Hong Kong

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June 2009
- 150K Join Tiananmen Vigil in Hong Kong
  
  BBC | Jun 4, 09 2:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An annual vigil marking the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre brought a record 150,000 people to a park in Hong Kong, the only place in China to mark the event, reports the BBC. “It is something to remember not only for our generation but for the next generation as well,” said an attendee. In Beijing, both traffic and foreign reporters were barred from the square. More »
May 2009
- Couples Find Love in Flu Hotel
  
  Reuters | May 8, 09 3:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Many of the hundreds of guests quarantined in Hong Kong's Metropark hotel shed their face masks to party away their final night in confinement yesterday, Reuters reports. The guests—who were initially outraged to learn they would be confined to the hotel for a week because of swine flu fears—say they've made lifelong friends in quarantine, and at least two new couples will be leaving the hotel together tonight. More »
- Hong Kong Hotel Guests Chill in Quarantine
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 5, 09 1:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The 300 guests and staff quarantined in Hong Kong's Metropark Hotel since Friday are getting used to life in captivity, the Wall Street Journal reports. The captives—confined since a Mexican guest tested positive for swine flu—complain about boring food and missed business deals, but some have organized beer and pizza parties to pass the seven-day quarantine period. More »
April 2009
- Hong Kong Brothers Brave Tide With Life-Size Ark
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 14, 09 2:18 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A trio of billionaire brothers in Hong Kong is offering shelter from the financial storm in the form of a life-size Noah’s ark replica, built using the Bible as a manual, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ark is one of many replicas worldwide, but the only one that conforms to the Bible’s 450-foot long, 75-foot wide, 45-foot high standards. More »
- HK Star's Sexcapades Hit Court
  
  BBC | Apr 10, 09 5:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The trial of a computer repairman accused of sparking the biggest sex scandal in Hong Kong's history has begun, the BBC reports. Prosecutors say the worker illegally copied and distributed 1300 photos taken by actor Edison Chen as he engaged in sex acts with a variety of famous young Hong Kong singers and actresses, creating an uproar that forced Chen to flee to Canada—and ruined the stars' squeaky-clean reputation. More »
February 2009
- Jittery Investors Seek Direction From Feng Shui Gurus
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 9, 09 3:07 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Hong Kong investors are invoking feng shui—the ancient Chinese art associated in the Western mind with interior decorating—to guide their depleted portfolios, the Wall Street Journal reports. Two inauspicious lunar eclipses have already predicted a grim year, and masters are warning investors to beware of the land of President Obama and his treasury secretary—both ominously born in the Year of the Ox—until 2010. More »
December 2008
- China's Great Firewall Back Up
  
  New York Times | Dec 16, 08 3:43 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - China has quietly reinstated the web censorship lifted during its Olympics image cleanup, the New York Times reports today. As in the past, the tightening comes as growing unemployment raises the government’s fears of social unrest. The government defended its right to censor sites that violate Chinese secession laws, which apparently includes BBC, Voice of America, and several Hong Kong publications. More »
- Panda Bites Hand, Er, Leg, That Feeds It
  
  Associated Press | Dec 9, 08 7:33 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A giant panda bit the left leg of a Hong Kong zookeeper while he was laying bamboo leaves in the animal's pen, reports the AP. The keeper was recovering well after the panda attack, which was partially captured and posted on YouTube by a zoo visitor. The panda—a male whose name, An An, means "peace"—arrived in Hong Kong in 1999 as a gift from the Chinese mainland. More »
September 2008
- Rumors Spark Wild Run on Asian Bank
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Sep 25, 08 6:24 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Rumors that the Bank of East Asia was in trouble spread like wildfire through Hong Kong yesterday, causing a panicked mob to descend on the bank as thousands withdrew their life savings, the Financial Times reports. Police moved in to keep order as crowds demanded their money. BEA's tycoon chairman blamed "malicious rumors" for the panic and vowed to buy shares in the bank himself. More »
July 2008
- China Bans Tibetan Flags At Olympic Event
  
  Associated Press | Jul 18, 08 7:59 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political protests inside competition venues, organizers said today. While China has tightened visa restrictions to keep out protesters during the Olympics, activists could demonstrate in Hong Kong, which grants visa-free access to citizens of many Western countries. More »
- Amid Selloff, Gold King Won't Flush His Throne
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jul 7, 08 2:53 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With gold prices hovering around $1,000 an ounce, one Hong Kong jeweler is melting down the shining palace he spent a decade building, unloading chandeliers and armored knights—everything but his 24-karat toilet, the Wall Street Journal reports. "I don't care if gold hits $10,000 an ounce," Lam Sai-wing says of the Lenin-inspired commode. "I'm not melting it down." More »
May 2008
- Hello, China: Meet Japan's New Envoy
  
  Associated Press | May 19, 08 8:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hello Kitty has been tapped as Japan’s cultural envoy to China, the AP reports. Japan’s ministry of tourism chose the über-popular icon to represent the country in its drive to attract 10 million annual visitors to the islands. Last year, tourists from China and Hong Kong made up 16.5% of Japan's 8.35 million overseas visitors. More »
- Hong Kong people donate 115 million dollars to China quake victims :
  
  Earth Times | May 19, 08
  
  Hong Kong - Hong Kong people have given more than 115 million US dollars to help victims of last week's earthquake in China's Sichuan province, a news report said Monday. The city has donated more than a ninth of all the aid that China has received.
- Torch Gets Huge Welcome in Hong Kong
  
  BBC | May 2, 08 5:18 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of people waving the Chinese flag cheered the Olympic torch on its relay through Hong Kong, shouting down scattered Tibetan protesters in their midst, the BBC reports. There were a few scuffles as the torch wound its way through the streets in the first leg of the torch relay to take place on Chinese soil. More »
- Mia Farrow Quizzed at Hong Kong Airport
  
  Associated Press | May 1, 08 5:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Activist actress Mia Farrow was allowed into Hong Kong today after authorities questioned her and told her not to disrupt tomorrow's Olympic torch relay, AP reports. Farrow is an outspoken critic of China's policy on Darfur and plans a speech tomorrow night on the issue. Several activists have been barred from the former colony in recent days, and Farrow's visit was seen as another test of the city's freedoms. More »
April 2008
- Torch Back in China After Tumultuous Tour
  
  New York Times | Apr 30, 08 12:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - There were no protests in Hong Kong today as the Olympic torch returned to Chinese soil. But reports were rampant of advocates and would-be protesters being deported or barred from entering the country, the New York Times reports. China says it’s dedicated to allowing peaceful demonstrations, but yesterday deported three pro-Tibetan advocates, and over the weekend denied entry to four more. More »
- Skype Launches $9.95 Plan for Unlimited Foreign Calls
  
  CNET | Apr 22, 08 7:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Internet calling system Skype is introducing a plan for unlimited overseas phone calls for $9.95 a month, CNET reports. The plan includes 34 European and Far Eastern countries, along with Australia and New Zealand—but the deal is limited to landlines except for calls to cell phones in Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The plan also includes unlimited domestic calls in the US. More »
- Thousands Stuck as Asian Budget Airline Folds
  
  New York Times | Apr 9, 08 8:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of passengers have been stranded in Hong Kong, London, and Vancouver with the collapse of Asian budget airline Oasis, the New York Times reports. In a sign that the industry's woes are spreading rapidly, the Hong Kong-based airline joins three US budget carriers to have gone under this month in the face of soaring fuel prices and economic jitters. More »
March 2008
- 10 Most-Wanted Luxury Brands
  
  Forbes | Mar 25, 08 5:01 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates may actually buy the most designer goods, but when money is no object, we’ve all got expensive tastes. One research group asked 25,000 consumers to forget about price tags and name the luxury brand they covet most. Forbes runs down the top 10: Gucci Chanel (tied) More »
- China Spins Tibet Crisis for the World
  
  Associated Press | Mar 22, 08 4:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - China retaliated today against the negative press that is flooding out of the Tibet crisis, the AP reports. Beijing released footage of Tibetan demonstrators assaulting Chinese, and blasted Western media such as CNN and Der Spiegel with claims of unfair coverage. Within Tibet, where foreign media is mostly banned, China continues to fill the void with its own version of events. It also increased its official death toll to 22. More »