A lunar occultation of Venus will take place on March 24, which will be visible in the nighttime sky in Hong Kong. The moon will block the light from Venus, and the planet will disappear from view for an hour and six minutes, between 7.47pm and 8.53pm. This astronomical event is significant because it usually occurs in the daytime as Venus always appears close to the sun, which makes its lunar occultation difficult to view with the naked eye. However, the nighttime event on March 24 will be easy to observe without binoculars or telescopes as Venus is the brightest…
Author: Anjali Muthanna
Anjali Muthanna
From the Middle East to the Far East and a couple of places in between, Anjali has lived in no fewer than seven cities in Asia, and has travelled extensively in the region. She worked as a lifestyle journalist in India before coming to Hong Kong, where her favourite thing to do is island-hopping with her daughter. You can check out her musings on motherhood, courtesy her Instagram profile.
Hong Kong scrapped its compulsory mask-wearing rule from March 1, and people no longer have to wear masks at indoor or outdoor spaces or on public transport. However, authorities said that establishments can specify whether they require people to wear masks on their premises. Cathay Pacific tweeted that passengers do not have to wear masks on board the airline’s flights or in their lounges, from March 1. The MTR also clarified that it is no longer mandatory to wear masks on the company’s trains or buses, and in paid areas of its stations. Echoing this much-welcomed change, Cathay’s passengers will…
Hong Kong’s nearly 1,000-day-long mask mandate will come to an end on March 1, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said that members of the public only have to wear masks in specific places, such as hospitals and residential care homes. “After looking at all the data, the trend, and the fact that the winter surge is nearing the end, in order to give people a very clear message that Hong Kong is resuming normalcy, I think this is the right time to make the decision. That is why today I made…
Hong Kong has a dynamic culinary landscape that sees frequent new restaurant openings and closures of old favourites. However, there’s good news for foodies in the city because some shuttered iconic dining establishments and eateries will reopen in 2023 and 2024. Tai Pak Floating Restaurant — which was the first restaurant of the legendary Jumbo Floating Kingdom in Aberdeen — will reopen in the third quarter of 2024. The restaurant, which closed more than 10 years ago, will be renovated under new management. This will revive Hong Kong’s floating restaurant scene, which ended when Jumbo Floating Kingdom closed in 2020…
Hong Kong is now the only city in the world with a compulsory mask-wearing rule for outdoor spaces after neighbouring Macau dropped its mask mandate on February 27. From today, residents of Macau and visitors to the city no longer have to wear masks outdoors, but must still wear them in certain indoor premises such as hospitals, old-age homes, and on public transport other than taxis. In addition, the Macau government announced that schoolchildren and teachers do not need to wear masks during classes or extra-curricular activities, from February 27. Hong Kong currently has a compulsory mask-wearing requirement in all…
Cathay Pacific announced that it will give away 80,000 free tickets to visitors from South East Asia, starting March 1, as part of the government’s Hello Hong Kong campaign. Tourists from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia can win free economy round-trip tickets to Hong Kong until March 24. Residents in these countries need to follow a two-step process to be part of the giveaway. They must either be a Cathay member or sign up for free membership on the airline’s website. Then, they should answer three questions correctly and the fastest to do so are eligible…
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival, which has not taken place since 2020 because of Covid-19, will be held this year from April 16-May 27. The festival is best known for its iconic bun-tower climbing competition, parades, and displays of buns stamped with a red Chinese character that means ‘peace’. The highlight of the festival is the Bun Scrambling Competition, or the bun-tower climbing competition, which will be held at the football pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground on Cheung Chau. Anyone over the age of 18 can take part as long as they are physically fit and apply between February…
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan says that scrapping the city’s compulsory mask rule is high on the government’s agenda. Speaking on a radio show to discuss the 2023-2024 budget, Chan said that the mask mandate, which was recently extended till March 8, will probably end after the current flu season. “This policy is still there on health grounds and my colleagues in the Health Bureau have been given a very clear message as to the community aspiration to take off the mask as quickly as possible. This is high on the agenda. [The mask mandate will be lifted] Probably…
Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced that the government will launch Happy Hong Kong, a campaign to give residents the chance to experience new activities such as a carnival at Victoria Harbour and gourmet marketplaces around the city this year. The other events planned include themed fairs and carnivals at attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park Hong Kong. What is Happy Hong Kong? Speaking while unveiling the 2023-2024 budget on Wednesday, Chan said, “[Happy Hong Kong] will focus on activities related to gourmet experiences, fun amusements and exciting ambience. Apart from providing members of the public with more…
The Hong Kong government will start trials for electric ferries in 2024. Speaking on Wednesday at the announcement of the 2023-2024 budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said that four in-harbour ferry operators will get HK$350 million to build e-ferries and charging facilities as part of the trials. The SAR has been working towards the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. As part of this goal, in July 2021, authorities announced the four routes that will be covered in the trial: Central-Tsim Sha Tsui by Star Ferry, North Point-Hung Hom by Sun Ferry Services, Sai Wan Ho-Kwun Tong by Coral…