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News in a Nutshell: November 6

By Julie Magno 6 November 2015
Didn't have time to read the news? No worries, we've got you covered with these tidbits from the week gone by:
  1. Makeovers Mrs CY endured a public face off with her daughter this Halloween, and while many parents may have felt some sympathy, the most surprising show of  sympathy came from Legislator Regina Ip. Denier of right of abode to China-born children of Hong Kong resident parents, Ip is not known as an advocate for family togetherness.  A more cuddly Regina Ip for Chief Exective? 
  2. Making up In response to dropping visitor numbers, it was a week for making up with our mainland neighbours. Following a complaint by a mainland visitor, a 59-year-old woman was arrested for an alleged "forced shopping" offence, and Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Board Chief Peter Lam proposed a plan to enable online visa application for individual mainland visitors. A case of too little too late?
  3. Making a move In response to dropping passenger numbers due to competition from firms like Uber, our non-Octopus-enabled, never-around-at-four-o'clock taxi drivers are getting together in a new alliance and launching a taxi booking smartphone app themselves. However, the app is not due out until the spring and according to reports, will give access to just 500 of Hong Kong's 40,000 taxi drivers. Why bother?
  4. Testing times Education Secretary Eddie Ng refused to abolish the controversial territory-wide system assessments (TSA) for third graders causing uproar amongst teachers and parents who consider the exam too much for the seven and eight year olds it is aimed at. Pouring fuel on to the fire, Ng declared that he is unable to attend a public hearing scheduled for November 29 due to personal reasons. His department helpfully issued guidelines for homework instead.   How would you cope? Download an exam paper and see for yourself.
  5. Sold out – stadiums The 4,000 home-fan tickets for the China-Hong Kong Football World Cup Qualifer on November 17 were sold out within hours on Wednesday frustrating many. Despite the large fan base, authorities refused organisers permission to hold the event at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong stadium, saying that the ground would not have recovered after the rugby sevens olympics qualifiers. Others say it is more to do with bad "singing" during the national anthem. You know who you are.
  6. Stars for street food It's not all bad news. In a first for foodie-guide Michelin, Hong Kong's more affordable street food has been recognised in a new section as "a true reflection of the restaurant scene" in Hong Kong.  Michelin stars for stinky tofu?
 

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