• Hong Kong launches first electric taxis
• BYD's electric taxis hit Hong Kong roads with big ambitions
• Electric vehicles to make headway in Hong Kong with taxis

• Worst pollution this year envelops Hong Kong
• In wealthy Hong Kong, poorest live in metal cages
• Hong Kong govt criticised over slow response to plastic spill on beaches

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis
19 May 2013 - Hong Kong has introduced its first fleet of electric taxis in a bid to reduce the territory's high pollution levels. The cars have been rented by the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, which is testing them over the next six months. The idea of being environmentally-friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example,' said Wong Chung Keung, head of the association. (more)

BYD's electric taxis hit Hong Kong roads with big ambitions
15 May 2013 - Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD Co Ltd rolled out Hong Kong's first electric taxi fleet on Wednesday, marking a milestone for its all-electric battery car that highlights its promise and its limitations. 'We expect to increase the number of e6 taxis in Hong Kong to 5,000 in three years,' said Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD Asia Pacific sales, after the company announced it is making a push in the former British colony to encourage the use of its all-electric e6 taxi. (more)

Electric vehicles to make headway in Hong Kong with taxis
20 December 2012 - Hong Kong taxi companies' adoption of electric vehicles, as well as hybrids, soon to be in a trial stage, could be a first step in creating awareness about these types of cars, analysts say. Hong Kong has more than 18,000 taxis. Having electric taxis on the roads would be a strong way to promote electric vehicles to the Hong Kong population in general, especially if the government could subsidize rides in those taxis. (more)

Hong Kong: Sustainable Textiles Conference recognizes firms for their dedication to organic cotton
15 October 2012 - Textile Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating sustainable practices in the textile industry, presented ten companies with a 'Future Shaper' award in recognition for their dedication to organic cotton and the overall sustainability of the textile industry. The ten brands and retailers received the first-ever Future Shaper Awards during Textile Exchange's 10th anniversary celebration at the 2012 Sustainable Textiles Conference in Hong Kong on 4 October. (more)

Rare Philippine turtles returned by Hong Kong
27 April 2012 - Turtles represent longevity and good luck, and that's certainly true for 18 rare smuggled turtles that were returned from Hong Kong to their native Philippines. Philippine officials took the unprecedented step of travelling to Hong Kong and retrieving the turtles because they are so rare. Palawan's governor received the turtles at the Manila airport Friday. The 18 will be rehabilitated before being released in the wild. (more)

Enter the Dragon in Hong Kong, enter and exit 7.3 million people
20 January 2012 - Hong Kong will see around 7.3 million people cross its borders over the lunar new year, the government said on Friday, a figure higher than the territory's entire population, as China celebrates the entry of the Year of the Dragon. Many ethnic Chinese return to the town of their ancestral origins over the lunar new year, with the calendar set to tick over from the Year of the Rabbit on Monday. (more)

Hong Kong cross harbour swim resumes after 33 years
16 October 2011 - Hundreds of swimmers took part Sunday in a new version of Hong Kong's iconic harbour race, which had been suspended for 33 years because of concerns about water pollution in one of the world's most beautiful ports. In recent years, Hong Kong has been engaged in a major effort to clean the harbour. Swimmers were pleased with conditions for the event. (more)

Hong Kong rooftops abuzz with honey of a trend
31 July 2011 - In the corner of a Hong Kong rooftop, amid the shining glass and steel of the city's high rise skyline, stands a humble wooden box on legs -- a beehive, packed with roughly 10,000 honey bees. Densely urban Hong Kong seems an unlikely match for any form of agriculture, but a few hardy souls have been venturing into the increasingly popular practice of beekeeping. (more)

Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific Airways adds more routes on surging Asian demand
9 March 2011 - Cathay Pacific Airways is ordering 27 new Airbus and Boeing jets to expand services after profit tripled last year to a record. The airline credited a recovery that began in late 2009 for helping its passenger and cargo businesses to bounce back strongly from the global recession. Cathay's order follows others from Chinese airlines announced Tuesday at an air show in Hong Kong. (more)

Hong Kong economy expands 6.8 per cent in 2010
23 February 2011 - Hong Kong's economy bounced back strongly last year thanks to strong growth in mainland China and the rest of Asia, the city's finance chief said Wednesday. 'Today, our economy has fully recovered,' Financial Secretary John Tsang said in his annual budget speech. (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Worst pollution this year envelops Hong Kong
15 April 2013 - On Monday, 15 April, Hong Kong residents breathed in the worst air of 2013, joining citizens in mainland China who have been choking on dangerously high pollution levels, and further undermining the city's role as an Asian financial centre. The situation was caused as pollutants, in particular nitrogen dioxide, became trapped within the city where skyscrapers packed together stop air from circulating, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said. People with heart or respiratory illnesses, the elderly, and children were advised to stay indoors as the city's iconic harbour was shrouded in thick smog and the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island were barely visible from Kowloon. (more)

In wealthy Hong Kong, poorest live in metal cages
7 February 2013 - For many of the richest people in Hong Kong, one of Asia's wealthiest cities, home is a mansion with an expansive view from the heights of Victoria Peak. For some of the poorest, home is a metal cage. The cages, stacked on top of each other, measure 1.5 square metres (16 square feet) and resemble rabbit hutches. Some 100,000 people in the former British colony live in what's known as inadequate housing, according to the Society for Community Organization, a social welfare group. The category also includes apartments subdivided into tiny cubicles or filled with coffin-sized wood and metal sleeping compartments as well as rooftop shacks. They're a grim counterpoint to the southern Chinese city's renowned material affluence. Forced by skyrocketing housing prices to live in cramped, dirty and unsafe conditions, their plight also highlights one of the biggest headaches facing Hong Kong's unpopular Beijing-backed leader: growing public rage over the city's housing crisis. (more)

Hong Kong govt criticised over slow response to plastic spill on beaches
4 August 2012 - Hundreds of millions of potentially toxic plastic pellets from containers knocked off a vessel during Hong Kong's worst typhoon in 13 years have washed up on its beaches where they lay for more than a week, activists said on Saturday. The Hong Kong government estimated that 150 tonnes of the pellets may have been spilled on its beaches, of which a third have been cleaned up so far. Local media questioned the government's lack of public notice about the spill, almost two weeks after Typhoon Vincente which was upgraded to Signal 10. It was the first time since 1999 that the city's meteorological body had invoked its highest measure. While the pellets are harmless in their original state, they absorb toxins and pollutants over time and could poison the food chain when marine creatures consume them. (more)

Hong Kong smothered in worst air pollution two years
2 August 2012 - The worst pollution in two years smothered Hong Kong for a second day on Thursday, prompting warnings to the old and sick to stay indoors and obscuring one of the world's most famous views. Pollution readings were 'very high' in business and shopping districts such as Central, Western, Causeway Bay, and Mongkok, air monitoring stations showed, surpassed only once in March 2010 when a sandstorm in northern China covered Hong Kong in dust. In a recent survey by human resources consultancy ECA International, Hong Kong distinguished itself as a place where its air quality was among the worst in the world. The pollution comes largely from coal-fired power stations and traffic, though a significant contribution wafts down from the tens of thousands of factories in China's neighbouring manufacturing heartland of the Pearl River Delta. (more)

Ketamine abuse may lead to bladder damage, pain
8 July 2011 - A new study finds that long-term regular use of the club drug ketamine, sometimes called Special K, can alter bladder function, leading to bothersome symptoms such as urgency and pelvic pain. Abuse of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, is on the rise in many countries. Repeated use has been linked to mental problems such as hallucinations and impaired memory, thinking, and concentration. It also causes high blood pressure. Symptoms may persist for up to a year or more after a person stops using ketamine. (more)

Marchers vent anger on Hong Kong prices, policies
1 July 2011 - Tens of thousands of people vented anger over Hong Kong's skyrocketing property prices and government policies Friday at an annual march held on the anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese rule. People blew whistles, beat drums, and banged metal cups to express their unhappiness. Many waved flags calling for universal suffrage while others chanted 'Down down with property tycoons' and called for Chief Executive Donald Tsang to step down. One of the big themes of the march, held on a public holiday marking the 14th anniversary of the handover, is the growing rich-poor divide in Hong Kong, where skyrocketing property prices have left many residences unaffordable and forced out small shopkeepers. March organizers said they wanted to protest the 'hegemony' of Hong Kong's big property developers over the market. Citizens are also upset over a recent government proposal to scrap by-elections and instead fill vacant legislative seats based on previous results. (more)

Record Hong Kong air pollution sparks protest
8 September 2010 - Roadside air pollution in Hong Kong hit record highs in the first six months of the year, hurting public health and economic competitiveness compared with Asian rivals, activists and lawmakers said Tuesday. The city's air quality hit 'unhealthy' levels about 10 per cent of the time between January and June, the highest level in five years, said environmental group Friends of the Earth. The government advises people with heart or respiratory problems to avoid lingering in traffic-heavy places when the air pollution index goes into 'unhealthy' territory. Health experts estimate poor air has cost the city HK$1.18 billion (US$151 million) in healthcare bills and lost productivity, along with 3.8 million visits to the doctor, this year. (more)

Hong Kong chokes on pollution
7 December 2007 - Hong Kong warned people with heart or lung problems to avoid outdoor activities on Friday as the territory experienced one of its most polluted days of the year, with the hills across the harbour almost invisible. Pollution monitoring stations registered 'very high' readings in several spots around the former British colony, and the Environmental Protection Department said the poor air was expected to continue. (more)

Hong Kong chokes on pollution for second day
7 December 2007 - Hong Kong is shrouded in the worst air pollution of the year for the second day running on Saturday, with hills across Victoria harbour invisible despite a sunny dry weather. Pollution monitoring station registered 'very high' readings in several spots around the former British colony since Friday when the Environment Protection Department warned people with heart or lung problems to avoid outdoor activities. Residents are increasingly worried over the rising number of smog-ridden days caused by the city's coal-fired power stations, cars and trucks, and a booming manufacturing sector across the border in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. (more)

WTO delegates fail to lower trade barriers
17 December 2005 - Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas Saturday at hundreds of protesters who charged the convention centre where delegates were wrapping up global trade talks. The demonstrators oppose the World Trade Organization's (WTO) efforts to open up global markets. One of the most contentious issues was the setting of a deadline for ending government payments to domestic producers to promote exports, a key demand of poorer nations. (more)