分类： society

Hong Kong observed a somber day of mourning as citizens gathered outside Universal Funeral Parlour on Friday to honor firefighter Ho Wai-ho, among the 160 victims of the city’s most devastating fire in recent decades. The 37-year-old perished while combating an inferno that consumed seven buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing complex on November 26, subsequently receiving posthumous recognition as senior fireman for his ultimate sacrifice.

The funeral procession witnessed profound displays of collective grief and respect. Mourners dressed in black offered floral tributes and bowed solemnly before the funeral home, where thank-you cards from grateful residents adorned the walls. Hong Kong’s leadership, including Chief Executive John Lee, joined uniformed personnel and civilians in paying final respects.

Ceremonial honors unfolded as pallbearers carried Ho’s flag-draped coffin past dozens of saluting firefighters. The hearse, bearing the fallen hero’s portrait, proceeded to the fire’s origin site at Wang Fuk Court for additional memorial rites before continuing to his former station. There, colleagues formed an honor guard flanking the vehicle in a final procession toward Gallant Garden, the designated resting place for civil servants who die in service.

Personal testimonials highlighted Ho’s character and unmet potential. Retiree Tse Pak-yin noted the firefighter’s unmarried status as particularly tragic, while resident Andy Fong expressed how the tragedy ‘saddened every Hong Konger’ despite personal unfamiliarity. Ho is survived by parents, two brothers, and a fiancée.

The fire department formally remembered Ho as ‘industrious, polite and dedicated’ in an official statement, emphasizing his respected standing among peers. Meanwhile, the November blaze—the territory’s deadliest since 1948—has prompted serious safety evaluations after investigations revealed substandard plastic netting and foam window boards accelerated flame propagation across renovation scaffolding.

With thousands displaced into temporary accommodations, the catastrophe has ignited public scrutiny over building maintenance oversight. Authorities have established a judge-led investigative committee tasked with determining causation within nine months, concurrently implementing enhanced netting standards checks to prevent future tragedies.

Dubai authorities have escalated emergency preparedness measures as meteorological forecasts indicate deteriorating weather conditions across the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai Police Department has issued an official directive strongly advising residents to refrain from non-essential outdoor activities until Friday at noon due to anticipated severe weather patterns.

Meteorological authorities project rapid weather deterioration within hours, with the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) activating a yellow alert status effective until 4:00 PM Friday. The warning specifically identifies western and coastal regions, including Fujairah, as high-risk zones for intense precipitation and electrical storms. Concurrently, powerful winds are forecast to generate substantial dust and sand dispersion, significantly compromising horizontal visibility across affected areas.

Temperature metrics are expected to drop considerably, with Abu Dhabi anticipating ranges between 17°C and 22°C, while Dubai and Sharjah may experience temperatures of 16-23°C and 15-21°C respectively. This thermal decrease accompanies the predicted precipitation events, creating potentially hazardous conditions for transportation and outdoor activities.

The advisory emerges within a broader context of regional emergency preparedness initiatives, including recent cancellations of public gatherings such as the Simbang Gabi event originally scheduled for Thursday. These precautionary measures reflect enhanced coordination between meteorological services and civil protection agencies aiming to minimize weather-related risks to public safety and infrastructure.

Authorities continue to monitor atmospheric developments closely, with digital communication channels remaining active for real-time updates. The coordinated response demonstrates the UAE’s evolving emergency management protocols designed to address increasingly volatile weather patterns in the region.

China’s tourism landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation following the implementation of its expanded visa-free transit policy, with official statistics revealing unprecedented growth in foreign arrivals. According to the National Immigration Administration, China welcomed approximately 40.6 million foreign nationals through its ports in the past year, representing a substantial 27.2% year-on-year increase.

The cornerstone of this tourism boom is the optimized 240-hour visa-free transit policy, officially launched on December 17, 2024. This comprehensive policy unified and extended previous 72-hour and 144-hour transit options, now permitting citizens from 55 eligible countries to stay for up to 10 days without a visa. The program encompasses 65 open ports across 24 provincial regions, with Indonesia joining the list of eligible countries on June 12, 2025, and five additional ports incorporated on November 5.

Major metropolitan centers have witnessed extraordinary uptake of the policy. Beijing recorded over 3.4 million foreign arrivals, with 55% utilizing visa-free transit. Shanghai saw nearly 5.35 million inbound foreign visitors, 56% benefiting from the policy, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport processed more than 3.2 million foreign entries, with over 57% opting for visa-free transit.

Infrastructure enhancements have been crucial to managing the increased traffic. Transportation hubs have implemented “one-stop processing” and online declaration services, with Beijing reducing average waiting times by 15 minutes per traveler. Multilingual service teams now provide guidance and consultation services throughout major ports.

The policy’s impact extends beyond tourism, significantly improving China’s business environment by allowing sufficient time for commercial inspections, negotiations, and conferences. Arjun Dev Grover, an American traveler, shared his experience: “This is perfect—it’s too good to be true. Since my stay in China was under 10 days, I didn’t have to pay anything for the application process.” He particularly noted China’s modern infrastructure, friendly locals, and safe, clean environment.

Data from Qunar.com reveals that bookings by foreign passport holders increased by 20% year-on-year in 2025, covering 175 destination cities. Smaller municipalities like Datong in Shanxi province and Yichun in Jiangxi province experienced over 300% growth in foreign visitors. Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States emerged as top source countries.

Veteran tour guide Zeng Liangliang, with 20 years of experience in Xiamen, confirmed that foreign tourist numbers have “surged multiple times” in major cities, with increasing numbers arriving for family visits and conferences, signaling a broad-based positive impact on China’s tourism and business sectors.

A pregnant Indian woman’s ordeal has exposed alarming practices in India’s immigration enforcement, raising serious questions about due process and human rights protections. Sunali Khatun, 25, returned to India earlier this month after being forcibly deported to Bangladesh with her family in June, despite claiming Indian citizenship throughout the process.

The domestic worker from West Bengal was detained in Delhi alongside her husband, Danish Sheikh, and their eight-year-old son. Authorities accused them of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and proceeded with deportation without verifying their claims with their home state—a violation of standard protocol according to West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board chairman Samirul Islam.

Khatun’s case represents hundreds of similar incidents occurring in recent months. While Delhi hasn’t released official deportation statistics, Bangladeshi government sources indicated over 1,200 people were ‘illegally pushed in’ during May alone, coinciding with an All India Radio report documenting approximately 700 deportations from Delhi that same month.

The family endured more than 100 days in a Bangladeshi prison under harsh conditions. Khatun describes inadequate food for her pregnancy and cells without proper sanitation facilities. ‘I was scared because it was just my son and me. All we did was cry,’ she recounts.

India’s Supreme Court eventually intervened on humanitarian grounds, permitting Khatun and her son to return while her citizenship undergoes investigation. Her husband remains in Bangladesh, released on bail but separated from his family. Their seven-year-old daughter was left behind in India during the initial detention, creating additional trauma.

Khatun alleges disturbing details about their forced removal: after detention by Delhi police, they were flown to the India-Bangladesh border and ‘pushed’ across by Border Security Force personnel into dense forest terrain. When they attempted to re-enter India using routes suggested by locals, BSF guards allegedly beat members of their group and returned them to the forest.

The case has sparked significant political controversy, with the West Bengal government accusing the federal Bharatiya Janata Party-led administration of conducting deportations without cause. Rights activists note a concerning pattern suggesting these actions disproportionately target Bengali-speaking Muslims, despite the cultural and linguistic similarities between West Bengal and Bangladesh that have historically facilitated migration across their porous 4,096-kilometer border.

Khatun now lives with her parents in West Bengal, anxious about her husband’s situation and uncertain how she will support her two children and impending newborn. ‘We may not make enough money to eat three square meals if we live here,’ she acknowledges, ‘but I will never go back to Delhi.’

The Supreme Court continues to hear her case as questions mount about India’s deportation practices and their compliance with human rights standards.