Hong Kong green group warns revised IT hub plan could harm bird flight paths
By Vivian Au
A Hong Kong green group has expressed concerns that an innovation and technology (I&T) park being co-developed by the city and Shenzhen may disrupt bird flight paths after a revised plan allowed for buildings as high as 40 floors.
The Conservancy Association also said that related development works could pass through a wetland conservation area, further affecting a local ecological corridor.
It noted that detailed plans for the Eastern Connection Road of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the Northern Link spur line, a branch of a rail network intended to expand coverage of the New Territories, had yet to be released.
Authorities recently shared an outline for plans to develop the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone as part of efforts to attract talent, generate wealth and transform strategic industries.
The park is located in Lok Ma Chau Loop along Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, with the project starting with the development of its western side first.
The gross floor area of the first-phase development will be doubled and comprise laboratories, advanced manufacturing, industry-academia research bases, talent accommodation and commercial facilities.
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By Vivian Au
A Hong Kong green group has expressed concerns that an innovation and technology (I&T) park being co-developed by the city and Shenzhen may disrupt bird flight paths after a revised plan allowed for buildings as high as 40 floors.
The Conservancy Association also said that related development works could pass through a wetland conservation area, further affecting a local ecological corridor.
It noted that detailed plans for the Eastern Connection Road of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the Northern Link spur line, a branch of a rail network intended to expand coverage of the New Territories, had yet to be released.
Authorities recently shared an outline for plans to develop the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone as part of efforts to attract talent, generate wealth and transform strategic industries.
The park is located in Lok Ma Chau Loop along Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, with the project starting with the development of its western side first.
The gross floor area of the first-phase development will be doubled and comprise laboratories, advanced manufacturing, industry-academia research bases, talent accommodation and commercial facilities.
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China is visa-free for most of Europe, but not this EU trio. Why?
By Phoebe ZhangHayley Wong
Post-Covid China has become more open to foreign tourists than it has ever been in decades, with Europe so far the main target of Beijing’s expanding unilateral visa-free entrance scheme.
That is, except Sweden, Lithuania and the Czech Republic – the only European Union (EU) nations not on the list.
Chinese analysts say the omission reflects what Beijing sees as problematic bilateral relations over issues ranging from Taiwan to access to technology. Tensions over the Ukraine war have made matters worse, they add, as Europe’s support for the former Soviet state clashes with Beijing’s continued backing of Moscow.
Since November 2023, China has rolled out a string of unilateral visa-free schemes for countries worldwide. Passport holders from 38 countries are now able to enter China without a visa and stay for more than 30 days for business, tourism, family visit, or transit purposes.
On the list are 32 states across Europe, including 24 of the 27 EU member countries.
The scheme will run until the end of 2025, and the 38 countries are not required to extend the same treatment to Chinese nationals.
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By Phoebe ZhangHayley Wong
Post-Covid China has become more open to foreign tourists than it has ever been in decades, with Europe so far the main target of Beijing’s expanding unilateral visa-free entrance scheme.
That is, except Sweden, Lithuania and the Czech Republic – the only European Union (EU) nations not on the list.
Chinese analysts say the omission reflects what Beijing sees as problematic bilateral relations over issues ranging from Taiwan to access to technology. Tensions over the Ukraine war have made matters worse, they add, as Europe’s support for the former Soviet state clashes with Beijing’s continued backing of Moscow.
Since November 2023, China has rolled out a string of unilateral visa-free schemes for countries worldwide. Passport holders from 38 countries are now able to enter China without a visa and stay for more than 30 days for business, tourism, family visit, or transit purposes.
On the list are 32 states across Europe, including 24 of the 27 EU member countries.
The scheme will run until the end of 2025, and the 38 countries are not required to extend the same treatment to Chinese nationals.
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North Korea declares ‘strongest’ US strategy in key party meeting
By Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a policy-setting key meeting of the country’s ruling party last week ahead of the new year, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.
The “strongest” response strategy towards the United States was declared during the party meeting for the country’s safety and national interests, the report said, without providing any details.
The trilateral alliance between South Korea, the US and Japan has expanded to a “nuclear military bloc” and South Korea has become an “anti-communism outpost” for the US, the KCNA report added.
“The reality clearly suggests which direction we should go and what we should do and how,” the report said.
The meeting, which was held from December 23-27, according to the report, also reviewed the handling of floods earlier this year, including the plan that brought those affected to Pyongyang, the capital.
The reclusive state also vowed to promote relations with “friendly” countries during the meeting.
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By Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a policy-setting key meeting of the country’s ruling party last week ahead of the new year, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.
The “strongest” response strategy towards the United States was declared during the party meeting for the country’s safety and national interests, the report said, without providing any details.
The trilateral alliance between South Korea, the US and Japan has expanded to a “nuclear military bloc” and South Korea has become an “anti-communism outpost” for the US, the KCNA report added.
“The reality clearly suggests which direction we should go and what we should do and how,” the report said.
The meeting, which was held from December 23-27, according to the report, also reviewed the handling of floods earlier this year, including the plan that brought those affected to Pyongyang, the capital.
The reclusive state also vowed to promote relations with “friendly” countries during the meeting.
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Gold could hit US$3,000 in 2025 amid continuing bull run
By Enoch Yiu
Gold has had a very good year. Not only did the price of the yellow metal keep refreshing record highs, but it also posted the biggest annual increase in 14 years.
Analysts expect the bull run to continue next year and hit US$3,000 per ounce on the back of buying by central banks, geopolitical tensions and falling interest rates.
Spot gold traded at US$2,611 on Christmas Eve, 27 per cent higher than at the end of 2023. That is the biggest annual jump in the price of the precious metal since 2010, when it shot up by almost 30 per cent.
Gold also hit an all-time high of US$2,790.07 per ounce in October, rising 35 per cent from the end of last year.
“Gold’s rally in 2024 was driven by many factors, ranging from the buying spree of many central banks, including the People’s Bank of China, as they want to invest their reserves in gold and diversify from holding US dollar assets,” said Anderson Cheung, head of global commodities at Best Profit Capital, a Hong Kong-based financial firm that is part of Guangzhou-based conglomerate Kingold Financial Services.
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By Enoch Yiu
Gold has had a very good year. Not only did the price of the yellow metal keep refreshing record highs, but it also posted the biggest annual increase in 14 years.
Analysts expect the bull run to continue next year and hit US$3,000 per ounce on the back of buying by central banks, geopolitical tensions and falling interest rates.
Spot gold traded at US$2,611 on Christmas Eve, 27 per cent higher than at the end of 2023. That is the biggest annual jump in the price of the precious metal since 2010, when it shot up by almost 30 per cent.
Gold also hit an all-time high of US$2,790.07 per ounce in October, rising 35 per cent from the end of last year.
“Gold’s rally in 2024 was driven by many factors, ranging from the buying spree of many central banks, including the People’s Bank of China, as they want to invest their reserves in gold and diversify from holding US dollar assets,” said Anderson Cheung, head of global commodities at Best Profit Capital, a Hong Kong-based financial firm that is part of Guangzhou-based conglomerate Kingold Financial Services.
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Hong Kong, Macau can grow China’s appeal in age of US containment
By Regina Ip
Hong Kong has plodded through another challenging year with some hits and misses. On the downside, economic growth is forecast to slow to 2.5 per cent. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also expects the fiscal deficit to exceed HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion). His admission drove home the fact that the government has, for all the clawbacks from the Housing Authority’s reserve and bond issuance, been effectively running a deficit since 2019.
This raises the alarm that Hong Kong could be facing a structural deficit, with heightened risks of a credit rating downgrade and attacks on the Hong Kong dollar. All eyes are on Chan’s next budget to see if he would take decisive action to return Hong Kong to fiscal health.
The good news is the government has met many of the work targets it has set to “grab” talent and attract strategic enterprises. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu recently revealed that the number of offices in Hong Kong with parent companies elsewhere had increased by 10 per cent this year. Meanwhile, 66 strategic enterprises have set up shop in Hong Kong or are expanding their presence here, half of which are industry leaders. Hong Kong now boasts over 2,700 family offices.
Thanks to the admission of over 100,000 professionals under its talent schemes, Hong Kong’s population is back above 7.5 million, where it was before the relaxation of the immigration schemes of several Western countries led to a substantial brain drain.
Hong Kong’s ranking in various international surveys has improved. Hong Kong beat Singapore to regain the third position in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index. Its competitiveness and talent rankings have also risen. These improvements show the government’s efforts in reinvigorating the economy have not gone unrecognised.
The Hang Seng Index also recovered. It bounced back in September and has been hovering at the 20,000-21,000 level with heavier trading, generating much-needed revenue for the government from stamp duties on stock transactions.
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By Regina Ip
Hong Kong has plodded through another challenging year with some hits and misses. On the downside, economic growth is forecast to slow to 2.5 per cent. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also expects the fiscal deficit to exceed HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion). His admission drove home the fact that the government has, for all the clawbacks from the Housing Authority’s reserve and bond issuance, been effectively running a deficit since 2019.
This raises the alarm that Hong Kong could be facing a structural deficit, with heightened risks of a credit rating downgrade and attacks on the Hong Kong dollar. All eyes are on Chan’s next budget to see if he would take decisive action to return Hong Kong to fiscal health.
The good news is the government has met many of the work targets it has set to “grab” talent and attract strategic enterprises. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu recently revealed that the number of offices in Hong Kong with parent companies elsewhere had increased by 10 per cent this year. Meanwhile, 66 strategic enterprises have set up shop in Hong Kong or are expanding their presence here, half of which are industry leaders. Hong Kong now boasts over 2,700 family offices.
Thanks to the admission of over 100,000 professionals under its talent schemes, Hong Kong’s population is back above 7.5 million, where it was before the relaxation of the immigration schemes of several Western countries led to a substantial brain drain.
Hong Kong’s ranking in various international surveys has improved. Hong Kong beat Singapore to regain the third position in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index. Its competitiveness and talent rankings have also risen. These improvements show the government’s efforts in reinvigorating the economy have not gone unrecognised.
The Hang Seng Index also recovered. It bounced back in September and has been hovering at the 20,000-21,000 level with heavier trading, generating much-needed revenue for the government from stamp duties on stock transactions.
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28 dead in South Korean plane crash
By ReutersAssociated Press
An aircraft drove off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, with 23 casualties confirmed, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.
The Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants, was flying back from Thailand and the accident took place while it was landing, the report said. The airport is in southern South Korea.
Photos shared by local media showed smoke coming out of the plane.
One person was found alive as the rescue mission was continuing, according to Yonhap.
A plane caught fire Sunday at a southern South Korean airport after its landing gear
Yonhap news agency reported the Jeju Air flight plane veered off the runway and collided with a fence. It said the plane was returning from Bangkok.
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By ReutersAssociated Press
An aircraft drove off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, with 23 casualties confirmed, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.
The Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants, was flying back from Thailand and the accident took place while it was landing, the report said. The airport is in southern South Korea.
Photos shared by local media showed smoke coming out of the plane.
One person was found alive as the rescue mission was continuing, according to Yonhap.
A plane caught fire Sunday at a southern South Korean airport after its landing gear
Yonhap news agency reported the Jeju Air flight plane veered off the runway and collided with a fence. It said the plane was returning from Bangkok.
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Thousands of flights delayed, 1 dead as severe weather hits the US
By Reuters
Severe weather disrupted holiday travel on Saturday across the US with deadly tornadoes in the southeast and heavy snow and wind on the west coast, delaying or cancelling thousands of flights across the country.
More than 7,000 flights in the US were delayed on Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were cancelled.
According to FlightAware, about a third of the flights were delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, and nearly half of the flights originating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed.
At least 10 tornadoes touched down in the southeastern states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Saturday, leaving one person dead near Houston, the National Weather Service and local law enforcement said.
“Those numbers will probably go up,” said forecaster Aaron Gleason, with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
The one death and four injuries were reported Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 45 miles south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
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By Reuters
Severe weather disrupted holiday travel on Saturday across the US with deadly tornadoes in the southeast and heavy snow and wind on the west coast, delaying or cancelling thousands of flights across the country.
More than 7,000 flights in the US were delayed on Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were cancelled.
According to FlightAware, about a third of the flights were delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, and nearly half of the flights originating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed.
At least 10 tornadoes touched down in the southeastern states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Saturday, leaving one person dead near Houston, the National Weather Service and local law enforcement said.
“Those numbers will probably go up,” said forecaster Aaron Gleason, with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
The one death and four injuries were reported Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 45 miles south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
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Hong Kong hospitals to face stricter controls over ‘space oil’ drug
By Clifford Lo
Hong Kong hospitals will face stricter controls next year over their handling of an anaesthetic used for urgent procedures that is also a key ingredient in the increasingly popular street drug known as “space oil”, as part of government efforts to better regulate access to the chemical.
Sources told the Post that under authorities’ plans to expedite the legislative process to add etomidate to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by the first quarter of 2025, procedures on how the drug was handled by medical professionals would be affected.
Etomidate, the main component of space oil, is currently regulated as a Part 1 poison and can only be prescribed by a doctor.
The drug is a short-acting anaesthetic administered intravenously, mainly used to induce sedation for brief medical interventions, such as endotracheal intubation during emergency resuscitation, according to the Security Bureau.
A bureau spokesman said the change would lead to stricter controls not only in terms of the drug’s storage but also documentation requirements and how it was handled.
“The Hospital Authority has already promulgated the operational workarounds on storage and documentation to different key stakeholders within [the authority] … for implementation, so that etomidate will be applied as and when necessary during emergency situations,” he said.
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By Clifford Lo
Hong Kong hospitals will face stricter controls next year over their handling of an anaesthetic used for urgent procedures that is also a key ingredient in the increasingly popular street drug known as “space oil”, as part of government efforts to better regulate access to the chemical.
Sources told the Post that under authorities’ plans to expedite the legislative process to add etomidate to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by the first quarter of 2025, procedures on how the drug was handled by medical professionals would be affected.
Etomidate, the main component of space oil, is currently regulated as a Part 1 poison and can only be prescribed by a doctor.
The drug is a short-acting anaesthetic administered intravenously, mainly used to induce sedation for brief medical interventions, such as endotracheal intubation during emergency resuscitation, according to the Security Bureau.
A bureau spokesman said the change would lead to stricter controls not only in terms of the drug’s storage but also documentation requirements and how it was handled.
“The Hospital Authority has already promulgated the operational workarounds on storage and documentation to different key stakeholders within [the authority] … for implementation, so that etomidate will be applied as and when necessary during emergency situations,” he said.
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Venezuela opposition adviser holed up in Argentine residence calls it ‘prison’
By Reuters
The Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas, where five members of the Venezuelan opposition are staying to avoid arrest, has become a “prison”, one opposition member staying there said on Saturday.
The residence has been without power for more than a month, Magalli Meda, adviser to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, said on social media.
“It’s a violation of our human rights. It’s become an embassy prison,” she wrote.
The Venezuelan government claims the power cut came after the residence did not pay the electricity bill.
The opposition members have been holed up in the residence since warrants were issued for their arrest in March.
In July, Venezuela held contested presidential elections in which both President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory. The opposition has presented detailed vote counts in its favour, while Maduro has not.
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By Reuters
The Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas, where five members of the Venezuelan opposition are staying to avoid arrest, has become a “prison”, one opposition member staying there said on Saturday.
The residence has been without power for more than a month, Magalli Meda, adviser to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, said on social media.
“It’s a violation of our human rights. It’s become an embassy prison,” she wrote.
The Venezuelan government claims the power cut came after the residence did not pay the electricity bill.
The opposition members have been holed up in the residence since warrants were issued for their arrest in March.
In July, Venezuela held contested presidential elections in which both President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory. The opposition has presented detailed vote counts in its favour, while Maduro has not.
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Too busy for love in time of baby bust: Chinese university students embrace being single
By Luna Sun
Buried under a mountain of responsibilities, Owen Cao, a first-year graduate student at a university in northern China, finds himself juggling research, coursework, study sessions, tasks assigned by his supervisor, student club activities and his personal hobbies.
Amid all those commitments, the 22-year-old ocean engineering student finds little to no time for dating.
He said he was fine with being single “right now” and was not actively looking for a relationship, “but if I meet the right person, I’d be open to giving it a try”.
Cao and his three like-minded dorm-mates reflect a growing trend among young Chinese – an increasing reluctance to pursue dating that is compounded by busy schedules or, conversely, a rising level of comfort with being single.
The phenomenon, which could exacerbate the country’s already low marriage and birth rates, has rung alarm bells among academics and policy advisers.
An article published recently in China Population News, a newspaper affiliated with the National Health Commission, called on universities to “play a leading role in marriage and relationship education” and make related courses elective options.
The article sparked a heated online debate about whether the government planned to interfere in young people’s dating choices in the face of the country’s worsening demographic crisis.
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By Luna Sun
Buried under a mountain of responsibilities, Owen Cao, a first-year graduate student at a university in northern China, finds himself juggling research, coursework, study sessions, tasks assigned by his supervisor, student club activities and his personal hobbies.
Amid all those commitments, the 22-year-old ocean engineering student finds little to no time for dating.
He said he was fine with being single “right now” and was not actively looking for a relationship, “but if I meet the right person, I’d be open to giving it a try”.
Cao and his three like-minded dorm-mates reflect a growing trend among young Chinese – an increasing reluctance to pursue dating that is compounded by busy schedules or, conversely, a rising level of comfort with being single.
The phenomenon, which could exacerbate the country’s already low marriage and birth rates, has rung alarm bells among academics and policy advisers.
An article published recently in China Population News, a newspaper affiliated with the National Health Commission, called on universities to “play a leading role in marriage and relationship education” and make related courses elective options.
The article sparked a heated online debate about whether the government planned to interfere in young people’s dating choices in the face of the country’s worsening demographic crisis.
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Suriname rules out state funeral for ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse
By Agence France-Presse
Suriname’s government announced on Saturday that the small South American nation will not hold a state funeral for its ex-president Desi Bouterse, who this week died a fugitive from justice aged 79.
Current President Chan Santokhi “has decided, based on his powers and advice received, that there will be no state funeral … No period of national mourning”, Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin told a press conference.
Bouterse was a former military man who twice mounted coups, in 1980 and again in 1990, to take charge as a dictator.
He eventually returned to power after being elected president in 2010 and governed for a decade.
He died on Tuesday in the unknown location where he had been holed up as a fugitive, with in-absentia convictions for cocaine trafficking and murder.
Bouterse’s body was dropped off at his residence in the capital Paramaribo. An autopsy was ordered, though police said there were “no signs of criminal activity”.
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By Agence France-Presse
Suriname’s government announced on Saturday that the small South American nation will not hold a state funeral for its ex-president Desi Bouterse, who this week died a fugitive from justice aged 79.
Current President Chan Santokhi “has decided, based on his powers and advice received, that there will be no state funeral … No period of national mourning”, Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin told a press conference.
Bouterse was a former military man who twice mounted coups, in 1980 and again in 1990, to take charge as a dictator.
He eventually returned to power after being elected president in 2010 and governed for a decade.
He died on Tuesday in the unknown location where he had been holed up as a fugitive, with in-absentia convictions for cocaine trafficking and murder.
Bouterse’s body was dropped off at his residence in the capital Paramaribo. An autopsy was ordered, though police said there were “no signs of criminal activity”.
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Israel’s PM Netanyahu to undergo prostate removal surgery, his office says
By Agence France-Presse
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to undergo prostate removal surgery on Sunday, his office said after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
The procedure comes with Israel at war against Hamas militants in Gaza more than 14 months after the Palestinian militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
Netanyahu underwent a test at Hadassah Hospital on Wednesday, where he was “diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“As a result, the prime minister will undergo prostate removal surgery tomorrow,” it said.
In March, Netanyahu underwent a hernia surgery while in July last year he was fitted with a pacemaker after a medical scare.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s prime minister met a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to discuss a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, a statement said.
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By Agence France-Presse
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to undergo prostate removal surgery on Sunday, his office said after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
The procedure comes with Israel at war against Hamas militants in Gaza more than 14 months after the Palestinian militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
Netanyahu underwent a test at Hadassah Hospital on Wednesday, where he was “diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“As a result, the prime minister will undergo prostate removal surgery tomorrow,” it said.
In March, Netanyahu underwent a hernia surgery while in July last year he was fitted with a pacemaker after a medical scare.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s prime minister met a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to discuss a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, a statement said.
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Sports Illustrated model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at 76
By Associated Press
Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former Sports Illustrated model who pushed back against age discrimination by reentering the industry as a widow, has died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities in Bucks County found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom on Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man police later identified as Walter J Blucas of Erie was hospitalised in critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property and police said on Saturday that investigators determined that “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak”. Two medical staff were taken to hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.
As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway, starring John Cusack.
Haddon left modelling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to reenter the workforce after her husband’s 1991 death. This time she found the modelling industry far less friendly: “They said to me: ‘At 38, you’re not viable,’” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.
Working a menial job at an advertising agency, Haddon began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to ageing baby boomers. She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estée Lauder and then L’Oréal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-ageing products for more than a decade. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’ The Early Show.
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By Associated Press
Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former Sports Illustrated model who pushed back against age discrimination by reentering the industry as a widow, has died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities in Bucks County found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom on Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man police later identified as Walter J Blucas of Erie was hospitalised in critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property and police said on Saturday that investigators determined that “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak”. Two medical staff were taken to hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.
As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway, starring John Cusack.
Haddon left modelling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to reenter the workforce after her husband’s 1991 death. This time she found the modelling industry far less friendly: “They said to me: ‘At 38, you’re not viable,’” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.
Working a menial job at an advertising agency, Haddon began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to ageing baby boomers. She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estée Lauder and then L’Oréal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-ageing products for more than a decade. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’ The Early Show.
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Israel detains director of one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals during raid
By Associated Press
Israel’s army detained the director of one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals as overnight strikes elsewhere in the territory killed nine people, including children, Palestinian medical officials said on Saturday. Israel’s military alleged that Hamas militants were using the facility and said more than 240 people were detained.
Gaza’s health ministry said Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested on Friday along with dozens of other staff and taken to an interrogation centre. The ministry said Israeli troops stormed the hospital and forced many staff and patients outside and told them to strip in winter weather, according to the ministry.
Israel’s military on Saturday confirmed it detained the hospital director for questioning and called him a suspected Hamas operative while providing no evidence. It said it encircled the hospital and special forces entered and found weapons in the area. It said militants fired on its forces and they were “eliminated”. An Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, later told journalists that most of those detained are Hamas operatives.
On Friday, the military denied it had entered or set fire to the hospital complex but acknowledged it had ordered people outside. The military repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan, which hospital officials have denied.
The hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive in largely isolated northern Gaza against Hamas fighters it says have regrouped. The health ministry said a strike on the hospital earlier this week killed five medical staff.
MedGlobal, the humanitarian organisation for which Abu Safiya worked, said on Friday it was gravely concerned about him. It said the incident follows the October detention of five other staff, calling it an “alarming and egregious pattern of targeting medical personnel and spaces”.
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By Associated Press
Israel’s army detained the director of one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals as overnight strikes elsewhere in the territory killed nine people, including children, Palestinian medical officials said on Saturday. Israel’s military alleged that Hamas militants were using the facility and said more than 240 people were detained.
Gaza’s health ministry said Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested on Friday along with dozens of other staff and taken to an interrogation centre. The ministry said Israeli troops stormed the hospital and forced many staff and patients outside and told them to strip in winter weather, according to the ministry.
Israel’s military on Saturday confirmed it detained the hospital director for questioning and called him a suspected Hamas operative while providing no evidence. It said it encircled the hospital and special forces entered and found weapons in the area. It said militants fired on its forces and they were “eliminated”. An Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, later told journalists that most of those detained are Hamas operatives.
On Friday, the military denied it had entered or set fire to the hospital complex but acknowledged it had ordered people outside. The military repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan, which hospital officials have denied.
The hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive in largely isolated northern Gaza against Hamas fighters it says have regrouped. The health ministry said a strike on the hospital earlier this week killed five medical staff.
MedGlobal, the humanitarian organisation for which Abu Safiya worked, said on Friday it was gravely concerned about him. It said the incident follows the October detention of five other staff, calling it an “alarming and egregious pattern of targeting medical personnel and spaces”.
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Sweden embarks on sober search for more cemetery space in event of war
By Associated Press
Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they will never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.
The search follows recommendations from the Church of Sweden’s national secretariat, which reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Swedish Armed Forces.
The preparedness guidelines have been put in a new light by Sweden’s decision to join Nato and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
According to the Church of Sweden provisions, supported by legal paragraphs in Sweden’s Burial Act, burial associations are responsible for ensuring the availability of enough land to bury roughly 5 per cent of the population within a parish, if needed.
The Goteborg Burial Association, which operates in Sweden’s second-largest city, is currently trying to navigate the challenge of acquiring at least 10 acres (40,470 square metres) of land to ensure it can handle urgent casket burials for some 30,000 dead in case of war. That is in addition to another 15 acres (60,700 square metres) of land needed for building graveyards for regular use in Gothenburg.
“The [recommendations] mean that we need more land for burial grounds and this is a phenomenon in the big cities, and a problem in the big cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and not always sufficient to meet burial ground needs even in times of calm and peace,” said Katarina Evenseth, senior adviser at the Goteborg Burial Association.
Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly in making decisions about land usage in Gothenburg, the burial association has identified a vast area appropriate for building a large-scale cemetery for the intended purpose.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they will never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.
The search follows recommendations from the Church of Sweden’s national secretariat, which reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Swedish Armed Forces.
The preparedness guidelines have been put in a new light by Sweden’s decision to join Nato and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
According to the Church of Sweden provisions, supported by legal paragraphs in Sweden’s Burial Act, burial associations are responsible for ensuring the availability of enough land to bury roughly 5 per cent of the population within a parish, if needed.
The Goteborg Burial Association, which operates in Sweden’s second-largest city, is currently trying to navigate the challenge of acquiring at least 10 acres (40,470 square metres) of land to ensure it can handle urgent casket burials for some 30,000 dead in case of war. That is in addition to another 15 acres (60,700 square metres) of land needed for building graveyards for regular use in Gothenburg.
“The [recommendations] mean that we need more land for burial grounds and this is a phenomenon in the big cities, and a problem in the big cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and not always sufficient to meet burial ground needs even in times of calm and peace,” said Katarina Evenseth, senior adviser at the Goteborg Burial Association.
Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly in making decisions about land usage in Gothenburg, the burial association has identified a vast area appropriate for building a large-scale cemetery for the intended purpose.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
