US Democrats in HK give Obama the nod
US Senator Barack Obama beat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and won the Democrats Abroad primary in Hong Kong by a wide margin. According to final results, Senator Obama secured 75.3 per cent support, compared with 23.9 per cent for Senator Clinton. A total of 365 valid votes were cast between February 5 and 12. The outcome was generally in line with the global results, which showed 65.6 per cent support for Senator Obama and 32.2 per cent for Senator Clinton. There are an estimated 60,000 Americans in Hong Kong.
Board rejects bid to block high-rises in West Kowloon
The Town Planning Board rejected an application to change the use of a land lot in West Kowloon from residential to government, community or open space. The application, submitted by local residents Au Yeung Chi-shing and Lai Siu-nin, claimed the change was needed to prevent the wall-effect on airflow and to provide adequate open space to residents. But the board said the developer had agreed to provide a 10-metre gap to a nearby residential development, while the building height was capped at 140 metres.
More sea access to cultural district needed: report
More landing steps and piers should be built along the water's edge at the site of the West Kowloon Cultural District, a research report commissioned by the Harbour Business Forum has suggested. The report found that a combined 60 per cent of the harbourfront area in nine districts were inaccessible to the public because they were cut off by roads, buildings or car parks. In particular, the group proposed the use of water taxis to serve some of these areas, including the cultural district, which has a temporary harbour promenade that is rarely visited by the public because of a low level of awareness, poor accessibility and provision of other facilities.