Changfeng Gui, Kelei Wang and Jucheng Wei
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3649-3668.
Abstract, references and article information

Jungang Li, Guozhen Lu and Qiaohua Yang
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3483-3513.
Abstract, references and article information

Jiangxue Fang
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3445-3481.
Abstract, references and article information

Cătălin I. Cârstea, Gen Nakamura and Lauri Oksanen
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3423-3443.
Abstract, references and article information

Guher Camliyurt, Igor Kukavica and Vlad Vicol
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3375-3422.
Abstract, references and article information

Boris Adamczewski, Julien Cassaigne and Marion Le Gonidec
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3085-3115.
Abstract, references and article information

L. Bernal-González, H. J. Cabana-Méndez, G. A. Muñoz-Fernández and J. B. Seoane-Sepúlveda
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3063-3083.
Abstract, references and article information

Jordi Pau and Antti Perälä
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3031-3062.
Abstract, references and article information

Makuta Matata posted a photo:

"Mere jars won't hold these two..."

A companion piece entry for Lego Ideas' alternative nature contest

More photos are on my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/140765177@N05/

Makuta Matata posted a photo:

"Mere jars won't hold these two..."

A companion piece entry for Lego Ideas' alternative nature contest

More photos are on my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/140765177@N05/

Makuta Matata posted a photo:

"Mere jars won't hold these two..."

A companion piece entry for Lego Ideas' alternative nature contest

More photos are on my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/140765177@N05/

N. O. Malykh and I. S. Postevoy
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 189-198.
Abstract, references and article information

A. G. Kukush and O. O. Chernova
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 125-135.
Abstract, references and article information

M. M. Kapustei and P. V. Slyusarchuk
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 101-111.
Abstract, references and article information

G. Alfelt
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 5-17.
Abstract, references and article information

Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 1-3.
Abstract, references and article information

A. Seesanea and I. E. Verbitsky
St. Petersburg Math. J. 31 (2020), 557-572.
Abstract, references and article information

N. Kuznetsov
St. Petersburg Math. J. 31 (2020), 521-531.
Abstract, references and article information

A. Ilyin and A. Laptev
St. Petersburg Math. J. 31 (2020), 479-493.
Abstract, references and article information

Yu. K. Dem'yanovich
St. Petersburg Math. J. 31 (2020), 435-453.
Abstract, references and article information

Carla Farsi, Laura Scull and Jordan Watts
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2717-2737.
Abstract, references and article information

Shi-Zhong Du
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2631-2643.
Abstract, references and article information

Gregory J. Galloway and Hyun Chul Jang
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2617-2629.
Abstract, references and article information

Mohamed Jleli, Bessem Samet and Philippe Souplet
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2579-2593.
Abstract, references and article information

Quanlei Fang and Jingbo Xia
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2497-2507.
Abstract, references and article information

Tonie Fares and Pascal Lefèvre
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2487-2496.
Abstract, references and article information

S. Waleed Noor and Osmar R. Severiano
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2469-2476.
Abstract, references and article information

Qingying Bu
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2459-2467.
Abstract, references and article information

Véronique Bazier-Matte and Pierre-Guy Plamondon
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2397-2409.
Abstract, references and article information

Alexander J. Rasmussen
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2345-2357.
Abstract, references and article information

Joachim Kock and David I. Spivak
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2317-2329.
Abstract, references and article information

Invoicing is a vital business practice, and for organisations starting out it's just one more thing to get to grips with. To help, we've created a best practice guide for writing professional invoices

Police today announced its decision to prohibit two public meetings and object to a public procession intended to be held on Hong Kong Island on May 1.

Upon risk assessment, Police said it regarded that the public meetings and procession are high-risk activities with crowd gatherings.

Police have grounds to believe that such activities do not only increase the risk of infecting participants and other people with COVID-19, but pose a serious threat to the lives and health of all citizens, jeopardising public safety and affecting the rights of others.

Police emphasised that it believed it is necessary to prohibit the public meetings and object to the public procession in accordance with the Public Order Ordinance for maintaining public order and public safety as well as protecting the rights and freedom of others.

Police reminded the public that taking part in an unauthorised assembly is a criminal offence and those found guilty could be liable to five years’ imprisonment.

On this last Sunday of 2019, I wish every Hong Kong citizen a warm, peaceful and hopeful year 2020.

A New Year holds welcome promises of a fresh start and a new beginning. The New Year is also traditionally a time for planning, greeting, reminiscing as well as some soul and heart searching.

I believe that many of you would share my feeling that the year 2019 has been a year of unremitting shocks and turbulence to our community and our economy. Indeed, it has been a severely testing time for all in Hong Kong.

It all began with the introduction into the Legislative Council of the bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in April. Responding to strong public sentiment, the Government suspended all work on the bill in mid-June and declared its death in early July. On September 4, the Chief Executive announced the bill's withdrawal. This was done on October 23 when the Legislative Council resumed normal business.

Despite this, the public protests which began as largely peaceful and orderly marches in June soon got out of control. Unprecedented violence and reckless destruction became the norm. Radical protesters attacked police officers as well as police stations and facilities with petrol bombs, iron bars, bricks and chemicals. Some even used high-tension slingshots, bows and arrows. During the past six months or so, over 2,600 people were injured in the social unrest, including over 500 police officers.

Meanwhile, public infrastructure and transport including a cumulative total of 85 heavy rail stations and 62 light rail stations, as well as countless shops, restaurants and shopping malls had been repeatedly vandalised. More so, nearly 21,000 square metres of paving blocks from footpaths were ripped up and used as weapons to attack Police. Over 52,000 metres of roadside railing were removed and 740 sets of traffic lights destroyed.

Last month, masked protesters battered the Hung Hom Cross-Harbour Tunnel, shutting it down for two full weeks. This vital city artery normally carries 110,000 vehicles a day, accounting for some 43% of the daily cross-harbour vehicular flow. It took a total of 800 government staff and contractor's workers some 100 hours to carry out emergency repair round-the-clock before the tunnel could be reopened. At the same time, nearby Polytechnic University was overrun by radical protesters. The same happened to the Chinese University.

Apart from recklessly damaging our universities, violent protesters turned the two campuses into arsenals on a frightening scale. When the last of the protesters finally left the universities, Police seized altogether nearly 8,000 petrol bombs plus numerous explosives, hundreds of bottles of corrosive liquid and weapons of all sorts.

This level of premeditated and organised destruction and violence could hardly be tolerated in any country or economy that upholds the rule of law. Hong Kong, I am proud to say, is among those economies that believe passionately in the primacy of rule of law. It safeguards our economy, our community, our families and our way of life.

In fact, the rule of law is among Hong Kong's much cherished core values, alongside our fiercely independent judiciary, clean government, level playing field for business and enviable freedoms. These freedoms, as enshrined in the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, include freedom of speech, of the press and free flow of information; freedom of association and assembly; free trade and free port; free flow of capital; freely convertible currency; freedom of religious belief and free education. We have also been the freest economy in the world continuously for 25 years. The unique "one country, two systems" formula has been functioning well and we enjoy the best of both worlds.

Despite the recent social unrest which has affected our economy and labour market, Hong Kong's institutional strengths remain robust and intact. Our fundamentals stay sound and strong. We still enjoy a high rating in various areas by international think tanks and agencies. Allow me to say that whilst Hong Kong may not have the full semblance of Western democracy, we do enjoy for a very long time the full substance of real freedom which underpins Hong Kong's success.

Over the past six months, most of the requests for public meetings, processions and protests were given the greenlight by Police. During these public events, be it small or large, Police had dutifully facilitated and ensured the safety of protesters and other road users. When the requests were not approved, it was generally a decision made in the hopes of preventing violence, ensuring peace and public order, as our society has every right to expect of its police and its government.

On November 24, we witnessed a peaceful and orderly District Council Election with a record high turnout and voting rates. My colleagues and I are looking forward to working with all new District Council members. We also look forward to expanding our dialogue with the community. While we will continue to engage different sectors of society through our usual channels, the Government will broaden and rejuvenate our communication with the public. Less than two weeks ago and after the one by the Chief Executive in September, my Principal Official colleagues have started a dialogue with the public through Facebook live. You will certainly see more of us listening and responding to people's views and concerns on these and other communication channels in the coming year.

We are also establishing an Independent Review Committee comprising experts and community leaders. The committee will look into the causes and full circumstances of the social unrest and probe into Hong Kong's deep-seated social conflicts, from affordable housing, land supply, wealth gap, upward social mobility and opportunities for our young people to social justice. The committee will recommend ways to address the real and long-entrenched community concerns that underlie the discord.

Meanwhile, our economy is inevitably affected by the twin blows of social unrest and the trade dispute between the United States and the Mainland. Businesses and people of Hong Kong are yearning for the restoration of peace and order soonest possible, and the recovery of our economy.

In response, the Government has launched four rounds of relief measures since August. These added up to more than $25 billion. A number of the measures which will benefit grassroots families and small and medium enterprises will be implemented at the beginning of the New Year.

These relief measures would not solve our economic problems. Yet, they could help businesses and people of Hong Kong stay afloat while we strive to heal our divided community and battered economy.

There are deep-seated issues that we must acknowledge and resolve if we are to end the prolonged social unrest that has shaken the familiar Hong Kong which we all love and cherish. We must be patient and perseverant in helping our city to heal, one step at a time.

The past six months have been tough for us, but we will soldier on. Hong Kong is a remarkably resilient and resourceful international city with a strong can-do spirit. We have a New Year waiting for us. We have new and expanded channels of communication opened up for us. We expect the first report of the Independent Police Complaints Council to come out soon. And we have research and concrete recommendations of the Independent Review Committee ahead of us. Working together, I am confident that we can rebuild, reclaim and rejuvenate the remarkably resilient spirit of Hong Kong.

On this note, I wish all of you a New Year blessed with peace, harmony and goodwill.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung gave these remarks on RTHK's "Letter to Hong Kong" programme aired on December 29.

After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Government has announced a series of prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of spread of the disease in the community. Compulsory quarantine, on the basis of a public health emergency (under Cap. 599 Prevention & Control of Disease Ordinance), is one of the measures in place. From February 8 onwards, all people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland, including Hong Kong residents, Mainland residents as well as other visitors, are required to be subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival. Even if they are entering from other places, if they have visited the Mainland over the past 14 days, mandatory quarantine is still applicable upon their arrival. Anyone who violates the regulation may face a maximum penalty of imprisonment for six months and a fine of $25,000 upon conviction. We hope that the new measures could further reduce the flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland, reducing the risks for a spread of the disease in Hong Kong.

The Department of Health would gather evidence and conduct investigations into any contravention of quarantine orders before referring the cases to the Department of Justice for making prosecutorial decisions. Our prosecutors would make such decisions based on available evidence, applicable laws and the Prosecution Code. A prosecution would be commenced if there is sufficient admissible evidence for a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Minimising social contact in the community is another key measure to curb the spread of the virus. Hence, we only arranged for a certain number of colleagues, including government counsel, paralegals and supporting staff, to return to the office to handle urgent matters and provide basic public services. The reception counters of the Prosecutions Division and the Civil Division have remained open over the past few weeks to allow members of the public and the legal profession to serve court documents. The shroff office is also partly open for payment service. Details of the service hours are available from our press release.

There are colleagues from different divisions returning to the office to handle emergency works including attending urgent court hearings, processing court documents and attending urgent meetings. We have arranged for sufficient manpower to provide cleansing services at the office to safeguard the health of colleagues. For others, who are given laptops and electronic communication devices, are advised to work at home. I am heartened to learn that the Department of Justice is largely functioning well.

The Judiciary announced that court hearings would be generally adjourned in view of public health considerations but the courts would continue to handle urgent and essential hearings. Colleagues from the Department of Justice have been deployed to attend such hearings to deal with cases including bail applications and sentencing.

I am grateful to all my colleagues for remaining steadfast at their posts at this difficult time. I also urge those who are required to stay at home or other dwelling places for a 14-day quarantine to abide by the law and strictly comply with the quarantine orders. Violation of orders causes a spread of the disease and leads to criminal prosecution. Last but not the least, I appeal to all members of the public to join hands with the Government to do their best to prevent and curb the spread of COVID-19 by maintaining good personal hygiene, thereby ending the epidemic as soon as possible.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on February 17.

Rare artefacts from Afghanistan will be on display at the Museum of History from November 6 until February 10, 2020.

Ancient Artefacts of Afghanistan - Glistening Treasures in the Dust will display 231 artefacts, including gold and glass wares, bronze sculptures and ivory carvings unearthed from four famous archaeological sites in Afghanistan.

Highlight exhibits include a golden bowl with a bearded-bull motif unearthed in Tepe Fullol and pendants with styles that were common in the Mesopotamian and Persian Plateau regions.

The precious relics are on loan from the National Museum of Afghanistan.

The museum’s director Mohammad Rahimi said that because Afghanistan borders many countries including China, the artefacts attest to the role ancient Afghanistan played as the cultural crossroads of the Silk Road.

“Afghanistan has been given the title of the crossroads of the ancient civilisation by different scholars of the world. So we had very good relations with different civilisations in the past so that’s why we can see a lot of influences of different cultures in our objects.”

Mr Rahimi added that Afghanistan is sharing its exhibit with Hong Kong as a gesture of goodwill and friendship and with the hope of strengthening relations with China.

“We have also seen different examples of our ancient relations with China. Because of that, we want to build on our relations with China through this exhibition and we have shown that we have had very good connections in the past.”

Many of the exhibits will be equipped with interactive designs so that visitors can compare and contrast the displayed treasures with similar artefacts.

Click here for details.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department’s Community Oral History Theatre Project will be launched in Kowloon City District on January 15.

An oral history theatre performance and a sharing session will kick off the project.

The performance will feature an excerpt from the production of Sai Kung, Therefore I Live.

It will be held at Hung Hom Community Hall.

Admission is free with tickets.

Click here for details.

The Space Museum is staging a special exhibition 2020 Astronomical Events to highlight six major astronomical events happening this year.

The events include grouping of the four planets with the moon in late March, the serial phenomena of Jupiter's moons on June 11 and 12, and the partial solar eclipse on June 21.

Information on the Perseid meteor shower in mid-August, the Geminid meteor shower in mid-December and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on December 21 will also be featured.

The exhibit explains details and phenomena of these events, while serving as a practical guide to help visitors pick the best dates, times, locations and tools to observe them.

It will run until September 21 in two phases. The first three events will be presented during the first phase from January to June, while the second phase events will be shown from June to September.

Admission is free.

Call 2721 0226 for enquiries.

The East Kowloon Cultural Centre Public Artwork Commissioning Project is inviting artists, designers and architects to create an art landscape for the centre.

Presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and organised by the Art Promotion Office, the project endeavors to capture and showcase the past, present and future of East Kowloon.

The commissioned artworks will represent five themes - memory, impression, moment, dream and imagination - aiming to display the district’s changing nature, and to manifest the local community’s cultural sustainability, aspirations and dreams.

Interested participants must submit their preliminary proposal with their curriculum vitae, documentation of their previous artwork and the artistic concept of the proposed artwork.

All proposals must be delivered to the centre’s Public Art Project Management Team at G/F, 50-54 Lok Ku Road, Sheung Wan before 7pm on May 4.

Participants shortlisted by the selection panel are required to submit detailed proposals before 7pm on June 30 for the next stage of the selection process.

Up to three proposals shall be chosen by the selection panel for commissioning and installing in the centre.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department launched a one-stop online resources centre today for the public to view or participate in multi-faceted leisure and cultural activities from the comfort of their homes.

The online resources centre offers demonstrations of home exercises as well as videos of exercise demonstrations and Healthy Exercise for All Campaign interactive games.

The information portal carries knowledge on the plants and animals at the Zoological & Botanical Gardens, old and valuable trees at the department's major parks and colourful Hong Kong Flower Show archives.

The Museum of Art and the Heritage Museum are collaborating with the Google Arts & Culture Project to showcase exhibits in a digital format.

There are also virtual exhibitions that explore previous fascinating collections at the History Museum and the Science Museum.

While extensive content from intangible cultural heritage and modern arts integrating into life from Oi! is also included.

The Hong Kong Public Libraries offers vast e-resources allowing people to explore fun reading at home.

On the performing arts front, digital content covers concert archives from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Why did the undergraduates cross the road? Extra credit. In concept as well as in practice, I have never understood extra credit. As someone who was home-schooled by a former Catholic high-school principal, “extra credit” was never a part of … Continue reading →

Recently, I have been re-reading Michel Houellebecq’s 2015 novel Submission. It’s about a hedonistic literature professor who sleeps with his students, has the diet of a frat boy, and occasionally does “work” researching an obscure (at least, to me) 19th-century … Continue reading →

The confidence level of Hong Kong’s exporters has fallen to its lowest-ever level in the face of a triple challenge – the COVID-19 outbreak, softening global demand and lingering trade tension between the United States and Mainland...