Chinese Internet company Xunlei announced that its search service Gougou.com will soon terminate operations. The website's notice stated Gougou.com will be shut down soon, at an indeterminate time. It also expressed its thanks to users and apologized f…

I know I said recently that I would limit my comments on the ongoing fight between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its Chinese counterparts over access to audit materials, but an Op/Ed in yesterday’s Financial Times forced my hand (or mouth, as it were). I’ll just do the lazy man’s cut-paste-comment method […]

Police will implement crowd management measures to facilitate the holding of public processions in Victoria Park on January 1.

Police have received notification from seven organisations that they will hold public meetings and processions on Hong Kong Island on that day, and have issued Letters of No Objection to them.

The 47th Hong Kong Brands & Products Expo is also being held in Victoria Park at that time, so it is expected that many people will be in the vicinity.

People who attend the expo can enter the venue from Gloucester Road via Gates 6 and 7 in Causeway Bay. They can also enter the venue from Gate 14 in Hing Fat Street, Tin Hau.

People going to Causeway Bay and Tin Hau for shopping and leisure, participating in the procession, or visiting the expo are encouraged to use public transport. They should follow the directions given by Police or event marshals and be aware of the temporary signage displayed.

Click here for a Police video on crowd management measures.

Immigration and Police officers have arrested 39 Mainlanders in an anti-illegal employment crackdown yesterday and today.

They raided several blackspots for parallel goods trading, including the Advanced Technology Centre and the vicinity of Po Shek Wu Road.

Twenty-two male and 17 female Mainlanders, aged between 21 and 58, were arrested for breaching their conditions of stay by being involved in parallel goods trading. All have been detained for questioning.

Officers seized cartons of baby products, daily necessities, and cosmetics during the operation.

From September to December 26, more than 400 Mainlanders and eight Hong Kong residents have been arrested for parallel goods trading.

Seventy-seven Mainlanders have been prosecuted for breaching their conditions of stay, and 69 have been jailed for up to two months. More than 330 people have been repatriated.

Prof Daniel Shek has been reappointed Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics, while seven new committee members and one new ex-officio member have been appointed.

The appointments are for a two-year term from January.

The new members are Cheung Yuet-wah, Robert Chow, Hui Yung-chung, Lisa Lau, Irons Sze, Tik Chi-yuen, and Tse Man-li.

Commissioner for Narcotics Erika Hui said the new members come from different backgrounds, including the business, academic, education and social services sectors, the media and the medical profession.

"With their wealth of experience and expertise, we are confident they will bring new momentum to the work of the committee."

Mrs Hui thanked the seven outgoing members – Ben Cheung, Samson Tam, Hui Pak-kwan, Shirley Loo, Miro Ng, Amy Blanche Tang, and Yeung Yiu-chung – for their contributions.

The Commissioner of Customs & Excise is the new ex-officio member.

Click here for the full membership list.

First aid advice on hypothermia will be added to the Fire Services Department's post-dispatch advice for emergency ambulance services from January 1.

During hypothermia emergencies, callers will be advised to warm the patients as soon as possible and avoid rubbing affected areas.

The department has been providing post-dispatch advice for emergency ambulance calls for common injuries like bleeding, dislocations or fractures, and burns, since May last year. Advice on convulsions and heat exposure was added last June.

The department said if callers stay calm and follow the instructions, the advice can provide patients with proper and immediate treatment prior to the arrival of the ambulance crew, and reduce the chances of a patient's condition deteriorating.

The children of government workers and employees of public institutions in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province will no longer be given priority admission to publicly-funded kindergartens, Wang Dong, deputy mayor of Guangzhou said at a press meeting on Wednesday. (Global Times) The nexus of public sector, privilege, the income gap and education in China is fascinating, as […]