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The Young Reporter

Business

Hong Kong companies see increased cyberattacks last year as more work remotely, survey finds

Hong Kong companies reported increased cyberattacks over the last year, including ransomware attacks, as more employees work from home, said US security service provider Barracuda at a press conference in Hong Kong today. In Hong Kong, 76% of companies saw at least one cyberattack compared to 81% globally, according to a survey of 750 companies around the world conducted by UK market researcher Vanson Bourne and commissioned by Barracuda. A total of 66% Hong Kong companies interviewed reported ransomware attacks last year, and those with remote staff were more likely to be attacked.   Remote work may contribute to an increased risk of network security breaches and being attacked, Conrad Lee, senior sales engineer of Barracuda, said at the press conference. He also said that phishing has become more specific as hackers take advantage of wide-spread discussion of social issues on the web. “For example, attackers can make use of the discussion of COVID-19 on the internet to send phishing emails to several accounts or induce people to download apps,” he said, adding that the improvement of attack software could also be a factor. Hong Kong is a “relatively safe city” in network security but remote work and the use of web-based applications, such as Google Docs and Zoom, is a concern, Mr. Lee said. All Hong Kong enterprises in the survey reported concerns regarding security risks caused by the use of web applications, and 98% worried about problems of data leakage and ransomware gaining access through unmanaged devices. In another survey, 42% of Hong Kong companies reported ransomware attacks over the last 12 months, an increase of 1%, according to research by the Hong Kong Productivity Council in August and commissioned by Hong Kong Telecom. “The remote work will probably become the new trend and continue even though the …

Society

Quarantine rooms for domestic helpers snapped up in minutes

The booking system for foreign domestic helpers at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre on Lantau Island reopens today, following a halt since Sept. 19. The 1,000 rooms on offer were fully booked up in minutes.  Reservations for Oct. 22 to 28 provide 350 quotas for foreign domestic helpers to undergo quarantine. Phailin Leesirichaikul, a Thai missionary living in Hong Kong said that by the time she had gone through a series of steps to get to the booking page, all the quotas had already been taken. “Within three to five minutes after the system opened up, all of the rooms were fully booked, which made me anxious because the visa of my Indonesian helper is about to expire, but I cannot book a quarantine room for her,” she said. In order to arrange foreign domestic helpers to come to Hong Kong in a gradual and orderly manner and to guard against imported Covid-19 cases, Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre will continue to receive at most 50 helpers each day, according to a government press release.  The centre will provide an additional 200 units from Oct. 22, that’s a total of 1,000 units for inbound foreign domestic workers. Employers and employment agencies can make bookings from 9 a.m every Monday for the following week. According to government figures, as of Oct. 1, among the 6,060 Filipino foreign domestic helpers who arrived in Hong Kong between Aug. 30 and Sept. 24, there were 26 confirmed Covid cases. That’s a rate of 4.3%.  Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said in his blog post yesterday that such a rate should be taken seriously.  “On a daily basis, we will check the epidemic situation of foreign domestic helpers in their countries of origin, the diagnosis of workers upon arrival, and the operation and booking of …

Politics

Election Committee poll: two lonely candidates outside pro-establishment camp hope to bring different opinions in newly revamped electoral system

Chau Yin-ming, chairman of the Sai Kung District Council, realized he was likely to fail in the Election Committee polls, but it was too late to do anything about it. He told the media before the results came out that he had little chance of winning the election. His comments attracted attention because he was one of only two candidates outside the pro-establishment camp in the election, which is the first main poll after the electoral overhaul of Hong Kong. Beijing completely revamped the city’s electoral system in March as part of the new policy of "patriots" administering Hong Kong, effectively disqualifying or deterring most pan-democrat candidates from the annual Election Committee polls. This year, only one candidate who was not from the pro-establishment camp won a seat in the body that appoints the city's chief executive, compared to 325 candidates elected in the previous term. Along with a significant decrease in the number of eligible voters, experts say the election has become a small-circle election to ensure that only Beijing-approved candidates can be selected. After the revamp, the number of Election Committee members increased from 1,200 to 1,500. The extra 300 seats form a new sector that includes Hong Kong delegates to China’s top decision-making bodies making the sector's composition of members increased to five. However, the number of seats to be contested decreased. With most members being ex-officio members and automatically elected members, the number of directly elected seats dropped from 734 to 364. The powers of the election committee have been expanded. While being responsible for nominating and electing the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, it is responsible for nominating all members of the Legislative Council and electing 40 of the 90 members of it. A candidate review committee was set up in July. To be eligible …

Society

Second batch of consumption vouchers spurs shopping spree

More than 5.5 million eligible Hong Kong residents could get a second batch of consumption vouchers today. It is part of a government incentive to kick start the economy amid the Covid pandemic. A total of $5000 will be given to those who qualify. Hongkongers who registered for the vouchers using their Octopus cards could get their second batch of HK$2,000 today. A third batch of HK$1,000 will be handed out from December 16. Those who registered using AlipayHK, Tap & Go, or WeChat Pay HK could get all of the remaining HK$3,000 of the handout. Jessie Wong Hok-ling, head of the Budget and Tax Policy Unit of the Financial Secretary's Office, said on a radio program on RTHK today that the distribution has gone very smoothly, and all of the vouchers were issued before 1 am. Shoppers lined up at convenience stores this morning to collect their consumption vouchers through Octopus. They could also get the vouchers through the Octopus app, octopus service points and subsidies collection points in designated MTR stations. "I think it's very convenient to receive and use consumption vouchers," said Law Gaa-lok, who got the HK$2,000 voucher at a convenience store in Mong Kok. "I mainly spent the vouchers on buying daily necessities," he added. Many shopping malls tried to attract customers by holding consumption voucher events. By noon, a long line of customers at APM mall in Kwun Tong were queuing up for bargains.  Among them Kelly Chan, who went there with her daughter l to buy clothes.“We happened to encounter the mall event,” she said. “The event is so favourable.” Linda Lam, who worked at Hey Candy in APM, said the voucher scheme has helped to boost business. “People's mood is better after getting the subsidies, so consumption will increase naturally," she said. …

Culture & Leisure

Wong Tai sin temple Lantern festival fair reopens after a one-year suspension

The lantern carnival and temple fair in Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple embraced the peak of visitors on the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrating the temple’s centenary at the same time. Due to the overwhelming number of visitors, the opening time of the fair was shortened for an hour and a half. Citizens reveal satisfaction as well as complaints about the arrangement.  

Politics

Election Committee poll sees ‘patriots’ fill hundreds of seats on body to appoint Hong Kong’s leader next year in first poll after system revamp; delay in results had candidates waiting overnight

  • The Young Reporter
  • By: Nick Yang、Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: LAMA Sumnima Rani
  • 2021-09-20

The polls for Hong Kong’s Election Committee closed last night ending the city’s first election since Beijing revamped the electoral system in March. According to official statistics, 4,380 people cast their ballots, a turnout of about 90%, a record-high rate despite a drastic reduction in the number of eligible voters this year. All but one of the Election Committee seats went to the pro-establishment camp, with 412 candidates competing for 364 elected seats. The remaining seats on the 1,500-member committee were appointed, filled by ex-officio members or automatically elected. The committee will select Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive next year as well as appoint 40 members to the Legislative Council. “The turnout reflects the support of members of various sub sectors for the new electoral system,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in a press release. Voting results were delayed until 7:30 am today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Barnabas Fung Wah apologising for problems with the ballot verification papers, likely because officials filled in the wrong boxes, he said at a press conference. The central government reforms included reviewing candidate backgrounds, increasing the number of ex-officio members and raising the requirements for the qualifications of voters. The number of eligible voters dropped from 246,440 to about 4,900. "The automatic election of members from many sectors and the stop of non-patriots have led to a reduction in voters, which actually makes the election more fair," Legislative Council member Lau Kwok-fan said. Daniel Cai, a Hong Kong resident, said he did not pay attention to the election since Beijing changed the electoral system. “I belong to no valid sector, so I don’t have the right to vote for the representatives,” he said. “Before the reform of the election, I could vote for …

People

Learning Through Lived Experience

Art opens our minds and shows us what could be possible in our world. Tan Zhiwen talks to a fine art teacher in mainland China who explains that learning is a lived experience.

People

Best African Cook In Town

Hong Kong has a small African population, but Malick Gai talks to the “best African chef in town” as he cooks up a storm!

People

The Disappearing Derung

With a population of merely 7000, the Derung is one of the smallest ethnic groups in China. Most of them live remotely along Dulong River in Yunnan province. Some of the tribe members are trying very hard to preserve their unwritten language and unique culture amid the influence of the outside world.

Society

Scripts For Hong Kong

Calligraphy signboards, hand-painted minibus signs and ‘Prison Gothic’ on traffic signs are important elements of Hong Kong street scenes. Nicole Ko talked to those who created and are preserving these fonts of Hong Kong.