The streets of Hong Kong echoed with an eerie calm on Saturday as metro services were suspended, shops closed, and a fraction of the usual thousands of pro-democracy protesters turned out on the streets against the city’s government.
The likely brief pause in months of at-times violent protests followed a night wracked with fire and vandalism triggered by the government’s decision to ban the wearing of face masks in public gatherings.
A major anti-mask ban march had been scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon on Hong Kong Island. However, in an unprecedented move, the city’s metro authority MTR shut down its entire service on Friday night, citing “the outbreak of violence in multiple districts”. The service, which carries some four million passengers a day, remained closed throughout Saturday, causing a postponement of the march until Sunday.
Despite a few hundred mask-clad protesters taking to the streets to defy what they deem a draconian law enacted by the government, most residents remained at home, recharging and bracing for a planned three-million-person march tomorrow.
"This is not a rest day," one protester said in a text message exchange with The National. "Today we are simply staying at home and contributing to the explanation online as to why we vandalised those shops and MTR."
“There are no rioters, there is only tyranny,” he continued, ended his message with the slogan chanted by the protesters.
As most demonstrators chose to stay to home, Central, the city’s financial district, witnessed one of its quietest days. The area is usually packed with weekend mall-goers, but felt ghostly quiet on Saturday.
“I grew up in Hong Kong and let me tell you, I have never seen Central like this,” said Alvin Tse, a 22-year-old local resident, describing the largely empty streets and shops in the area.
Across Hong Kong Island, only a handful of businesses were open. A number of major malls were closed, including IFC at Central and SOGO at Causeway Bay - two of the biggest retail outlets of the city. Banks, especially those which have an affiliation with Beijing, also chose to close their branches in fear of another round of violent retaliation from the protesters.
Grocery stores followed suit. A statement from the 7-11 group of shops noted “security concerns,” as the reason it shops would be closed from 5 pm on Saturday. Local supermarket chain Wellcome also sent employees home at the same time.
“I can’t believe this - even level 10 typhoons didn’t make Wellcome close,” one local resident said while she was trying to buy some meat from the almost-empty shelves at a Wellcome store at 4:30 pm.
Friday night’s violence directly contributed to Saturday’s citywide paralysis. In a televised speech this afternoon, the embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she was “appalled” by Friday’s violence committed by the protesters and said that the level of violence “justified the invocation of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance.”
“I hope all sides will understand the government’s decision,” she said, imploring her constituents to stand behind the government’s move.
Hong Kong's protests were ignited by a now-scrapped plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, which fuelled fears of an erosion of liberties promised under "one country, two systems".
After Beijing and local leaders took a hard line, the demonstrations snowballed into a wider movement calling for more democratic freedoms and police accountability.
Lam has refused any major concessions but struggled to come up with any political solution that might end the chaos leaving police and demonstrators to fight increasingly violent battles as the city tips into recession.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')
Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
