Demolition uncovers historical cistern, raises conservation concerns | Weekly Political Briefing
Demolition uncovers historical cistern, raises conservation concerns | Weekly Political Briefing
Listen to our HK 2020 Roundup - Dongjiang water deal - Swedish CG excited to give back - Shenzhen detainees get sentenced - Jimmy Lai resigns from Next Digital
This week, Harbour Times readers were some of the first to learn about the romanesque cistern uncovered in Sham Shui Po. Mainstream English media had not yet let its readers know about this discovery, including whether the government would protect it, making us one of the first to let the public know about these important details. If you want to keep tabs on the conservation of historical artifacts and the policies protecting them, be sure to subscribe to High Tide:
This week on HT
Rare century-old underground water structure puts Hong Kong’s conservation policies to the test
by Cyril Ma
The discovery of a century-old underground reservoir has conservationists scrambling to keep it safe from destruction.
Podcast: COVID-19 & the year alcohol prohibition almost happened | Hong Kong 2020 Rewind
by Harbour Times
Good riddance to 2020! In this end/beginning of the year episode, we bid farewell to 2020 and revisit some of the most defining moments in Hong Kong over the past year. Our first participant in the segment "Why Hong Kong Matters" is Phil Rosen, who tells us why there's nothing quite like Hong Kong. To have your answer featured in a future episode of Spyglass, let us know why HK Matters to you on our social media or e-mail editor@harbourtimes.com. Shout outs in this episode go to the German, Polish, and Irish Consulate Generals and Harbour Times Editor-in-Chief Andrew Work.
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Highlights this week
10 of the 12 Shenzhen detainees have been sentenced to jail for up to three years.
Jimmy Lai resigned as chairman of Next Digital, Apple Daily’s publisher. Lai still awaits trial for his national security case, where he has been charged for colluding with foreign forces.
20,000 Hongkongers have returned to the city so far through the Return2hk Scheme, which allows people to arrive to HK from the mainland without completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Low-income households normally not elible for government welfare are now able to apply to a second round of a one-off living subsidy. Also: The first case of the COVID-19 variant from South Africa has been found in Hong Kong.
Under the radar
Swedish Consul General Per Augustsson began his tenure last September, which was no doubt an unprecedented time to be in Hong Kong. He has placed emphasis on working with charitable efforts during his placement and looks forward to promoting Sweden in the city.
Hong Kong signed a new agreement on the supply of Dongjiang water to the city from 2021 to 2023. Part of this agreement includes a “package deal deductible sum” which allows a deduction in water price according to the actual amount of water taken.
Senior counsel William Tam was made acting director of public prosecutions following the resignation of David Leung. A leak revealed Mr Leung had a dispute with the justice minister’s management of the division.