https://www.scmp.com/rss/35090/feed I am a multimedia journalist covering Turkey, the Middle East and China's presence in the region. After several years in mainland China and Hong Kong, I am now based in Istanbul. Originally from France, I graduated from Columbia University Grad School of Journalism in New York. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Late at night on October 31 last year, Wang Yi and her husband Kerem Mamut had just returned to their home in Basaksehir, a middle-class Istanbul neighbourhood, after a visit to the doctor to treat one of their children who had a fever. The couple who are from China’s Xinjiang province, but have lived in Turkey for a decade, then heard loud bangs at the door. “The neighbours,” they said to themselves, until one of their daughters ran upstairs. It was the police. Twenty members of a Turkish... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2184860/uygur-restaurateur-xinjiang-detained-turkey-suspected-terror-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2184860/uygur-restaurateur-xinjiang-detained-turkey-suspected-terror-links?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 05:15:15 +0000 Hunched over the pages, his finger following the words one by one, Shkur Abliz deciphers the Koran. Shkur, wearing a black baseball cap embroidered with traditional Uygur patterns, stumbles on the word bulak, which means “fountain” in Uygur. The eight-year-old, who fled Xinjiang when he was three with his parents and older brother, is studying Uygur language and the Koran at Tangnuri language center in Istanbul. “We also learn Uygur customs and traditions: respecting the elders, the Islamic... https://www.scmp.com/education/muslim-uygur-children-are-learning-their-language-turkey-after-fleeing-xinjiang/article/2175355?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/education/muslim-uygur-children-are-learning-their-language-turkey-after-fleeing-xinjiang/article/2175355?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 10:00:00 +0000 Hunched over the pages, his finger following the words one by one, Shkur Abliz deciphers the Koran. The teacher makes him chant a few verses in Arabic, then explains to the class of children the meaning in Uygur, along with any new words they might not understand. Shkur, wearing a black baseball cap embroidered with traditional Uygur patterns, stumbles on the word bulak which means “fountain” in Uygur. The eight-year-old, who fled Xinjiang when he was three with his parents and older brother,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2174598/muslim-uygur-children-taught-forbidden-language-far-their-restive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2174598/muslim-uygur-children-taught-forbidden-language-far-their-restive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Nov 2018 00:15:00 +0000 After a week of competing at the CMAS (World Underwater Federation) free diving world championships, three Hong Kong divers are returning home with new records and some much welcomed international experience. They are also bringing back some first-hand knowledge of safety measures geared towards a sports that is, in Hong Kong at least, still in its infancy. For a week, Kas, a small town on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, lived by the beat of the apnea competition. Around 150 athletes took... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2167349/safety-first-hongkongers-return-free-diving-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2167349/safety-first-hongkongers-return-free-diving-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Oct 2018 09:13:49 +0000 When the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Vitaspirit crashed into an 18th-century mansion on the Bosphorus Strait in April, it not only meant significant cultural loss for Istanbul, but also provided fodder for the supporters of the Kanal Istanbul project. The Bosphorus, a narrow sea channel that is about 32km-long, is a notoriously difficult waterway to navigate. “The difficulty comes from its narrowness, sharp curves and the continuous current coming to the Marmara Sea from the Black Sea, which is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2149028/erdogans-kanal-istanbul-may-save-ships-crashing-critics-say-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2149028/erdogans-kanal-istanbul-may-save-ships-crashing-critics-say-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jun 2018 07:48:51 +0000 In the conservative Istanbul neighbourhood of Üsküdar, couples sit near the July 15 Martyrs bridge and sip cups of tea as oil tankers and cargo ships pass. The sight is common for the city’s residents: every day about 115 vessels cross the Bosphorus Strait. Accidents can happen in this narrow natural waterway that divides the Turkish city’s European and Asian sides, and links the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. In April, a cargo ship failed to stop and crashed into an 18th-century Ottoman mansion.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2149025/how-istanbuls-man-made-canal-project-could-trigger-arms-race-black?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2149025/how-istanbuls-man-made-canal-project-could-trigger-arms-race-black?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jun 2018 07:30:00 +0000 Their worlds couldn't be farther apart: Sun Cheng is the Director of Human Resources at China World Hotel and Chen Jiangchun is a migrant student from Shijingshan district, Beijing. But the two are quite literally big buddies. They were paired up as part of an initiative called 'Big Buddy' that sees volunteers in the role of mentors for migrant students. It is a well known fact that migrant children in China do not receive the same standard of education as others. State Council guidelines... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1293082/big-buddy-initiative-offers-mentorships-chinas-migrant-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1293082/big-buddy-initiative-offers-mentorships-chinas-migrant-children?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:01:19 +0000 Tiny drops of rain sprinkle my face as I step outside the Shenzhen railway station hotel and into the dense crowd. It is 6am on Tuesday, February 5, and I am making my way to the nearby bus station. I have been told to wait for the K528, arriving from the remote new district of Pingshan in northeast Shenzhen. A text alerts me that my two travel companions have just arrived. Struggling under the weight of several bags and sporting winter clothes as if the temperature had suddenly dropped to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1150300/migrant-mainland-workers-happy-homecoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1150300/migrant-mainland-workers-happy-homecoming?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Victoria Harbour has been snubbed as a potential Unesco World Heritage site by Hong Kong government officials, who instead favour the nomination of the Chi Lin nunnery in Diamond Hill rebuilt in 1998. The rejection came despite the harbour being the top choice of three independent experts drafted in by the government because of their knowledge of the evaluation process. Just last week, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying confirmed the creation of a new Harbour Authority in his maiden policy address.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1131920/victoria-harbour-snubbed-over-nomination-world-heritage-site-status?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1131920/victoria-harbour-snubbed-over-nomination-world-heritage-site-status?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Six camps used to dot the lush countryside around the Letpadaung Mountain near Monywa, in Upper Myanmar. They were set up by protesters against a vast copper mine project. On Thursday morning, three were cleared off in an unexpectedly violent crackdown by police. In the early hours, riot police used water cannons and smoke bombs to break up the protest that has disrupted operations at the mine, run by Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper, for about two weeks. The operation, carried out several hours... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1094753/mine-row-myanmar-tests-hopes-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1094753/mine-row-myanmar-tests-hopes-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The wave of deep-pocketed mainland shoppers that normally hits Hong Kong for a holiday shopping spree may be more of a trickle than a flood, with popular shopping areas around the city, particularly Times Square less thronged than usual. Staff at retail outlets in Times Square, a Mecca for mainland retail tourists, said business appeared to be down compared with the National Day holiday last year. Customer numbers have dropped off across the board, according to Devon Au, a supervisor at luxury... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1051596/traditional-rush-shoppers-china-appears-lag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1051596/traditional-rush-shoppers-china-appears-lag?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:48:00 +0000 About 8,000 students and teachers took part in a citywide class boycott yesterday to demand the scrapping of the national education curriculum. Participants attributed the higher-than-expected turnout to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's weak response to the issue. He announced on Saturday that he would let schools decide whether to teach the controversial subject instead of making it mandatory. But protesters said "threats of indoctrination" still remained because the government could force... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1034426/thousands-boycott-classes-national-education-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1034426/thousands-boycott-classes-national-education-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Updated at 11:23pm Crowds at Tamar Park swelled as night fell. Police estimated the number of protesters reached 8,100, while organisers said as many as 40,000 attended.  The three secondary school students on hunger strike against national education were due to end their fast at midnight due to health reasons, but at least 10 university students, professors and parents volunteered to take up the hunger strike until September 3. Lily Wong Lee-lee, Ivan Lam Long-yin and another student calling... https://www.scmp.com/article/1027602/live-coverage-hongkongers-join-carnival-protest-against-national-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1027602/live-coverage-hongkongers-join-carnival-protest-against-national-education?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Sep 2012 05:36:31 +0000 Uncertainty over the future of the Digital Broadcasting Corporation is likely to claim another victim: a radio station devoted to Hong Kong's migrant workers. The Digital We channel, the city's first multi-ethnic digital radio station, broadcasts programmes in six languages, attracting listeners who have neither the Cantonese nor the English to follow the city's established broadcast media. DBC revealed on Friday that its shareholders were split on the direction of the station's seven digital... https://www.scmp.com/article/1008012/fear-migrant-workers-channel-amid-board-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1008012/fear-migrant-workers-channel-amid-board-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The first sign of trouble came after we boarded our flight at Tokyo's Narita Airport, expecting to take off for Hong Kong at 6.20pm. The captain announced we would be significantly late due to the weather in Hong Kong. It was the start of a long series of delays caused by Typhoon Vicente that would lead to my staying the night at Hong Kong airport with crowds of other stranded passengers. We eventually took off at 8pm and arrived three hours later after a turbulent landing as the aircraft... https://www.scmp.com/weather/hong-kong/article/1007682/planes-trains-and-lack-automobiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/weather/hong-kong/article/1007682/planes-trains-and-lack-automobiles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Two dozen people gathered at the gates of the west wing of the former central government offices yesterday dressed as former historic buildings in a quest to stop demolition of the 53-year-old building. The demonstrators, wearing costumes featuring representations in cardboard of the building and of Queen's Pier and the Star Ferry Clock Tower, which were torn down to make way for the Central-Wan Chai bypss, held up banners asking to protect the 'people's wing'. Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien, a... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006207/activists-get-artistic-quest-save-west-wing-demolition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006207/activists-get-artistic-quest-save-west-wing-demolition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Under an unforgiving sun followed swiftly by thick clouds, thousands of competitors yesterday paddled their way through the choppy waters of Victoria Harbour during the city's annual Dragon Boat Carnival. Canada's 22 Dragon-MDBC won the Women's International Championships, while Thailand's national dragon boat team took the International Cup. The main race yesterday drew professional and amateur teams alike to Tsim Sha Tsui East. Competitors seemed unfazed by the reported presence of a shark... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005696/thousands-rowers-shrug-shark-sighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005696/thousands-rowers-shrug-shark-sighting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A woman has described the terrifying moment when she saw a huge shark as she swam with a group of children off Lamma Island. Police confirmed the presence of a shark yesterday and authorities ordered the closure of 12 beaches on Lamma and Hong Kong Islands. Anne-Sophie Girard was on a catamaran yacht, moored off Sham Wan, and enjoying a party with her husband Martin, their four children, aged five to 12, and friends when she took a dip yesterday afternoon. But summer fun turned to horror when... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005623/family-tells-terror-after-shark-shuts-down-beaches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005623/family-tells-terror-after-shark-shuts-down-beaches?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Donation centres received seven times more non-Asian bone-marrow donors in the last week than they usually get in a year after the international community turned out en masse to help a French man with leukaemia find a suitable match. On Sunday, the day the Sunday Morning Post first reported Yvan C's plight, 22 non-Asians showed up Hong Kong Red Cross centres to register as potential bone-marrow donors. By Thursday, they had received 445 potential donors, far more than the 60 or so they get in a... https://www.scmp.com/article/1004229/donors-flock-centres-after-marrow-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1004229/donors-flock-centres-after-marrow-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been inundated with foreign donors hoping to help a French leukaemia patient. In the past week, about 200 non-Asians, mostly French people, turned up at donation centres to register as bone marrow donors to help find a match for a sick countryman. About 85,000 people are registered as bone marrow donors in Hong Kong and numbers are rising by 300 to 400 per month. But 97 per cent of them are Chinese, says Lee Cheuk-kwong, head of the Bone Marrow Donor... https://www.scmp.com/article/1003533/marrow-donors-rally-help-frenchman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1003533/marrow-donors-rally-help-frenchman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been inundated with foreign donors hoping to help a French leukaemia patient. In the past week, about 200 non-Asians, mostly French people, turned up at donation centres to register as bone marrow donors to help find a match for a sick countryman. About 85,000 people are registered as bone marrow donors in Hong Kong and numbers are rising by 300 to 400 per month. But 97 per cent of them are Chinese, says Lee Cheuk-kwong, head of the Bone Marrow Donor... https://www.scmp.com/article/1003557/marrow-donors-answer-plea-help-frenchman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1003557/marrow-donors-answer-plea-help-frenchman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's first biodiversity centre opened yesterday to show off the city's rich natural legacy. 'We chose this site to show how beautiful and diversified our nature is,' said Wendy Chan Li Po-shan, the senior supervisor of Wetland Park, during the opening ceremony. 'We wanted to show what we've done in the past 50 years in terms of wildlife protection.' The Biodiversity Education Centre is located at the entrance to the Quarry Bay extension of Tai Tam Country Park. It is housed in Woodside, a... https://www.scmp.com/article/1002707/hong-kongs-nature-treasure-trove-goes-display?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1002707/hong-kongs-nature-treasure-trove-goes-display?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Graffiti is an art form that can help ex-offenders turn their lives around, participants at an art workshop learned yesterday. About 20 teenagers and young adults received professional training in the art during the Sha Tin event, taught by two established graffiti artists from France. 'Graffiti art is very much like [young ex-offenders],' said Gloria Yuen Sin-nga, planning and development manager for the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention. 'Graffiti was first considered just... https://www.scmp.com/article/1000904/drawing-life-lessons-graffiti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1000904/drawing-life-lessons-graffiti?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's burgeoning French community today turns its attentions to its homeland, with thousands expected to vote in the country's presidential election. Four polling stations have been set up to cater for the 6,280 French voters in the city, out of a population of more than 10,000 expatriates registered at the French consulate. The race pits President Nicolas Sarkozy against Socialist rival Francois Hollande, who has a small lead in the polls, and eight other candidates all vying for a place... https://www.scmp.com/article/998946/french-hk-set-vote-tight-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998946/french-hk-set-vote-tight-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Many eyes have turned to Myanmar, watching in amazement as its secretive, authoritarian regime opens up to the world. That includes a group of students at the University of Hong Kong, who through their organisation, Connecting Myanmar, sent students to Myanmar to witness the campaign leading up to the April 1 elections and work on construction programmes. 'Nobody knows really what is going on [in Myanmar],' said Edward Tsoi Mang-hin, 21, the group's founder. 'I wanted to do something for the... https://www.scmp.com/article/998057/journey-inspires-students-help-transform-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998057/journey-inspires-students-help-transform-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 At two, Chinese-Canadian Chloe Ng-Brossard Yee-tsing could hum the song her mother would sing in Chinese while washing the dishes. It was the Cantonese opera classic Dai Nui Fa. A few weeks later, she was able to sing it. Chloe, now 10, developed a passion for Cantonese opera and has already performed in Hong Kong and at the Shanghai World Expo. She revealed her musical talents for the first time during a birthday party. She was only three, could not speak Chinese at all and yet performed... https://www.scmp.com/article/997255/youngster-pursues-passion-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/997255/youngster-pursues-passion-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A father who feared pollution was damaging the health of his two young children and mistrusted the official statistics has built a free iPhone application to monitor air quality. Tech-savvy entrepreneur Andrew Leyden arrived in Hong Kong two years ago and like many, wondered how bad the pollution actually was. The 45-year-old American, who has two sons Connor, five, and Parker, three, said: 'I built this app out of curiosity. I wanted to know whether it was safe for my kids to go play... https://www.scmp.com/article/996457/app-shows-you-how-bad-air-really?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/996457/app-shows-you-how-bad-air-really?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Confusion over the government's online pollution statistics and news that roadside pollution hit its worst-ever level last year have inspired a rival website delivering the city's latest air-quality figures. The site by web developer Steve Holmes lets users generate custom air-pollution graphs by time interval, pollutant and monitoring station. 'The government is fairly transparent about the data,' said the 42-year-old. 'But it does not present it in a readable way.' Holmes, a Briton who... https://www.scmp.com/article/996458/website-aims-less-hazy-presentation-smog-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/996458/website-aims-less-hazy-presentation-smog-data?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 With 733 kilometres of coastline and more than 250 islands to explore, Hong Kong should be a paradise for boaters. But the city's marinas are jammed to capacity and a lack of mooring space makes it impossible for most in the city to enjoy sailing or sea-fishing. A study by Designing Hong Kong and the Harbour Business Forum found that there are twice as many pleasure boats registered in the city - 7,660 - as there are spaces at the 10 marinas and yacht clubs and the 23 designated private mooring... https://www.scmp.com/article/996403/lack-berths-leaves-boaters-high-and-dry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/996403/lack-berths-leaves-boaters-high-and-dry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A survey of how Hongkongers view ethnic minorities has revealed that the darker your skin, the less favourably you are perceived. Carried out between 2007 and 2012 by a non-governmental organisation that helps ethnic minorities, the survey found that respondents, of whom more than 99 per cent were ethnic Chinese, had negative views of people from Southeast Asia and Africa. Some associated them with words like 'violent,' 'dirty' and 'Chungking Mansions', referring to the notorious building in... https://www.scmp.com/article/995829/race-poll-reveals-terrible-attitudes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995829/race-poll-reveals-terrible-attitudes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 More than 400 flights in Beijing were cancelled or delayed yesterday as heavy fog caused by a cold front and pollution interrupted air traffic across northern and eastern China. Hong Kong's Airport Authority said 30 flights were delayed between the city and Beijing, and that the traffic situation today was unclear. Beijing Capital International Airport said at least 284 flights were cancelled and 180 flights delayed as visibility dropped to below 200 metres. While visibility improved in the... https://www.scmp.com/article/995821/over-400-flights-crippled-thick-fog?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995821/over-400-flights-crippled-thick-fog?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Foreign fans of the Rugby Sevens made up slightly more than half of the audience at the matches last year, in a survey finding that is at odds with the sale of nearly 75 per cent of the tickets through local channels. But the figure was consistent with the proportion of overseas spectators over the past few years, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union said. A spokesman for the union cited the possibility of tickets being distributed to people overseas with close ties to Hong Kong or former... https://www.scmp.com/article/995487/more-half-sevens-fans-are-overseas-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995487/more-half-sevens-fans-are-overseas-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The honeymoon ended yesterday for Ocean Park's young giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le after three days tucked away from view to give them an opportunity to mate naturally. But it seems they weren't up to the task. So staff proceeded with two artificial inseminations on Ying Ying with Le Le's semen. Now it is a case of 'wait and see' to find out if Hong Kong is expecting its first baby pandas. But it could be a long wait. A fertilised egg does not immediately implant but 'floats' around in the... https://www.scmp.com/article/994236/pregnant-pause-parks-pandas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/994236/pregnant-pause-parks-pandas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The brains of Chinese-language speakers work differently from those who speak western tongues, Chinese University scientists say - a finding that may have profound implications for those learning to read Chinese. Led by Professor John Xuexin Zhang of the university's psychology department, the researchers discovered an electric brain wave - dubbed N200 - that allows readers of Chinese characters to process the information differently from how humans usually interpret pictures. The team... https://www.scmp.com/article/993453/chinese-speakers-think-out-box?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993453/chinese-speakers-think-out-box?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The South China Morning Post won nine awards at the Society for News Design's 'best of news design' creative competition. This is the highest number the newspaper has ever won in the competition, and the first time it has been recognised for its infographics. Simon Scarr, the Post's graphics director, won five awards, including two for an information graphic about the Iraq war's toll on US troops that was published on December 17. According to Scarr, the key to the graphic's success was the... https://www.scmp.com/article/993051/post-picks-record-nine-awards-news-design?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993051/post-picks-record-nine-awards-news-design?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The show will go on at the Sunbeam Theatre, at least for the next four years. A last-minute deal between the landlord and a new tenant saved the landmark theatre from destruction. And chief executive candidate Leung Chun-ying played a key role in brokering the deal. Cantonese Opera playwright Li Kui-ming signed a contract yesterday to rent the 40-year-old venue in North Point from landlord Francis Law Sau-fai at HK$1 million per month. 'Cantonese Opera is something worth fighting for,' Li... https://www.scmp.com/article/992993/deal-keeps-sunbeam-theatre-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992993/deal-keeps-sunbeam-theatre-open?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong is getting more affordable for residents, while five of the world's 10 most expensive cities are now in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore, a London-based survey shows. While Hong Kong may be more affordable than Singapore, which ranks ninth, another survey shows the Southeast Asian country is a better place for students. Hong Kong is 22nd in terms of the cost of living, a good few notches down its position of 14th last year and way below its third placing in 2002. One... https://www.scmp.com/article/992660/hk-gets-little-bit-cheaper-relatively?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992660/hk-gets-little-bit-cheaper-relatively?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 For a growing number of Hongkongers, mastering English and Putonghua just isn't enough, with more children and adults seeking out courses in other languages. The appetite for new tongues is a sign of the obsession with academic excellence, as well as increased exposure to foreign languages, according to Jean-Luc Rey, chairman of the Association of Teachers of French in Hong Kong and Macau. French, German, Hindi, Urdu, Japanese and Spanish are now included in the curriculum for the last three... https://www.scmp.com/article/992446/can-you-say-polyglot-6-tongues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992446/can-you-say-polyglot-6-tongues?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The media darling of the marathon, Fauja Singh, completed the 10km race and his example spurred, and perhaps shamed, younger men in the local Sikh community to join him. 'We had close to 40 people from the Sikh community running with him today. He is an inspiration to all of us,' said Gill Gurmeet Singh, the man responsible for bringing the 100-year-old 'Turbaned Torpedo' to town. 'He is very famous in our community and it is great to see him doing things like this at his age.' The presence of... https://www.scmp.com/article/991858/age-shall-not-weary-man-moment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/991858/age-shall-not-weary-man-moment?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 It's an uphill task, but Patrick Au Yeung Yee-kan, 52, is all ready to conquer the steep slope on the Marsh Road bridge in Wan Chai - in a wheelchair. Au Yeung, a Manulife financial adviser, who contracted polio when he was only five months old, uses prosthetic legs and crutches to walk. It was the three-kilometre race at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon tomorrow that gave him the impetus to start using a wheelchair. 'I felt excited when I heard a wheelchair race would be organised.... https://www.scmp.com/article/991662/uphill-challenge-racer-who-lost-both-legs-polio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/991662/uphill-challenge-racer-who-lost-both-legs-polio?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 With three days to go before the big day, it may be difficult for the 70,000 runners who will line up for the marathon, half marathon and 10 kilometre races and the three kilometre wheelchair race not to start obsessing. Running specialists stress the importance of relaxing before Sunday. 'People have been training for several months. Now is the time to relax and release the pressure,' said Erich Felbabel, the founder of sports clothing brand O2 Creation. The 34-year-old triathlete, who took... https://www.scmp.com/article/991454/relax-big-day-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/991454/relax-big-day-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Eight ground staff were injured when a passenger shuttle bus crashed at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday, and a Cathay Pacific jet was forced to turn back with a cracked windscreen minutes into a flight to Singapore. The incidents occurred as the airport - whose bosses want to build a third runaway to handle increasing travellers - coped with record Lunar New Year holiday traffic. Shortly after 4pm, a coach hit a parked bus at the entrance to the airport apron. Eight ground staff... https://www.scmp.com/article/990891/mishaps-add-airports-holiday-load?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990891/mishaps-add-airports-holiday-load?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Attacks on Hong Kong's long-standing press freedoms reached unprecedented levels last year, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says, while the landscape for media on the mainland became increasingly hostile. Those were the findings of the IFJ's annual report on press freedom in China, published yesterday. 'The situation is getting worse,' said Serenade Woo Lai-wan, Asia-Pacific project manager for the IFJ. Maisy Lo, convener of the press freedom committee for the Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/article/990835/press-freedom-growing-risk-journalists-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990835/press-freedom-growing-risk-journalists-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Practising tai chi can help elderly people who are visually impaired to improve their balance and maintain their muscle strength. That is according to researchers at Polytechnic University's Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, who conducted a 16-week study last year and found that the well-known benefits of tai chi also extend to old people who are blind or visually impaired. The researchers, who teamed up with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, split 40 visually impaired participants... https://www.scmp.com/article/990633/tai-chi-helps-elderly-blind-find-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990633/tai-chi-helps-elderly-blind-find-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Travelling overseas from Hong Kong with a dog is relatively easy as the city has been rabies-free for about 25 years. Under the Rabies Ordinance, all dogs aged over five months must be vaccinated, licensed and microchipped. Offenders are liable to a maximum penalty of HK$10,000. However, the owner should prepare the trip several months in advance as most airlines will not accept dogs in the cabin, and immigration rules differ depending on the country. Cathay Pacific does not accept dogs in the... https://www.scmp.com/article/990079/how-take-hk-your-pet-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990079/how-take-hk-your-pet-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The impact of the world's economic struggles is filtering all the way down to Hong Kong's dogs, as departing expatriates hand over their pets to charities that may never be able to find them a new home. Hong Kong Dog Rescue says it has seen a big influx of dogs belonging to expatriates, many working in the financial sector, who are being forced to leave the city after losing their jobs or are being relocated. The Tai Po-based charity's founder, Sally Andersen, wrote on its blog this week that... https://www.scmp.com/article/990119/toll-abandoned-dogs-rises-downturn-bites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990119/toll-abandoned-dogs-rises-downturn-bites?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hikers on country trails now have a quick way to communicate their whereabouts - by text message. A non-profit collective of the telecoms industry, the Communications Association of Hong Kong, launched a new SMS service yesterday to improve the safety of hikers, a frequent concern. Police figures show that there were 560 requests for assistance in the first 11 months of last year. Under the SMS Hiker Tracking Service, hikers can key in the number of the nearest distance post and send it in... https://www.scmp.com/article/989720/new-sms-location-service-hikers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/989720/new-sms-location-service-hikers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 One of the few Western performers to take to the stage in Cantonese opera hopes he can open up the colourful but often impenetrable art form to a new audience. New York native Lyle Rose first got the chance to take to the stage when a well-known performer heard him humming along as his wife rehearsed her role in a performance of the famous Cantonese opera Dai Nui Fa (or Princess Cheung Ping). Rose, 59, has since been joined on stage for performances of the show by his 17-year-old son, Leonard,... https://www.scmp.com/article/988885/american-lifts-curtain-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988885/american-lifts-curtain-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 French expatriates living in Hong Kong will soon be able to vote in France's June legislative elections after Paris extended voting rights to 1.5 million citizens living abroad. France has segmented the world into 11 constituencies, each of which will have its own parliamentary representative in Paris. Hong Kong is included in the 11th constituency, which is the largest by far, extending from Ukraine to Japan and encompassing 49 countries including China, India, and Russia. There are 115,000... https://www.scmp.com/article/988847/french-expats-get-vote-legislative-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988847/french-expats-get-vote-legislative-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Local wheelchair racers are looking forward to joining other runners in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in February. 'It's been years since Hong Kong had a full marathon where handicapped racers could use the same track as non-handicapped runners, and I'm happy I qualified,' said Fung Ying-ki, 31, a gold-medal fencer in two Paralympics Games. The last time the marathon was set up for wheelchair racers was in 1998, and Fung placed third. Fung lost the use of both legs as a youth when a... https://www.scmp.com/article/988391/disabled-racers-eager-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988391/disabled-racers-eager-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000