The American doctor is in, to do a bird flu check-up
Hong Kong is paid a visit by Dr Richard Besser, ABC News’ chief health and medical editor in the US. Other stories: Spotify, iPhone 5, smog and ArtWalk
He talked to Food and Health Secretary Dr Ko Wing-man and checked out a poultry screening facility on the Hong Kong-mainland border.
A team of around 15 agricultural workers wearing white coats, rubber boots, surgical gloves and face shields descended on the truck. One worker cut off the seal that had been placed on the door to the truck at the poultry farm in Guangdong province. Then with the speed and precision of an army drill team, they went to work.
They selected 30 chickens at random from the thousand or so in the truck. Each bird had the same fate: a sample of blood was drawn; a cloacal swab was obtained; and the bird was returned to its cage. The whole operation from the time the truck pulled in to when it departed with a fresh seal took no more than 30 minutes. By law, the seal cannot be removed until at least five hours later, when the rapid testing for H7N9 is completed.
Spotify, finally
In a tech-obsessed city such as Hong Kong, why is it that we are sometimes late to the table?
“Piracy is very big in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, we know that. And Spotify was founded to actually be a more convenient alternative to piracy. So we are here to combat piracy," said Sriram Krishnan, the company's head of new markets for Asia Pacific.
That’s something to boast about. Right?
Other coverage, April 14-21
- How secretive databases control Hong Kong’s haunted house market CNN looks at a listing of hongza properties, flats that can be bought for a discount because of a violent death.
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Smog levels in Hong Kong hit highs The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times took note of the “severe” air pollution that was as high as 210 on the index, “nearly the highest the city has experienced since 1999”.
Arts and culture
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Articles on the annual ArtWalk depict the local art scene as vibrant and burgeoning, despite the growth of the citywide event in its 13th year.
- Hong Kong’s vibrant art walk BBC
- Hong Kong’s creative spaces head south WSJ
- How to navigate Hong Kong’s ArtWalk and changing art scene Conde Nast Traveler
- Hong Kong ArtWalk remembers its roots New York Times
- Cold War wins top prize at Hong Kong film awards The Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times
In photos
- German photographer Jens Fersterra features Hong Kong at night.
