News
Government continues to surprise residents with sudden lockdowns
- 2021-02-01
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: LAMA Sumnima RaniEdited by: LAMA Sumnima Rani
- 2021-02-01
Hong Kong’s ambush-style lockdown takes residents of Ho Choi Building on 42-58A On Hing Street in Yuen Long by surprise when police and health officials surrounded the building at 7 pm. Residents of the building are subject to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing. A 51-year-old man residing in Ho Choi building was confirmed to have COVID-19 on 30 Jan. He belongs to the airport runway site cluster, according to the Centre for Health Protection. “It’s unexpected but necessary,” said Karen Leung, 30, who lives in Ma Tin Road across from Ho Choi building. The Centre for Health Protection has confirmed 34 additional Covid-19 cases amongst which, five are imported, taking Hong Kong’s total of COVID-19 cases to 10,452. “We will intensify our operations, the so-called lockdown, targeted operations every day until February 10” said Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-Chung at a press conference this afternoon. Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection continues to urge the public to maintain personal hygiene and avoid social gatherings.
COVID-19 lockdown in Majestic House, Tsim Sha Tsui
- 2021-02-01
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Simran VaswaniEdited by: Simran Vaswani
- 2021-02-01
Another ambush-style lockdown is being implemented at Majestic House, 80 Nathan Road at the junction with Cameron Road in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday evening. Large groups of police officers and medical workers have cordoned off the area while getting passers-by to leave the area. A 50-year-old man in Majestic House was confirmed to have COVID on 30 Jan, according to the Centre for Health Protection. Majestic House was first occupied in 1963 and has over 60 apartments. It is one of several residential blocks where people are subject to mandatory COVID-19 testing Monday evening. Other buildings include number 42-58A, On Hing Street in Yuen Long and Loong King Building on Ma Tau Wai Road in Hung Hom, according to the Food and Health Bureau. The Centre for Health Protection reported 34 new cases of COVID-19 in Hong Kong today. This comes after multiple lockdowns in Yau Tsim Mong district over the past week. There has been a visible cluster of growing cases in Tsim Sha Tsui over the past 14 days, according to the Centre for Health Protection website.
Tsang Fook Piano Company to close in March after 105 years in business
- 2021-02-01
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHUNG Yee MenEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-02-01
Tsang Fook Piano Company, Hong Kong’s oldest musical instrument store, announced on Jan. 22 that it will end its business in March. The descendant of the Tsang Fook family revealed the decision to close was made because the next generation had limited interest in inheriting the business. The announcement mentioned how the company has witnessed the ups and downs of the city for more than a century, and it is now time to say goodbye. Its two branches in Wan Chai and Wong Chuk Hang are putting on a clearance sale before the closure. The founder, Mr Tsang Fook, learned how to make and tune pianos in Europe and America. In 1916, he opened Tsang Fook Piano’s first branch on Morrison Hill Road in Wanchai. In the 1980s, Mr Tsang set up a factory and manufactured his own ‘made in Hong Kong’ pianos named Morrison. The street nearby was named “Kam Hong Street” (translated as “the piano company street”) to commemorate the factory building. The brand earned its prominence not only in Hong Kong but also in South East Asia, Britain and New Zealand. Later on, the company expanded its business to music instruments wholesale, retail and education. Customers expressed their regret about the closure of Tsang Fook Piano Co. This afternoon, Mr Yip, a retiree, wandered around the showroom for half an hour, trying to turn back time. When Mr Yip was young, he visited the store regularly. He was the guitarist of a band. Since the 1950s, Tsang Fook Piano Company has been one of the few stores in Hong Kong selling foreign music instrument brands, including his favourite Gibson guitar. “At that time, Tsang Fook was far more well-known than Tom Lee and Parsons Music. And now, the online world and the chains throttled its room …
Pulitzer winning journalist talks to HKBU Journalism students about Panama Papers
- 2021-01-31
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: AMALVY Esten Carr Claude Ole EriksenEdited by: CHEN Bingyi
- 2021-01-31
On Jan. 25, Frederik Obermaier, one of the two Süddeutsche Zeitung journalists who initiated and coordinated the biggest data leak in history, the Panama Papers, spoke to a class of journalism students at Hong Kong Baptist University about the entire publishing process. Mr Obermaier introduced how he worked with his colleague Bastian Obermeyer, from the first John Doe text messages that started it, all the way to publishing, and the aftermath of the Panama Papers. Mr Obermaier started the presentation by describing their first contact withJohn Doe, the whistleblower that claimed to possess insider data on the activities of a well-known Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca dating back to the 1970s. “Hello. This is John Doe. Interested in data? I’m happy to share,” Mr Obermaier read the first anonymous messages his colleague received. Mr Obermaier explained that these messages were not uncommon in their office. Thus, they started to investigate if any of the data was legit and trustworthy. Upon receiving all of the data, it amounted to 2.6TB of data, the largest in history blowing all its predecessors out of the water. “If we were to open all the files by ourselves, it would take a minimum of 10 years, not to mention read through them,” Mr Obermaier said. He added “that securing the data was the first challenge they face.” In order to safeguard the precious data, Süddeutsche Zeitung purchased a €17,000 (HK$159,000) air gapped computer placed in a lockbox chained to the floor. Glitter nail polish was layered on top of the computer screws to ensure that it had not tampered with. Communication with John Doe was also encrypted that there was no way of knowing his or her identity. However, as Mr Obermaier explained, the biggest task still remained, publishing this story as quickly and clearly …
Art exhibition brings Hongkongers’ attention to the unattended cracks in the city
- 2021-01-20
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: TUNG Yi WunEdited by: LI Chak Ho Samuel
- 2021-01-20
Local artist Yeung Tong-lung showcases his artwork which reminds Hong Kong people of the neglected parts of the city while COVID-19 has won all attention. Presented by Blindspot Gallery, in collaboration with a local independent bookstore -- Art and Culture Outreach, the Daily Practice is a solo art exhibition showing Mr Yeung’s artwork which was completed during 2015 - 2020. Amongst all pieces, Mount Davis, which illustrates the Yangge Dance Incident that happened in June 1950, is the featured artwork. Holding an art exhibition amid the fourth wave, though fewer visitors were expected, they believed that it was the right timing to make it happen. “In the past few months, Hong Kong people have been stressed over the pandemic,” said Wong Man-ying, one of the visitors. “Everyone seems to have their complete focus on getting themselves away from any possibility of being infected. To some extent, we became selfish. But in fact, there are people who really need help.” Although none of the art pieces demonstrates individuals being affected by the pandemic, or any pandemic-related scenes, showing the daily life of the minorities in Hong Kong could give visitors a heads up of the existence of these vulnerable groups, and that they could be suffering at this critical time, said Ms Wong. “It is rare for [Yeung] Tong-lung to hold a solo art exhibition or to display his work in any other exhibitions,” said Wong Cheng-yan, manager of Mr Yeung and gallery manager of Blindspot Gallery. My Yeung’s last exhibition was in early 2019. Thus, even though the exhibition rolled out as the pandemic was prevailing, a lot of Mr Yeung’s friends and special guests still attended the opening reception. Daily Practice’s opening reception was held on Jan. 19 at Blindspot Gallery in Wong Chuk Hang. The exhibition period …
Hong Kong's first solar-powered food truck wins catering award
- 2017-11-07
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Holly Chik、Michelle NgEdited by: Choy York Borg Paulus
- 2017-11-07
Hong Kong's first green food truck won the Gold Prize of Catering in Traditional Cuisine of CLP's Greenplus Award Programme. The solar-power panels, which cost over $20,000, are installed on the vehicle's roof to supply electricity for fans and for customers to charge their electronic devices. "The eye-catching panels also demonstrates the eco-friendliness of the vehicle whereas other energy-saving measures are usually not obvious," said Trevor Ng, Managing Director of Pat Chun, who has been operating the $800,000 truck since March this year. The company also adopts an energy management system which can be operated with a smartphone to improve energy efficiency. "With the system, we can collect real-time energy consumption data and adjust the use of electricity," said Ng. For example, they can use the remaining heat generated by the automatic rice-fryer to cook their stewed beef brisket. To reduce interior temperature, they opted for a heat-resistant automatic rice-fryer. The solar panels on the roof also serve as a heat barrier during hotter days. A centrifugal range hood and a grease trap are also installed to collect used cooking oil that will be converted to biodiesel for the car. Ng said they save about 25% on their electricity bill after implementing these measures. Such environmental protection measures "mitigate climate change, lower business cost and create new business opportunities," said Philip Yung Wai-hung, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism).
Two out of 40 prepackaged juices found to contain mycotoxin
- 2017-10-17
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: Holly ChikEdited by: Daisy Lee
- 2017-10-17
Consumer Council said two of prepackaged juices samples were tested positive for patulin, a mycotoxin a UN committee on Food Additives say could suppress immunoreactions, damage nerves and affect the development of infants. Although patulin is commonly present in decaying fruits, especially apples, "the risk is higher in juices because mould cannot be seen", said council spokesman Michael Hui King-man. The distributors have instantly removed the two cold pressed apple and blended apple juices, in which the amount of patulin have exceeded the Centre for Food Safety's action level. The council also found that the dietary fibre content of all 40 samples, including those with fruit pulps claims, was lower than the detection limit of less than 1.1g/100ml of fruit juice. Vitamin C content in apple juices was also found generally lower than 2mg/100ml, whilst that in orange juices, on the whole, was higher, ranging from 11 to 52mg/100ml. High sugar content in all samples also entailed that they are "not deemed as a low-sugar food" under Hong Kong's current nutrition labelling standards. For the sample with the most sugar, drinking 1 bottle of 360ml of juice would amount to 46g of sugar intake. In other words, it is equivalent to 92% of an adult average daily intake of 50g free sugars limit. The council urged consumers not to substitute fruit juice for fruit because juices contain less vitamin C and fibre but are more expensive. Reported by Holly Chik Edited by Daisy Lee
Highlights on Carrie Lam's First Policy Address
- 2017-10-11
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Sharon PunEdited by: Cecilia Wong、Isabella Lo、Daisy Lee、James Ho
- 2017-10-11
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor kicked off her first Policy Address of 2017-2018 by emphasising "one country two systems" this morning in the Legislative Council. She quoted President Xi Jin-ping's remarks during his visit to the city in July, that the framework of "one country two systems" is the best path for Hong Kong. Pinpointing on her maiden policy, she introduced the two-tier taxation system in which the profit tax rate is lowered from 16.5% to 8.25% for the first $2 million. Rate beyond $2 million remains unchanged. The government will set limits to big corporations, so that only one of the subsidiaries can be benefited. For housing, Lam put emphasis on the "Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Pilot Scheme" which is expected to offer more than 4000 public housing flats by the end of 2018. Lam detailed the "Starter Homes" plan in cooperation with private developers to help young families with the income capped by about 30% higher than the home ownership ownership limits get onto the housing ladder. To alleviate the existing pressure on housing, Lam suggested several measures to increase transitional housing supply, such as utilising idle governmental premises to provide rental housings, and converting industrial building into transitional housing with land premium wavering. Lam suggests providing a maximum of $300 monthly travelling allowance to each Octopus user who spends over $400 on commuting by MTR, franchised buses, green minibuses and ferries. The policy using the dividends from MTR Corporation is expected to benefit 2 million citizens territory-wide. In order to encourage the youth's voices in policy discussion, she said the government will increase the ratio of teenagers within her government to 15%. In addition, the government will recruit more than 20 young people to take part in …
Rally called for an end to 'authoritarian rule' on China's national day
- 2017-10-02
- The Young Reporter
- By: Raphael BletEdited by: Daisy Lee
- 2017-10-02
Organizers of ‘anti-authoritarian rally' said 40,000 people attended the march on China's 68th National Day. Raised by Demosisto, League of Social Democrats and other political parties, the demonstration kicked off at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, marching to the Government Headquarters in Tamar. "Step down Yuen Kwok-keung! Against authoritarian rule! " people called for Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung to resign during the march. "We are here because we see that the situation is getting worse and worse especially since the new administration took over and began persecution and prosecution," said Griffith Jones, member of Socialist Action. In August, the Department of Justice successfully appealed to the sentencing of student activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Alex Chow Wing-hong and Nathan Law Kwun-chung who were charged for storming the ‘Civic Square' beside the Legco back in 2014. The trio was sentenced between six to eight months behind bars- which pan-democrats regard as a politically motivated sentence. Occupy leaders Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming all showed up in the demonstration. The three face charges of public nuisance in relation to the Umbrella movement, which brought the city's busiest districts to a halt for almost three months. Several protesters were holding yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the 79-day occupied movement in 2014. "We are here because Hong Kong is in a bad shape, we will continue until we take back our city," said a female protester surnamed Ho. Part of the Pro-independence protesters were waving Catalan flags, in reference to the current referendum on the Spanish region's possible independence. "We do not have (hold) Catalan flags because (of) support(ing) Catalonia's independence. We just want to show the government that other countries discuss independence as well," said one of the demonstrators. Spokesperson for the government responded to the event later, saying …
41-year-old rape suspect refused to answer questions related to the victim
- 2017-09-21
- The Young Reporter
- By: Dorothy Ma、Windy LI、Tracy ZhangEdited by: Nicole Kwok
- 2017-09-21
Hung Ngam-Chung rape case in high courtA 41-year-old local man accused of raping a teenager refused to say whether he knows the victim, as a video showed by the prosecution today.The police officer who interrogated the defendant appeared in court as a witness.The video showed a trial by police in which the defendant said he did not know the blotted towel and refuse to talk about his whatsapp message sent to the victim.The blue towel was allegedly to be put under the 16-year-old teenager during the intercourse when she was in her periodHung Ngam-chung, the defendant, pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape. The next hearing is scheduled tomorrow. Posted by Jade Li on 2017年9月19日 Hung Ngam-Chung, an unemployed 41-year-old man, is accused of raping a 16 year-old woman, X, last year in Hong Kong. Hearing continues at High Court yesterday. In a police interrogation video played in court, the defendant refused to answer whether he knows X, as well as other questions related to the X. The policeman in the video appeared as witness today in court, said that the defendant moved to Hung Yu Mansion in Sham Shui Po two days after X was raped. The video also showed that when the defendant was asked about a found blood towel, he said he did not recognize it. He also refused to talk about his WhatsApp message sent to the victim. The blood towel was allegedly said to be put under X when she was forced to have sex with the defendant. X tried to tell the defendant she was in her period at that time, but the defendant ignored her, then place the towel under X. It is also known that X just gave birth. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape. The next …