'Slow Beat' says he's found his true love

Coming out of the closet has paid off for Raymond Chan Chi-chuen. The city's first openly gay lawmaker has found "the one", he told reporters at a recent gathering. "We've known each other for a few months, and it's about a week we've called each other boyfriend," said the man whose previous career as a radio host earned him the nickname "Slow Beat". Still, the People Power representative is reluctant to tell us more about his love, fearing "no one will give me a lift after work any more" if he spills the beans. All we know about the lucky man is he's a professional with a keen interest in politics and took part in this year's July 1 march. So congrats to Raymond, who first came out as gay shortly after being elected to the legislature in 2012. We will watch with interest as he continues to advocate same-sex unions in the Legislative Council.

The fact Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying gave generous donations to the pan-democrats will surprise few. But the more than 900 files from his Next Media conglomerate leaked to the media this week do give the public an insight into the private - and opulent - world of the media tycoon. A document dated July 11 last year showed that Lai spent almost HK$800,000 for a party of five, including his wife Teresa, son Sebastien and daughter Claire, to travel between three continents in as many weeks. Flying first class with Cathay Pacific, the party first journeyed from Hong Kong to Paris, then on to Florence and Milan in Italy before making a visit to New York. Another leaked file showed that Jimmy Lai, a noted art lover, spent 160 million yen (HK$12.7 million) on seven Japanese artworks in October. Hard-up Apple Daily staff may be hoping their boss will be more generous with the pay rises now that they understand his personal financial situation a little better.