🌊 Free Tide: Stand News exercises caution
🌊 Free Tide: Stand News exercises caution
China goes for a softer tone
Good morning
I returned from the weekend expecting to write about some fresh topics but nope, we’re back with more NSL news. Today isn’t all doom and gloom, though – there’s a new reel up on our Instagram! Witness the evolution of our website design at @harbourtimes on IG.
Here’s a preview of one article from 2016. This aged wonderfully.
~ Kyna
Obligatory National Security Law news
Stand News has announced that it will be removing all of its commentaries published before May 2021. The pieces will only be considered for a re-post with the authors’ consent, or until the organisation deems it appropriate.
Six of the parent company’s eight directors have resigned. “We have enough money to run for another nine to twelve months,” a representative said. “If necessary, we will seek help again from Hongkongers in future.”
Just last week, fellow pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to close after its assets were frozen on suspicion of violating the National Security Law.
COVID news
Coronavirus in Hong Kong
New cases: 6 (5 imported, 1 local) (Noooooo…)
Total cases: 11,849 cases so far (67 active cases, 210 total deaths, 11,572 total recovered)
Today’s local case is a colleague of yesterday’s confirmed Delta variant patient – she is also confirmed to have a mutant strain. Compulsory testing has now been declared for everyone in the designated area.
Gay Games HK talks corporate pride
Gay Games Hong Kong hosted a Coffee with Gay Games Webinar inviting diversity and inclusion experts to share their views on Pride in the workplace. The panelists addressed current progress, the issue of 'rainbow capitalism', potential pathways for advancement and more.
Or if you’d like a refresher first, feel free to check out our summary of lawmakers’ comments on the Gay Games over the past month.
In other news…
Hoping to improve China’s soft power, President Xi Jinping encouraged national representatives – including government officials and state media – to work towards an image of “reliability, admirability and respectability” and help to “better tell China’s stories”.
This change will mostly apply to tone and not approach; China is not cutting back on its National Security Law implementations in HK or its current presence in Taiwan’s airspace.
HK’s iconic Peak Tram is closing for six months :( no need to worry – the shutdown is in preparation for a HK$700 million revamp (paywalled).
“We appreciate the amazing support we have received from members of the public since the Peak Tram’s first ride [with the fifth generation carriages] on September 20, 1989.”
— Martin Sawyer, group director for the parent company of Peak Tramways
New fully-functioning MTR line! The Tuen Ma Line links Sha Tin to Central, running between Wu Kai Sha and Tuen Mun.
The line was scheduled to be completed in 2019, but construction was delayed by work scandals and relic discoveries.
Help us “better tell [Hong Kong’s] stories” here at HT.
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