Good morning,

A paywall? I hate paywalls. News should be free and openly accessible but also please I need income; donate.

Anyway, Sze Yu and Jasmine got to test this out first, now it’s my turn to see how it feels.

~ Cyril

On Today’s Tide:

1. Politics: Gov vs Hong Kong Alliance like prosecuting a ‘dead person’

2. COVID updates

3. No-opposition government passes lots of laws

4. Upcoming events
   ———

Our paid subscribers get the above in more details and more:

1. More COVID in the news

   • New quarantine policies in the ‘wrong direction’

   • Quarantine easing for Macau and Mainland

2. Police Raid LSD and sister HQs

3. HKETO Grand Opening in Dubai

4. SECRET MEME NEWS ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Gov vs Hong Kong Alliance like prosecuting a ‘dead person’

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HK Alliance) was struck off the Companies Register earlier in the week for National Security Reasons. Their long-standing push to ‘end one-party dictatorship’ amounted to subversion because it contravenes the Chinese Constitution (the 2018 amendment added in references to the Communist Party being the sole legal leader for the country).

Under HK Company law, however, this amounts to the HK Alliance being non-existent. Principal magistrate Peter Law said this is an “unprecendented situation” and amounts to essentially prosecuting "a dead person". There are legal questions surrounding whether or not the Alliance can legally defend themselves.

In any case, HK Alliance’s case has been adjourned till January. The three core members charged remain behind bars.

COVID news

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating two additional imported #COVID19 cases, one of which involves a #MutantStrain while the mutation test result of the other case is pending

news.gov.hk2 imported COVID-19 cases foundThe Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating two additional imported COVID-19 cases, one of which involves a mutant strain, while the mutation test result of the other case is pending.

7:48 AM ∙ Oct 28, 2021

Coronavirus in Hong Kong

• New cases: 2

No-opposition government passes lots of laws

To what extent does statistics confer or reflect objective truth?

Apparently a lot, says Legco President Andrew Leung. According to him, this year 46 policies were passed, double the amount of the previous year. The number of meetings went up 49 meetings, compared to 30 the previous year, but meeting hours dropped from 406 to 342.

Leung also made specific mention to three recently passed controversial bills as evidence that LegCo still had dissenting voices even though there is no formal opposition - the e-Cigarette ban, rent control regulations for subdivided flats, and a scheme easing foreign doctors registering to work locally

As with some other commentators, Leung blamed the previous lack of productivity to disruptions from the pro-democracy camp, who often resorted to filibustering and other abuses of procedure to halt controversial bills.

"It becomes more efficient because of time spent in delaying, blocking the bills was not there at all. That's why we can scrutinise double the amount

With the national security law being in force, the government can focus more on the livelihood and economic issues”

Andrew “bustered the filibuster” Leung

Events / Exhibitions etc

Our events are handpicked from public exhibitions, partnerships/collaborations and also just stuff we find cool. We want to make sure that what we advertise is interesting for our readers, so if you go to an event that you saw here, let us know by taking a selfie and tagging us on Twitter or Instagram ( both @harbourtimes ).

We’ll throw in a free month of Paid High Tide for yourself or a friend!

Wine and Dine Festival

The Hong Kong tourism board has announced that the Wine and Dine Festival will return with a “City Wine Walk” offer and last throughout next month. Participants can buy a tasting pass which will allow them to try wines and special menus at restaurants and bars in Kennedy Town, Central, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui.

For more information visit the Hong Kong tourism board’s website!

Golden Eye on the Cosmos - James Webb Space Telescope

Call all space nerds, you won’t want to miss this:

Meet the James Webb Space Telescope at the HK Space Museum’s latest exhibition Golden Eye! The show, launching today, will feature a replica of Galileo’s own telescope and take a look at new opportunities presented by infrared astronomy.

Venue: Foyer, Hong Kong Space Museum
Exhibition period: 27 October, 2021 - 30 May, 2022

Shaw Prize Exhibition

Following yesterday’s awards ceremony of the locally-born international Shaw Prize, an exhibition introducing the five Laureates and their contributions to their respective scientific fields will be held from October to January at the Science Museum.

Sometimes dubbed ‘The Nobel of the East’, the Shaw Prize (named after philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw) gives awards to living front-runners in scientific and mathematical fields.

Venue: Science Museum, TST
Exhibition period: 29 Oct to 5 Jan

Want your events on Tide as well? Let us know!