at the University of Toronto in the 1990s and did his residency in Halifax, Nova Scotia.When he chats with his Canadian cousins they tell him that “they aren’t going out”, he said. Hong Kong, meanwhile, has avoided a Canadian-style lockdown, and on Friday… Full Article
ko University of Hong Kong study finds eyes are ‘important route’ for coronavirus, up to 100 times more infectious than Sars By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 06:30:18 +0800 The eyes are an important route for the coronavirus into the human body, according to University of Hong Kong research which found the strain was up to 100 times more infectious than severe acute respiratory syndrome and bird flu in two facial orifices tested by the public health experts.Laboratory tests revealed the “virus level” of SARS-Cov-2 – the strain of coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease – was far greater than for Sars in the upper respiratory airways and conjunctiva, the cells… Full Article
ko Hong Kong lawmakers set for chaotic showdown over control of key Legco committee, with scuffles not ruled out By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 07:30:05 +0800 Hong Kong lawmakers from opposing camps are gearing up for a showdown over control of a key committee in the legislature, with both sides bracing for physical clashes.The opposition camp is expected on Friday to filibuster at the Legislative Council House Committee meetings, using legal opinion obtained from two constitutional law experts. They will accuse pro-Beijing heavyweight Starry Lee Wai-king of conflict of interest in handling council affairs while standing for re-election, slamming her… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong exams body to develop alternative student grading system for crises, education chief reveals By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:30:11 +0800 Exam authorities will carry out citywide research to develop an alternative student grading system in the event university entrance tests are cancelled because of future pandemics, Hong Kong’s education minister told the Post on Thursday.In an exclusive interview, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also said his bureau would review with schools how to better prepare for class suspensions, including teacher training and resources for non-traditional instruction methods.Hong Kong… Full Article
ko Beijing is moving steadily to bring Hong Kong closer into the fold By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 09:00:14 +0800 Three years ago, when visiting Washington as she neared completion of her term as Hong Kong’s second-ranking official, career civil servant Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she planned to leave government and do something different at year end – “perhaps social work”. Would that she had. Instead, she became Hong Kong’s fourth consecutive chief executive to become wildly unpopular since China regained sovereignty in 1997, yet another Beijing-backed leader required (or quite willing) to enforce… Full Article
ko Most of Hong Kong’s teachers were professional during protests, despite misconduct complaints: education chief By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 10:00:21 +0800 Most of Hong Kong’s 70,000 teachers remained professional during the anti-government protests, despite complaints being made against more than 170 of them for misconduct, the city’s education chief said in a Thursday interview with the Post.Reflecting on the movement that started almost a year ago, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said there would be more emphasis on teaching proper values and knowledge about mainland China.However, he said there were no plans for schools to… Full Article
ko Shouting matches, scuffles as 11 Hong Kong opposition members thrown out of key committee meeting in legislature By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:09:37 +0800 A meeting in Hong Kong’s legislature descended into shouting matches and scuffles as 11 opposition lawmakers were thrown out by a pro-establishment leader who took control of a key committee to begin clearing a backlog of bills for review.The pan-democrats walked out of talks on Friday after losing their hold over the House Committee, threatening court action against Legislative Council staff, including legal advisers and security guards, whom they accused of abandoning political neutrality and… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong gyms, restaurants, beauty parlours and bars reopen but owners not convinced they will fully recover By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:40:07 +0800 Hong Kong started returning to normal on Friday as the city eased the social-distancing rules brought in to help combat the spread of Covid-19.For the first time in more than a month, residents were able to go to gyms, beauty parlours, bars, cinemas, and other public venues which the government previously forced to close.With local transmission of the virus levelling off over the past two weeks, officials have allowed a partial reopening of eight types of business, but with conditions attached… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong bar scene back in business but it’s a slow start after social-distancing rules are eased By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 14:41:58 +0800 Bars and other entertainment venues were finally allowed to reopen their doors on Friday after more than a month of coronavirus measures, but Hong Kong’s famed nightlife scene was far from buzzing as people remained wary over the potential risk of infection.But along with the caution there was a sense of optimism from customers and business operators alike.A day after the city detected four imported cases in Hong Kong residents returning from Pakistan, the number of new infections dropped to… Full Article
ko Hong Kong police chief furious over ‘dishonour brought to the force’ by recent string of arrests among ranks By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 16:58:54 +0800 Hong Kong’s police chief has reacted with fury over the “dishonour brought to the force” by the arrest of 18 officers for various offences over the past three weeks, including nine detained on Friday in connection with actions against street sleepers.Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung said the behaviour of the officers concerned had brought disgrace to the force and dealt a severe blow to its credibility and nullified efforts achieved over the years.“As commissioner, I am not just… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s High Court tosses Pakistan returnee’s challenge to mandatory quarantine at government facility By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 17:13:01 +0800 The High Court has thrown out a Hong Kong resident’s challenge to his quarantine status, dismissing his application for a writ of habeas corpus over his mandatory isolation at a government-run facility.Accountant Syed Agha Raza Shah, who tested negative for Covid-19 upon his return, was sent to the Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan for a 14-day stay after returning from Pakistan via Qatar with about 200 other Hong Kong residents on April 29.On Thursday, he applied for a writ of habeas corpus… Full Article
ko Hong Kong police arrest 10 people after fight broke out at a Lennon Wall over political differences By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 17:49:00 +0800 Hong Kong police arrested 10 people following a fight between two groups with different political views at the so-called Lennon Wall in Wong Tai Sin district in the early hours of Friday.Five victims aged between 20 and 44 suffered injuries to their heads, backs and limbs in the incident that happened at a public housing estate in Lok Fu shortly before 12.30am.The dispute first erupted when a group of about 20 people carrying handy tools and paint were seen removing messages at the Lok Fu… Full Article
ko Ocean Park in Hong Kong may run out of cash by September, CEO warns, but no decision on when the coronavirus shutdown will end By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 18:37:21 +0800 Ocean Park could run out of cash by September, its CEO warned on Friday as he estimated the Hong Kong attraction had missed out on nearly 1 million visitors over three months of its coronavirus shutdown.With the health crisis intensifying the resort’s financial woes, Matthias Li Sing-chung said no decision had been made on when the park would emerge from the shutdown imposed on January 26, but said it could return within two weeks once conditions were deemed suitable, even if some social… Full Article
ko Two Hong Kong men get eight months’ jail for carrying weapons at unauthorised Yuen Long protest in July By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:09:37 +0800 Two Hong Kong men found carrying weapons at an unauthorised protest last year were jailed for eight months on Friday.Fanling Court sentenced sales consultant Yung Wai-shing, 26, and clerk Chu Tsz-wan, 24, to jail for possessing an extendable baton, a laser pointer, a catapult and a packet of metal pellets at a march in Yuen Long on the night of July 27.The court sentenced co-defendant Vincent Chu Chun-hoi, a 19-year-old cook, to correctional training for carrying an air pistol at the same event… Full Article
ko With classes set to resume, Hong Kong’s 27,000 cross-border pupils face commuting problems over quarantine rules By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:28:44 +0800 The fate of some 27,000 Hong Kong cross-border pupils living in mainland China was in limbo, as the education minister said on Friday that it could not be guaranteed whether they would be exempted from quarantine rules amid the coronavirus pandemic when classes resumed in late May.Although Hong Kong’s government last week decided to exempt these cross-border students from a 14-day mandatory quarantine period when entering the city, a similar rule had so far not been lifted by the Shenzhen… Full Article
ko Hong Kong lunchtime protesters return after coronavirus social-distancing rules are eased but police quickly disperse group in mall with pepper spray By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 20:06:52 +0800 Police dispersed lunchtime protesters with pepper spray in an upscale Hong Kong shopping centre just 12 hours after the government relaxed some coronavirus social-distancing measures and allowed people to gather in groups of eight on Friday.Shortly after dozens of anti-government demonstrators began yelling slogans and belting out their anthem, officers entered the IFC Mall in Central to cordon off their protest site, forcing the Apple store to lower its shutters.Later, police used pepper spray… Full Article
ko Hong Kong police sergeant may have stolen 25kg in crystal meth from scene of record-breaking bust he supervised, sources say By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 20:42:55 +0800 A Hong Kong police officer arrested in connection with the seizure of 25kg of drugs worth HK$12 million is believed to have orchestrated its theft from the scene of a bust he was personally in charge of last week, according to police sources.If true, it would mean the announced record seizure of 296kg of Ice, a form of methamphetamine, actually involved 321kg.Sources said the station sergeant, who was arrested along with a constable in connection with the missing drugs, was in charge of the… Full Article
ko Hong Kong man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting his daughter since she was 6 By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 20:57:21 +0800 A Hong Kong man has admitted in court to raping his nine-year-old daughter and telling his younger son that it was none of his business when the child caught him in the act.The High Court heard the sexual attacks spanned nearly six years, since 2011, when the casual vegetable seller, who could not be identified for legal reasons, first attempted to rape his daughter after school.At the time she was only six, while he was 40.Acting deputy director of public prosecutions Catherine Ko said the… Full Article
ko Look into enacting national security law and ensure fair Legco elections, head of Hong Kong affairs office tells Carrie Lam By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 21:12:36 +0800 The head of China’s cabinet-level office that oversees Hong Kong affairs has urged the city’s leader to examine possible ways of enacting a national security law and to ensure that elections for the legislature this year are conducted in a fair manner.The meeting between Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was held in Shenzhen at the end of last month, according to sources.Hong Kong is facing mounting pressure… Full Article
ko Hong Kong lawmakers reject a HK$1.4 billion loan plan for four international schools By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 22:39:50 +0800 Hong Kong lawmakers on Friday rejected a proposal by four international schools seeking a total of HK$1.4 billion (US$180 million) in interest-free loans for campus development as they face financial pressure during the coronavirus pandemic.This came as Harrow International School Hong Kong announced this week it would offer a 20 per cent reduction of the summer term tuition fees to parents, following an earlier petition demanding a fee cut of up to 25 per cent.The proposal, which was tabled by… Full Article
ko Hong Kong civil servant in charge of reusable mask giveaway admits transparency shortcomings, promises replacement filter production will go out to tender By www.scmp.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 23:17:06 +0800 A senior civil servant overseeing the distribution of reusable masks to all Hongkongers has promised to put the production of their replacement filters out to tender after admitting to shortcomings in the transparency of the original contract awarded by the government.Annie Choi Suk-han, permanent secretary of the Innovation and Technology Bureau, on Friday rejected suggestions the government had intentionally hidden the identity of the manufacturer chosen for the HK$320 million (US$41 million)… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong researchers find three-drug combination suppresses virus nearly twice as fast as drug held up as major hope against pandemic By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 08:05:06 +0800 A combination of three drugs suppressed the coronavirus within seven days when used on patients in Hong Kong, nearly twice as fast as a single medicine did, in a result seen as a leading hope in the fight against the pandemic, a study has found.The findings of the research, led by University of Hong Kong academics and published in The Lancet on Saturday, could signal progress in the search for a standard form of therapy for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease.It discovered… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong start-ups that raced to make masks relook plans, as government announces handouts for all households By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 09:00:24 +0800 After almost three months of hectic preparation, Denis Huen Yin-fan’s Hong Kong factory started delivering masks to customers last week to help protect them against the Covid-19 pandemic.Just as the supplies began reaching his clients, the Hong Kong government announced it will be distributing reusable and disposable masks to all households, free of charge, within weeks.Every household will receive reusable masks that can be washed up to 60 times, as well as a pack of 10 disposable masks.1.5… Full Article
ko A different kind of Ramadan: Hong Kong Muslims observe fasting month at home, as pandemic measures halt mosque gatherings By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:00:11 +0800 It is about 7pm when Muslim community leader Raheel Ahmed, 57, gathers with his wife, two sons and daughter for a home-made meal of dates, rice and spicy curried chicken, salad, fresh fruit and juice.For this Hong Kong family of Pakistani origin, it is their first meal after fasting for more than 12 hours, as this is the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.The world’s 1.8 billion Muslims mark the month by abstaining from food or drink from sunrise to sunset, and gathering as a community in mosques to… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: Hong Kong records no new cases, as government adviser suggests easing border restrictions with Macau By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 13:58:08 +0800 Hong Kong recorded zero new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, as a government adviser suggested that border control measures between the city and Macau could be the first to be lifted.It was also the 20th day in a row without any local infections, although a handful of imported cases over the past week had taken Hong Kong’s tally to 1,044 with four related deaths.Health experts earlier raised the prospect of Hong Kong being declared free of local transmission if there were no such cases after 28 days… Full Article
ko ‘I don’t mind if she doesn’t know me,’ says 70-year-old Hong Kong man caring for wife with dementia By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 14:00:28 +0800 After taking care of his wife the whole day, Lam Man-hing, 70, finally has a little time to himself before bedtime.He browses the news, checks messages from friends on his smartphone and watches some television, with his wife Tang Siu-man, 74, asleep by his side.He checks on her from time to time, and keeps the TV volume low to avoid disturbing her.In the morning, like every day, she might not remember him.Tang has Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive form of dementia that begins with… Full Article
ko Hong Kong government to propose revised bailout plan for Ocean Park soon By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 16:00:17 +0800 A revised bailout plan will be proposed by the Hong Kong government very soon to save Ocean Park from running out of cash as early as in June, the Post has learned.Two sources said that a HK$10.6 billion (US$1.35 billion) proposal tabled in January would not go ahead with officials unveiling an alternative on Monday at the earliest, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the theme park on Southern district to shut down temporarily.On Friday night, the legislature’s Finance Committee announced that… Full Article
ko Hong Kong Canto-pop star Aaron Kwok’s online charity concert draws about 2 million viewers, raising more than HK$1 million By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 17:21:48 +0800 Hong Kong’s Canto-pop “dancing king” Aaron Kwok Fu-shing’s online charity concert on Saturday afternoon to help the city’s struggling dancers attracted about 2 million viewers and raised more than HK$1 million, amid local signs of an easing coronavirus threat.Kwok’s onstage moves are known to be inspired by Michael Jackson. The one-hour performance by the singer-dancer-actor, 54, flanked by about 100 dancers, was live-streamed on multiple channels on social media from 5pm to 6pm.He performed on… Full Article
ko Coronavirus survivors: I fought Covid-19 with a Hong Kong karate champ while mom was in a coma in the UK By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 19:00:10 +0800 As a journalist, you want to report the story – you never want to be the story. So after weeks of covering the coronavirus crisis, it was a shock to learn I had tested positive for Covid-19.Unfortunately, though I did not know it at the time of my diagnosis, my story with the disease would soon be taking an even darker turn when it left my 73-year-old mother Lien comatose and struggling for her life.I had arrived in Hong Kong from Britain on Monday March 23, following a holiday to see my family… Full Article
ko Hong Kong lawmakers on both sides mull reporting rivals to police after Legislative Council row turned physical By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 19:57:08 +0800 Lawmakers on both sides of the political divide are considering whether to report their rivals to police after a row in Hong Kong’s legislature over control of a key committee descended into chaos in the chamber.Two opposition legislators revealed on Saturday they planned to make formal allegations of assault, while the pro-establishment camp was mulling filing complaints of its own to the force.It follows a turbulent meeting of the Legislative Council’s House Committee on Friday, when a pro… Full Article
ko Coronavirus: with tourism on hold, Hong Kong travel firms eye a new moneymaking sideline – online shopping By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 20:00:14 +0800 While the coronavirus pandemic has forced the city’s tourism sector to a near standstill, agency head Christina Yuen Ho-yee is busier than ever, routinely working 12 hours a day.As the Covid-19 pandemic caused global lockdowns, sales at her firm, EGL Tours, dropped to zero between March and June, down from HK$500 million (US$64.5 million) in the same stretch last year.All of her roughly 600 staff members have been asked to take days of unpaid leave between April and June.But Yuen, the agency’s… Full Article
ko Biggest ginseng seizure in Hong Kong history nets HK$47 million of traditional medicine from seagoing smugglers By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 20:15:06 +0800 Hong Kong authorities have seized 34 tonnes of American ginseng worth HK$47 million (US$6 million) and arrested seven people in what is by far the biggest-ever bust of its kind in the city.The haul breaks a record set less than three months ago, when more than three tonnes of the traditional Chinese medicine valued at about $HK4.6 million were seized in February.Police and customs officers discovered a “suspicious-looking” fishing boat to the northeast of Hong Kong’s international airport on… Full Article
ko Hong Kong police need to be whiter than white to shed their ‘black’ label as protests return By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 20:48:34 +0800 A top police officer told me an interesting story about the siege of Polytechnic University last year, when anti-government protesters of the militant persuasion had occupied the campus. He recalled intercepting and arresting a group of youngsters trying to flee the war zone and how he was struck by the reaction of a petrified teenager among them when she was being booked. “Absolutely terrified, shaking,” was how he remembered her. “She thinks I will take her around the back and shoot her… Full Article
ko Hong Kong suspect dies day after police used ‘appropriate force’ during his arrest By www.scmp.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 00:03:38 +0800 A man in Hong Kong has died the day after police used what they described as appropriate force to arrest him for criminal damage, drugs possession and assaulting officers.The force said that Yau Tsim district officers on patrol in Nathan Road were called at about 5pm on Thursday by members of the public who reported that a non-Chinese man “smelling strongly of alcohol” had damaged a moving vehicle with a glass bottle and toppled over a nearby motorcycle.The suspect “fiercely resisted” when he… Full Article
ko South Korea's coronavirus battle propels government to election win By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:29:42 GMT Despite the strict lockdown requirements on voting, turnout was higher than any parliamentary elections held since 1992. Full Article
ko Gangnam smile: North Korean defector wins South Korea's swankiest seat By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:34:01 GMT Thae Yong-ho was Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to the UK where he had managed secret funds for leader Kim Jong-un until he fled to the South in 2016. Full Article
ko Payne condemns Hong Kong arrests of democracy advocates amid coronavirus By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Sun, 19 Apr 2020 15:15:05 GMT The sweeping crackdown amid a coronavirus pandemic is based on charges of unlawful assembly stemming from huge protests in Hong Kong last year. Full Article
ko Coronavirus pandemic: South Koreans return to work, malls and golf courses By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Mon, 20 Apr 2020 07:59:03 GMT As the number of new coronavirus infections drops below 20 a day, big firms start social distancing back at the office. Full Article
ko South Korea plays down reports Kim Jong-un is near death By www.smh.com.au Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2020 10:47:03 GMT Officials in Seoul say they have not seen any unusual activity in North Korea, following reports North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was gravely ill. Full Article