City Digest, March 14, 2013

Couple face court over US$4m phone scam

A California couple were arraigned on Tuesday on charges they collected hundreds of stolen smartphones in the US and sold them in Hong Kong for up to US$2,000. Shou Lin Wen, 39, and his wife, Yuting Tan, 27, made nearly US$4 million from the scheme in eight months, California's attorney general said. They remained in jail with bail set at US$1 million each. Neither entered a plea.

Tourist jumps into sea to evade loan sharks

A mainland tourist jumped into Victoria Harbour from a casino ship yesterday in an apparent bid to escape loan sharks after losing about HK$100,000, police said. The man, 37, leapt from the ship off Lei Yue Mun while returning from an overnight cruise at about 9.15am. He tried to swim ashore but was stopped by a pilot boat. He was unhurt.

Visitor from space hits Hong Kong … twice

A comet named Panstarrs, officially known as C/2011 L4, will appear in the city's sky at the end of the week and make a second appearance early next month. It should initially be visible to the naked eye for just half an hour after sunset near the western horizon. On its return journey, it will be on the north-eastern horizon for another half an hour, this time before sunrise.

Fire Services begin tocut 3 hours off week

The Fire Services Department starts a pilot scheme tomorrow to reduce weekly working hours from 54 to 51 for officers on Hong Kong Island. More staff may be added to the scheme in June and October.

Medical Council faces disciplinary challenge

The Medical Association won permission in the Court of Appeal to mount a judicial review of the Medical Council's disciplinary powers. It wants all council members involved in deciding whether to review the verdict of a disciplinary inquiry, rather than leaving it to the inquiry panel alone.