Undignified announcement of judicial review outcome
Call us naive but we were a little shocked yesterday at the way in which the judgment was announced on whether to grant a judicial review on aspects of the proposed Shek Kwu Chau incinerator.
We assumed a matter like this would be conducted with the dignity that accompanies judicial proceedings at the High Court and, for that matter, lower courts. About 30 people gathered outside Court No 14, including the press, green groups and other interested parties. Suddenly, the door opened and a clerk called out two names. Two figures appeared and signed for their copies of the judgment and then disappeared, leaving the assembled totally mystified as to what had happened.
We eventually gathered that leave to seek a judicial review had been dismissed. We wandered off to the press office at the High Court, which said it was printing 20 copies of the judgment which, at 80 pages a copy, seemed wasteful.
Why not hand out a brief summary of the judgment and put the full version online? We gather that the judgment won't be online for a further three days. It was all rather shambolic and not what a casual observer might expect from the High Court. Many might agree it could do a lot better.
There's jubilation at Citi over an event of historic proportions. Never before achieved in the history of the Euromoney awards for Asia, it has been designated Best Bank and Best Investment Bank in Asia. Citi also picked up Best Investment Bank in India and the Philippines and Best Equity House in India. So delighted is the bank that it has put out a statement to inform the world. "We are delighted to make history as Euromoney's first double winner," said CEO Stephen Bird.
Some interesting data to emerge from the mainland recently concerns the time singles in different mainland provinces have gone without being kissed.
The website Shanghaiist reports that, according to online dating website Baihe, the average Jiangsu man went 36 months without a kiss. The situation in Guangdong wasn't much better, with 30 months elapsing in between kisses. The situation in Shanghai was rather more advanced with 92 per cent of singles aged 22 to 35 saying they'd been kissed within the last week.
The website goes on to report says that following the kissing survey, sales of amulets possessing magical powers to bring back ex-lovers have soared on Taobao. Apparently, some 563 online stores including 30 in Shanghai are selling charmed amulets at prices that vary from one yuan (HK$1.27) to 20,000 yuan. One storeowner asserted that after buying an amulet, which you keep, your ex recalls the sweet times you had together and 15-49 days later will start to text you. Once back in touch, you will fall in love with each other again.
As Shanghaiist wittily observes: "It sounds slightly more enchanting than the alternative, cradling a bottle of whisky at three in the morning while flooding your ex's phone with a barrage of unsolicited text messages and unanswered calls until they grudgingly agree to take you back if you let them sleep."
HSBC has scored a first in the mainland in that HSBC GAM has become the first international firm to win an RQFII (renminbi qualified foreign institutional investor) licence under the new regulations which extended the programme to include foreign financial institutions, reports. With an RQFII licence, the asset manager can invest in the mainland's bond market and A-share market using yuan.
The website efinancialcareers has an entertaining treatise on sexism in banking where it observes any residual sexism in the 21st century is nothing compared to the 1970s. This is best illustrated by an interview question which was then included in Merrill Lynch's broker trainee programme.
"When you meet a woman, what interests you most about her?" it asked. The correct answer, which received the most marks, was "her beauty". Trainees who made the mistake of saying "her intelligence" were awarded the fewest points. One applicant successfully sued Merrill for sexism on this basis.
Have you got any stories that Lai See should know about? E-mail them to [email protected]
