MAINLAND LIFETIME AWARD FOR lI KA-SHING
Tycoon Li Ka-shing was given a lifetime award yesterday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in recognition of his charity work on the mainland. He received the Lifetime Award alongside 10 other individuals and corporations on the mainland. The award, introduced by the ministry in 2005, is the highest recognition given to philanthropists in the nation. Mr Li, 79, did not attend the ceremony due to work engagements.
'A man may live long, but if he doesn't pay back to society, his life is not well-lived,' he said in a pre-recorded statement. Mr Li set up the Li Ka-shing Foundation in 1980 and has since donated more than HK$8 billion in projects all over the world - mainly in the areas of education and medical services. He said in an interview last year that nearly 90 per cent of his donations had been pledged to Hong Kong and the mainland. The ceremony also paid tribute to tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung, who died late last year, for his contributions to charities.
University grants chief denies puppet claims
University Grants Committee head Alice Lam Lee Kiu-yu rejected claims the committee is a 'puppet' manipulated by the Education and Manpower Bureau. Responding to questions about the role of the committee in the controversy surrounding the Institute of Education, Dr Lam said: 'We are 200 per cent [not the bureau's puppet].'
HQ models on display soon
