Travel alert lowered to amber across most of Japan
The government has lowered the travel alert for most Japanese prefectures to amber, but it remains black for the four prefectures that were most affected by last month's earthquake and tsunami - Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Iwate. The government also sent 30,000 more cans of food and 100,000 pairs of socks to Japan yesterday on a request from Tokyo.
This is the second batch of relief materials to be sent and it will arrive today. The first batch of materials, including 20,000 cans, arrived in Fukushima on April 9. The government has sent aside HK$5 million for donating relief materials to Japan.
Rural chief elected unopposed as Islands District Council chairman
Chow Yuk-tong - widely regarded as a leading figure in the traditional rural power camp - was elected chairman of Islands District Council yesterday. The by-election was triggered by the loss of Daniel Lam Wai-keung as chairman of Peng Chau rural committee, which subsequently cost the Heung Yee Kuk's vice-chairman his ex officio district council membership. The tenure of Chow, an independent ex officio member and merchant, runs until December 31. Vice-chairwoman Chau Chuen-heung, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, had hinted she was interested in the post but did not stand.
Reid leads US delegation on mission to mainland
