Category Archives: Blog

An idea that isn’t going away

Former Transport and Housing Minister Anthony Cheung calls for a civil service pay freeze to help solve the government’s budget deficit. He notes that fiscal reserves of HK$1.1 trillion in 2018 are now at HK$570 billion. Much of that went … Continue reading

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Deficit fixed

Easing into Snake Year gradually. Yesterday’s Standard reports Financial Secretary Paul Chan’s suggestions for tackling the government’s budget deficit… Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has put forward potential areas for cost-cutting within education and health care and says adjustments will … Continue reading

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Gung Hei etc…

The year ends with a strong smell of NatSec. A Twitter post… Hong Kong pro-democracy politician / activist Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) — who’s being jailed for organizing protests/ rallies in 2019 — was seen restrained in chains like a felon … Continue reading

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Otherwise engaged today…

Getting Covid shot number 8, and hoping that Snake Year will bring good health to all…

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Week ends with a whimper

We need something relaxing and wholesome. Just a quick link to a Zolina City Mag guide to all the places in Tai O where you can see whale bones. That village is just packed with them. If you insist on … Continue reading

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Pre-CNY flurry

Hong Kong officials respond to former US VP Mike Pence’s comments about Jimmy Lai at a business summit in the city… A government spokesperson said Pence’s comments were intended “to influence the fairness of the trial with malicious intent”. This … Continue reading

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Your sushi is still safe…

Government inspectors testing foodstuffs imported from Japan find no evidence of dangerous levels of radiation – for the 18th month running. They have processed over 111,000 samples, the majority seafood, since August 2023, and found that every single one was … Continue reading

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Some ‘sweeping conclusions’

From HKFP – Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung uses the ceremonial opening of the legal year to state that courts are not designed to serve political ends… The chief justice said on Monday that national security cases, despite attracting attention … Continue reading

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In which we hear from Mike Pence, and others

The former US VP speaks at the UBS Wealth Insights summit in Hong Kong and calls for the release of Jimmy Lai… One of the charges against Mr. Lai is an allegation that he met with the then-VP in 2019 … Continue reading

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Shots (allegedly) taken but not fired

What do the heavily manned and funded NatSec police do all day? We don’t know. What state of mind do you end up in if you have to spend weeks trawling through Facebook or surreptitiously inspecting people’s T-shirts in an … Continue reading

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