Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Weather in Hong Kong Cloudy today with occasional showers and a few thunderstorms, sometimes heavy at first. The maximum temperature is about 27 degrees. The wind blows slowly to a clear easterly wind, and at the beginning there are strong winds between offshore and highland. There are still a few showers in the next day or two. Towards the end of the week, the weather is unstable.
Hong Kong news
■The Chief Executive, John Lee, met with members of the University Grants Committee (UGC) on the 20th to exchange views on the latest developments in Hong Kong's higher education sector. Mr Lee thanked the UGC members from local, Mainland and overseas for their insights on the development of higher education in Hong Kong, and acknowledged the progress made by the UGC in promoting internationalisation, teaching innovation and research impact. He hoped that the UGC would continue to support the University in its efforts to improve teaching and research and nurture outstanding talents.
■On the 20th, the Hong Kong SAR government strongly condemned the "briefing" on the anti-China organization "Hong Kong Watch" for making untrue and slanderous remarks against Article 23 of the Basic Law, and demanding that the British government impose so-called "sanctions" on SAR government officials, deliberately misleading the public, smearing the Hong Kong National Security Law and safeguarding national security regulations.
■On the 20th, the Hong Kong Restart Alliance held a press conference on Hong Kong's "Four Major Developments" strategy on the occasion of its 4th anniversary. Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and general convener of the Grand Alliance, said that under the national "14th Five-Year Plan", Hong Kong's role in the overall development of the country will be established, and eight centers will be built.
■The grave of the late Beyond band lead singer Wong Ka Kui was damaged with a hammer and splashed with soda on the 19th, which caused outrage in the city, and the police arrested two men on suspicion of criminal damage after investigation. The police said on the 20th that they attached great importance to the case, and the Kwun Tong District Crime Unit took over the investigation of the case, and after further investigation, the arrested two people were charged with a total of one count of criminal damage, and the case will be mentioned in the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts this morning (21st).
■ The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Sun Yuk-han, met with all members of the Social Workers Registration Bureau on the afternoon of the 20th, emphasizing that the Registration Bureau exercises public power, and in addition to being empowered by law to handle social worker registration and disciplinary matters, it is also responsible for safeguarding national security and acting in the public interest for the recipients and the whole society.
■ Chief Executive John Lee's 2022 Policy Address announced the enhancement of the mobilization mechanism and the addition of a "whole-of-government mobilization" level. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Ms Ho Pui-yan Yeung, said at a meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Civil Servants and Subvented Organisations on the 20th that optimising the mobilization mechanism is an important measure for the current-term Government to improve the level of governance, improve the system construction and enhance the government's response capacity.
■Next Digital's founder Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily's case of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces entered the 79th day of trial on the 20th. According to reports, the prosecution broadcast the Taiwanese live program "Villagers Come to Chongkang" on the YouTube channel "Yahoo TV Together" on May 11, 2020, and the host of the program conducted a video interview with Jimmy Lai in the form of a telephone connection, which lasted for one hour, and he bluntly said on the program that "I really want the CIA to influence us".
■CLP Power said on the 20th that it had submitted an investigation report to the government on the power incidents that occurred in recent months, and CLP Power had taken immediate action to follow up and would fully implement relevant improvement measures. CLP Power said that it understands the concerns of customers and the community about electrical incidents, and will conduct a comprehensive review of asset management in power generation, transmission and distribution, including the maintenance system and the contractor supervision system, and appoint an independent expert panel to assist in reviewing the relevant work. The work is expected to be completed within this year.
■On the 20th, the sky in Hong Kong was cloudy, and the rain fell from time to time in the middle of the week, but it still did not hinder the Ho couple to "walk together through thick and thin", and continued to show affection on the street, some netizens successively "captured" the traces of He Bo and Mrs. He in Central and Siu Hong Station on the same day, Uncle He was wearing a pink shirt, which was very eye-catching, and netizens praised it: "Abel has a skill to rejuvenate!"
Financial
■The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong government announced on the 20th that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from February to April this year was 3%, the same as the figure from January to March. The underemployment rate also remained unchanged at 1.1% during the two periods. The authorities expect the labour market to remain tight in the near term.
■Hong Kong stocks rose three times in a row, and the rise narrowed to 20 points after the market opened 67 points higher on the 20th, but the rise expanded to a maximum of 152 points to 19706 points in the afternoon, and closed at 19636 points, up 82 points or 0.42%, and the closing and highest levels were the highest since August last year. The transaction volume shrank slightly to HK$156.5 billion from HK$179.3 billion on Friday. Kwok Sizhi, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Analysts Association, said that in late May, related activities such as the rollover and settlement of the monthly futures index will gradually dominate the overall situation, and the market pattern this month is temporarily low and then high.
■Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Hui Ching-yu said in his speech at the "Seminar on Promoting Hong Kong's Financial Development through the 23 Articles of Legislation" on the 20th that Hong Kong's financial and business circles agree that the "Safeguarding National Security Ordinance" brings a safe and stable environment to the society and is conducive to investment and financial development. He said that driven by a series of optimization measures and the external environment, the sentiment of Hong Kong's stock market continued to improve, and the trading volume rebounded.
■The three major U.S. stock indexes closed on the 20th, with the Dow closing down 196.82 points at 39,806.77 points, down 0.49%; The Nasdaq closed up 108.90 points, or 0.65%, at 16,794.87, hitting a new closing high; The S&P 500 closed up 4.86 points, or 0.09%, at 5,308.13. Chinese concept stocks generally fell, Oceanpower Securities fell 85.02%, and Fang Duoduo fell 30.95%.
■According to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on the 20th that it had launched a recall investigation into about 51,500 electric vehicles of Volkswagen America due to concerns that the doors would open when driving. NHTSA said it received 12 complaints about Volkswagen's electric ID.4 SUV produced from 2021 to 2023. Some consumers have reported that the doors open intermittently while driving.
synthesis
According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on May 20 local time, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, clarified China's solemn position on the "May 20 inauguration ceremony" in the Taiwan region during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Astana, stressing that the one-China principle is the anchor for maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait. Wang Yi pointed out that the one-China principle cannot be violated. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is a part of China. No matter how the situation on the island of Taiwan changes, this fact cannot be changed.
■On May 20, local time, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Astana. Wang Yi said that President Putin's first state visit to China in the new term was a complete success, and the two heads of state based on the important juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, jointly grasped the direction of the development of bilateral relations in the new era, jointly issued a heavyweight joint statement on deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era, and issued a common voice to strengthen China-Russia strategic cooperation under the new situation, demonstrating the responsibility of major countries committed to maintaining global strategic stability.
On May 20, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin held a regular press conference, and a reporter asked that Lai Qingde was inaugurated as the new leader of the Taiwan region on the 20th, and said in his inaugural speech that China and Taiwan (region) have no subordinate relationship, and also emphasized that Taiwan (region) has sovereignty. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin responded that you can ask the competent authorities of the Chinese side about this issue, "I want to emphasize that 'Taiwan independence' is a dead end, and no matter what pretext or banner it is used to, the pursuit of 'Taiwan independence' separatism is doomed to failure." ”
On the evening of May 20, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu had a telephone conversation with Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Al-Bagheri. Ma Zhaoxu said that the Chinese side is deeply shocked and saddened by the unfortunate death of President Raisi. President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to Acting President Mohber, stressing that the Chinese government and people cherish the traditional friendship between China and Iran, and believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to consolidate and develop. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also sent a message of condolences to you on the death of Foreign Minister Abdollahian. At this difficult time, the Chinese people stand firmly with the Iranian people.
■The reporter learned from the Shenzhen Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau that a total of 1,851 marriage registrations were handled in Shenzhen throughout the day of "520", and the single-day processing volume was the highest in the past five years. In order to meet the needs of citizens for marriage registration on the day of "520", the Civil Affairs Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality has taken a variety of measures to provide convenient services, publicized and reported through various online media in advance, and carried out a variety of "marriage +" activities.
■According to CCTV News, on May 20, local time, Iranian Vice President Mansoori said that a farewell ceremony for Raisi's body would be held in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province on the morning of the 21st local time. On the afternoon of the 21st, a farewell ceremony for Raisi's body will be held in Qom City, Qom Province, Iran. On the 22nd, a memorial ceremony will be held in Tehran, after which Raisi's body will be transferred to Mashhad, and a funeral will be held in Mashhad on the 23rd.
■According to the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency, on the 20th local time, the leaders of the Iranian government, parliament and justice held a meeting on the same day and determined that the new Iranian presidential election will be held on June 28. According to the latest election schedule, Iran will register presidential candidates from May 30 to June 3 and conduct election campaigns from June 12 to 27, according to the report.
■The Iranian government confirmed on the 20th that President Raisi was killed in a helicopter accident on the 19th. According to CNN, military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Layton said that the helicopter in which the Iranian president was flying may be a Bell-212 helicopter, which came out in the late 60s of the last century, and the difficulty of obtaining spare parts after the United States imposed sanctions on Iran may have contributed to the crash.
■According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, on the 20th local time, the chief of the general staff of the Iranian armed forces, Bagheri, has ordered an investigation into the helicopter crash that killed President Raisi and others, and has assigned a high-level delegation to the scene of the accident. It is reported that a high-level delegation has arrived at the crash site, the investigation has begun, and the results will be published after the conclusion of the investigation.
■On the morning of May 20, local time, before the UN Security Council held a meeting on Ukraine, all stood up to pay a minute of silence to Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and other victims of the helicopter accident.
Karim Kahn, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said on the 20th that he had applied to the court judges for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant and three leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Kahn said the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant are against them for "engaging in mass killing and starvation through methods of warfare, including the refusal to provide humanitarian relief supplies and the deliberate targeting of civilians in the conflict." They are accused of war crimes, among other things.
■On May 20, local time, the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly of Vietnam voted on the election of the new President of the National Assembly. Tran Thanh Minh, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and executive vice chairman of the National Assembly, was elected as the new chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam.
According to CCTV News, the Israeli army bombed several areas in the north and south of the Gaza Strip on the 20th local time, killing at least 28 people. According to a report by the Palestinian News Agency, the Israeli army intensively bombed Jabaliyah, Beit Lahiyeh and several areas in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on the 20th, killing at least 25 people. At least three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a home in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, on the same day.
Editor: Jianming
Proofreader: Zhuo Ling
审核：Oriole
Executive Producer: Yushan