GREAT FUTURES: Saudi Arabia and UK strengthen economic ties    King Salman directs authorities to deliver finest services for Hajj pilgrims Cabinet welcomes UNGA resolution for full membership for Palestine State    ZATCA sets SR3000 maximum duty-free purchase limit for incoming passenger    Almost 450,000 people have fled Rafah in a week, UN says    Eurovision responds to complaints of bad behavior    Ex-lawyer Michael Cohen says he paid hush money at Trump's direction    Injured Palestinian mothers grieve for babies killed in Gaza    Glioblastoma: Top Australian doctor remains brain cancer-free after a year    Makkah deputy emir: No Hajj without a permit, and violators will be dealt with sternly    Islamic minister launches design models for mosques simulating identity of various Saudi regions    Saudi Minister of transport and logistics begins official visit to Finland    Saudi dates exports jump by 13.7% in Q1 of 2024    Introducing Zilos: A luxury Culinary Oasis of Mediterranean and Asian Fusion in Jeddah    Al Hilal wraps up Saudi League title; Jesus touts season as model of excellence    SDAIA chief: Summit set to make Riyadh a global compass for AI advancements Crown Prince to patronize 3rd Global AI Summit in September    Neymar celebrates Al Hilal's title win, eager for comeback next season    Al Hilal clinches Saudi Professional League title in a star-studded season    Saudi authorities recall contaminated mayonnaise after food poisoning incident at Riyadh restaurant    Al Ettifaq inflicts historic 5-0 defeat on Al Ittihad in Saudi Professional League    Israel heads to Eurovision final, despite protests    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hong Kong enters recession as street protests erupt in flames
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 28 - 10 - 2019

Hong Kong has fallen into recession, hit by five months of anti-government protests that erupted in flames at the weekend, and is unlikely to achieve any growth this year, the city's Financial Secretary said.
Black-clad and masked demonstrators set fire to shops and hurled petrol bombs at police on Sunday following a now-familiar pattern, with police responding with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.
TV footage showed protesters, who streamed into the Kowloon hotel and shopping artery of Nathan Road on Sunday, setting fires to street barricades and squirting petrol from plastic bottles on to fires at subway entrances.
At one station, activists rolled a flaming metal barrel down a long staircase towards police below.
Police fired 88 volleys of tear gas and 27 rubber bullets on Sunday, they said.
"The blow (from the protests) to our economy is comprehensive," Paul Chan said in a blog post, adding that a preliminary estimate for third-quarter GDP on Thursday would show two successive quarters of contraction — the technical definition of a recession.
He also said it would be "extremely difficult" to achieve the government's pre-protest forecast of 0-1 percent annual economic growth.
The rallying cry of Sunday's protests was to fight perceived police brutality and defend Muslims and journalists. Police last weekend fired water cannon at a group of people standing outside a mosque and journalists have been wounded in the clashes.
The programming staff union of public broadcaster RTHK said on Monday it had called on police to identify officers who "attacked and ripped the face mask" off one of its journalists on Sunday. It said she was wearing a reflective vest clearly identifying herself as a journalist.
It was not immediately clear if she was wearing a gas mask to protect against tear gas and pepper spray. Ordinary face masks were banned this month under a resurrected colonial-era emergency law.
Hong Kong Free Press, an online news service, called for the release of a freelance photographer arrested on Sunday.
The city's Foreign Correspondents' Club condemned the arrest in a statement on Monday calling for an independent investigation into "police violence against journalists and interference with the media's right to cover the protests under Hong Kong law".
The police, who deny using excessive force in life-threatening situations, held a news conference on Monday which ended in chaos when some journalists started yelling at police, shining bright lights in their eyes "just like you do to us".
Protesters have routinely torched store fronts and businesses including banks, particularly those owned by mainland Chinese companies and vandalized the city's MTR Corp metro which has shut down services to stop protesters gathering.
The MTR has closed early for the past few weeks and said it will again shut down two hours early on Monday to repair damage.
Protesters are angry about what they view as increasing interference by Beijing in Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula intended to guarantee freedoms not seen on the mainland.
China denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up trouble.
Tourists numbers have plummeted, with visitor numbers down nearly 50 percent in October, a decline Chan called an "emergency".
Retail operators, from prime shopping malls to family-run businesses, have been forced to close for multiple days over the past few months.
While authorities have announced measures to support local small and medium seized enterprises, Chan said the measures could only "slightly reduce the pressure".
"Let citizens return to normal life, let industry and commerce operate normally, and create more space for rational dialogue," he wrote. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.