Society

Thousands were left stranded at the Hong Kong airport on Sunday after the suspension of the airport train and buses and a shortage of taxis during typhoon Koinu. The Hong Kong Observatory issued typhoon signal 9, the second highest signal,  at 11.50 pm on October 8 as typhoon Koinu approached the coast of Guangdong.  According to the Observatory, most places in Hong Kong had more than 100 millimetres of rain and reaching 200 millimetres in some districts such as Hong Kong Island East. Speaking on RTHK, the Hong Kong's Airport Authority stated that 90 flights were cancelled throughout the day and another 130 were delayed. But some 60 flights that landed that evening brought in hundreds of passengers.  Most public transport services stopped soon after signal 9 was issued,  including the Citybus’s Cityflyer route and MTR’s Airport Express, which give access to the airport and urban areas.  The waiting time for taxis exceeded three hours, leading to frustration among incoming passengers complaining about the insufficient supply of taxis in the city. “We have been waiting for over two hours, but we haven't even reached the halfway point of the queue,” said Moses Chan, 37, a Singaporean visitor waiting in line, adding that he and his wife were shocked by the overwhelming crowds. “Due to the typhoon, the supply of taxis in Hong Kong is actually very low, with only dozens of taxis arriving at the airport per hour,” said Kelly Tang, a staff member of the airport who was  responsible for managing order. Airport staff also expressed their apologies for the situation, and free water along with around-the-clock catering services was distributed to those stranded at the airport. “The waiting time is really long, with no end in sight,” Chan, the Singaporean traveller added. Chan and his wife chose to …

Matthew Tsang Hin-chit, the 17-year-old teen who was missing for a week, was found alive by rescue teams at Ma On-shan Country Park on Wednesday.  Firefighters found the Diocesan Boys’ School’s pupil in a bush near Lo Shue Tin Hang in Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon. Tsang was found unclothed but was not injured. Firefighters also gave him a bottle of energy drink. According to the police, no suspicious circumstances were detected. He was conscious while being taken to the Eastern Hospital for further treatment. Chow Cheuk-fung, the station commander of Sha Tin Fire Station, said in a press briefing that the rescue teams, including the Mountain Search team and other supporting forces, had mobilised 28 fire trucks, and nine ambulances, with 122 firefighters and 24 ambulance men. Cheung Tin-yu, senior station officer, said in the same briefing that the search had covered 28.8 square kilometres, adding that the rescue team even faced immense obstacles due to the limited information and extreme weather conditions, such as the Black rainstorm signal and typhoon Koinu that hit the city.  “The rescue team did not know the exact route Tsang had headed, as he did not carry any communication devices, so they could not track his location,” Cheung said. “The terrain was dangerous, and we have been facing Typhoon Koinu and rainstorms in the last week.”  The station officer also said the results team used technology like drones for taking pictures, and that the photos were analyzed by artificial intelligence to narrow down the search areas. Amy Chan, the rescued pupil’s mother, expressed gratitude on social media after realizing that her son was found alive. “Although it had been eight days, No. 9 Increasing Gale or Storm signal and black rainstorm signal, we never give up, and it was a miracle that my son …

A group of photographers gathered under the beating sun at Kwun Tong Promenade on Friday, all for a picture of a lone Eurasian Hoopoe.  The Eurasian Hoopoe is a medium-sized bird from the Upupidae family and native to parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. They often appear alone and are known for their distinct "hoo-poo-poo" call. “It made me stop to take a look,” said Fred Kwok Yuen-po, who took a moment from his routine jog to photograph the bird. He had never seen so many photographers at one spot since he started running along the promenade in 2019. "I'm not familiar with birds myself, but it's nice to see special ones," Kwok said. Seemingly unfazed by the people around it, the Eurasian Hoopoe remained active and pecked at the ground, looking for soil-dwelling slugs and worms to eat. While it is of "least concern" on the list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population of the Hoopoe is declining in parts of Asia and Europe as a result of hunting, habitat loss and climate change, according to BirdLife International, a global network of non-governmental organisations specialising in bird conservation and research. Daniel Yu Shun-cheung, 66, is a bird watcher with over a decade of experience. "It's my first time photographing a bird here," he said. Yu said the Hoopoe is a great find for the local bird watching community. While the promenade gets visits from local birds, such as the widespread Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Black-collared Starling, there have been no reports of migrating birds around the area.  "I never thought it could show up in such a busy environment," said Yu.  Despite being an “uncommon and irregular visitor” during autumn and winter, the Eurasian Hoopoe has been recorded in open farms and grasslands, with some …