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Tag: Hong Kong

  • Legislators in Hong Kong unanimously approve security law

    Legislators in Hong Kong unanimously approve security law

    Lawmakers in Hong Kong all agreed to a new law on Tuesday that gives the government more control to stop disagreement. Many people see this as part of a big crackdown on politics after protests for democracy in 2019.

    Lawmakers approved a new law to protect national security during a special meeting. The new law will give the government more power to punish people for working with outside forces to do illegal things. It will also allow them to charge people with serious crimes like treason, rebellion, spying, and sharing government secrets.

    This new law is on top of another law Beijing made last year. That law ended up silencing a lot of opposition in the financial hub. Critics are concerned that the new law will continue to take away the freedoms that Beijing said it would protect for 50 years after Hong Kong returned to China from British control in 1997.

    Hong Kong’s lawmakers, who support China, quickly passed the law after changing the electoral rules. The law was introduced on March 8. A committee met every day for a week after Hong Kong leader John Lee asked them to speed up the process. After the vote, Lee said the law would start on Saturday.

    “He said today is a very important day for Hong Kong. ”

    The new law says that if someone does things the government thinks are dangerous to the country, they will get in big trouble. The worst things, like treason and trying to start a rebellion, can even mean being in jail for the rest of your life. Smaller crimes, like having forbidden books, could also result in spending a few years in prison. Some rules let people be punished for breaking the law no matter where they did it.

    Andrew Leung, the head of the Legislative Council, said that he thinks all the lawmakers feel proud to be a part of this important task. Usually, council presidents don’t join in these votes. But this time, Leung voted to celebrate the event.

    John Burns, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said that the way things are done in the city show that the system for making sure people do their job is not working well because it was made to be not strong.

    He said the politicians looked closely at the bill and the government made some changes that the lawmakers suggested. However, during the debate, Burns mentioned that many lawmakers were talking about making the state have more control over national security problems and making the punishments for related crimes harsher. He said that the leaders were happy to help them.

    “Those who want the government to be responsible are disappointed by the changes made since 2020, but they are not surprised,” Burns explained.

    Simon Young, a teacher at the University of Hong Kong’s law school, said that the government didn’t just approve the law quickly. He pointed out that officials had long meetings to discuss and change the bill. But Young said that in the past, lawmakers may have asked for advice from experts.

    “I wish this had been done this time,” he said.

    The Beijing office in Hong Kong said on Tuesday that the new law will help Hong Kong stay stable and successful. This will allow the city to concentrate on making the economy better and improving the lives of its people. Lee also mentioned that other countries have made rules to deal with dangers when necessary.

    Hong Kong’s politics have changed a lot since the big protests in 2019. The protests were against China’s control over the territory and the new security law from Beijing.

    A lot of important activists have been taken to court, and some have gone to live in other countries to be safe. Important media that supported democracy like Apple Daily and Stand News were closed down. The crackdown caused many unhappy young professionals and middle-class families to leave and move to the US, Britain, Canada, and Taiwan.

    Hong Kong must make its own law to protect the country’s security, as stated in its Basic Law. In 2003, a law called Article 23 caused a big protest with 500,000 people, so the government had to stop the law. “Many people didn’t protest the bill because they were scared of the security law already in place. ”

    The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say that the law imposed by Beijing helped to bring back peace and order after the protests in 2019.

    Government leaders say the new law makes sure to protect both security and people’s rights and freedoms. The city government said it wants to stop more protests from happening, and that it will only affect a very small number of people.

    The new law has strict punishments for people who are found guilty of putting their country’s safety in danger. This applies to situations where they are found to be collaborating with foreign governments or organizations, rather than acting alone. For instance, it goes after people who harm things like roads and buildings on purpose to put the country in danger. They could go to jail for 20 years, or even for their whole life, if they worked with outside forces. In 2019, people protested in Hong Kong’s airport and damaged train stations.

    Business people and reporters are worried that this new law will make it harder for them to do their jobs every day.

    Onlookers are paying attention to see if authorities will start enforcing rules on other job areas and how it will impact the freedom of Hong Kong people.

    Many people didn’t like the bill right away.

    The UN Human Rights leader, Volker Türk, criticized the fast approval of the bill as a step back for human rights in Hong Kong.

    The UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, said that the wide-ranging definitions of national security and external interference will make it more difficult for people who live, work, and do business in Hong Kong. This will continue to take away their freedoms.

    The US State Department said in a daily briefing that the law could speed up the closing of Hong Kong’s once open society and they are worried about how unclear the law is. Vedant Patel, a spokesperson, said that the department will study how the law could harm Americans.

  • Hong Kong match planner to give partial refund to Inter Miami ticket buyers after Messi’s miss out of game

    Hong Kong match planner to give partial refund to Inter Miami ticket buyers after Messi’s miss out of game

    Organizer of a highly anticipated Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last week, which was expected to feature Lionel Messi (36), has announced a 50% refund for tickets following widespread disappointment that the Argentine player did not take the field due to injury but participated in a match in Japan a few days later.

    Tatler Asia, a privately owned publishing and lifestyle company, issued a statement on its Instagram page expressing deep regret and sorrow for letting down fans after Messi remained on the bench during Sunday’s match.

    The match in Hong Kong attracted 40,000 fans, with some paying nearly HK$5,000 ($640) per ticket. Tatler announced that all matchday tickets purchased from official channels are eligible for a 50% refund, adding that discussions have been underway with the Hong Kong government to address the matter.

    Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino stated that Messi was considered unfit to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong, but he did come on as a substitute in the 60th minute during the match against Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.

    “When we learned that Messi would not be playing, we pleaded with Inter Miami CF ownership and management to urge him to stand up, engage with the spectators and explain why he couldn’t play,” Tatler said.

    “He didn’t. The fact that Messi and (Luis) Suarez played in Japan on February 7 feels like another slap in the face.”


    During the match in Tokyo, large sections of seating at the Japan National Stadium were left vacant, with only 28,614 tickets being sold.

    Chinese state media, along with Hong Kong politicians and certain fans, promptly criticised Messi’s involvement in the Japan match. The state-controlled Global Times highlighted Messi’s absence, raising concerns about unequal treatment in Hong Kong.

    In response, the Hong Kong government issued a statement acknowledging the refund offered by Tatler Asia. It noted that the refund demonstrated the organizer’s commitment to addressing the situation, emphasising that many individuals had queries regarding the incident.

    “The government hopes that the Inter Miami team will eventually provide a reasonable explanation to Hong Kong citizens and fans who came to Hong Kong to watch the game.”

    Tatler Asia said Inter Miami had committed to ensuring that their top players, including Messi and Uruguay’s Suarez, would play for 45 minutes unless injured.

    It said it had hoped to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is.

    “That dream is broken today for us and all those who bought tickets to see Messi on the pitch.”

  • Hong Kong govt, 40,000 fans disappointed after Messi was benched during exhibition game demand refund

    Hong Kong govt, 40,000 fans disappointed after Messi was benched during exhibition game demand refund

    Lionel Messi fans expressed frustration as the Argentine soccer star did not participate in a Hong Kong exhibition game, despite a sellout crowd of 40,000 fans who had paid to watch him play.

    The match took place between a team of Hong Kong players and Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club Messi joined in the previous year.

    Despite the disappointment, Inter Miami won the match 4-1, and videos from Hong Kong Stadium showed fans chanting “Refund!” and booing during David Beckham’s address to the crowd after the game.

    The Hong Kong government, which has been trying to win the world back to the increasingly isolated Chinese territory, said it was “deeply disappointed” by Messi’s absence from the match and threatened to reduce the 16 million Hong Kong dollars ($2 million) in sponsorship it had provided.

    Tatler Asia, a luxury media brand and the game’s commercial partner, announced on Monday that it would retract its funding request from the government.

    The public’s disappointment with the match is a setback for Hong Kong officials attempting to revitalise the international financial hub. In recent years, Hong Kong’s reputation has suffered due to a government crackdown on dissent and stringent Covid-19 restrictions.

    If the Hong Kong government wants to “make Hong Kong a big city with big events, how could they let this happen?” Gong said.
    Speaking to reporters on Sunday after the match, Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino acknowledged fans’ disappointment but said he didn’t want to risk worsening the injuries of Messi, 36, and his teammate Luis Suárez of Uruguay, 37, who also sat out the game.

    Inter Miami embarked on a global exhibition tour in preparation for its upcoming regular season, set to commence on February 21.

    Lionel Messi and his teammates arrived in Hong Kong on Friday after participating in a game in Saudi Arabia. Following the exhibition match in Hong Kong, the team is scheduled to play again in Japan on Wednesday. Fans from mainland China and various parts of Asia attended the event, eager to witness Messi’s performance, marking his return to Hong Kong after a hiatus since 2014.

  • Evergrande: Chinese real estate behemoth ordered to liquidate

    Evergrande: Chinese real estate behemoth ordered to liquidate

    The court in Hong Kong has told the struggling Chinese real estate company Evergrande to sell off its assets and pay its debts.

    Judge Linda Chan said “stop doing this” because the developer kept failing to come up with a plan to fix its debts.

    The company is a big example of China’s real estate problem because it owes more than $300 billion.

    Two years ago, when Evergrande couldn’t pay its debts, it caused a big problem for financial markets around the world.

    Evergrande’s executive director, Shawn Siu, said it’s sad, but the company will still do business in China.

    The company’s branch in Hong Kong was separate from its business in mainland China, he said in a statement.

    We don’t know yet how the ruling will affect Evergrande’s home building business. But the company’s crisis has already left many home buyers waiting for their new properties.

    Beijing tried to calm people’s worries about the housing problem. Many people are using social media to talk about their anger at companies like Evergrande.

    The court’s decision will probably have an impact on China’s financial markets because authorities are trying to stop the stock market from falling.

    The property sector in China makes up about 25% of the world’s second largest economy.

    Evergrande’s stock dropped by over 20% in Hong Kong after the news came out on Monday. Buying and selling of stocks has stopped for now.

    Liquidation means when a company’s things are taken and sold. The money earned can be used to pay off any money owed.

    However, whether this happens may depend on the Chinese government and the liquidation order doesn’t necessarily mean that Evergrande will go out of business and fail.

    Before Monday’s decision, China’s highest court and Hong Kong’s Department of Justice made an agreement to acknowledge and uphold civil and business judgments from both mainland China and Hong Kong.

    However, experts are not sure if the change that started on Monday will affect Evergrande’s liquidation order.

    The company asked for more time to make a new plan to change their business. They asked for three more months, but only asked for it on Friday at 4pm.

    Judge Chan said the new plan is not really a plan and is not well thought-out.

    In June 2022, a company called Top Shine Global from Hong Kong, who is an investor in Evergrande, took Evergrande to court. They said that Evergrande did not keep their promise to buy back shares.

    But they only deserve a small amount of Evergrande’s huge debts.

    Most of the money Evergrande owes is to lenders in China and they have limited ways to ask for their money back.

    People who lend money from other countries can take legal action against Evergrande in Hong Kong, where the company is listed, instead of in mainland China.

    After a winding up order, the directors of the companies will no longer be in charge.

    The court would probably choose a temporary liquidator, who could be a government worker or a professional from a company like Deloitte, says Derek Lai, who is in charge of handling bankruptcies at Deloitte.

    After talking to the people the company owes money to, a person will be chosen to handle the closing of the company in a few months.

    However, most of Evergrande’s belongings are in mainland China and there are difficult legal issues despite the slogan “one country, two systems. ”

    China and Hong Kong have an agreement to accept the appointment of liquidators. However, Mr Lai says that only two out of six applications have been approved by the courts in three pilot areas in mainland China. The Chinese Communist Party wants to make sure that developers stay in business so that people who bought homes before they were built can still get what they paid for.

    This means Beijing might decide to ignore the Hong Kong court’s decision.

    Mr Lai says that even if the liquidator is accepted in both Hong Kong and mainland China, they have to obey the laws of mainland China when doing liquidation work there.

    The parent company’s order to sell off assets right away doesn’t mean that Evergrande’s building projects will stop right now.

    Nigel Trayers, who helps companies reorganize at Grant Thornton, says not all the smaller companies will be shut down. Some of them could be taken over by liquidators.

    “But they would have to either close the subsidiaries or become the directors of those subsidiaries,” he says.

    “To do this, they have to go through each level of the company and there might be some difficulties when they actually try to do it. ”

    Mr Lai says that if a company is broke, it’s unlikely that creditors will get all their money back.

    People who are owed money from other countries probably won’t get paid before people who are owed money from the same country.

    Even if Judge Chan’s rules are not followed in China, it still shows others what they could expect to happen to them.

    She is in charge of Evergrande and other companies that couldn’t pay their debts, like Sunac China, Jiayuan, and Kaisa.

    In May, she made the decision to close down Jiayuan because its lawyers couldn’t explain why they needed more time to work on their plan to fix the company’s debt.

    Daniel Margulies, a partner at the global law firm Dechert in Hong Kong, who specializes in restructuring matters in Asia, said it’s unclear how offshore liquidators would be treated by onshore stakeholders when there are many local creditors and factors to consider.

    Evergrande was trying to come up with a new way to pay back its debts, but in August last year, it officially declared that it was unable to pay its debts and filed for bankruptcy in the United States to protect its American assets while it tried to make a deal.

    The next month, the chairman Hui Ka Yan was watched by the police.

  • Hong Kong activists receive 6-year jail sentence for bomb plot conspiracy

    Hong Kong activists receive 6-year jail sentence for bomb plot conspiracy

    In Hong Kong, three activists have been sentenced to prison terms up to six years for their involvement in a thwarted bombing scheme targeting public buildings.

    Initially charged under the national security law with “conspiracy to commit terrorism,” these individuals were members of the pro-independence group “Returning Valiant.”

    Their plot, conceived in the wake of pro-democracy protests in 2021, was intercepted in July 2021 before any explosives were manufactured.

    The court learned that Ho Yu-wang, Kwok Man-hei, and Cheung Ho-yeung planned to create bombs using TATP to target government offices, police quarters, court buildings, and railways between April and July 2021.

    Ho, 17 at the time of his arrest and deemed the “ring leader,” pleaded guilty and received a six-year sentence. Cheng, 23, also received six years, while Kwok, 21, was sentenced to 30 months after both pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of “conspiracy to cause explosions.”

    High Court Judge Alex Lee acknowledged the influence of the “hostile social atmosphere” during the pro-democracy protests, suggesting it could lead individuals astray. Earlier, four others involved in the plot were sentenced in May.

    The national security law, implemented in 2020, has been a point of contention, with foreign authorities criticizing it as a means to suppress opposition, while Beijing defends it as necessary for maintaining order. Nearly 300 individuals have been arrested under this controversial law to date.

  • Pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong present last defence as national security trial draws close

    Pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong present last defence as national security trial draws close

    Many important pro-democracy people in Hong Kong are close to finding out what will happen to them in the city’s biggest national security case so far. Prosecutors and lawyers have returned to court to make final speeches almost three years after the mass arrests.

    47 people were accused of planning to overthrow the government for organizing a non-official election to choose who would run for city lawmaker positions in 2020.

    The people being tried, say that the plan was just a normal part of the varied and opposing politics that has always been allowed in Hong Kong. Lawyers say it was a big plan to go against the Hong Kong government in an organized way.

    If found guilty, they could be sentenced to life in prison.

    The government is taking strong action against the pro-democracy group in Hong Kong. This is the biggest crackdown since Beijing made a law for national security in 2020. This came after big protests against the government in 2019.

    Critics are worried about what happened to the “Hong Kong 47” because it shows how the national security law has stopped people from speaking out and being active in politics in the city, even though they used to be allowed to do so in its partial democracy.

    Many people are being kept in jail for over two years in a case that is being closely followed. Hong Kong’s court system, which has been important for its success as a financial center, is being watched to see how it will use the national security law while Beijing is gaining more control.

    The Hong Kong government keeps saying the national security law is not taking away people’s freedom. Instead, it says the law has stopped the confusion and brought back calmness to the city.

    The 47 people on trial include experienced politicians, elected officials, and young protest leaders, as well as teachers, union members, reporters, and healthcare workers. They come from different age groups and political beliefs – from middle-of-the-road democrats to people who support Hong Kong making its own decisions.

    Some famous people in Hong Kong include Joshua Wong, 27, who led protests, Benny Tai, 59, who co-founded a movement, and Claudia Mo, 66, who was a journalist and is now a lawmaker.

    There were a lot of police outside the courthouse on Wednesday morning. They were walking around and keeping an eye on the area.

    One person, Alexandra Wong, was taken away by the police for a search after holding a British flag outside the court.

    Also called Grandma Wong, the 67-year-old woman was always present at the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. She went back to the court and showed a sign that said “Free 47, free everyone. ”

    47 people who were fighting for democracy were all arrested at the same time in January 2021. They were officially charged two months later. Thirty-one people admitted they did something wrong and said they were guilty. In Hong Kong, this can mean they might get a shorter punishment.

    The court in West Kowloon began listening to their case in February of this year. After 116 days of court meetings, the lawyers for 16 people who said they did not do anything wrong are back in court to try one last time to prove their innocence.

    People who support someone filled the seats in the courtroom on Wednesday when the hearing started. Some people shouted the names of activists as they were brought into the courtroom. The defendants nodded or waved to show they saw the acknowledgment.

    Some people say they didn’t do it. One is Gwyneth Ho, 33, a former journalist who showed a mob attacking pro-democracy protesters in a subway station. The other is Leung Kwok-hung, 67, who is known as “Long Hair” and has been a strong supporter of the pro-democracy movement in the city for many years.

    Meanwhile, the lawyers are almost done explaining why they think the activists should be found guilty.

    The prosecutors and defense lawyers will take a few days to finish their final speeches. They have submitted over a thousand pages of legal documents to the judges.

    The three judges in charge of the case said they will take another three to four months to make a decision during the hearing on Wednesday.

    The charges are about a special vote that the opposition groups organized in July 2020 to choose the candidates they liked for the Legislative Council election. This election was supposed to happen later that year.

    Political competitions like this happen a lot in democratic countries everywhere. Hong Kong has not been a full democracy, but after Britain gave it back to China in 1997, a small group of people who disagreed with the government was allowed to exist for a while.

    The scenery changed after the big and sometimes violent protests for democracy in 2019 and when the opposition won by a lot in local elections at the end of that year.

    The pro-democracy group wanted to use the primary election to win enough seats in the legislature to stop government laws from passing.

    Officials in Hong Kong accused the primary vote of being a dangerous plan to weaken the government and gain power by winning the majority of seats and using that power to stop new laws from being passed.

    Democracy activists in Hong Kong have been in court before. Many people have been tried and sent to jail for their activism. The trial of the “Hong Kong 47” is the biggest case against democracy leaders during Beijing’s rule. It is being closely watched in Hong Kong and around the world.

    The trial shows how the legal system in Hong Kong has changed because of the national security law. This law makes it a crime to break away from the government, undermine it, commit acts of terrorism, or work with foreign countries. The maximum punishment for these crimes is life in prison.

    In China, the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist Party and almost everyone who goes to trial is found guilty. On the other hand, Hong Kong uses a legal system based on common law, which was not changed when the former British colony was given back to China in 1997.

    However, new legal decisions are being made in cases involving national security.

    The trial of the “Hong Kong 47” was held without a jury, which goes against the usual way trials are done. This was allowed by a law imposed by Beijing. Three High Court Judges chosen by the city’s leader decide on national security cases. No trials with a jury have been held for cases about keeping the country safe in the city.

    The law makes it harder to get bail. Thirty-two people have been kept in jail since 2021 because they were not allowed to pay bail. This is not common for cases that do not involve murder. Only 15 people were allowed to leave jail while they wait for their trial, but two of them were sent back to jail because they didn’t follow the rules of their release.

    It also lets cases move to the mainland for trial in very serious situations. The leader of the city, John Lee, was asked if a new proposed bill in the US would cause cases in Hong Kong to be moved to the US.

    Lee said he believes Hong Kong can deal with security problems, including big cases. He trusts the city’s judges and law enforcement officers to handle it.

    Legal experts and governments in the West are upset that the national security law has made it harder for the city to have its own fair court system. But officials in Beijing and Hong Kong say it’s necessary for national security and have told foreign countries not to get involved in the city’s legal and internal matters.

    Prior to the trial starting in February, the Hong Kong government criticized the trial as a scandal and an act that goes against the law in Hong Kong.

    The election for the Legislative Council was postponed to 2021 because of health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. The defendants were hoping to win by holding the primary vote.

    While delaying, the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong changed the rules for the city’s elections. They made the rules stricter to remove candidates who are not considered patriotic.

    The government in Hong Kong has no lawmakers who support democracy, and there will also be no pro-democracy candidates in the district council elections in December.

  • Hong Kong court supports same-sex married couples’ right to equal housing

    Hong Kong court supports same-sex married couples’ right to equal housing

    A court in Hong Kong rejected the government’s attempt to prevent same-sex married couples from renting or owning public housing. The court deemed this action as discrimination and a complete denial of these couples’ rights.

    The Court of Appeal in Hong Kong made a decision on Tuesday that is another step forward for supporters of gay rights in the city. This is part of a trend of legal victories for the LGBTQ+ community in Hong Kong this year.

    The government disagreed with two court decisions that said it was wrong for the city’s housing authority to not let same-sex couples who got married in another country live in public housing.

    The appeal was about two situations. In one situation, the authority said no to a permanent resident who wanted to rent a public flat with his husband. They said no because their marriage in Canada wasn’t recognized in Hong Kong.

    A same-sex couple in Hong Kong were not allowed to jointly own a government-subsidized flat because their marriage in Britain was not accepted in Hong Kong.

    In a written decision, Judges Jeremy Poon, Aarif Barma, and Thomas Au from the Court of Appeal said that the way the authority handled gay married couples was unfair and discriminatory. They stated that these couples should be given the same treatment as others.

    “The judges said that the different treatment in these cases is a more severe kind of unfair treatment than most cases. This is because the requirement is something that same-sex couples can never fulfill. ”

    Henry Li, one of the men in the second case, expressed his approval of the ruling on Facebook.

    The Hong Kong Marriage Equality rights group also approved of the decision. They believe that it has clearly shown that discrimination and unfair treatment based on someone’s sexual orientation should not be allowed in public policy choices.

    In September, Hong Kong’s highest court decided against allowing same-sex marriage. However, they recognized that same-sex couples still require a different legal system to fulfill their basic social needs.

    The government had two years to create a plan.

    In September, a court in Hong Kong agreed with a married lesbian couple who said that both women should be recognized as parents of their child, who was born through reciprocal IVF.

    People in other parts of Asia are keeping an eye on Hong Kong’s courts. They hope that the decisions made there could impact movements pushing for change in their own countries.

  • Beijing commands HK consulates to provide information about local staff

    Beijing commands HK consulates to provide information about local staff

    Beijing has asked foreign consulates in Hong Kong to give them information about the local employees they have hired.

    According to local news, the Foreign Ministry in China’s city has requested that the data be handed in by 18 October.

    These rules affect all the people who work for foreign embassies in the city, whether they live there permanently or temporarily.

    The change would make sure that the laws in Hong Kong are the same as those in the rest of the country.

    Hong Kong is a place in China that has some independence since it stopped being ruled by Britain in 1997.

    However, after a series of large protests in 2019, the Chinese government gained more power over the city by implementing a very strict law that made it illegal to express opinions against them.

    The law makes it illegal to work together with foreign governments.

    The rule to get vaccinated was already there for Chinese employees of foreign embassies and consulates in mainland China. But it is believed that this is the first time this rule is being applied in Hong Kong.

    The Chinese authorities need certain information from the staff, such as their job titles, where they live, and their identity card numbers.

    According to the local media, Consulates have been told to provide personal information of new employees within 15 days of their start date.

    The letter said that the collected data could be given to other authorities to help them manage the local staff.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s office in Hong Kong has not clearly stated why they have made these requirements.

  • Heaviest downpour in Hong Kong results in two fatalities and hundreds of injuries

    Heaviest downpour in Hong Kong results in two fatalities and hundreds of injuries

    Two people died and over 100 people were injured after Hong Kong experienced its heaviest rainfall ever recorded since 1884.

    A video shows water flowing down hills and flooding streets, malls, metro stations, and tunnels up to the waist deep.

    The roads have broken and there have been landslides in many areas.

    I’ve never seen scenes like this before. In other typhoons before, it wasn’t as bad as this time. “I find it very scary,” said Connie Cheung, a 65-year-old assistant nurse from Hong Kong.

    The severe weather, caused by typhoon Haikui, also created disorder in the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, which is a center for technology and has more than 17. 7

    Even though the typhoon became less powerful and turned into a tropical depression, its slow-moving clouds released a lot of rain on areas that were still trying to recover from a very strong typhoon that occurred one week earlier.

    Hong Kong’s weather bureau issued its most severe ‘black’ rainstorm warning this morning.

    There was a lot of rain in Hong Kong recently, which caused a flash flood and landslides.
    It rained a lot in Hong Kong’s main island, Kowloon district, and northeastern part of the New Territories on Thursday. They recorded 200mm (7. 9ins)

    The highest level of emergency alerts, known as the ‘black’ alert, has been reduced. However, authorities have cautioned about the potential dangers due to ongoing flooding.

    John Lee, the person in charge of the city, said he was very worried about the serious flooding in most areas of the territory. He also mentioned that he had told all departments to make a huge effort in responding to this situation.
    Meanwhile, Eric Chan, who is in charge of administration, said that Hong Kong’s transportation system has been severely affected and a situation of extreme conditions will continue until midnight today.

    Pictures on social media showed that when a part of the road collapsed, some of the roads were damaged and a car got stuck in a large pothole.

    The news channel on TV stated that someone who was brought to the hospital by rescue workers was announced dead when they arrived at the hospital.
    Schools are closed, workers are told to stay at home, and Hong Kong’s stock exchange is not open.

    In Shenzhen, there was a lot of rain. It measured 465. 5 millimeters, which is equal to 1. 5 feetThis happened in a span of 12 hours. It is the highest amount of rainfall recorded since 1952 when they started keeping records.

    Videos from official media show people in the city using safety lines to help them walk carefully through water that reaches up to their knees. It has been said that today all schools, certain subway stations, and offices in that area have been closed.

  • Flash flooding shuts down city of Hong Kong following heaviest downpour

    Flash flooding shuts down city of Hong Kong following heaviest downpour

    A lot of rain fell in Hong Kong on Friday, causing big problems. Metro stations were flooded and drivers couldn’t move on the roads. The government closed schools and told people to find a safe place to stay.

    Pictures and videos showed people walking through dirty brown floodwaters as the city of 7. 5 million people continued to get heavy rain. In certain low-lying places, streets turned into fast-flowing rivers, and officials had to save drivers stranded in their cars.

    The heavy rain started on Thursday night, with the Hong Kong Observatory measuring over 158 millimeters (6. 2 inches) of rainfall between 11 p. mThe government stated that the highest amount of rainfall in one hour since records started in 1884 occurred at midnight.

    According to the OGimet weather website, certain areas of the city received almost 500 millimeters (19. 7 inches) of rain within a day.

    The very bad weather surprised a lot of people who live here and happened shortly after the strongest typhoon in five years hit Hong Kong.

    Typhoon Saola was a very strong storm that became weaker when it reached Hong Kong last weekend. However, it was still powerful enough to close the city and make hundreds of flights cancel. The typhoon caused harm to 86 individuals, according to the government.

    On Friday, heavy rain caused a lot of problems for transportation and businesses in the financial hub. The stock market didn’t open in the morning and all schools were closed for the day. On Friday, officials asked companies to let non-essential workers stay home or find a safe place due to dangerous travel conditions.

    Stuart Hargreaves, who lives in Hong Kong and works as a professor, had to sleep in his car because he got stuck and couldn’t go home on Thursday night. The roads were completely flooded and impossible to pass, according to him. At one time, the water was so high that it was flowing over the front of the car and he was worried it would damage the engine.

    Many other cars were also flooded and floating close by, he said. He found a safe spot to park his car, but he couldn’t leave because there was no way to get out. He had to wait until morning to leave. He said that when he finally got home after nine hours, the road was covered in rocks from landslides, debris from trees, and abandoned cars.

    As of Friday afternoon, Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority reported that 119 people have been hurt from the heavy rain. Four of them are in critical condition. The government said on Friday that they expect the harsh conditions to continue until at least midnight.

    The city’s subway system, Mass Transit Railway, said it will stop running trains on one of its lines because a station in the Wong Tai Sin area got flooded. Videos online show water rushing down the stairs of the station. Another video shows workers at a different station standing in water that goes up to their knees. They are having a hard time trying to prevent the water from flooding in.

    While some subway stations stayed open, the main bus, tram, and ferry services were stopped, says RTHK. Some buses started working again on Friday afternoon, but a lot of bus routes are still closed or going a different way.

    Several roads were closed because there was a risk of landslides in the hilly area. The authorities gave a “black” rainstorm warning, which is the highest level of warning, for the first time in two years.

    Videos from Thursday evening show water flooding into the first level of certain buildings and shopping malls. Objects like chairs and trash are spread out on the floor.

    The government also said that the area called the northern New Territories may experience flooding. This area is next to China. This warning came after the nearby city of Shenzhen announced it would let water out from a reservoir.

    The heavy rains in Shenzhen broke many city records for the most rain in two hours, three hours, six hours, and 12 hours. These records had not been broken since 1952.

    to 5 a. mon May 20, which broke the record of the heaviest rainfall in a single day in the city’s history. Thursday until 6 in the morning. State media reported that on Friday, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools were closed. There was a problem with transportation there, and they had to stop running six subway lines.

  • Breaking relations with China not credible – Cleverly

    Breaking relations with China not credible – Cleverly

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has explained that it is important to have discussions with Chinese officials in Beijing, as completely disconnecting from them would not be seen as believable or reliable.

    When Cleverly met China’s vice president, he said that this trip, which is the first one by an important UK representative in five years, would help prevent misunderstandings and mistakes.

    However, before his visit, some UK members of parliament criticized the government’s way of dealing with China as confusing.

    Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a senior member of the Conservative party, said that it is like appeasing someone.

    The relationship between the UK and China has gotten worse in the past few years because of worries about people’s rights in Hong Kong, China’s attempts to spy and influence people in the UK, and China supporting Russia when it invaded Ukraine.

    Mr Cleverly spoke to the BBC and said that his visit was a chance to talk clearly about their differences and collaborate when it benefits both parties.

    He said it would let the UK to “reopen communication” and added that not meeting in person could create “more chances for misunderstandings, lack of trust, and mistakes”.

    He said that one call, one visit, or one meeting won’t completely change things. However, if we communicate patiently, consistently, and reliably, it could make a difference.

    I talk about human rights, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and individual cases whenever I meet with Chinese government representatives.

    When asked about China’s support for Russia in Ukraine, Mr. Cleverly said that China wants the war to end fairly and successfully.

    I don’t believe China wants people to think that they support what Putin is doing, whether actively or without doing anything.

    I believe Beijing pays attention to what the world thinks about them. They know that their future depends on other countries around the world.

    Difficult to find or catch.

    On Wednesday, Mr. Cleverly had a meeting with China’s Vice President Han Zheng at a big building called the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He is also supposed to have discussions with China’s foreign affairs minister Wang Yi.

    The relationship between the UK and China has changed a lot since 2015 when David Cameron’s government called it a “golden era”.

    Back then, Chancellor George Osborne said the UK had become China’s top partner in the West, and Prime Minister Cameron took Chinese President Xi Jinping to a pub for a drink.

    However, since then, disagreements about various problems have caused relations to become very bad.

    The UK government has expressed dissatisfaction with China’s treatment of a specific group of Muslims called Uyghurs who live there. In 2021, the UK government also decided to prohibit a Chinese company named Huawei from participating in the country’s 5G network due to worries about safety and security.

    In the same year, China stopped five Members of Parliament (MPs) from entering the country. One of them was Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative party. China accused them of spreading false information and lies.

    Liz Truss, who was the prime minister, was said to be considering labeling China as a danger to the UK.

    Rishi Sunak didn’t want to go that far, but in 2022 he said that the good times of relations with China were over and trying to improve relationships had been foolish.

    MrCleverly is visiting at a time when the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Commons has expressed criticism towards the government’s dealings with China in a recent report on UK’s policies in Indo-Pacific region.

    The report says that the Chinese Communist Party’s activities are seen as a danger to the UK and the things it cares about.

    This statement raises worries that the government doesn’t have a clear plan and it asks for a version of its strategy on China to be published in a way that everyone can understand, so it can help both the public and private parts of society.

    The committee also says that all important ministers should be told about the more important version of the plan.

    The Conservative chairwoman of the committee, Alicia Kearns, said: “The secret China plan is hidden in the government offices and not shared with important ministers. ”

    How can people who create rules and laws do it without knowing the big plan.

    When asked if Mr. Cleverly should be going to Beijing, she told the BBC on Tuesday: “It is more important for us to be in the same place with them, even if we strongly disagree, instead of ending our relationship. ”
    ‘Weak’ means not strong or not having a lot of power or ability.

    But former leader of the Conservative party and minister Sir Iain called the visit the most recent part of “Project Kowtow”.

    He said to the PA news agency that the UK’s stance “strongly suggests giving in to avoid conflict”.

    “He said that we want to increase our business, so we don’t want to make the Chinese too angry. ”

    What happens is that they believe we are not strong enough.

    Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, accused the Conservative government of being divided, inconsistent, and complacent towards China for over ten years.

    He said the government needed to achieve real victories in diplomacy, like stopping Chinese sanctions on British parliament members.

  • US denounces Hong Kong’s ‘abuse’ of families of pro-democracy activists

    US denounces Hong Kong’s ‘abuse’ of families of pro-democracy activists

    The US State Department said on Friday that they really did not like the way the Hong Kong authorities were treating the family members of pro-democracy activists who are living in other countries.

    The US expressed worry about activists such as Nathan Law, Joshua Wong, and Elmer Yuen. It mentioned that their family members and friends were detained and questioned by the Hong Kong police, which was a major concern for the US.

    Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Hong Kong authorities should stop bothering the family members of democracy activists.

    Miller said that the intentional effort to scare and quiet down people who are using their basic rights and freedoms is continuing to make the situation in Hong Kong worse. This is another way to make people scared and quiet when they are in another country, and force them to come back.

    In July, Hong Kong police searched the home of a democratic activist named Law and took his family members away to ask them questions. They have offered a reward of HK$1 million for any information that can help catch Law and other well-known activists who are hiding outside their own country and are wanted for crimes against national security.

    The person named Law cut off contact with his family in Hong Kong after coming to Britain. He has been given permission to stay in the country because he is seeking protection from persecution.

    On July 11, his parents and older brother were taken away to be asked if they had been giving him money. According to the city’s public broadcaster RTHK, police sources said that all three were let go afterwards.

    Hong Kong police have reported that they have taken two men and a woman for questioning. They are being investigated by the national security department. It could not recognize them.

    The government of Hong Kong has said many times that the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 does not take away people’s freedoms. It says that the law stopped the disorder and brought back peace to the city after the big protests for democracy.

    Some people have said that lawyers and activists broke a law meant to protect the country. They are being accused of things like working with people from other countries and trying to overthrow the government.

    The US State Department asked the Hong Kong government and China to respect the rights and freedoms of the people in Hong Kong, as stated in the Basic Law and the agreement between China and Britain.

  • Man visits all countries in ten years without boarding any flight

    Man visits all countries in ten years without boarding any flight

    A man who claims to be the first to have been to every nation on earth without taking a single flight or turning around to go home has finished his journey.

    In his native Denmark’s harbour city of Aarhus, 44-year-old Torbjorn “Thor” Pedersen says he has just completed a 10-year voyage around the world that was totally completed by rail, bus, boat, and foot.

    “I’ve been dreaming about coming back home and having it over with and done,” he said, describing his arrival as “bittersweet.” The day is over, then. I’m concerned about the future at the same time.

    He said, “There are many things in the air and the unknown, mixed emotions.”

    On October 10, 2013, Mr. Pedersen, who had previously worked in shipping and for the UN as a peacekeeper, left.

    Had the pandemic not kept him in Hong Kong for two years, his voyage may have taken less time.

    I figured it would take a total of no more than four years, maybe three and a half if I went a little quick, he added.

    Le Gjerum, who flew out to see him and travel with him about 30 times during his journey, and he also kept up a long-distance romance.

    Due to COVID-19, Ms. Gjerum, who is now his wife, said she admired her husband’s resilience but was looking forward to starting a “daily life together.”

    According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Graham Hughes, a British citizen, was the first person to travel to every nation without using an aeroplane; however, unlike Mr Pedersen, Mr Hughes made two home visits while on his journey.

    Not all records have been broken this year, though.

    Heidi Crowter, a resident of Coventry in the West Midlands, set a Guinness World Record earlier in June by recalling the birth dates of 70 celebrities in less than 180 seconds.

    The Down’s syndrome-afflicted 27-year-old said: “I am feeling very proud of myself.” I have been writing a birthday list and practising a lot because I love to share my delight of birthdays with other people.

    The oldest living dog in the world, Bobi, celebrated his 31st birthday with 100 guests a month earlier at his owner’s property in Portugal.

    For the second time in 13 years, a woman in the US broke the record for the largest natural afro in April.

  • Super typhoon develops as Storm Doksuri approaches the Philippines

    Super typhoon develops as Storm Doksuri approaches the Philippines

    Forecasters have issued a super typhoon warning for a major storm that is moving across the Pacific Ocean in the direction of the Philippines and might hit the country’s northern region before making landfall on mainland China later this week.

    Doksuri, a super typhoon with gusts of about 150 mph (240 kph), is comparable to an Atlantic hurricane of category 4.

    Within the next 24 hours, the storm is predicted to pass over or come within striking distance of the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines, where it is now travelling north-northwest at a speed of 9 mph (15 kph).

    Along with the heavy winds, significant rainfall is also expected, especially across the Babuyan Islands and northern Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most populous island. “Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are highly likely,” the bureau warned.

    The threat for high storm surge is also expected, with maximum surge heights potentially exceeding 10 foot, the bureau added.

    Doksuri, also known as Egay in the Philippines, is projected to continue northwest, passing close to the eastern side of Taiwan, where heavy rainfall is expected, and Hong Kong, before making landfall in southern China later this week.

    China’s National Meteorological Center projects Doksuri will hit coastal regions in the eastern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong on Friday morning. Fujian province has upgraded its typhoon emergency warning to the third-highest level on Tuesday, and has asked fishing boats to return to port as soon as possible.

    But the typhoon’s exact path is still uncertain, with the Hong Kong Observatory saying over the weekend there were several possible routes it could go.

    The observatory said the typhoon’s final trajectory will be guided by a variety of factors, such as subtropical ridges that bring high atmospheric pressure, or monsoon troughs that bring low pressure.

    Communities in the typhoon’s path are now bracing for impact, with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. suspending all public school classes and closing government offices in the capital region on Monday, except for those performing critical services. The suspension was also in part due to a 3-day strike by transport workers.

    The Philippine also urged people living in “highly susceptible” areas to follow evacuation orders and other instructions from local officials.

    The Hong Kong Observatory has asked the public to monitor weather announcements, warning the typhoon will bring high heat and thunderstorms ahead of its arrival. The city has just experienced another storm, Typhoon Talim, a week ago, which prompted authorities to close schools and the stock market.

    Strong wind advisories have been issued for the southern portion of Taiwan, specifically the coastlines of Taitung and Pingtung counties. These will be strengthened as Doksuri continues to approach the island, with the main threats being heavy rainfall, landslides, high winds and storm surge.

  • Bruce Lee’s 50th anniversary commemorated by fans

    Bruce Lee’s 50th anniversary commemorated by fans

    This week, fans are conducting exhibitions and martial arts classes in Hong Kong to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the famous martial artist Bruce Lee’s passing in 1973.

    At a time when racial stereotypes were prevalent, the celebrity paved the way for Asian males in Hollywood. Lee demonstrated that Asian males may be more than just valets or bad guys.

    Lee, who was raised in Hong Kong after being born in San Francisco, continued his education there.

    Before getting the part of Kato in the television series “The Green Hornet,” he taught martial arts and received little roles in Hollywood.

    A martial arts movie called “The Big Boss” that he landed as the lead after returning to Hong Kong gave him his big break and, after the 1971 release of the movie, made him well-known throughout Asia.

    Lee’s reputation as a ruthless, lightning-fast fighter was cemented by the success of “Fist of Fury” and “The Way of the Dragon” at the box office the following year.

    His brain swelled, resulting in his death in 1973 at the age of just 32, and this was linked to a negative reaction to medications. “Enter the Dragon,” his fourth significant motion picture, had just wrapped up filming when he began work on his fifth.

    Lee expressed a sort of Chinese culture in his films, according to film expert Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park, who taught Lee’s films at the University of Hong Kong.

    “I would call Bruce Lee a paragon of Sinophone soft power success with Hong Kong characteristics,” he says .

    The scenes where he bares his torso and flexes his muscles were essential because they show how ripped bodies can belong to Asian heroes as well.

    “He made Asian men sexy, and that is something I don’t think we talk about enough,” Magnan-Park says.

  • Former Super eagles striker joins Hong Kong Club

    Former Super eagles striker joins Hong Kong Club

    Former Nigerian international, Ogenyi Onazi, has officially joined Kitchee SC, the Hong Kong-based team said on July 12 in a statement.

    The 30-year-old, who most recently played for the Italian team Casertana, is one of the Chinese team’s five new additions.

    The team’s coach, Alex Chu, was quoted as saying in a club statement that he was impressed with Onazi’s box-to-box ability.

    “Head Coach Alex Chu expressed his admiration for the Nigerian, saying his energy, box-to-box potential, and experienced profile will be a great addition to Kitchee in the hunt for the AFC Champions League”

    He last featured for Italian Serie D side Casertana, having also had stints in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Lithuania.

    He was part of the Super Eagles side that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and was also included in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Daily Post added.

    Onazi joined Remo Stars in training

    Recall that Ogenyi Onazi was spotted training with Nigeria Professional Football League side Remo Stars in the middle of last season.

    Players and officials of the NPFL outfit were delighted to have the footballer in their midst while they prepared for a league game.

    It was a moment to reunite with ex-home-based Super Eagles star Dayo Ojo, who was also at the heated session.

    Onazi says playing against Messi was tough

    Sports Brief earlier reported that Onazi once stated emphatically that it was very difficult for him and other teammates to stop Lionel Messi at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

    Keshi and his wards, against all odds, did well to win the 2013 African Cup of Nations, beating the likes of Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, who were the favourites.

    He disclosed that he had nightmares playing against the Argentine at the 2014 World Cup.

  • Hong Kong police criticised for paying fugitive democracy advocates bounty

    Hong Kong police criticised for paying fugitive democracy advocates bounty

    Eight famous democracy campaigners were given $1 million ($127,603) rewards by Hong Kong police on Monday. This action was widely rebuked by rights organisations and Western countries.

    The activists, which include former MPs Nathan Law, Dennis Kwok, and Ted Hui, have been charged with offences related to national security, such as colluding with foreign powers and subverting the government.

    Many of the activists have persisted in speaking out against Beijing’s alleged onslaught on the liberties and autonomy of their home city since departing Hong Kong in recent years.

    The group of seven men and one woman are now based in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia – countries that have suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong due to concerns of the controversial national security law.

    The sweeping law was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020, after huge pro-democracy protests roiled the semi-autonomous city in the previous year. It criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign powers and carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

    Critics say the legislation has been used to crush the city’s opposition movement, overhaul its electoral system, silence its outspoken media and cripple its once-vibrant civil society. Many of Hong Kong’s prominent pro-democracy figures have either been detained or fled into self-imposed exile.

    The Hong Kong government has repeatedly denied the national security law is suppressing freedoms. Instead, it insists the law has ended chaos and restored stability to the city.

    On Monday, police told a press conference 260 people had been arrested under the national security law, with 79 of them convicted for offenses including subversion and terrorism.

    Senior Superintendent Steve Li, with the police national security department, told reporters police had obtained arrest warrants from the court for the eight activists.

    “We’re absolutely not staging any show or spreading terror. We’re enforcing the law,” he said.

    The move was condemned by the United States, Britainand Australia, whose governments urged Hong Kong to withdraw the bounty offer and expressed concern about the targeting of democratic figures.

    The non-profit organization Human Rights Watch also lambasted the national security law as creating a “veneer of legitimacy in wiping out Hong Kong people’s human rights,” urging democratic governments to offer greater protections to activists in exile or impose more sanctions on the Hong Kong government.

    The city’s leader, John Lee, a former police officer and security chief, rebuked these criticisms on Tuesday – and warned the exiled activists to surrender themselves or face “living in fear every day.”

    Kevin Yam, a lawyer who is among the eight targeted, said he had been “flooded with congratulations” for having the “honor to be on the list” since the police press conference Monday.

    “I feel no joy over this, but feel sad for Hong Kong that people now see things this way, because it is an indication of how low Hong Kong has gone in the eyes of many,” he told CNN from Australia.

    Law, now based in Britain, said in a statement that while the news was stressful and meant he’d have to be more careful while traveling, it didn’t come as a surprise. He criticized the national security law as being used to “suppress dissenting voices,” and reiterated his hope for Hong Kong to one day gain full democracy.

    “I am just a Hong Konger speaking out for Hong Kongers – that’s all,” he said, and urged the public not to cooperate with the bounty offer. “We should not silence or limit ourselves, we should not be politically intimidated or blackmailed, or live in fear.”

    Anna Kwok, also one of the exiled activists named on Monday, wrote on Twitter that the photo published by police was one she’d taken at 18 years old for her ID card.

    “The 18-year-old me would never have thought the photo would be publicized globally in an arrest warrant (with a bounty) 8 years later,” she wrote.

    In a longer statement, Kwok, who is now based in the US, said the move was “clearly” meant to intimidate pro-democracy supporters and encourage “further purges” of remaining activists.

  • Hong Kong’s anti-government song disappears from streaming platforms

    Hong Kong’s anti-government song disappears from streaming platforms

    Days after Hong Kong‘s local government filed an order to ban the song, a well-known song from the city’s democracy campaign has started to vanish from several major music streaming services, even in some foreign countries.

    Demonstrators sang variants of “Glory to Hong Kong” throughout the massive rallies that raged around the city for months on end that year, and it eventually became the unofficial song of the city’s now-crumbling democracy protests.

    The ballad’s lyrics make reference to the term “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which the government and courts declared to have secessionist and subversive implications and was previously banned in 2020.

    Multiple versions of the song posted by “ThomasDGX & HongKongers,” known to be the original composer of the orchestral anthem, were no longer available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Google to users within the city on Wednesday.

    Multiple versions and covers of the song have been recorded by other artists.

    The titles of those covers can still be seen on Spotify in other parts of the world, including the United States, South Korea and Australia.

    But when CNN reporters in those countries tried to play the songs they were listed as “unavailable.”

    Spotify told CNN that the song was removed by the distributor and not by the platform.

    Users in the US cannot purchase the song on Apple Music either, although it also still yields search results on the platform.

    The song can no longer be found on Apple Music and KKBOX in Taiwan, however multiple versions of it are still available on YouTube.

    CNN has reached out to YouTube, Apple Music, KKBOX, and Alphabet – the parent company of Google – for comment.

    By Monday, several new uploads of the song reappeared on YouTube, and the tune could be found again on Spotify and Apple Music – even within Hong Kong.

    A Facebook account tied to the original composers said they have re-uploaded the soundtrack on several music platforms as a “2023 Edition,” after initially saying last week that they were “dealing with some technical issues unrelated to the streaming services.”

    “(We) stand firm against any attempts to suppress freedom of thought and speech,” the latest post on Monday said, adding that the composers back listeners’ “refusal to lose their freedom to choose music.”

    CNN has reached out to the Hong Kong government for comment following the reappearance of the tracks.

    Following its 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs. As a result it flourished as a bastion for free speech and creative expression within authoritarian China.

    But a crackdown on dissent in the aftermath of the democracy protests has since transformed the city, especially after a sweeping national security law was imposed by Beijing in 2020.

    Protest leaders have been arrested or driven into exile, while the government persists on scrubbing references to the social unrest and calls for democracy in the city. New laws have also been passed to increase censorship of films to “safeguard national security.”

    Music is now coming under closer scrutiny.

    Hong Kong’s government filed a court injunction on June 5 seeking to ban the broadcast or distribution of the protest song after it was mistakenly played at several international sporting events.

    Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, city leader John Lee – a former police chief – said authorities were taking action because “Glory to Hong Kong” was “not compatible with the national interest.”

    Under the injunction filed by the Department of Justice, the song’s “melody or lyrics or in combination” would be banned to avoid “inciting others to commit secession.”

    It further seeks to restrain anyone from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing (the song) in any way.”

    The writ also listed 32 YouTube videos of the song, including instrumental and sign language versions.

    The government’s bid to outlaw the song was heard in the High Court on Monday, but the judge has postponed a decision on the interim injunction to July 21, public broadcaster RTHK reported.

    The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Sarah Brooks, described the government’s move to outlaw the song as “absurd.”

    “The Hong Kong government must end its increasingly fervent crackdown on freedom of expression. A song is not a threat to national security, and national security may not be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views,” Brooks said.

    The semi-autonomous city does not have its own anthem. It uses the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers” at events and in schools ever since it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, while during the years under British rule, the city sang “God Save The Queen.”

    The use of “Glory to Hong Kong” at international sporting events infuriated officials who previously criticized Google for listing the song in search results for the city’s anthem, something Google said was decided by its algorithm which returns results based on a host of criteria including popularity and relevance.

    Playing the song in public in Hong Kong is now fraught with legal risk. Last year, a man who played the tune on a harmonica during a vigil for Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II was arrested by police on suspicion of sedition.

  • 2 women killed in mall knife attack in Hong Kong

    2 women killed in mall knife attack in Hong Kong

    A frantic, seemingly random attack that left two women dead in a Hong Kong mall has stunned the city, where violent crime is uncommon.

    Graphic videos that have been going viral on social media seem to show the assailant pinning one of the women to the ground and stabbing her repeatedly. They also show the woman’s friend attempting, but failing, to repel the assailant. She too was later stabbed, though it is not visible in the video.

    Police say the two victims, ages 22 and 26, died after being transported to the hospital after being injured many times in the incident at the Hollywood Plaza shopping centre in Diamond Hill on Friday afternoon.

    Police senior superintendent Elieen Chung Lai-yee said the attacker – who does not appear to have known the two women – purchased the 12-inch knife used in the attack in the same mall, shortly before the stabbing.

    “He walked around for a few minutes and then launched his attack on the first victim,” she said.

    Lai said the other woman came forward to stop him, but became a target herself.

    “We found multiple knife wounds on (the two women) and they were bleeding profusely,” she said.

    Police said they had arrested a 39-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murder and that the suspect has a history of mental illness.

    The attack has shocked a city where violent crime of any sort is relatively rare, particularly so because of the apparently random nature of the incident.

    The city sees only a few dozen homicides each year, compared to several hundred in New York. And it recorded only 77 robberies last year – compared to more than 17,000 in New York and 24,000 in London.

    On Saturday, some members of the public left floral tributes at the mall, which is in a largely residential area in the north of the city.

    The city’s leader, Chief Executive John Lee, said in a statement on Saturday that he was saddened by the attack and had sent condolences to the families of the two women.

    Lee, a former police officer, also urged citizens to stop sharing footage of the attack online and said members of the public should “seek professional support if they experience any emotional distress.”

  • Hong Kong dismisses reports of detaining Uyghur student

    Hong Kong dismisses reports of detaining Uyghur student

    Hong Kong authorities have refuted allegations of detaining Abuduwaili Abudureheman, a Uyghur scholar who is believed to have gone missing after arriving in the city earlier this month, according to human rights activists.

    Abuduwaili Abudureheman had sent a text message to a friend on May 10th, stating that he was being interrogated by police at the airport. Since then, his friends have not heard from him, as reported by Amnesty International.

    Amnesty International has called on Hong Kong to disclose Abuduwaili’s whereabouts, but the government dismissed the demand as slander and labeled it as “groundless and unfounded.”

    Hong Kong authorities further stated that there is no record of Abuduwaili’s arrival in the territory or any denial of entry.

    The Chinese government, which has been accused of a harsh crackdown on the Uyghur Muslim minority, denies these allegations.

    Abuduwaili, who was born in Xinjiang, had resided in South Korea for the past seven years, where he obtained a PhD in the sports industry and leisure. Amnesty stated that he had traveled from Seoul to Hong Kong to visit a friend.

    Amnesty International reported receiving information that Abuduwaili was on a “watch list” of Uyghurs and other Muslims from the Xinjiang region who had traveled outside of China.

    The organization also documented multiple cases of Uyghurs being detained in China and abroad solely based on their history of foreign travel.

    “The unknown fate of Abuduwaili Abudureheman is deeply worrying, given the background of crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs by the Chinese government in Xinjiang, and its ongoing pursuit of Uyghurs who have travelled overseas,” said Alkan Akad, an Amnesty researcher.

    The US, UK and international human rights monitors have accused Beijing of detaining about one million Uyghurs in so-called “re-education camps” in Xinjiang, , separating children from their families and breaking their cultural traditions.

    The region is also cloaked in a pervasive network of surveillance, including police, checkpoints, and cameras that scan everything from number plates to individual faces.

    China has also been accused of targeting Muslim figures and banning religious practices in Xinjiang, as well as destroying mosques and tombs.

    In a landmark report last year, the UN accused China of “serious human rights violations” in Xinjiang that “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”.

    It also urged China to release “all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty”.

    China called the UN report a “farce” arranged by Western powers.

  • Hong Kong goes nose mask free after 959 days

    Hong Kong goes nose mask free after 959 days

    About three years after it was implemented to stop the virus from spreading, one of the last significant international cities to need facial coverings said on Tuesday that it would do away with its contentious Covid mask requirement.

    Facial coverings were required in all public areas of Hong Kong, and the requirement was enforced by $1,000+ fines.

    Although the majority of city dwellers had started donning masks months earlier as reports of coronavirus infections spread, causing panic buying and shortages as early as January that year, the rule went into effect for public transportation on July 15, 2020, and it was expanded two weeks later to include indoor and outdoor areas.

    The mandate will be fully lifted on Wednesday, the city’s leader John Lee said at a news briefing Tuesday – 959 days since the transport rule was imposed.

    “We are now returning to normalcy,” Lee said, as the Asian financial hub launches a major push to welcome back business travelers and tourists.

    Hong Kong has rolled back several other major controls in recent months, most notably mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals, a move celebrated by travel-starved residents, overseas family members and struggling local businesses.

    See how Hong Kong is trying to revitalize itself after Covid-19

    Speaking at the same news briefing Tuesday, Health Secretary Lo Mau-chung said that with the lifting of the mask mandate, “We have now removed all epidemic restrictions.”

    “I’m looking forward to seeing a smile on everyone’s face now,” he said. However, he added, the government still advises the wearing of masks in “high risk” settings such as elderly care homes and hospitals.

    Most other places in Asia have either fully or partially eased their mask mandates in recent months, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

    The World Health Organization still recommends health workers wear masks, with Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of WHO’s Covid response, warning that the virus was “circulating pretty much unchecked around the world at the moment.”

    For much of the pandemic, Hong Kong held the unenviable title of having some of the world’s most stringent pandemic policies – such as the strict quarantine, which at one point required up to 21 days of isolation in a hotel room, with no visitors allowed and the windows locked shut.

    Authorities had argued the isolation period was necessary to reduce imported cases and stamp out local transmission – previously one of the benchmarks necessary to reopen the city’s border with mainland China, which had adhered to a strict zero-Covid policy until it abruptly reopened at the end of last year.

    One of the world’s longest border closures ended. See the scene of family reunion

    The mask mandate, too, drew criticism at times; in July 2020, during the peak of Hong Kong’s humid and sweltering summer, the government expanded the mandate to require masks even when exercising outdoors. It backtracked just weeks later amid public outcry, acknowledging that people had “shied away from exercising” due to the rule.

    “Face masks have played an important role in reducing community transmission in Hong Kong but now that almost everyone is vaccinated and most people have also been infected, dropping the legal mandate is well past due,” said Karen Grepin, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health.

    “People can now do their own risk assessment to determine if they want to wear one or not.”

  • Three detained over the dismembered body of model Abby Choi in Hong Kong

    Three detained over the dismembered body of model Abby Choi in Hong Kong

    Following the discovery of model and influencer Abby Choi‘s dismembered remains, police in Hong Kong announced on Saturday that they had detained three suspects.

    In a rental apartment in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po area on Friday afternoon, pieces of the 28-year-body, old’s together with a meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing, were discovered, according to a news release from the police.

    Three people, according to the police, were taken into custody and questioned.

    As a model, Choi had enjoyed international exposure and was photographed at the Elie Saab Spring Summer 2023 Haute Couture show in Paris, France, as recently as last month.

    The police received a missing person’s report on Wednesday for Choi. She had not been seen since the day before.

    The investigation, including the cause of death, continues, police said.

  • Hong Kong 47’s landmark trial begins amid heavy security

    Hong Kong 47’s landmark trial begins amid heavy security

    A group of politicians and activists who support democracy have been charged with subversion for holding an unofficial primary.

    More than two years after they were detained in dawn police raids across the territory, the national security trial of dozens of people had started in Hong Kong.

    These defendants range from activists and legal scholars to former pro-democracy legislators.

    In order to select their candidates for the 2020 Legislative Council election, which the government later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the defendants are accused of “subversion” for holding an unofficial primary.

    Prior to the proceedings, there was a significant police presence outside the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts building, including officers with dogs.

    Some people began lining up overnight for a seat in the public gallery, with the queue snaking around the building by the morning.

    “There’s certainly huge sympathy for the people who are standing trial,” said Al Jazeera’s Richard Kimber, reporting from Hong Kong. “There’s certainly a lot of frustration that it’s taken this long to get to this stage and that those who’ve been detained have not been able to speak out since they were arrested.”

    Those charged include prominent activists Leung Kwok-hung, known as “Long Hair”, and Gordon Ng Ching-hang, who faces potential life imprisonment as one of five people accused of being a “major organiser” of the primary.

    “There’s no crime to answer. It is not a crime to act against a totalitarian regime,” defendant and former legislator Leung told the court.

    Judge Andrew Chan responded that the hearing was a “solemn occasion” and asked for respect from the defendants and members of the public.

    Those who have pleaded guilty include internationally-known activists like Joshua Wong, Claudia Mo, a former journalist turned legislator, and law expert and former academic Benny Tai.

    Together, the 47 accused account for much of what remains of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leadership after mass protests calling for political reform in 2019 came to an inconclusive end with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the national security law pushed many into exile.

    People queuing to vote in the primary the pro-democracy movement organised for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were later postponed.
    People queueing to vote in the primary the pro-democracy movement organised for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were later postponed. Prosecutors argue the unofficial poll was a “vicious plot” [File: 
    May James/AFP]

    Prosecutors have described the primary — held so the democrats could put forward their strongest candidates for the Hong Kong Legislative Council(Legco) election — as a “vicious plot” to subvert the government and wreak “mutual destruction” on it by taking control of the city’s legislature.

    “Running for the Legco election is what kind of illegal means, what kind of violent threat?” Chan Po-ying, chairwoman of the League of Social Democrats and Leung’s wife, said outside the court.

    The trial is expected to continue for 90 days.

    Sentencing of all the defendants will take place after it has concluded.

    Under the security law, which took effect on June 30, 2020, the defendants face up to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit subversive activities, between three and 10 years imprisonment for “active participation” in the conspiracy, and between 10 years and life imprisonment if they are deemed “principal offenders”.

    Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula meant to guarantee its freedoms and an independent legal system for at least 50 years.

    Beijing imposed the broadly-worded security law on the city after months of protests that began as mass marches against plans to allow extradition to the mainland, and evolved into a campaign for democracy that sometimes turned violent.

    As well as subversion, the law punishes actions deemed “secession”, “collusion with foreign forces”, and “terrorism” with up to life in prison.

    A year after it was imposed, rights group Amnesty International said it had “decimated” freedoms in Hong Kong and put the territory on the road to becoming a police state.

  • China, Hong Kong and Macau to reopen borders, eliminating all COVID-19 testing

    China, Hong Kong and Macau to reopen borders, eliminating all COVID-19 testing

    For almost three years, borders have been closed, dividing families and disrupting tourism and other industries.

    After nearly three years of closure, China has announced that it will completely reopen its borders with the territories of Hong Kong and Macau, eliminating COVID-19 testing requirements and daily quotas.

    The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council announced on Friday that all remaining restrictions would be lifted at midnight on February 6 and that group tours would be permitted to resume.

    After Beijing abandoned the “zero COVID” strategy, which had divided families, cut off tourism, and choked businesses, limited border crossings between Hong Kong and the mainland resumed in January.

    Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Friday that partial reopening had been “orderly, safe and smooth”.

    Hong Kong has been largely sealed off for much of the past three years as its government sought to follow Beijing’s pandemic policies with mandatory quarantine of up to three weeks for arrivals, as well as intensive testing and screening.

    The former British colony began to unwind some of its rules in the middle of 2022, and Lee announced that the territory would now scrap the longstanding requirement for all visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

    Searches on Chinese travel website Qunar for round-trip air tickets between Hong Kong and the mainland increased sevenfold on Friday after China’s announcement, data from state media China Transportation News showed.

    People from the mainland have long made up the vast majority of visitors to Hong Kong, with about 51 million arrivals in 2018, nearly seven times the city’s population.

    The prolonged pandemic restrictions are estimated to have cost the territory about $27bn and local officials are hoping an influx of visitors will revitalise the once-vibrant tourism and retail industries.

    The full opening of the borders comes a day after Lee rolled out a rebranding campaign to woo overseas tourists, pledging more than half a million free flights and “no isolation, no quarantine and no restriction.

    Outdoor masking remains compulsory in Hong Kong, although Lee has said the policy could be scrapped once cases of flu ease.

  • Hong Kong on democracy test as 47 prepare to face court

    Hong Kong on democracy test as 47 prepare to face court

    The activists and politicians were apprehended in a dawn raid two years ago, and they are accused of organising an unofficial primary ahead of a legislative election that was later postponed.

    On Monday, Hong Kong’s largest national security trial began with 47 pro-democracy activists and politicians accused of “conspiring to commit subversion” by holding an unofficial public vote in 2020, just days after a new, stringent security law was put into place.

    16 people are anticipated to enter not guilty pleas, though that number may change by Monday as defendants consider their options in light of possible sentences.

    Those charged include prominent activists “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and Gordon Ng Ching-hang, who faces potential life imprisonment as one of five people accused of being a “major organiser” of a poll conceived as a way for the democratic camp to choose their strongest candidates for a Legislative Council election that was later postponed.

    Defendants who plead guilty will be sentenced after the trial has concluded and include internationally-known activists like Joshua Wong, who has already been convicted on other charges, and Claudia Mo, a former journalist turned legislator. Together, the 47 account for much of what remains of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leadership after mass protests calling for political reform in 2019 came to an inconclusive end with the arrival of COVID-19, and the national security law pushed many into exile.

    Unofficially on trial is the future of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, said Eric Lai, a non-resident fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law, as “pro-democracy activities and participating in the legislature” could be seen as threats to national security in the future.

    “The majority of public opinion in the city, the pro-democracy camp, has received more than 60 percent of the vote in the previous decade’s elections and now the government chose to arrest and criminalise all the major leaders in Hong Kong,” Lai told Al Jazeera.

    “In a way, it’s a trial for these leaders but also for their supports.”

    Former lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan appears outside court after a prosecution appeal against her being given bail was rejected. She's wearing a lime green t-shirt and has her hands clasped together in thanks. She is accompanied by another woman. Media are around her.
    Only a few of the 47 arrested have secured bail, including former legislator Helena Wong Pik-wan. The prosecutor’s appeal against the decision was rejected [File: Lam Yik/Reuters]

    Under the security law, which took effect on June 30, 2020, the defendants face up to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit subversive activities, between three and 10 years imprisonment for “active participation” in the conspiracy, and between 10 years and life imprisonment if they are deemed “principal offenders”.

    The latter charge applies only to Ng and four other defendants: former university professor Benny Tai,  former legislator Au Nok-hin, and former district councillors Andrew Hiu Ka-yin and Chung Kam-lun.

    Tai and Au face some of the most serious charges, according to court documents, for their “clear attempt to subvert the State power, paralyse the operation of the [Hong Kong] Government”, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also allege the defendants hoped a crackdown on their activities would garner international support and lead to the imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

    Media ban

    Held in July 2020, the vote was intended as an unofficial “primary” for pro-democracy candidates running in the planned September 2020 Legislative Council election.

    Candidates hoped to secure a victory for the democracy camp and use the electoral majority to bring about democratic change in Hong Kong.

    Some of the platform echoed demands from the city’s mass protests in 2014 and 2019, including the resignation of then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into allegations of police brutality during the protests and political reform with the aim of introducing universal suffrage for the territory.

    Under Hong Kong’s current political system, its leader is chosen by a group of people selected by Beijing and only a portion of its legislative seats are decided by the popular vote.

    The July 2020 election drew more than 600,000 voters, many of whom waited in line for hours to take part, but the results were de facto voided when the government announced the legislative election would be delayed for a year due to COVID-19.

    Following the poll, as Hong Kong locked down, police swooped on the 47 defendants and six other individuals in a dawn round-up of a kind typically reserved for organised crime groups.

    The vast majority of the 47 have been kept in prison since their arrest in January 2021, with bail granted to just 13 people. Due to strict COVID-19 regulations, detained activists were unable to see their families and lawyers, or receive mail, for months.

    Some defendants have reportedly been unable to access Statements of Facts detailing the charges levelled against them, so their lawyers have been forced to proceed blindly through the legal system. The case was subject to a media ban that was only lifted in August last year.

    William Nee, a researcher and advocacy coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders, likens the trial to a “pre-emptive strike” against an entire generation of democracy activists and former legislators who range in age from 24 to 66.

    “The charges are absolutely absurd from an international law point of view. People have the right to run for office. Once elected, they have the right to vote how they want. Clearly, Beijing is saying the mere fact you might want to run and cast votes that go against our wishes is a conspiracy to commit subversion is absolutely against international laws and standards,” Nee said.

    “That’s what’s in many ways so egregious about this case. It’s a naked assault on democracy in Hong Kong.”

    Unpredictable

    Under Hong Kong’s common law system, criminal defendants can typically receive a reduction in their sentence of as much as 25 percent for pleading guilty on the first day of trial, but this does not apply to national security trials. Neither does the jury system, with this trial to be heard by a panel of three judges hand-picked by the city’s chief executive.

    A line of police on the street as a prison van arrives for a pre-trial hearing in relation to the case of the 47
    The trial is expected to last about 90 days with some defendants facing a life term for alleged ‘subversion’ [File: Isaac Lawrence/AFP]

    Maya Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch describes the national security system as a “Frankenstein” parallel system carved into Hong Kong’s once respected legal system.

    The trial is expected to last about 90 days. It is possible that at the end of it, the accused will receive a reprieve of “time served” for their pre-trial detention but most face a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment.

    “Everything is going to be quite unpredictable as we go along. I think what is quite clear is that Beijing is using fairly elaborate legalese to dismantle Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement,” Wang told Al Jazeera.

    “Seeing them on trial and being detained is such a cognitive dissonance for so many people in Hong Kong. It really is a visual representation of repression.”

  • Goldman Sachs staff in Asia laid off as global job-cuts begins

    Goldman Sachs staff in Asia laid off as global job-cuts begins

    A major US investment bank is embarking on a massive cost-cutting drive that will result in the loss of thousands of jobs.

    Goldman Sachs employees are waiting to hear whether they will keep their jobs as the US investment bank embarks on a massive cost-cutting drive that could result in thousands of layoffs from its 49,000-strong global workforce.

    The long-anticipated job cuts at the Wall Street titan are expected to be the largest since the financial crisis, affecting most of the bank’s major divisions, with its under-fire investment banking arm facing the deepest cuts, a source told Reuters this month.

    A little more than 3,000 employees will be let go on January 9, according to an unnamed source.

    The cuts began in Asia on Wednesday, where Goldman completed cutting back its private wealth management unit and let go of 11 private bank staff in its Hong Kong and Singapore offices, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

    About eight staff were also laid off in Goldman’s research department in Hong Kong, the source added, with layoffs ongoing in the investment bank and other divisions.

    Goldman’s redundancy plans will be followed by a broader spending review taking in corporate travel and expenses, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, as it counts the costs of a huge slowdown in corporate dealmaking and a slump in capital markets activity since the war in Ukraine.

    Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

    Goldman had 49,100 employees at the end of the third quarter in 2022, after adding significant numbers of staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

    The lender is also slashing its annual bonus payments this year to reflect the depressed market conditions, with payouts expected to fall by about 40 percent.

    Global investment banking fees nearly halved in 2022, with $77bn earned by the banks, down from $132.3bn one year earlier, Dealogic data showed.

    Banks struck $517bn worth of equity capital markets (ECM) transactions by late December 2022, the lowest level since the early 2000s and a 66 percent drop from 2021’s bonanza, according to Dealogic.

    Source: Aljazeera.com
  • China to open border with Hong Kong after years of tight control

    China to open border with Hong Kong after years of tight control

    The Chinese government announced on Thursday that it will reopen its border with Hong Kong on January 8, nearly three years after it was largely shut in an effort to contain the spread of Covid.

    Up to 60,000 Hong Kong residents will be able to cross the border into the mainland as a gradual reopening of border control points begins, Hong Kong leader John Lee told media on Thursday following an announcement from Beijing.

    The shift will eliminate what had been a mandatory quarantine for travelers from Hong Kong to the mainland. All travelers will be required to test negative for Covid via a PCR test within 48 hours prior to crossing, and passenger quotas apply to travel in both directions.

    The announced reopening falls on the same day China will drop quarantine requirements for international arrivals and scrap a number of Covid restrictions on airlines in place since the start of the pandemic.

    The changes come amid Beijing’s sudden dismantling of its stifling Covid controls, following nationwide protests. The apparent reopening of the mainland comes after three years of self-imposed global isolation, during which efforts to resume regular transit with Hong Kong were repeatedly delayed.

    Most of previously bustling border crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China had been shut since early 2020, placing a heavy burden on families and businesses with ties on both sides.

    The quota includes 50,000 people to travel via three land checkpoints, while the remaining 10,000 are for people traveling via the Hong Kong International Airport, two ferry piers and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

    The cap does not apply to Hong Kong residents traveling back to Hong Kong from the mainland, nor mainland Chinese traveling back to the mainland from Hong Kong, Lee said.

    In addition to testing, advance bookings will also be required for some travel.

    According to a statement from China’s State Council, flights from Hong Kong and neighboring Macau to mainland China will resume and caps on passenger capacities will be lifted; the number of flights will increase in a “phased and orderly” fashion, the statement said.

    Land and maritime border control points between mainland China and Hong Kong and Macao will also resume in a “phased and orderly” manner.

    China will also resume issuing tourist and business visas for mainland Chinese residents traveling to Hong Kong, the statement added.

  • Cost of living: A refugee family runs out of food in Hong Kong

    Cost of living: A refugee family runs out of food in Hong Kong

    Banned from working, a refugee family from Bangladesh tries to survive in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

    Slouched against the lone, grime-covered, grated window of his tiny apartment in the working-class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong, there is a look of despair in 41-year-old Rana’s* brown eyes.

    One of his feet, visibly swollen, is angled high up against the wall of peeling, off-white paint as the asylum seeker from Bangladesh recalls the recent accident that left him unable to walk for several days.

    “I was on a construction site carrying some tools and a metal girder fell on my leg. It hurt so much. I am lucky it didn’t snap anything,” he says.

    For decades, many of those like Rana seeking refuge in the former British colony have been forced to scrape by in extremely challenging conditions, from substandard housing to harsh limits on daily activities.

    Most asylum seekers in Hong Kong are banned from having jobs, so he was technically breaking the law when he was injured. But he feels his family’s desperate financial situation left him with no choice.

    “Sometimes I have to do work, even though I know it’s illegal,” he says, folding his arms with a grimace.

    In lieu of paid work, each asylum seeker is given roughly 40 Hong Kong dollars ($5) a day for food by the government via e-cards. But that is only a little more than the 37.50 Hong Kong dollars ($4.82) hourly minimum wage for workers in the city.

    The daily stipend is barely enough to get by, especially in what was until recently the most expensive city in the world.

    ‘What choice do we have?’

    With the cost-of-living crunch bleaker than it has ever been and rocketing inflation that has seen everything from food to electricity and clothing become less affordable, the stipend asylum seekers receive has nevertheless remained frozen since 2014.

    According to research by the Hong Kong-based non-profit Refugee Union, which is run by refugees and asylum seekers, prices for some food staples have doubled this year. A separate analysis by the NGO Justice Centre found that the average price per kilogramme of Chinese lettuce, a local staple, more than quadrupled from 5.70 Hong Kong dollars to 24.90 Hong Kong dollars ($0.73 to $3.20). In September, Hong Kong’s consumer inflation rate hit its highest level since 2015.

    A mother and son in a room
    Akter sits with her child on their bed in the family’s small apartment [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

    “We ran out of food,” says Rana’s wife, Akter*, as she gazes at the frenetic traffic below.

    The couple spends most of their time in their cramped, 200sq feet (18.6sq metres) apartment in a ramshackle tenement building in a neighbourhood infamous for its “coffin homes” – so named because of their tiny size. Their apartment on one of the upper floors can be reached only via a dimly-lit stairwell filled with rat droppings.

    Down below, the streets are a cacophony of hawkers and traders selling black market goods. Impoverished elderly women offer up their possessions on mats spread across the ground; others gather rubbish to earn income from recycling.

    “We had to sell things in the house,” says Akter, whose tone shifts from initial sadness to pure exasperation. “It’s too much expensive. Everything, everything. The government doesn’t give us enough money.”

    After being pushed to extremes a few years ago, Rana began taking on illegal part-time work on a construction site to make ends meet for the family. Yet the risks are enormous. In 2018, he was sent to a Hong Kong correctional facility for 13 months after he was caught working, separating him from Akter.

    This November, Rana took up work again, before he was injured when the girder fell on his leg, leaving him temporarily unable to walk or work.

    “I don’t want to be doing this. But what choice do we have?” he says, mulling the choice between breaking the law or leaving his family without food.

    ‘Food is so expensive’

    For Akter, 32, the pressure of tending to a two-year-old and a six-month-old takes things to a whole new level. Yet she strides around the room with purpose – to clean, collect toys and deal with any number of issues the day throws up.

    “My children are very small,” says Akter, who cooks just one batch of food in a large steel pot each day to feed the family of four. “I’m worried that they aren’t getting enough to eat. But food is so expensive. We can’t afford many vegetables.”

    She usually cooks up large rice dishes, and on better days, stews chicken and eggs. The family has never eaten at a restaurant, the couple says.

    A kitchen in a small apartment in Hong Kong
    The family lives in a small apartment in a neighbourhood known for its so-called ‘coffin homes’ [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

    Akter fled Bangladesh in 2017 after she was raped and her family disowned her. Hong Kong seemed to be a land of opportunity, where she could start anew, seek asylum and make a living for herself in a global megacity. But that new life took a while to adapt to. For the first two years, she says, she would walk the streets and simply cry; she barely ate.

    Rana meanwhile is a political refugee who escaped Bangladesh when he faced threats due to his involvement in opposition politics. He ended up in Hong Kong in 2016. “I can’t go back home,” he says. “But I can’t live like this.”

    The pair, who met and fell in love in Hong Kong, made an effort to carve out a home, taping pictures of loved ones to the wall.

    But conditions are grim: cockroaches scuttle all over the one-room apartment – which is just wide enough to fit their bed in lengthways – along the rims of pots and pans and between cracks in the floor. Laundry hangs to dry just above their heads because there is no other space.

    “I don’t have friends who can help,” says Rana, with a tired shrug of his skinny shoulders and a blank expression on his face. “We are all in the same situation.”

    The status of refugees

    Despite its wealth, Hong Kong is one of the most unequal cities in the world. For asylum seekers – a vulnerable, marginalised underclass – there are fewer and fewer ways to survive.

    Hong Kong has an estimated 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom are barred from employment. While 143 countries and territories have agreed to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, Hong Kong is not a signatory of either, instead adopting its own “Unified Screening Mechanism” to determine asylum claims.

    That means only when asylum seekers’ non-refoulement claims are accepted can they apply for a six-month work permit. But such instances are extremely rare: just 291 have had their non-refoulement claims accepted since late 2009, according to the latest figures from the Immigration Department, and the process can take years.

    Hong Kong skyline
    Until recently, Hong Kong was the most expensive city in the world [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

    According to official data, less than 1 percent of asylum claims have been substantiated since 2014. And 65 percent of those happen on appeal, suggesting there are issues with the initial process.

    The result is that Hong Kong’s refugees are trapped in desperate poverty.

    The stark divide is highlighted by the fact that the city of 7.4 million simultaneously has more than 125,000 millionaires and 1.65 million people living in poverty.

    While the city’s central business district is lined with shimmering skyscrapers, Michelin-starred restaurants and high-end fashion stores, on the pavement below, poor domestic workers, with nowhere else to go, spend their time off relaxing on the torn shreds of cardboard boxes.

    A more ‘caring’ society

    Mounting pressures nearly culminated in disaster earlier this year amid panic buying as the city’s strict pandemic policies led to food shortages at ParknShop, the only supermarket chain where refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong are allowed to spend their food subsidy, provided by the Social Welfare Department. ParknShop does not sell halal meat, further excluding already marginalised Muslim asylum seekers like Rana and Akter.

    A survey released by Refugee Concern Network earlier this year found that 73 percent of asylum seekers were struggling to buy food and ​​about 60 percent were unable to buy other necessities, such as toiletries. The government subsidy for asylum seekers only allows for food items, therefore non-food necessities such as diapers cannot be bought, leaving many reliant on donations from local charities.

    In a rare touch of solace, Rana and Akter have been receiving milk powder and diapers from a local charity since the pandemic struck.

    A kitchen in a small apartment in Hong Kong
    Dwindling food supplies in the family’s small kitchen [Peter Yeung/Al Jazeera]

    Beyond the bare necessities of food, other equally serious pressures are cranking up. The effects of climate change and extreme heat have become ever-more tangible in the family’s ageing apartment as record heat struck Hong Kong this year – including some of the hottest days since records began in 1884. In turn, the rising cost of energy has meant that the use of air conditioning is even more costly.

    After electricity bills rocketed this summer, in part due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in part due to warmer temperatures, the family was forced out of the house during the peak daylight hours to cool down in public libraries and malls, where they cannot afford to buy anything. “The AC became too much for us to pay,” says Rana. “It was too uncomfortable to stay at home, even if we were doing nothing.”

    This perfect storm of worsening conditions means asylum seekers like Akter and Rana risk becoming a forgotten population in the global cost-of-living crisis.

    For some, hopes rose when Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee – who pledged in his election manifesto to forge a “more caring society” – was sworn in in July.

    But any improvement has yet to materialise for Akter, Rana and their young family as they struggle to stay afloat. Instead, they dream about being given the opportunity to earn a basic living for themselves.

    “I would like a future, I want a future,” says Rana, his deep-set eyes beginning to well up as he speaks. “Because now I don’t have one.”

    Source: Aljazeera.com

  • Covid in China: US imposes Covid testing for visitors from China

    Travellers at Beijing Capital International Airport
    Image caption, China is starting to reopen borders after three years

    The US has become the latest country to impose Covid testing on visitors from China, after Beijing announced it would reopen borders next week.

    Italy, Japan, Taiwan and India also announced mandatory tests, but Australia and UK said there were no new rules for travellers from China.

    After three years of being closed to the world, China will let people travel more freely from 8 January.

    But the country’s ongoing Covid surge has sparked wariness.

    China is reporting about 5,000 cases a day, but analysts say such numbers are vastly undercounted – and the daily case load may be closer to a million. Hospitals are overwhelmed and residents are struggling to find basic medicines, according to reports.

    On Wednesday, the US said a lack of “adequate and transparent” Covid data in China had contributed to the decision to require Covid tests from 5 January for travellers entering the country from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this was needed “to help slow the spread of the virus as we work to identify… any potential new variants that may emerge”.

    But Beijing’s foreign ministry on Wednesday had said coronavirus rules should only be instated on a “scientific” basis and accused Western countries and media of “hyping up” the situation.

    Some people reacted angrily on China’s censored social media.

    “I thought all of the foreign countries had opened up. Isn’t this racism?” read one comment that was liked 3,000 times on Weibo. The US has said testing is required of anyone coming from China, or via a third country, regardless of nationality.

    But others said they understood the reason for the conditions: “This is nothing compared to all the restrictions we had for people coming into China,” one user wrote.

    Beijing only announced on Monday its decision to end quarantine for arrivals – effectively reopening travel in and out of the country for the first time since March 2020. Until this week, anyone entering China had to undergo quarantine in state facilities.

    Before the pandemic, China had been the world’s largest outbound tourism market. But it’s unclear how many Chinese people will travel abroad after 8 January given that the number of flights are limited, and many citizens need to renew their passports.

    The international community’s reaction has varied with the UK and Australia saying they were monitoring China’s Covid situation but were not planning on announcing new testing requirements.

    Others have moved swiftly to announce restrictions:

    • In Japan, from Friday, travellers from China will be tested for Covid upon arrival. Those who test positive will have to quarantine for up to seven days. The number of flights to and from China will also be restricted
    • In India, people travelling from China and four other Asian countries must produce a negative Covid test before arriving. Positive passengers will also be put in quarantine
    • Taiwan says people arriving on flights from China, as well as by boat at two islands, will have to take Covid tests on arrival from 1 January to 31 January. Those who test positive will be able to isolate at home
    • Meanwhile Malaysia has put additional tracking and surveillance measures in place
    • Italy has also imposed mandatory Covid testing on travellers from China

    The European Commission said its health security committee would convene on Thursday to discuss “possible measures for a coordinated EU approach” to China’s Covid surge.

    But Italy, an EU member state and an epicentre of the virus in late 2019 and 2020, said it was moving first to “ensure the surveillance and identification” of any new variants of the virus.

    Flights arriving in Milan this week were already testing passengers from China. Authorities found 52% of passengers were infected with Covid on one flight that landed on 26 December.

    Initial tests of Covid-positive travellers arriving from China showed that 15 of them had Omicron variants that were already present in Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. She described the news as quite reassuring.

    Italy is one of 26 European countries in the border-free Schengen zone and Ms Meloni is calling for EU-wide testing of Chinese passengers, arguing that Italy’s own measures might otherwise be ineffective.

    China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that “currently the development of China’s epidemic situation is overall predictable and under control”.

    However, the true toll of daily cases and deaths in China is unknown as officials have stopped requiring cases to be reported, and changed classifications for Covid deaths. On Sunday, officials said they would also stop releasing daily case counts.

    “The infection surge in China is on expected lines,” Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an Indian epidemiologist and health systems specialist told the BBC in a recent interview.

    “If you have a susceptible population that is not exposed to the virus, cases will rise. Nothing has changed for the rest of the world.”

    China’s decision to reopen its borders marks the end of the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy, which President Xi Jinping had personally endorsed.

    Even as the rest of the world transitioned to living with the virus, Beijing insisted on an eradication policy involving mass testing and stringent lockdowns.

    The economy took a hit and people grew both exhausted and angry – in November, the frustration spilled onto the streets in rare protests against Mr Xi and his government. Week later, Beijing began to roll back the restrictions.

    Source: BBC

  • Hong Kong to scrap almost all its Covid rules

    Hong Kong is dropping almost all its Covid restrictions this week, following a similar move by mainland China.

    From Thursday, people arriving in the city – a special administrative region of China – will no longer have to do mandatory PCR tests.

    The vaccine pass system will also be scrapped – but compulsory masks in public places will continue.

    It is a dramatic move by the city, which once had some of the toughest restrictions in the world.

    Also being scrapped from Thursday is the rule that limits the number of people allowed to gather outside to 12.

    This was increased from four people in October as part of measures to begin reopening the city.

    Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, cited high vaccine rates as one of the reasons for lifting restrictions.

    According to government figures, 93% of the population have had two vaccine does, while more than 83% have received three.

    Unlike mainland China, which has developed its own vaccines, Hong Kong has also used mRNA vaccines – including the BioNTech jab made in Germany – that have been shown to be more effective.

    “Hong Kong has a sufficient amount of medicine to fight Covid, and healthcare workers have gained rich experience in facing the pandemic,” Mr Lee said on Wednesday.

    “The society has established a relatively extensive and overall anti-epidemic barrier.”

    Mr Lee added that instead of the vaccine pass, which has limited access to public places for unvaccinated since it was introduced in February, the city would take “more targeted measures” – including promoting vaccination for the elderly and children.

    More than 11,000 people have died with Covid in Hong Kong, according to official numbers, from more than 2.5m cases.

    Since the pandemic began, the city has largely followed mainland China’s lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a “zero-Covid” strategy.

    This has been criticised by some residents and business owners – who said the policy damaged Hong Kong’s economy and international standing.

    The scrapping of the Hong Kong’s Covid restrictions comes weeks after mainland China made a similar move following landmark protests against the strict controls.

    On Monday and Tuesday, Beijing announced further plans to ease travel restrictions. Hong Kong has said that it will fully reopen its borders with the rest of China before mid-January.

    The mainland is currently experiencing a surge in cases, with reports suggesting hospitals are overwhelmed and elderly people are dying.

    Hong Kong is part of China and is governed by the “one country, two systems” principle, but Beijing has tightened control in recent years.

  • Hong Kong: Tiananmen vigil activist conviction overturned

    The conviction of an activist who attempted to organise a vigil in Tiananmen Square last year has been overturned by Hong Kong‘s highest court because police misconduct was discovered.

    Attorney Chow Hang-tung, who was imprisoned in January, will continue to be held in custody as she is charged with two additional offences under the city’s national security law.

    But on Wednesday, she was successful in appealing her “unauthorised assembly” conviction.

    The police’s decision to forbid the vigil was ruled invalid by a judge.

    Since 2020, Tiananmen vigils have been prohibited by Hong Kong authorities, who have cited COVID restrictions as the cause.

    The city used to be one of the only sites on Chinese territory where authorities allowed tributes.

    Ms Chow was arrested in June 2021 for “inciting” the public to take part in that year’s vigil. She had led the Hong Kong Alliance, a group which had organised the annual demonstrations and that year she posted articles on social media and on news sites urging Hong Kongers to turn out or light a candle in tribute.

    At her trial in January this year, she was jailed for encouraging the assembly in breach of Covid laws.

    Magistrate Amy Chan said she had been “self righteous” in “completely disregarding the law to think that the freedom of assembly was more important than public health”.

    However a High Court judge on Wednesday found police had not properly explored the options for how the demonstration could have gone ahead in a Covid-safe manner.

    Judge Judianna Barnes said police “did not seriously consider” other health measures, thus ignoring a requirement in the law that public meetings should not be banned if they can be safely facilitated.

    The ruling could have legal implications for other Hong Kongers jailed for taking part in Tiananmen vigils. They include the pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 13 months for the alleged offence a year ago. Mr Lai was jailed for nearly six years on fraud charges earlier this month and faces the prospect of life behind bars due to a separate trial on national security charges, which is due to begin next September.

    Ms Chow and other human rights advocates have long argued that Covid restrictions were just an excuse for Hong Kong authorities to ban commemorations of the Tiananmen protests – a heavily censored and highly sensitive topic in mainland China.

    In previous years thousands of people gathered to remember the victims of the crackdown on 4 June 1989, when the Chinese military attacked pro-democracy protesters camped in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, killing an unknown number of civilians.

    However China has asserted its rule over Hong Kong since major protests in 2019 protesting against Beijing’s influence and the rolling back of civil rights in the city.

    Since then public commemoration of the Tiananmen protests has been targeted by the authorities. Last year monuments marking the event were removed from university campuses and a museum was also shut down.

  • China sacks consul general and five others over Manchester consulate protests

    During a peaceful protest about Hong Kong, which he fled last year, Bob Chan was dragged into the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester. He was pulled by his hair and suffered severe bruising on his face and body.

    A general consul and five other Chinese government employees who were involved in assaulting a Hong Kong protester inside its Manchester consulate have been “removed” by the Chinese government.

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that his department had given the Chinese government a deadline of December 14 to lift the diplomatic immunity of six of its officials so that they could be questioned by British police.

    He said: “In response to our request, the Chinese government have now removed from the UK those officials, including the consul general himself.

    “This demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents, has had an effect, and we will continue on the world stage and domestically to abide by the rule of law, and we expect others to do likewise.”

    He said the consul general has already returned to China, as have some of the officials while the rest will do shortly. The consul general’s wife remains in the UK.

    Hong Kong pro-democracy protester Bob Chan, who fled Hong Kong last March, was demonstrating peacefully outside the consulate in October when he was pulled into the groundsand beaten up by staff.

    Zheng Xiyuan, the consul general who has been removed, was pictured pulling Mr Chan’s hair before yanking him inside the consulate.

    Mr Chan told Sky News he thought he was going to die and was left with injuries to his body and face from being kicked and punched before a British police officer pulled him out of the gates.

    The incident caused a row between MPs as some accused ministers of not reacting proportionately because of trade possibilities with China.

    But Mr Cleverly said on Wednesday: “When China behaves in a way that we fundamentally disagree with, we raise it directly with China.

    “I did so earlier on this year when I had a meeting with [Chinese foreign minister] Wang Yi highlighting our objection to Chinese behaviour in Xinjiang with the Uyghur Muslim minority, their failure to abide by the commitments made over Hong Kong, and indeed the sanctioning of my parliamentary colleagues here in the UK.

    “We also did so in response to this incident,and it is right that the Chinese government have now removed these officials from the UK.”

    Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: “The foreign secretary should be congratulated for taking this action.

    “It’s just a shame it took so long when the footage of the assault was so clear for all to see from day one. We should not be so fearful of holding China to account for its abuses in the future. Hong Kong-ers seeking refuge in the UK will sleep a little easier tonight.”

    ‘Outrageous’ response to videos where Mr Chan was dragged and hit

    Greater Manchester Police have been investigating the alleged assault and in November said they had identified a number of offences during what they described as a “complex inquiry”.

    Diplomatic staff at foreign embassies usually have immunity from arrest and prosecution, especially if an incident happens in their consulates or embassies.

    But senior MPs, including Tory Iain Duncan Smith, who is sanctioned by China, said the British government’s response was “outrageous” after Mr Cleverly said he had spoken to China’s charge d’affaires, Yang Xiaoguang over the incident.

    He and other MPs from across the Commons called for ministers to expel the diplomats identified in videos dragging and hitting Mr Chan, and also pulling his hair.

    Consul general Mr Zheng told Sky News he did not beat anybody up but when asked if he pulled Mr Chan into the consulate by his hair, he said: “He (Bob Chan) was abusing my country, my leader, I think it’s my duty.

    “I think it’s an emergency situation – that guy threatened my colleague’s life, and we tried to control the situation. I wanted to separate him from my colleagues – that’s a very critical point.”

    Asked why the peaceful demonstration turned violent, Mr Zheng claimed it was because of the “rude banners” that had been put on display.

    In a letter sent to Greater Manchester Police, he stated the banners featured a “volume of deeply offensive imagery and slogans”, including a picture of the Chinese president Xi Jinping with a noose around his neck.

     

  • Hong Kong: Media magnate Jimmy Lai sentenced to more than five years for fraud

    The millionaire media mogul from Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai, received a term of roughly six years in prison for fraud.

    Lai was found guilty of illegally subletting office space in October, and the court claimed that Lai had no remorse.

    Lai received five years and nine months term as well as a 2 million Hong Kong dollars (£209,535) fine.

    The 75-year-old recently served time for taking part in a banned vigil last year for victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

    A separate trial involving Lai on national security charges had been due to begin on 1 December but was postponed at the request of Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-Chiu. If convicted, he faces up to life imprisonment.

    China has enforced its wide-ranging national security law on the city of Hong Kong, making it easier to prosecute protesters.

    The law has led to the arrests of many prominent democracy activists.

    Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China’s rule in 1997.

     

  • Hong Kong: John Lee urges Beijing to rule on fight over foreign lawyers

    Hong Kong‘s leader requests Beijing’s assistance in his attempt to prevent foreign lawyers from working on national security cases.

    After the territory’s top court rejected the government’s attempt to prevent a British barrister from representing jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has asked Beijing to rule on whether foreign lawyers can work on national security cases.

    Lee said at a press conference on Tuesday that he expected China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to rule on the case “as soon as possible,” but he did not say whether the decision would come before Lai’s trial began on Thursday.

    His request for Beijing’s intervention will mark only the sixth instance of China’s top legislative body weighing into legal matters in Hong Kong, a former British colony that, under a “one country, two systems” arrangement, is supposed to have judicial independence from Beijing.

    The Court of Final Appeal on Monday dismissed the government’s bid to block British barrister Timothy Owen from the trial and impose a “blanket ban” on foreign lawyers working on national security cases.

    But Lee argued that Beijing’s intervention was necessary in part because a foreign lawyer might divulge state secrets or be compromised by a foreign government.

    “There is no effective means to ensure that a counsel from overseas will not have a conflict of interest because of his nationality,” Lee told reporters on Monday. “And there is also no means to ensure he has not been coerced, compromised or in any way controlled by foreign governments, associations or persons.”

    Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 after sometimes-violent protests rocked the city for months the year before. The legislation — which punishes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison — has been widely condemned by Western governments and human rights groups.

    National security cases

    Lai, one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China’s Communist Party leadership, including Xi Jinping, faces two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries, as well as a sedition charge linked to his Apple Daily newspaper that was forced to close in June 2021 after a police raid and a freeze on its assets.

    The 74-year-old, who was arrested in December 2020, is already serving a 20-month prison sentence for his role in unauthorised assemblies. He is also expecting a sentencing over his fraud conviction next month.

    Owen is a London-based legal veteran who specialises in criminal and human rights law.

    Hong Kong uses the same common law jurisdiction as the United Kingdom.

    Some legal experts warned the appeal to Beijing would erode public confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial independence.

    “What we’ve seen with interpretations is basically, ‘Heads I win, tails you lose,” Alvin Cheung, an assistant law professor at Queen’s University in Canada, told the Reuters news agency.

    Cheung was part of a group that drafted a legal analysis in May, signed by Britain’s former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and retired Australian high court judge Michael Kirby, that identified NPCSC interpretations as one of the main threats to Hong Kong’s rule of law.

    “The NPCSC is a political (and undemocratic) body whose proceedings take place behind closed doors, with no participation from the parties at suit. Its decisions are actuated by political considerations rather than legal evaluation and contain little to no reasoning,” the legal opinion read.

    Apart from having overseas judges in the city’s courts, lawyers from other common law jurisdictions are allowed to work within Hong Kong’s legal system, especially when their expertise is needed for some cases.

    Last month, the lower court granted approval for Owen to represent Lai, saying it was in the public interest to have an eminent overseas specialist involved at the trial. And on Monday, the Court of Final Appeal gave a final ruling on the matter, rejecting the Department of Justice’s application on technical grounds.

    The panel of three judges on the top court — Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Roberto Ribeiro and Joseph Fok — in a written judgement, criticised the Department of Justice for “raising undefined and unsubstantiated issues said to involve national security which were not mentioned or explored in the Courts below”.

    But they left open the overarching question of whether barristers from overseas should in principle be excluded from national security cases.

    Legal experts and rights groups on Monday expressed concern over Lee’s decision to ask Beijing to intervene.

    Lee’s move “is in practice making of a new rule rather than an interpretation of an existing law,” said Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun, the former dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong. “There are far-reaching implications in any such interpretation which may severely compromise Hong Kong as an international city,” he told the South China Morning Post.

    Reporters Without Borders also criticised Lee’s move, urging Hong Kong’s government to allow Lai a representation of his own choosing.

  • In Hong Kong, sympathy and a dash of bitterness

    There have been two very small events in Hong Kong to support the demonstrations in China.

    Two mainland Chinese students held flowers and gave out leaflets at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The leaflets asked others to express condolences to the victims of a fire in Urumqi, the western Chinese city that has been under Covid restrictions since August. Police took their details and then let them go.

    Meanwhile about a dozen students gathered and lit candles at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

    “Well done, classmates,” said Avery Ng, former chairman of the radical pro-democracy party, League of Social Democrats.

    Comments on social media showed a mixed reaction – Hong Kong saw months of clashes between anti-government protesters and police in 2019 but Beijing has largely quelled the unrest by imposing a controversial national security law.

    “Let mainlanders experience for themselves what it’s like when you can’t express yourselves freely,” said one user.

    Under Hong Kong’s Basic Law the territory enjoys rights including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, which do not exist on the mainland. But Beijing’s national security law has limited those rights.

    Source: BBC

  • Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong charged for protester support fund

    One of six campaigners, including singer Denise Ho, was Senior Catholic, 90, who received punishment for failing to register the fund.

    Cardinal Joseph Zen and five other Hong Kong activists were found guilty of violating the law by failing to register a multimillion-dollar support fund they set up to provide legal assistance to those detained during 2019’s pro-democracy rallies.

    For failing to properly register the fund as a society, a court on Friday punished five of the group with 4,000 Hong Kong dollars ($512), while a sixth received a lighter punishment.

    As well as Zen, 90, the others convicted included popular singer Denise Ho, and veteran human rights lawyer Margaret Ng.

    All had pleaded not guilty, setting up a two-month trial. They are among thousands arrested in connection with the 2019 protests, which began with mass marches against a government plan to allow extradition to mainland China but evolved into sometimes violent protests calling for more democracy in the former British colony.

    Under Hong Kong’s Societies Ordinance, a society must apply for registration or an exemption from registration within one month of being set up.

    The defence questioned whether the law even applied to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which helped pay legal and medical costs for people arrested during the 2019 unrest, but Magistrate Ada Yim found that it did.

    Yim said, “the only and irresistible inference” from the trial was that the fund was a “local society” and so subject to the rules.

    “Considering the social and political events in recent years, if a society has connections with political groups … the society’s operations may affect public order, public peace, and national security,” Yim added.

    The six were arrested in May under sweeping national security legislation that Beijing imposed on the territory in 2020. The group has yet to face charges under that law, which can carry a sentence of up to life in jail.

    Speaking outside the court, Ng said it was the first time anyone had been convicted for failing to register a society, adding that it was “extremely important in relation to the freedom of association in Hong Kong”.

    Also outside the court, Zen told reporters not to place too much emphasis on his religious identity. “I am a Hong Kong citizen who supported this humanitarian work,” he said. “Hong Kong has not seen any damage to its religious freedom,” he stressed.

    The group acted as the fund’s trustees. Secretary Sze Ching-wee was also charged and fined 2,500 Hong Kong dollars ($320).

    The fund disbanded last October after national security police demanded it hands over operational details, including information about its donors and beneficiaries.

    Prosecutors revealed during the trial the fund had raised as much as 270 million Hong Kong dollars ($34.6m) in more than 100,000 separate donations.

     

     

  • Six Apple Daily employees in Hong Kong have pleaded guilty to foreign collusion

    Six senior members of Hong Kong’s defunct pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily pleaded guilty to colluding with foreign forces on Tuesday, and could face life in prison.

    Their convictions were part of a landmark case in which the city’s broad national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020 to crush dissent, was used for the first time against a news organisation and its staff.

    For years, Apple Daily was harsh in its criticism of the Chinese government, and it supported the pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong in 2019.

    Its funds were frozen last year, and many senior staffers, including founder Jimmy Lai, were charged with national security violations.

    Four former senior editors and two ex-executives pleaded guilty at the Hong Kong High Court on Tuesday to “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security”.

    The former staffers included chief executive Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, chief editor Law Wai-kwong, executive editor Lam Man-chung, and senior writers Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching-kee.

    The prosecution accused them of using Apple Daily to spread content that solicited foreign sanctions against China, presenting as evidence more than 160 articles it had published since April 2019.

    The national security law that criminalised foreign collusion did not come into force until June 30, 2020.

    Prosecutors shelved sedition charges, in exchange for the defendants pleading guilty to collusion, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.

    The six have been in pre-trial custody for almost a year and a half, and will not be sentenced until the conclusion of the trial of Lai and three Apple Daily companies.

    A lead prosecutor told the court that some of the six would give evidence in that trial.

    Lai and the firms have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is due to begin in December.

    Hong Kong steadily dropped in press freedom rankings after its 1997 handover to China, but that slide accelerated dramatically after Beijing launched its crackdown against dissent after the 2019 protests.

  • Hong Kong enraged after a protest song replaces the China anthem at a match

    During the 2019 mass protests, the slogan ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ was nearly banned in Chinese territory.

    The Hong Kong government has condemned the organisers of a rugby tournament in South Korea after a democracy protest song was played before the territory’s team played a match instead of the Chinese national anthem.

    The players appeared perplexed in a video shared on social media as the song Glory to Hong Kong was played ahead of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series final instead of the Chinese national anthem.

    The Hong Kong government “strongly deplores and opposes the playing of a song closely associated with violent protests and the ‘independence’ movement as the National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China,” it said in a statement.

    “The National Anthem is a symbol of our country. The organiser of the tournament has a duty to ensure that the National Anthem receives the respect it warranted,” a government spokesperson said.

    Glory to Hong Kong was written by an anonymous composer and became an anthem for the pro-democracy movement during protests in 2019, which attracted huge crowds but became increasingly violent as the months dragged on.

    The organisers of the tournament in Incheon, South Korea, issued an apology and played the Chinese anthem after the match, which was won by the Hong Kong team.

    Hong Kong authorities said they had ordered the city’s rugby union body to conduct an investigation and convey its “strong objection” to tournament organiser Asia Rugby.

    In a separate statement, Hong Kong Rugby Union expressed its “extreme dissatisfaction” with what had happened.

    The organisation’s preliminary investigation found that the Chinese anthem had been given to the organisers by the team’s coach, and the protest song had been played by mistake.

    “Whilst we accept this was a case of human error, it was nevertheless not acceptable,” the HKRU said.

    The Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers, has been played at international events where Hong Kong has competed since the British handed the territory back to China in 1997.

    Playing Glory to Hong Kong in the territory is now all but illegal after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong that rights groups say has “decimated” dissent. It is also considered unlawful under Hong Kong’s sedition law, according to the South China Morning Post.

    In September, a harmonica player who played the tune to a crowd commemorating Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was arrested.

  • Expert: Talks are good for PR, but hold some promise too

    As the sun sets in Bali, Xi and Biden remain ensconced in the Mulia hotel, their meeting approaching the two-hour mark.

    Officials in the United States do not believe it will last much longer. However, with Biden’s press conference scheduled for 21:30 local time (13:30 GMT), it is clear that they are also prepared for talks to last longer if necessary.

    The two are believed to be discussing Taiwan, global economic security, North Korea, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US also hopes that the meeting will ease tensions that have risen since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August.

    He says it was this method that “played an important role in diplomatic ice-breaking during the Cold War years” – a reference to tension between the US and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies during the mid-20th Century.

    However, “these talks did not necessarily happen at the level of heads of state,” Landry points out.

  • Chinese yuan falling due to concerns about Xi’s third term

    The Chinese yuan fell to its lowest level in nearly 15 years on Tuesday as investors fled Chinese assets amid concerns about Xi Jinping’s dramatic move to consolidate power in a major reshuffle of Communist Party leaders.

    On the tightly controlled domestic market, the yuan dropped sharply, hitting the weakest level since late 2007. It was last down 0.6% at around 7.3 per dollar. The currency has lost 15% against the US dollar this year.

    In trading outside of mainland China, the yuan briefly plunged to around 7.36 per dollar early Tuesday, the lowest level on record, according to Refinitiv, which has data going back to 2010. It later pared losses, trading at 7.33 by 3:35 p.m. Hong Kong time (3.35 a.m. ET).

    The currency was pegged at 8.28 to the US dollar for years until 2005 when China moved to a “managed floating exchange rate.” It then appreciated steadily, climbing to a peak of nearly 6.01 in 2014.

    The declines came alongside a historic market rout for Chinese assets worldwide. On Monday, Chinese stocks plummeted in Hong Kong and New York, wiping out billions of dollars in market value. Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng (HSI) Index closed down 6.4%.

    The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index, which tracks many popular Chinese companies listed on Wall Street, dived more than 14%. On Tuesday, the Hang Seng (HSI) slipped further and was down 0.2% in afternoon trading.

    The huge sell-offs came just days after the ruling Communist Party unveiled its new leadership for the next five years. In addition to securing an unprecedented third term as party chief, Xi packed key positions with staunch loyalists.

    A number of senior officials who have backed market reforms and opening up the economy were missing from the new top team, stirring concerns about the future direction of the country and its relations with the United States.

    International investors spooked by the outcome of the leadership reshuffle dumped Chinese assets despite the release of stronger-than-expected Chinese GDP data on Monday. They’re worried that Xi’s tightening grip on power will lead to the continuation of Beijing’s existing policies and further dent the economy, which despite the rebound last quarter is still growing way below the official 5.5% target for this year.

     

  • Today in History: Accra ranked second most expensive city in the world for property to income ratio

    According to a 2021 study, Accra, the capital of Ghana, was the second-most costly city in terms of the cost of housing relative to income.

    According to Numbeo’s analysis, Accra outperformed a number of major global cities, including Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Shenzhen (China), Moscow (Russia), and Paris (France).

    “To estimate household income, the average monthly pay is used.
    The price per square meter is assumed to be the average price in the city center and outside of the city center for a 90 square meter home (or apartment) with a 100% mortgage taken out over 20 years “The survey gave details.

    • Accra has the world’s highest Mortgage percentage income ratio

    • A research survey conducted by Numbeo has revealed

    • It is also more costly to access loans in Accra

     

    A research survey has ranked Accra, Ghana’s capital city as the second most expensive with regard to property price to income ratio.

    The research conducted by Numbeo showed Accra was ahead of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Shenzhen (China), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France) among other cities in the world.

    The survey further revealed that Accra has the world’s highest Mortgage percentage income ratio. This was however followed by Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Tehran (Iran) in second and third place, respectively.

    “Average monthly salary is used to estimate family income. It assumes 100% mortgage is taken on 20 years for the house (or apt) of 90 square meters which price per square meter is the average price in the city centre and outside of city centre,” the survey explained.

    The Numbeo survey also ranked Accra as the city with the lowest loan affordability in the world.

    “Loan Affordability Index is an inverse of mortgage as a percentage of income,” the survey pointed. This however means, access to loans in Accra is much costlier compared to other cities such as Lagos (Nigeria), Kabul (Afghanistan), Sao Paolo (Brazil) and Stockholm (Sweden).

    The Numbeo survey calculated the ratio of median apartment prices to median familial disposable income, expressed as years of income.

    Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, health care quality, and other statistics.

    For 2021, it has thus far collected data from 482 cities across the world.

  • Hong Kong protester beaten after being dragged into Manchester Chinese consulate grounds

    On Sunday, a pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong was dragged into the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten.

    Unidentified men stormed the consulate and forced a man inside the compound before he was able to flee with the assistance of police and other demonstrators.

    The protester told the BBC: “They dragged me inside, they beat me up”.

    A consulate spokesperson said protesters had displayed an insulting portrait of China’s president.

    The Foreign Office said it was urgently seeking clarity on the incident. Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation.

    Speaking after the incident, the protester, called Bob, told BBC Chinese that “mainlanders” – people from mainland China, as opposed to Hong Kong – came out of the consulate and destroyed their posters.

    “As we tried to stop them, they dragged me inside, they beat me up,” he said, adding that he was then pulled out by the UK police.

    “It’s ridiculous. They [the attackers] shouldn’t have done that. We are supposed to have the freedom to say whatever we want here [in the UK].”

    After the incident, the crowd remained angry. Protesters shouted at the men from the consulate and the British police, arguing they could have done more.

    Consulate staff had previously asked the protesters to move to the opposite side of the street.

    There were two police officers at the protest, but several more appeared within minutes of the altercation beginning.

    They gathered at the gates of the compound trying to break up the fighting and move protesters back.

    One police officer entered the consulate grounds and pulled the man who had been dragged inside back out.

    At least eight men – some of whom were wearing helmets and protective vests – then returned to the consulate building.

    The consulate is on UK soil, but cannot be entered without consent. Any offense committed on diplomatic premises is subject to UK law, but employees may hold diplomatic immunity.

    Reacting on Twitter, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said the UK government should demand a full apology from the Chinese ambassador, and that those involved should be sent back to China.

    The demonstrators were protesting as the Communist Party congress began in Beijing.

    President Xi Jinping, who is set to secure a third term in power, said he had turned the situation in Hong Kong from “chaos to governance”, referring to China’s suppression of pro-democracy protests there.

    A spokesperson for the consulate said the protesters had “hung an insulting portrait of the Chinese president at the main entrance”.

    “This would be intolerable and unacceptable for any diplomatic and consular missions of any country. Therefore, we condemn this deplorable act with strong indignation and firm opposition,” the spokesperson added.

    A spokesperson said Greater Manchester Police was aware of the incident.

    “Officers were present and responded immediately to defuse the situation,” they said.

    “Enquiries are ongoing at this time to understand the full circumstances.”

     

  • Hong Kong decides not to respond to the sanctioned Russian superyacht in  harbour

     Hong Kong says, the superyacht of a Russian oligarch who is the target of Western sanctions will not be seized.

    According to chief executive John Lee, Hong Kong will be subject to penalties imposed by the UN but not “unilateral” ones by “individual jurisdictions.”

    The $521m (£472m) boat belongs to Alexei Mordashov, an ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and one of the country’s richest men.

    His yacht arrived in Hong Kong last week after sailing from Russia.

    But Mr Mordashov is not believed to be on it. The billionaire was sanctioned by the US, the UK, and the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year.

    But Hong Kong’s government said it was not bound by those sanctions. For close to a week now, the multi-storey Nord superyacht has been a conspicuous sight in the city’s Victoria Harbour with the Russian flag flying at its mast.

    “We will comply with United Nations sanctions, that is our system, that is our rule of law,” said Mr Lee, who has himself been sanctioned by the US for his role in implementing Hong Kong’s repressive national security law.

    The US, EU, and the UK have sanctioned hundreds of Russians and their businesses. China, however, has remained a Russian ally and has so far not condemned Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.

    “Hong Kong’s reputation as a financial centre depends on adherence to international laws and standards,” a US State Department spokesman said. “The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment.”

    It’s unclear how long the superyacht will remain in Hong Kong’s waters.

    Mr Mordashov’s spokesman told Bloomberg News the steel tycoon was in Moscow. Prior to the war in Ukraine, he was Russia’s richest man, according to Forbes, with a $29.1 billion fortune built through his steel and mining company Severstal.

    The Nord is believed to be his biggest yacht asset. The 465-foot (141m) yacht is larger than a football field and is described as one of the world’s most extravagant boats, according to Forbes.

    The billionaire had already lost one of his smaller boats, the 215ft Lady M, to Western sanctions in March after it was seized by Italian police in the port of Imperia.

    Several Russian oligarchs‘ boats have been seized or denied entry to European ports this year under Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.

    That’s prompted the movement of such boats to areas around the world considered beyond the reach of Western sanctions- including ports around Asia, Turkey, and the Caribbean.

     

  • Hong Kong detains first teenagers under national security law

    Five teenagers have been sentenced to three years’ detention in Hong Kong for advocating overthrow of the Beijing government.

    It is the first time the national security law has been used in court against under-18s in Hong Kong.

    Beijing introduced the wide-ranging law – which made it easier to prosecute protesters – in the city in 2020.

    Many who defy the Chinese government have since been jailed, removing much of the political opposition.

    The court heard the defendants had used social media and street booths to advocate a “bloody revolution” to overthrow the Chinese state in the former British colony.

    Judge Kwok Wai-kin said: “Even if one person is incited, Hong Kong’s stability and residents’ safety could have been greatly harmed.”

    The teenagers – aged between 16 and 19 – were members of Returning Valiant, a pro-Hong Kong independence group.

    Mr Wai-kin said he appreciated the defendants’ “age and immaturity”, which meant they were sentenced to a detention facility for young people – also known as a training centre – instead of going to prison.

    The judge also capped the length of their sentence to three years. How long they remain in custody will remain at the discretion of authorities.

    The case also involves two adults, who will be sentenced next month.

    According to research published by ChinaFile in partnership with Georgetown University, at least 110 people have been arrested under the national security law. Those arrested include protesters, activists and former opposition lawmakers.

    Source: BBC

  • Concerning the legal aid fund, Cardinal Zen and activists are in court in Hong Kong

    An ex-bishop of Hong Kong who is 90 years old has been accused of fraudulently registering a support fund for protesters who were detained in 2019.

    A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal and five others have gone on trial in Hong Kong for allegedly failing to register a now-defunct fund to help provide legal aid to people arrested in the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

    Cardinal Joseph Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong, was arrested in May together with others including singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng under the national security law.

    They have since been charged for failing to properly register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund and appeared in court on Monday.

    Zen, together with Ho, Ng as well as cultural studies scholar Hui Po Keung and former legislator Cyd Ho, were trustees of the fund. A sixth defendant, Sze Ching-wee, was the fund’s secretary.

    All have pleaded not guilty.

    None of the defendants spoke to reporters on their way into West Kowloon court on Monday morning.

    If convicted they face a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,274) but no jail time.

    “Colluding with foreign forces”, the security law offense for which they were originally arrested, carries a potential life term.

    The 612 funds helped pay medical and legal fees for arrested protesters during the 2019 protests but were wound up last year after the national security police demanded information on its operations including its donors and beneficiaries.

    The Societies Ordinance requires local organizations to register or apply for an exemption within a month of their establishment.

  • Hong Kong’s Cardinal Zen stands trial over protest fund

    Cardinal Joseph Zen, a 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong and outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party, went on trial Monday over his role in a relief fund for the city’s pro-democracy protests in 2019.

    The high-profile case has brought renewed focus on the warming ties between Beijing and the Vatican, which has seen the latter appear to avoid remarks that could risk upsetting China.

    Zen, one of Asia’s most senior Catholic clerics, was arrested by Hong Kong’s national security police in May along with three other leading democracy activists, including Cantopop star Denis Ho.

    The four trustees of the fund were initially arrested on suspicion of “collusion with foreign forces,” a charge under a sweeping national security law that carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

    A fifth trustee, former legislator Cyd Ho, was already in jail for illegal assembly over a separate case. Ho was arrested the following day on national security grounds, too.

    All five have since been charged with a lesser offense for failing to register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, set up in June 2019 to help pay the legal and medical fees for protesters under arrest. The fund ceased operations last year following an investigation by the national security police.

    The charge under the Societies Ordinance, a century-old colonial-era law, carries a fine of up to HK$10,000 (US$1,274) but not jail time. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.

    On Monday morning, Zen arrived at the West Kowloon court leaning on a walking stick. He did not speak to reporters.

    The court heard that the legal fund raised HK$270 million (US$34.4 million) of donations, made over 100,000 deposits. In addition to providing financial aid to protesters, the fund was also used to sponsor pro-democracy rallies such as paying for audio equipments.

    The Vatican has remained largely muted over Zen’s case apart from a statement in May, which said it learned of Zen’s arrest with “concern” and was “following the evolution of the situation with extreme attention.”

    On September 14, on a return flight from Kazakhstan, Pope Francis was asked whether he considered the looming trial against Zen a violation of religious freedom.

    In a convoluted answer, the Pope repeatedly stressed his support for “the path of dialogue” and the importance to respect “the Chinese mentality.” He also refused to qualify China as undemocratic “because it’s such a complex country,” according to the Vatican News.

    “Yes, it is true that there are things that seem undemocratic to us, that is true,” the Pope said. “Cardinal Zen is going to trial these days, I think. And he says what he feels, and you can see that there are limitations there.”

    Zen’s trial comes at a sensitive time for the Vatican, which is preparing to renew a controversial deal with Beijing over the appointment of bishops in China. Under the original deal struck in 2018, the Vatican recognized the legitimacy of seven bishops appointed by the Chinese government. The deal came at a time when China was doubling down its crackdown on underground Christian groups as part of leader Xi Jinping’s campaign to bring religion under the absolute control of the Communist Party.

    Zen has openly criticized the deal, calling it an “incredible betrayal” and accusing the Vatican of “giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves.”

    In 2020, the Vatican said the deal was extended for another two years.

    ‘Conscience of Hong Kong’

    Born in Catholic parents in Shanghai in 1932, Zen fled to Kong Kong with his family to escape looming Communist rule as a teenager. He was ordained as a priest in 1961 and made Bishop of Hong Kong in 2002, before retiring in 2009.

    Known as the “conscience of Hong Kong” among his supporters, Zen has long been a prominent advocate for democracy, human rights and religious freedom. He has been on the front lines of some of the city’s most important protests, from the mass rally against national security legislation in 2003 to the “Umbrella Movement” demanding universal suffrage in 2014.

    Zen’s prosecution is the latest in an ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, which saw the Asian financial hub rocked by street protests through much of 2019 in resistance of Beijing’s tightening grip.

    Beijing responded by imposing a controversial national security law in 2020, which critics say has been used to crush the city’s opposition movement, overhaul its electoral system, silence its outspoken media and cripple its once-vibrant civil society. Most of Hong Kong’s prominent pro-democracy figures have either been thrown in jail or gone into exile.

    The Hong Kong government has repeatedly denied the national security law is suppressing freedoms. Instead, it insists the law has ended chaos and restored stability to the city.

    CNN’s Delia Gallagher contributed to this report.

  • Covid: Controversial hotel quarantine policy to stop in Hong Kong

    The Hong Kong government, mandatory hotel quarantine would no longer be required starting on Monday for visitors to Hong Kong.

    Additionally, passengers won’t need to present a negative Covid test in order to board a flight to Hong Kong.

    Instead, they will monitor themselves for possible infection for three days.

    The news sparked a rush for flight tickets to Hong Kong, with the Cathay Pacific website operating a queuing system to book.

    The airline said it was adding more than 200 pairs of flights in October to both regional and long-haul destinations.

    “While we will continue to add back more flights as quickly as is feasible, it will take time to rebuild our capacity gradually,” a statement said.

    Hong Kong has had some of the world’s toughest rules as it follows China’s zero Covid policies.

    So its departure from what the mainland is doing is a long-awaited decision. Restrictions on people arriving have been in place for more than two years.

    And there are still rules in place for travelers. They cannot enter common areas such as restaurants or shopping malls for the first three days after arrival. They also have to undergo PCR tests on days two, four six.

    The prolonged closure of the border has however hit Hong Kong’s economy hard and left the Asian financial center at a disadvantage compared with its rivals in the region such as Singapore.

    Singapore on Friday unseated city as Asia’s top financial market in the Global Financial Centres Index.

    “Hong Kong has been isolated from the international community for two-and-half years and is suffering from it,” Hao Hong, chief economist of Grow Investment Group told the BBC.

    “While the end to hotel quarantine is a step forward, rebuilding confidence takes time, especially against the tide of the exodus of talents from Hong Kong.”

    “It will take a while before people and businesses respond to the new arrangements and airlines adjust their schedules,” said Louis Kuijs, chief Asia Pacific economist of S&P Global Ratings.

    “And a sizeable share of the people and activities that have left Hong Kong in recent years will not come back.”

    Earlier on Friday Japan announced that it was relaxing entry rules, with tourists able to visit without a visa and without needing to go through a travel agency from 11 October. A cap on daily arrivals will also be lifted.

  • Hong Kong man detained after attending Queen’s memorial service

    One of the many mourners who visited the British consulate in Hong Kong on Monday night to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II has been detained.

    According to sources in the area, the 43-year-old guy sang the British national anthem and performed a number of tunes on his harmonica, including one related to protests in 2019

    He was held under the sedition laws of the colonial era authorities say.

    Up until recently, prosecutors have only occasionally applied this law.

    But the past few months have seen an increasing number of people charged under this law, including five speech therapists who were found guilty earlier this month of publishing “seditious” children’s books.

    Footage shared widely on social media shows the man standing outside the consulate playing “Glory to Hong Kong”, the unofficial anthem of protesters during 2019 pro-democracy protests, on his harmonica.

    A large crowd, which had gathered to watch an online live broadcast of the later Queen’s state funeral in the UK, is seen singing along to the tune.

    The song’s lyrics make reference to the “tears on our land”, and also mention “democracy and liberty”.

    Police told the BBC the man had been detained on suspicion of carrying out an “act with seditious intent”.

    Hong Kongers have over the past week been lining up for hours to pay their respects to the Queen, in what has been perhaps the biggest display of affection for the late monarch seen outside the UK.

    The city, formerly a British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

    Under the terms of the handover, China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems”, where the city would enjoy “a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs” for the next 50 years.

    But a crackdown on protests, Beijing’s imposition of its national security law and only allowing “patriots” to govern are seen by many as reneging on that promise.

  • Queen Elizabeth II: Hong Kong’s grief, a message to Beijing

    Hong Kong residents have been waiting in line for hours to pay their respects to the Queen this week, in what is arguably the largest show of support for the late monarch outside of the UK.

    The collective outpouring of sadness, however, coincides with Beijing’s increasing hold over the country and tells as much about the present as it does the past.

    In contrast to the more subdued responses observed in other former British colonies, the Admiralty section of the city witnessed lengthy lines and mountains of flowers and cards.

    Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under “one country, two systems”, which promised that the city’s way of life – including civil liberties unavailable in the mainland – would be kept for at least 50 years.

    But a crackdown on protests, Beijing’s imposition of its national security law and only allowing “patriots” to govern are seen by many as reneging on that promise.

    “There is a mix of complex emotions,” said Dr Li Mei Ting, a cultural and religious studies lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

    Outside the British consulate, mourners opened umbrellas to hide from the scorching sun while “God Save the Queen” played softly from a mobile phone.

    Parents brought their children along, and one father even wrapped his seven-month-old daughter in a Union Jack flag.

    “I don’t remember ever seeing Hong Kongers doing this to any leader who passed away,” Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong MP who now lives in Australia, told the BBC.

    Nostalgia for a ‘golden age’

    In the city, the Queen was affectionately called si tau por, which means “boss lady” in Cantonese.

    Many in the queue were older people, among them Mr Lee, aged in his 60s, who had brought chrysanthemums. “I hadn’t bought any flowers before, not even when I was courting girls.”

    He said he was grateful for the Queen as Hong Kong’s economy flourished and society became liberal and open under colonial rule. Others said the education and medical systems were hugely improved and the city also enjoyed the rule of law under British rule.

    Queen Elizabeth II visited Hong Kong twice during her reign. She is affectionately called “boss lady” in Cantonese

    Hong Kong became a British colony after two Opium Wars in the 19th century and colonial rule lasted for 156 years. Meanwhile, mainland China was swept by political turmoil including the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution.

    “Hong Kong was peaceful during those days,” said Ms Fung, 75.

    When Hong Kong people reminisce about the colonial era, they are often referring to the period from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, says Dr. Li.

    “People who experienced this period see it as Hong Kong’s golden age,” she said.

    The British colonial government changed its governance model as a response to deadly anti-colonial riots in 1967, which were sparked by a labour dispute and supported by Beijing. More public housing was built and free primary education was introduced, partly in a bid to ward off further social movements, Dr Li says.

    But US-based activist Jeffrey Ngo says the last three decades of the colonial period do not give the full picture – and that the British empire had played a “very big role” in paving the way for the current situation.

    “Plenty of activists have been prosecuted, especially since 2019, under laws that were put in place by the colonial government and were never repealed before 1997.”

    Last week five speech therapists were convicted under the colonial-era sedition law, for publishing children’s books that portray the Chinese government as wolves and Hong Kongers as sheep. The judge said it was a “brainwashing exercise”, while critics say the sentence was a blow to freedom of speech.

    The UK also did little to democratise the city for much of the colonial period, Mr Ngo said.

    Current day discontent

    For some, commemorating the Queen is a way to express their unhappiness at the Hong Kong government. Protest is no longer possible under Beijing’s sweeping national security law and stringent Covid rules.

    Mr Tse, who brought his pet Corgi on a leash with a Union Jack, said the mourning was an “alternative form of political expression”.

    Mr Tse says he is surprised by the number of people waiting outside the consulate

    Flying that flag on another day could risk arrest or even prosecution under the national security law – but it is being tolerated for now because of the Queen’s death, he added.

    Mr Chan came with his wife and two children. He said the family felt close to the Queen as all members were born at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which was opened in 1963.

    “We will pay tribute to whoever merits our respect. [Authorities] should not easily accuse people of collusion with foreign forces but not reflect on their own behaviour that causes so much unhappiness among Hong Kongers,” he said.

    Some in the line were also planning to leave the city. Hong Kong’s population has shrunk by almost 200,000 in two years – and many of those leaving plan to settle in the UK.

    “Hong Kongers are queuing under such heat. We share the same ideas and no words are needed to explain,” said Ms Lee, who came with her 21-year-old daughter.

    “There is a huge contrast between the past and the present… Now we have lost what we had and many people I know are emigrating,” she added before confirming that they plan to leave too.

    This father says he will teach his daughter about Hong Kong’s colonial history when she grows up

    Hong Kong’s identity

    Younger people without direct experience of the colonial era were also in the queue. Some said they were worried that Hong Kong’s colonial past would be buried under Beijing’s drive to reshape the city.

    New textbooks now say Hong Kong was never a British colony but was merely occupied by a foreign power.

    Law student Sam said his grandmother fled mainland China by swimming to the city. “Immigration officers said to my grandma that our si tau por was also a woman, so she would be taken care of in Hong Kong.”

    Christopher, 15, said traces of Hong Kong’s colonial history are still visible – such as the old banknotes and street signs. “But it feels like they are fading.”

    “No matter our criticism, the colonial period was part of our Hong Kong identity and history,” said Dr Li.

  • Donkey penises for export seized at Nigerian airport

    Seven thousand donkey penises being exported to Hong Kong have been intercepted by Nigeria’s customs service at an airport in the commercial hub, Lagos.

    The animal parts were packed in 16 sacks found in the animal export section, said Sambo Dangaladima, the customs controller at Murtala Muhammed airport.

    The stench from the sacks aroused suspicion of the authorities.

    The consignment is estimated to be worth 200 million Naira ($478,000; £416,000)

    A suspect linked to the package is said to have escaped. Nigerian law forbids export of donkey parts.

    Donkey parts are sought after in China where they are used to make traditional medicine.