City Digest
C.Y.'s restructuring plan runs out of time
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's hope of getting his government restructuring proposal through the Legislative Council before its term ends died when the finance committee failed to discuss an application for funding for the changes at its last meeting yesterday, meaning it cannot be passed before Legco rises on Tuesday.
Watsons Water delivery workers end strike
Watsons Water delivery workers ended a 21/2-day strike after the company promised to address staff shortages and an increase in outsourcing. Union organiser Leung Wai-yum said: 'We understand that more time should be given to the company to settle the contract issues [of outsourced staff] and to review the overall staffing.'
Minister, pupils on radio after meeting cancelled
Activists from Scholarism, a protest group representing secondary school pupils, will attend a live interview hosted by Commercial Radio along with Education Secretary Eddie Ng Hak-kim today to discuss their concerns about the national education scheme. A meeting between the group and the minister scheduled for yesterday failed to take place because the government refused the group's request that the media be allowed to sit in. Scholarism spokesman Ivan Lam Long-yin said members had wanted media present to ensure their opinions were not misrepresented. Education Bureau official Cheung Kwok-wah said it was not possible for the media to be present because teachers were to attend and did not want to speak publicly about schools' operations.
Asylum-seekers held after HK$6m robbery bid
Police arrested two Pakistani asylum-seekers in Tsim Sha Tsui after they tried to steal a briefcase containing jewellery worth HK$6 million from an Indian businessman at about 10am yesterday. One of the men attacked the 45-year-old victim in Cameron Road with a piece of wood while the other tried to snatch the briefcase. The shouts of the victim, who wrested the briefcase back, alerted patrolling police, who caught the pair. The businessman was treated for head injuries.
CPPCC delegate to head Central Policy Unit
Shiu Sin-por, a Hong Kong delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is to head the Central Policy Unit. Shiu, a full-time member of the unit since 2007, is a former executive director of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute. Pan-democratic lawmakers criticised the appointment, saying Shiu leaned strongly towards Beijing.
