TheNewsGuru

Tag: Hong Kong

  • First vessel berths at Lekki deep seaport

    Three Ship-to-Shore cranes and 10 Rubber-Tyred Gantries critical to the commencement of operations of the 1.5 billon Lekki Deep Seaport arrived in Nigeria on Friday.

    According to reports, operations at the Deep Seaport are expected to commence in September.

    Their arrival, according to Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), represents a major step toward birthing Nigeria’s first Deep Seaport.

    “It also demonstrates our readiness to take trade facilitation a notch higher,” Bello-Koko said in a speech at the event he described as “epoch-making”.

    He said that the commitment of the NPA toward providing every support necessary to place Nigeria on the global list of countries with Deep Seaports was unflinching.

    “This is why matters related to the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Seaport before the end of this year have been placed on top priority,” he declared.

    The NPA helmsman thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the tremendous backing the authority had enjoyed leading to the arrival of the vessel

    “For us at the NPA, the coming on stream of Lekki Deep Sea Port symbolises a lot of positives. Apart from being Nigeria’s first Deep Seaport, Lekki Port will also be the first fully automated port at take-off.

    “This provides an insight into the path we are already toeing as a management team to govern the operationalisation of not just the forthcoming Badagry, Ibom and Bonny Deep Seaports, but also of the reconstruction of the aged Tin-Can Port, where work will commence immediately the transport ministry and FEC approve.”

    He said that automation remained the most veritable tool for assuring port efficiency.

    “As most of us are aware, the NPA is working assiduously under the technical guidance of the International Maritime Organization to deploy the Port Community System which will enable us respond squarely to the dictates of global trade facilitation and optimise the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement to which Nigeria is signatory.

    “Our strategic intent of becoming the maritime logistics hub for sustainable ports services in Africa rests heavily on how well we are able to deepen our efficiencies through a construction of deep seaports in order to leverage the concomitant benefits of economies of scale.”

    Bello-Koko congratulated all stakeholders on the milestone and prayed for greater strides as the nation pushes toward trade facilitation.

    The vessels came from Hong Kong.

    Earlier, Chairman of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Mr Abiodun Dabiri, had said that the arrival of the vessel was historic as it would begin to deliver Nigeria as a regional hub for maritime business.

    “Now, the vessel we just received is carrying some major cranes and those cranes will enhance the transformation business of the deep sea port.

    “The draft of the depth of this sea is about 16.5 meters and the vessel itself can only take about 14.5 meters; the implication of this is that there is no where else in this country that this vessel can berth and that is what makes it historic.

    “So, in terms of efficiency, when you talk of STS crane, it means ship to shore which is devoid of manhandling; it will just be automated.

    “It is going to be fully automated; it will transform the maritime business and make Nigeria a regional hub,” he said.

    NAN

  • Hong Kong’s next leader to be known on May 8

    Hong Kong’s next leader to be known on May 8

    The election of Hong Kong’s next leader has been postponed until May 8, following a worsening coronavirus outbreak with thousands of new infections daily.

    Disclosing this on Friday, Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, said the election will be delayed six weeks from March 27 because holding the polls as originally scheduled would pose “public health risks” even if a committee of only 1,462 people is involved.

    Hong Kong’s leader is elected by a committee made up of legislators, representatives of various industries and professions, and pro-Beijing representatives such as Hong Kong deputies to the Chinese national parliament.

    Several candidates including film producer Checkley Sin and Titus Wu, a former member of Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment political party, have confirmed their intention to run. It is not clear if Lam will run for reelection.

    Lam also said there were plans to test the entire city of Hong Kong for COVID-19, but denied that it would be put under a strict lockdown even as the city pursues a “zero COVID” approach.

    “Mandatory testing and a complete city lockdown may not need to go hand in hand. It depends on the actual situation,” she said. “In our case, having examined the unique situation in Hong Kong, we’ll probably just go for universal testing of everyone, but testing more times.”

    She cited as an example Macao, which has tested its entire population twice for the virus.

    Health authorities said Thursday that the city’s hospitals were at 90% capacity and that its isolation facilities were full. Hong Kong’s daily new cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time on Monday. On Friday, over 3,600 new local infections were reported.

    Hong Kong has aligned itself with mainland China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy that involves quarantining incoming travelers, total lockdowns, extensive contact tracing and mass testing of millions of people.

    Lam has stuck to the same strategy despite the city’s greater population density, higher incomes and more service-oriented economy than in mainland China. Last week, the entire upscale Discovery Bay neighborhood in Hong Kong was ordered to undergo testing after authorities found traces of the virus in its sewage.

  • Internet giants threaten to pull out of Hong Kong over privacy plans

    Internet giants threaten to pull out of Hong Kong over privacy plans

    An association of companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook is warning that the internet giants and their services will pull out of Hong Kong.

    The companies warned that their services will be pulled out if a planned tightening of data protection was implemented.

    The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) criticised the proposed doxxing legislation as too vague and disproportionate, according to a letter to Hong Kong’s data protection commissioner, Ada Chung Lai-ling, posted on the AIC website on Tuesday.

    The privacy law was proposed after the personal information of police officers, and other public figures including the names, addresses, photographs of individuals were circulated online during the social unrest of 2019 and 2020.

    The publishing of such private information without permission is what is known as doxxing.

    AIC said it was “unnecessary and excessive’’ to prosecute local employees as intended if their overseas-based companies did not remove content from their platforms as required by authorities.

    “The only way to avoid these sanctions for technology companies would be to refrain from investing and offering their services in Hong Kong, thereby depriving Hong Kong businesses and consumers, whilst also creating new barriers to trade,’’ the letter said.

    The industry association shared the serious concern about “doxxing’’ but stressed that laws against it must be built upon principles of necessity and proportionality.

  • Google stops responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong government

    Google stops responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong government

    Google, on Friday, said it would no longer provide data in response to requests from Hong Kong authorities, following the enactment of a new national security law imposed by China.

    The U.S. tech giant had not produced any data since the sweeping new law took force in June and would not directly respond to such requests henceforth, it added.

    “As always, authorities outside the U.S. may seek data needed for criminal investigations through diplomatic procedures.

    “Google reviewed all requests for user data and pushed back on overly broad ones to protect the privacy of users,’’ Google said in an emailed statement.

    The Washington Post newspaper reported that Google would stop responding directly to data requests from Hong Kong authorities, implying the company would now treat Hong Kong effectively the same as mainland China in such dealings.

    The national security law has drawn criticism from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and further raised U.S.-China tensions after Washington’s decision to end the former British colony’s special status under U.S. law.

    On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Google notified Hong Kong Police that it would direct officials to pursue any requests for data through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the U.S., which involves routing through the U.S. Justice Department.

    In July, Facebook Inc, Google and Twitter Inc suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong.

    Tech companies have long operated freely in Hong Kong, a financial hub where internet access has been unaffected by the firewall imposed in mainland China, which blocks Google, Twitter and Facebook.

  • US Warns China against destabilising Hong Kong

    US Warns China against destabilising Hong Kong

    The United States on Thursday urged China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy, warning that its proposed national security law for the city would be “highly destabilizing” and face global opposition.

    “Any effort to impose national security legislation that does not reflect the will of the people of Hong Kong would be highly destabilizing, and would be met with strong condemnation from the United States and the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

    She said that China’s statements and the proposed legislation “undermine” China’s promises it made before regaining control of the financial hub from Britain in 1997.

    “We urge Beijing to honor its commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration — including that Hong Kong will ‘enjoy a high degree of autonomy’ and that people of Hong Kong will enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ortagus said.

    President Donald Trump earlier Thursday also promised a response when told of the move on Hong Kong.

    “I don’t know what it is, because nobody knows yet. If it happens, we’ll address that issue very strongly,” Trump said.

    China said it will introduce legislation Friday on the first day of its rubber-stamp parliament session that would strengthen enforcement of laws in Hong Kong that prohibit “subversion.”

    Pro-democracy leaders and activists warned that the move would mark the end of Hong Kong as they know it, a fear voiced in months of massive and sometimes violent protests last year.

    The US Congress late last year angered China by passing a law that would strip Hong Kong’s preferential trading status in the United States if the urban hub no longer enjoys autonomy from the mainland.

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this month delayed a report on certifying Hong Kong’s autonomy under the law, saying the State Department would wait for the meeting of the legislature, the National People’s Congress.

    The State Department warned Thursday that China’s actions would impact its decision.

    In a fresh bid by US Congress to exert pressure after China’s announcement, senators on Thursday introduced legislation to impose sanctions on any entity involved in curbing Hong Kong’s autonomy.

    The targets could include police who crack down on demonstrators and Chinese officials involved in Hong Kong policy — as well as banks that conduct transactions with anyone who infringes on the territory’s freedoms.

    “In many ways, Hong Kong is the canary in the coal mine for Asia,” said Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican who spearheaded the legislation alongside a Democrat, Chris Van Hollen.

    “Beijing’s growing interference could have a chilling effect on other nations struggling for freedom in China’s shadow,” Toomey said, likely alluding to the self-governed island of Taiwan and countries that have territorial rifts with Beijing.

  • COVID-19: Three men jailed for breaching quarantine orders

    COVID-19: Three men jailed for breaching quarantine orders

    Three men were sentenced to imprisonment on Monday for violating Hong Kong’s compulsory quarantine measures.

    A 31-year-old man was given a three-month custodial sentence for giving regulatory officials a false residential address.

    Meanwhile a 37-year-old and a 41-year-old violated the restrictions by leaving their places of residence.

    Both were intercepted at border-control points between Hong Kong and mainland China.

    The men received respectively 10 days and six weeks’ imprisonment.

    The government said in a statement that they welcomed the judgement and that the sentences sent a clear message to the community that breaching quarantine orders is a criminal offence.

    Also the government would not tolerate the breach of quarantine.

    Hong Kong continues to see an escalation in cases.

    The government issued a new measure to make 14-day quarantine compulsory for anyone entering the city from overseas or from mainland China.

    There are 641 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong, a number that has tripled over a two-week period as overseas residents rushed to return from Europe, as well from Hubei province.

    Hubei province is where the outbreak originated and where the number of infections has run into the thousands.

    Those in quarantine must wear a QR-coded trackable wristband and remain in their places of residence.

    But there are currently more than 32,000 people undergoing such measures and criticisms include questions about the effectiveness of the bands and about the government’s ability to keep track of such numbers.

    In response to a second wave of infections in Hong Kong the government has limited gatherings to a maximum of four people and shut down public areas, such as sports grounds.

  • Pet dog suspected of having Coronavirus quarantined

    Pet dog suspected of having Coronavirus quarantined

    The pet dog of a patient with coronavirus is in quarantine after testing weak positive for the virus, Hong Kong authorities said on Friday.

    The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said it was to run further tests on the animal to determine whether it has contracted the disease, or if the result was caused by environmental contamination of the dog’s mouth and nose.

    The animal was not showing any relevant symptoms.

    The AFCD said it did not have evidence at present that pets can be infected with the virus causing the Covid-19 disease, but advises to quarantine pets of infected patients to ensure public and animal health.

    The department also urged pet owners to wash their hands thoroughly after handling their pets.

  • Hong Kong govt formally withdraws extradition bill

    Hong Kong govt formally withdraws extradition bill

    Hong Kong’s government has formally withdrawn a controversial extradition bill that sparked months of mass protests.

    The Legislative Council completed the process on Wednesday afternoon.

    The Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would have allowed residents to be extradited to mainland China to stand trial, saw its second reading in the legislature on Wednesday.

    It was then withdrawn by Secretary for Security John Lee.

    The legislative action follows an announcement by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in September that the bill would be withdrawn after she earlier suspended it.

    Anger against the extradition bill and the perception that Hong Kong is losing its special status in China prompted the largest political crisis since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

    Protests are expected to continue even after the bill’s formal demise as the protest movement has escalated to include demands for democratic reform and an inquiry into police violence against protesters.

  • Hong Kong’s ‘Occupy’ leaders plead not guilty to public nuisance charges

    Three leaders of Hong Kong’s 2014 civil disobedience “Occupy” movement pleaded not guilty to public nuisance charges at a packed court in the Chinese-ruled city on Monday.

    More than 100 protesters rallied in support of the activists in the court.

    Law professor Benny Tai, 54, sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 59, and retired pastor Chu Yiu-ming, 74, face three charges.

    The charges were, conspiracy to commit public nuisance, incitement to commit public nuisance, and incitement to incite public nuisance.

    Each charge carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

    Six others are also charged in a case that comes as the financial hub’s civil liberties are coming under increasing strain.

    Supporters cheered and clapped as the democracy activists entered the packed court room, with Tai, Chan and Chu all wearing black jackets.

    Another defendant, Raphael Wong, said while pleading not guilty to one charge: “I want universal suffrage”.

    The nine stood defiantly before the court as they decried what some called “political persecution” for what was conceived as a peaceful civil disobedience campaign.

    Chan announced last week that he would take early retirement from the Chinese University of Hong Kong to avoid the risk of being fired should he be jailed.

    Tai told the Media that he hoped the trial would be an opportunity to “reboot the spirit of the people”.

    The protesters waved yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the pro-democracy movement, and pumped their fists ahead of the hearing as they chanted: “I want universal suffrage.”

    Another protester held an umbrella with the words: “Power to the People.”

    In 2013, Tai, Chan and Chu began promulgating and planning a non-violent civil disobedience campaign.

    The campaign was carried out to occupy streets in the city’s central business district should China not allow a truly democratic vote for its next leader.

    The “Occupy” campaign germinated in September 2014.

    It became part of what grew into the biggest populist challenge to China’s Communist party leaders since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing in 1989.

    Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong in sustained and continuous occupations of major roads for close to three months.

    The six other defendants include veteran democratic party member Lee Wing-tat, democratic lawmaker Tanya Chan, lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun and student leaders Tommy Cheung and Eason Chung.

    The trial is expected to last around 20 days.

    The case could have repercussions for hundreds of other protesters who have not yet been charged.

    Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula, with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy and freedoms.

    These two were denied citizens in mainland China, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.

    However, critics that include foreign governments, business groups and activists say that the guarantee is ringing increasingly hollow.

    The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned in a report to Congress last week that China had “ramped up its interference” toward Hong Kong.

    It also warned that it had “closed down the political space for prodemocracy activists to express discontent”.

    Authorities have banned a political party advocating Hong Kong independence, barred democracy activists from contesting local elections and disqualified six opposition lawmakers from the legislature.

    A senior Financial Times journalist, Victor Mallet, was barred from the city last week after he helped host an independence activist at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

    Critics said that it was an attack on freedom of speech.

    Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has repeatedly stressed that Hong Kong respects media and other freedoms but has so far refused to give an explanation for Mallet’s expulsion

  • Telecom sector recession not a threat, says ZTE Nigeria

    Telecom sector recession not a threat, says ZTE Nigeria

    Despite the current economic challenges that has adversely gripped the telecommunications industry, ZTE Nigeria Limited, at the weekend, expressed its commitment to continue investment in the economy, especially in the development of local human capital.

    ZTE Nigeria Limited is the Nigerian subsidiary of ZTE Corporation which is one of the leading multinational ICT solution and service providers in the world.

    The firm which is listed in the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchange Market, operates in 160 countries with a total turnover of over $15bn and over 60,000 staff.

    The company’s Head of Administration, Yawei Yang, said in Lagos that ZTE Nigeria Limited, which started operations in 2002, with over hundreds of direct and indirect Nigerian employees, has impacted positively on Nigeria’s economy through execution of a number of viable projects.

    Such projects include the National project for government and telecommunication project for operators in Nigeria.

    “We recognised the current situation in Nigeria; but we are going to maintain our high standard in terms of service delivery and out commitment to good welfare package for our staff.

    “We are among the few telecom companies that allow all our staff to unionise, we have generous welfare packages that include trainings and sundry allowances even including mobile phone allowance because of our believe in the development of the local workforce”, Yang stated.

    According to her, the company has a good industrial relations package for its staff in line with global best practices.

    “We have not outsourced any of our operations outside Nigeria as some telecoms firms are currently doing to cut costs; only 17 per cent of our entire workforce a foreigners and we have always operated within the ambit of the Extant Immigration laws and Regulations of Nigeria 2015 and all other administrative directives”, she said.

    Contrary to insinuations, the firm said it staff embark on routine visit to Nigeria for business but never abused expatriate quota.

    Yang said, “It is true that our ZTE China staff routinely visit Nigeria on Business Visa as support group for discussions with telecommunication operators to enable us have good business prospects leading to signing of agreement which unfortunately has not been successful since 2014.

    “It is the practice and this is for most foreign companies operating in Nigeria that those coming for such business discussions come with Business Visas because that is just for short visit and it is allowed under the law. They only come around when we are have some business discussions and then travel out of Nigeria within a short time. The law is there for all to see.”

    While maintaining that ZTE have always been above board with all laws including those relating to taxes and pensions, she however, regretted that the downturn of the nation’s economy has adversely affected the telecom industry which, unfortunately led to the redundancy of some Nigerian and Chinese staff.

    “We however have faith in the resilience of this country and her people and will continue to do our part to ensure a return of boom in the Nigerian telecom industry”, Yang said.