Politics

John Lee Ka-chiu, 64, the sole candidate, secured his seat as the sixth chief executive in Hong Kong today with only eight votes against him.  Lee won 1,416 votes out of 1,428, including four blank votes, gaining trust from over 99% from the election committee, a record high of support. Thirty-three members did not vote. “With loyalty and perseverance, I shall undertake this historic mission and shoulder this responsibility to unite and lead the 7.4 million Hong Kong people to start a new chapter together,” Lee said at the press conference after being elected. This is the first chief executive election since Beijing’s election reform ensuring governance by “patriots only”. It is also the first uncontested chief executive election in Hong Kong since its handover. “I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr John Lee on his successful election and later today,” said Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the current chief executive, in a statement today. “We will render all the support needed for the assumption of office by the new term of government.” Lee will take over as chief executive on July 1.  The chief executive is chosen by the election committee, a body that has been expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members after the electoral system reform and includes representatives from different sectors.  “The election committee members are very responsive and completed their responsibility,” said Tam Yiu-chung, member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, also the Lee’s campaign manager. “This is an important event in Hong Kong. The sixth chief executive will be elected under the new election system. We wish Hong Kong to begin a new chapter and a good development.” Lee, a former police officer, handled the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019 as Secretary for Security.  Lee’s latest ratings plunged to a new low of 34.8 between March 7 …

Hundreds of students wearing green celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Kingston, Ontario where Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. The green clothes, green beer and clovers are back on the streets of Kingston, Ontario for the first time in two years. St Patrick’s Day festivities stopped in 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. But celebrations honouring one of the patron saints of Ireland are in full swing again. Students hold parties in their front yards and rooftops, many of them singing with drinks in their hands. All this is possible because from March 14, social gathering in Ontario has been increased to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoor. Capacity limits for bars and restaurants have also been removed.  But the University District Safety Initiative is in effect, which means individuals could be fined up to CAD$2,000 or even face university disciplinary action for creating, hosting or participating in a "nuisance party" under the Student Conduct Code. A Nuisance party includes undesirable behaviors such as excessive and disturbing noise, obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic, and illegally serving or selling alcoholic beverages and controlled substances. Last year, Covid restrictions meant parties were limited to five people. Businesses serving alcoholic beverages had to close at 11 p.m. Singing, dancing and live music were also banned. But now in 2022, students say they are happy to celebrate St.Patrick’s day with fewer restrictions. Cathy Chan, a student in Kingston got ready a few days ago by buying a green T-shirt and accessories. "My friends and I are really excited about this. We haven't had a big party in a long time," she said. Another student, Anna Morel, said she was going to a night club for the evening. "The club just reopened this month, and we can't wait to enjoy our time there," …

Residents from southeast Queensland are trapped by the flood as the city has been engulfed in heavy rainfall since last Friday. The flood is estimated to last until Monday.  Six deaths were recorded in Queensland since the flood caused by intense rainfall, one person is missing, reported by local press. The occasional showers on Friday have evolved to rainstorms, precipitation today has peaked to 228.4 mm in Brisbane, totaling up to 518 mm, according to the Daily Weather Observation by the Bureau of Meteorology. The bureau also predicted the rain in south-east Queensland will temporarily stop this Tuesday, but a new wave of rain and storm will begin within two days after the peace.  The Brisbane River hit a major flood level of 3.5 metres and will further rise to four metres at 8 a.m. next morning, estimated by the Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland. This would be the second highest flood level since 2011 of 4.46 metres.  In view of the flood warnings for surging water level of Brisbane River, the Brisbane City Council activated two northside evacuations centres in the south-east of the city. People from other cities in Queensland including low-lying areas of Ipswich, Grantham and Gympie are evacuated.  Public transportation service is hampered in Brisbane, according to the Brisbane City Council. The flood also declined the electricity supply of several regions, according to the outage finder, an interactive online tool that shows the power supply in different regions.  Wu Cheuk-hei, a university student, has experienced an outage since afternoon. Her apartment has run out of electricity since this morning.  The outage posed challenges to Wu’s living, as she relies on electricity for hot water. “I am wondering if I should take a cold bath if we still do not have electricity tomorrow,” she said.  The government of …