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Cancellation of Taiwan Equals Love Screening

The documentary Taiwan Equals Love has been pulled from the EU-Asia Rainbow Docs festival after the Film Censorship Authority refused to authorise the screening of the full documentary, Broadway Cinematheque announced.

The organisers of the ‘EU-Asia Rainbow Docs’ regret to announce that the scheduled full-length documentary “Taiwan Equals Love” will no longer be screened.

The Film Censorship Authority did not authorise the screening of the full documentary. We jointly decided to cancel the screenings of the film, in accordance with our agreed policy not to screen censored films in this programme.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

In May 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Director Yan Zhexuan’s documentary Taiwan Equals Love chronicles the LGBTQ+ community’s fight for this landmark achievement.

Humanising the struggle through the portrayal of three LGBTQ couples from three generations facing different legal and social challenges but all with the same dream of getting married. Their perspectives provide an intimate context and address the question of why this fight for equality and dignity is so important for millions of LGBTQ people everywhere.

EU-Asia Rainbow Docs
Date: 30 June-11 July, 2021
Venues: Broadway Cinematheque
Tickets: $95 from www.cinema.com.hk/en/movie/special/19

Apple Daily Shutdown by Hong Kong Government

Apple Daily, targeted by a second national security police raid last week, is to closedown and will print 1 million copies of it’s final edition tomorrow (Thursday) the company board has announced.

Truly, a sad day for Hong Kong. We might not always have agreed with their opinions but amidst all the celebrity gossip was a lot of hard-hitting well-researched journalism that looked to keep the government, civil servants and companies ‘honest’ by exposing corruption, nepotism, and dishonesty.

Hong Kong is a poorer place for Apple Daily’s closure. We’d like to thank all the journalists, photographers, editors, and other staff for their hard work over the last 26 years – Chapeau!

RESS RELEASE

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Next Digital Limited (the “Company”) regrets to announce that due to the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong, Apple Daily in its print form will come to an end no later than the last edition on Saturday 26 June 2021 and the digital version will no longer be accessible no later than 11:59 p.m. on Saturday 26 June 2021.

The Company thanks our readers for their loyal support and our journalists, staff, and advertisers for their commitment over the past 26 years.

By the order of the Board

Quarantine Reduced to 7 Days for Vaccinated Arrivals to Hong Kong

The Government announced today (21 June) that the quarantine requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong who have received COVID-19 vaccination will be adjusted in phases from 30 June. Except for those who had stayed in extremely high-risk or very high-risk places (Group A1 and A2 specified places), fully vaccinated persons with a positive result of serology testing for antibodies will be subject to a further shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days upon arrival.

Non-Hong Kong Residents

Additionally, the restriction from entry to Hong Kong will be relaxed for fully vaccinated non-Hong Kong residents who have a vaccination record and who have only stayed in Group B specified places, Group C specified places or Taiwan to enter Hong Kong.

Such non-Hong Kong residents have to comply with the same quarantine and nucleic acid testing requirements as those applicable to Hong Kong residents, including a seven-day shortened compulsory quarantine period for those who possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months.

Fully Vaccinated

Fully vaccinated means complying with these three criteria

Fully vaccinated with a vaccination record (14 days after second dose);
Obtained a negative nucleic acid test result during “test-and-hold” upon arrival at Hong Kong; and
Possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months (Note 2).

Overseas places outside China have been categorised under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) into extremely high-risk Group A1 specified places, very high-risk Group A2 specified places, high-risk Group B specified places, medium-risk Group C specified places, and low-risk Group D specified places.

Low-risk Group D

Under the new arrangements, persons who have stayed in low-risk Group D specified places, and who have been fully vaccinated, will be subject to compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels for seven days (14 days unvaccinated). They will subsequently be required to self-monitor for seven days and undergo compulsory testing on the 12th day of their arrival at Hong Kong.

Group D: Australia, New Zealand

Medium-risk Group C, High-risk Group B

For persons who have stayed in medium-risk Group C specified places and high-risk Group B specified places, and who have been fully vaccinated, they will be subject to compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels for 7 days vaccinated, 14 days unvaccinated, and subsequently, be required to self-monitor for seven days and undergo compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th day of their arrival at Hong Kong.

Group B: Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Vietnam

Group C: All places except China which are not Group A1, Group A2, Group B or Group D specified places *China means the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

Extremely High-risk Group A1, Very High-risk Group A2

As for extremely high-risk Group A1 specified places and very high-risk Group A2 specified places, the boarding, quarantine, and testing arrangements will remain unchanged.

Groups A1, A2: Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Ireland, Indonesia

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html.

$5,000 Covid Vouchers

The government has announced that the first tranche of $5,000 Covid vouchers will be distributed from 1 August, 2021.

Registration for the ‘vouchers ‘will open on 4 July with people able to sign up online or via the government’s iAM Smart app. Paper registration is available, but you’ll have to wait until 1 September for your first payment.

Only adult permanent SAR residents and ‘new arrivals’ will be eligible and applicants will have to make a declaration that they are currently living in Hong Kong.

Octopus Card users will first receive HK$2,000, another HK$2,000 two months later, and then HK$1,000 several weeks after that. The vouchers can be collected by using Octopus card readers at MTR stations or in shops, or via the card’s app.

People who receive the vouchers via their AlipayHK, Tap & Go or WeChat Pay HK digital wallets will first get HK$2,000 and then HK$3,000 two months later.

www.consumptionvoucher.gov.hk

Hong Kong Women and Men Unbeaten at Olympic Repechage

On the first full day of the World Rugby Olympic Sevens Repechage Hong Kong’s women and men were unbeaten.

Hong Kong will play unbeaten France in both competitions on Sunday to decide who will top the pools and their respective knock-out round opponents.

Salom Yui Kam Shing scored two tries as Hong Kong’s men opened their repechage campaign with a 31-5 defeat of Jamaica in Pool B.

In their second match, the men trailed Chile by eight points with little more than two minutes remaining. But late tries from Shing, Russell Webb and Alex McQueen secured a 26-15 victory.

Results of the men’s competition here

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/2021-06-20-Olympic-7s-Repechage-Monaco-/i-dKZz7xN

Hong Kong’s women began their Pool C campaign with a comfortable 31-10 win over Colombia – which featured a Chong Ka Yan hat-trick – but they found things much tougher against Madagascar, recovering from 12-0 down to win 19-12.

Results of the women’s competition here

The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.

Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/2021-06-20-Olympic-7s-Repechage-Monaco-/i-LFKwkkS

Additional reporting and images: World Rugby

Ruby Tuesday Opens in Tuen Mun

Ruby Tuesday have a new outlet in Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun. It’s the chain’s seventh restaurant and the third new location opened in the last year.

Commenting about the new outlet Ruby Tuesday Managing Director Leslie Bailey said “We have taken every lesson that the COVID-19 Pandemic has taught us and incorporated it into our new restaurant design. In addition to the standard water and air-filters, we’ve also taken the extra precaution of adding a state-of-the-art Philips UV Disinfection System to filter and clean the air circulating in the restaurant.”

Ruby Tuesday Tuen Mun

Location: Shop 39-40, Level 1, North Wing, Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun
Tel: 3598 3098

New MCL Citygate Theatre in Tung Chung Opens

A new MCL Citygate Theatre opens in Tung Chung today. The four-screen complex has 673 seats and features as MCL puts it “the latest and best in cinema experience”. Each auditorium is equipped with 4K Laser projectors and Dolby 7.1 surround sound audio. Opening ticket prices are $80

MCL Citygate Theatre
6/F, 20 Tat Tung Road,
Tung Chung,
Hong Kong

Olympic Sevens Repechage Ready for Kick-off

The World Rugby Sevens Repechage kicks off in Monaco on 18 June as the competing teams aim to secure the remaining two women’s and one men’s qualification spots for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The playing squads have been finalised and on Thursday the captains were welcomed by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II in a launch event at Monaco Palace.

The action gets underway at 18:00 local time on Friday as Zimbabwe face Mexico in Pool A of the men’s competition. Play continues throughout Saturday and Sunday when up to 5,000 spectators will be present at Stade Louis II, culminating in the two women’s finals and the one men’s final on Sunday evening.

The 12 team women’s competition will feature Argentina, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa and Tunisia.

The men’s tournament will consist of nine teams following the withdrawal of Uganda. Chile, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, and Zimbabwe will take the field in Monaco.

In the women’s competition, the 12 teams will compete in three pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. With two Olympic qualification places available, both winners in the final two games will claim their ticket to Tokyo.

World Rugby Sevens Repechage - Previews & Training Sessions — Team Captains and Prince Albert II of Monaco attend the official photocall for the World Rugby Sevens Repechage at Le Palais des Princes de Monaco on June 17, 2021 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Giorgio Perottino – World Rugby/Getty Images)

The draw saw Colombia and France, the only women’s teams to have participated in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, paired together in a strong looking Pool C alongside Hong Kong and Madagascar.

All four teams in Pool A will be competing at their second Olympic repechage with Russia, Argentina, Mexico and Samoa all having participated at the qualifying tournament prior to Rio 2016, the Russians having lost 19-12 to Spain in the final in Dublin. In Pool B, highest ranked Papua New Guinea will face Kazakhstan, Jamaica and Tunisia.

For the men’s competition, the nine teams in contention for the final Olympic qualification place have been drawn into two pools. Teams will play against all opponents in their pools with the top two teams from each pool progressing through two knockout stages, with the winner of the final booking their ticket to Tokyo.

The men’s draw saw World Rugby Sevens Series core teams Samoa and Ireland paired in Pool A together with Tonga, Zimbabwe and Mexico. France are the top-seeded team based on their performances in the World Rugby Sevens Series where they finished sixth in 2020 and they are in Pool B along with Hong Kong, Chile, Jamaica. All teams in Pool B will record a bye against Uganda following their withdrawal from the tournament.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “With just over a month to go to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we can look forward to a very exciting Repechage event in Monaco as the competing teams aim to fulfill their Olympic dreams by securing one of the three remaining qualification spots for Tokyo.

“Player welfare is our top priority and a lot of diligent work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure this event can take place in the safest and most secure manner possible during these unusual times,” Gilpin added.

Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.

Additional reporting and images: World Rugby