Podcasts about hong kong government

Neesha Jhaveri is a graceful Kathak dancer, accomplished teacher, creative choreographer and a co-founder of Sri Shakti Academy, Hong Kong. She is a disciple of late Guru Pt. Hazarilalji and Smt. Sunayana Hazarilalji, both doyens of Jankiprasad school of Banaras Gharana and has received training in a Guru Shishya parampara tradition. She moved to Hong Kong in 2001 and since then she has completely devoted herself in spreading the awareness of Indian Classical Dance and Culture in Hong Kong.Through Sri Shakti Academy, the first professional Indian dance company set up in Hong Kong, she trains numerous students, gives lecture demonstrations at the prestigious universities of Hong Kong and performs at various dance festivals organized by the Hong Kong Government and the Indian Consulate of Hong Kong. A recipient of the National Scholarship from the Government of India and a graded artist at Doordarshan, she has performed at various dance festivals in India, Africa, America, China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Become a Client: https://nomadcapitalist.com/apply/ Get our free Weekly Rundown newsletter and be the first to hear about breaking news and offers: https://nomadcapitalist.com/email Get on the waiting list and join us for the next Nomad Capitalist Live: https://nomadcapitalist.com/live/ The Hong Kong Government's budget for the 2023/24 fiscal year has announced the reintroduction of the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) as a measure to attract new capital in the city. It is not yet clear whether the scheme will be introduced with the same criteria of the previous one, suspended in January 2015 due to concerns about the impact on Hong Kong's property market, or if there are going to be major changes. From investment opportunities to tax benefits, learn why Hong Kong's CIES could be your gateway to a tax-efficient lifestyle in the heart of Asia. Nomad Capitalist has served as the “architect” and “general contractor” for 1,500+ clients who wanted one company to manage their holistic plans. We help these clients keep more of their wealth, increase their personal freedom, and protect their families and wealth against current and future threats at home. Our in-house team of researchers, strategists, and executioners know more about these strategies than just about anyone. We've also spent more than a decade building a trusted network of attorneys, accountants, real estate agents, and others to assist our clients. As a result, our approach is not only holistic, but agnostic; we offer our clients advice on and options in 90+ countries, more than any other firm by far. If you're looking to diversify internationally, whether for lower taxes or as a “Plan B”, trust the industry pioneers at Nomad Capitalist and our experience serving the needs of globally-minded entrepreneurs and investors. Become Our Client: https://nomadcapitalist.com/apply/ Our Website: http://www.nomadcapitalist.com/ About Our Company: https://nomadcapitalist.com/about/ Buy Mr. Henderson's Book: https://nomadcapitalist.com/book/ DISCLAIMER: The information in this video should not be considered tax, financial, investment, or any kind of professional advice. Only a professional diagnosis of your specific situation can determine which strategies are appropriate for your needs. Nomad Capitalist can and does not provide advice unless/until engaged by you.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news China's debt problems are just growing and more investors are worried.But first, in the week ahead we will get some key data. In the US, they have a Fed rate review on Thursday and markets will be eyeing signals about when rates might move. Some think a March cut is coming. Then on Saturday, the January non-farm payrolls report on their labour market is out. And PMIs, consumer sentiment data, and factory order data will round out their big economic signals. Their earnings season is in its third week and there are some very large companies reporting, including most of the FAANGs (or now more accurately, MAMAAs). EU GDP will come this week too along with CPI updates from them, South Korea and Australia (on Wednesday). Locally it will be building consent data and the large end of month stats dump from the RBNZ that will interest us.Over the weekend we got data on Chinese industrial profits which rose +16.8% in December above the same month last year. And that was the fifth straight month they have risen. But the bar is low. The year ended with overall profits -2.3% lower over the whole twelve months, and in calendar 2022 they had fallen -4.0%.2024 is going to be a tough year for Chinese corporates. They are facing a record obligation to pay bond debt maturities, which will total ¥6.8 tln, (or NZ$1.55 tln). Their problem is that creditors are either increasingly unwilling to roll it over, or will demand significantly higher interest rates to do so. Both scenarios will hurt, and the pain will grow as the year progresses. Debt obligations have been growing much faster than GDP, making creditors skittish. And in the three years to 2026 the redemption obligation rises to ¥20 tln, so the problems won't fade with time.In the recent past, investors have continued buying Local Government financing bonds (LGFVs) which are part of the overall corporate debt, assuming that they are guaranteed by the government. And none have failed outright yet. But these LGFV bonds linked to "infrastructure" (read, their property development sector) are based on unprofitable enterprises, and maturities are jumping 40% in 2024, accentuating the pressures. Recently, institutions have been dealing with this pressure with very high interest rates (8+%) and much shorter maturities (less than 3 years). It doesn't take a rocket scientists to see what is about to happen. This will only work out if Beijing underwrites everyone, which does seem increasingly unlikely. Xi won't be happy in the trap and will probably want to 'teach' the financial markets a lesson.The scale of the problem is highlighted in an updated report on the country's macro leverage ratio. It rose +13.5 percentage points in a year to 288% in 2023 as a measure of non-financial debt to GDP.To put off the reckoning, last week China rolled out some very large and unexpected stimulus, much of it targeted. Their central bank now seems to have an outsized role in these efforts and the signals are more is to come, with the central bank providing cheap funds via its "Pledged Supplemental Lending" programs. These recent moves cost about ¥3 tln in total.But investors from well-known global institutions and local icon firms at a Hong Kong Government promotion event last week cast doubts on how effective the policies would be. The event was supposed to talk things up, but in fact it just allowed participants to confirm that others share their gloom. So far, key concerns such as China's property crisis and low confidence appear unaddressed.Singapore was expecting to report a bounce-back in industrial production in December after the November fall. But it didn't happen. They reported another, albeit smaller, retreat. Analysts there aren't anticipating any significant improvement in the first half of 2024.American inflation seems to be cooling, and in a way that the US Fed will like. While overall PCE inflation was unchanged at 2.6%, their core PCE rate came in lower than expected at 2.9%, down from 3.2% in November. Remember this was running at almost 5% a year ago.And all this happened while personal spending rose in the December quarter, and by more than anticipated. Higher activity and lower inflation is a goldilocks outcome. 'Real' personal consumption is +3.2% higher than a year ago - that's after inflation!And to add to the vibe, personal income has come in +4.2% higher that year-ago levels on the same 'real' basis, showing households are more than keeping up with inflation.Markets are back thinking this might give the Fed an opportunity to reduce policy rates by mid-2024; some think as early as March. One thing on their mind with falling inflation and a policy rate at 5.5% is that real interest rates are effectively rising now.December American pending home sales also rose rather strongly in December, up +8.3% from November to finally to best year ago levels by +1.3%. They haven't had a gain like this outside the pandemic period since early 2017. A surge in California helped although most regions showed gains. And recall, we noted last week a similar strong rise in new home sales nationwide.The UST 10yr yield starts today at 4.14% and down -2 bps from this time Saturday. The price of gold will start today up another +US$3/oz from Saturday at just on US$2019/oz.Oil prices are up another +US$1 at just over US$78/bbl in the US while the international Brent price is now just over US$83/bbl.The Kiwi dollar starts today at just under 60.9 USc and marginally lower from this time Saturday. Against the Aussie we are unchanged at 92.7 AUc. Against the euro we are also unchanged at 56.1 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 69.9 and unchanged since Saturday and little-changed in a week.The bitcoin price starts the week firmer again. It is now at US$42,307 which is up +0.9% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at just on +/- 1.3%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

As HK FinTech Week 2023 approaches (October 30-November 5), Karena and Karen join Regulatory Ramblings' host, Ajay Shamdasani, to preview the event. They explore the synergy between diverse backgrounds in the tech space, emphasizing the value of different perspectives and continuous learning. Karena and Karen also share insights on AngelHub's role in democratizing tech investment, the changing landscape of crowdfunding, and Hong Kong's potential as a FinTech hub.About Karena Belin:  Karena is the co-founder and CEO of WHub – a start-up ecosystem builder and the largest start-up platform in the city. Her group helps startups grow and enables stakeholders to connect with the innovative power of the local tech ecosystem. WHub is also an organizer of global conferences.She is also the co-founder and COO/CFO/RO of AngelHub, Hong Kong's first and only start-up investment platform licensed by the SAR's capital markets watchdog, the Securities and Futures Commission, for professional investors and growth tech companies scaling in Asia. Most notably, earlier this year, she was appointed the organizer of Hong Kong FinTech Week – which resumes its physical format on October 30, 2023 – by the Hong Kong Government.With a double diploma from the University of Mannheim and the MBA business school ESSEC in Paris, Karena worked for Procter & Gamble for 15 years in finance, sales, strategy, and M&A across Europe, North-East Asia, and Greater China.She has been deeply immersed in the Hong Kong start-up scene for the past decade as a member of the Start-up Committee of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR, as well as being on the Organizing Committee of the Innopreneur Awards of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and the HKTDC Belt and Road & Greater Bay Area Committee. She is also an ambassador of StartupAsiaBerlin, an initiative of the German Senate in Berlin, and serves as vice president of TiE HK and a member of the Hyderabad FinTech Forum core team. Karena is also a "10 Best Female Entrepreneurs of the World by True Global Ventures and Women of Hope" awardee. She has also volunteered at Hong Kong International School in several capacities.About Karen Contet:  Karen Contet is a tech enthusiast and entrepreneur, serving as the Co-founder & CEO of AngelHub.io, ClubDeal.vc, and WHub.io.She is also, with WHub, the official organizer of Hong Kong FinTech Week.Karen's mission is to transform and democratize the private markets, empowering everyone to shape the future of tech.Under her leadership, AngelHub has evaluated 2,500+ tech firms, invested in 25 companies, including WeLab and Animoca Brands. The platform has deployed over USD 17M and generated USD 9M in returns through successful exits.AngelHub is the sole SFC-regulated tech investment platform, allowing investors to co-invest alongside fund & institutional investors.With a rigorous due diligence process and a thriving WHub startup ecosystem, AngelHub equips tech entrepreneurs for success. WHub has become a leading tech power connector, organizing global conferences gathering over 120,000 participants, hackathons, job fairs, and over 2,000 events.Karen is an international speaker, French Foreign Trade Advisor, FrenchTech ambassador, and mentor. With 20+ years of experience, her background ranges from JP Morgan trader to IoT startup engineer and web development instructor.HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.

After twelve years of a rewarding career in the corporate world, Karena Belin became an entrepreneur. As she put it, 'out of passion and inspiration to foster the growth of the tech and innovation ecosystem,' especially right here in Hong Kong, which she and her family now call home after two decades in the territory.  She is also a dear friend of HKU – The University of Hong Kong, where she has been a guest lecturer on the topic of 'Equity Crowdfunding' in Asia's first MOOC, "Introduction to Fintech" - the largest online fintech course on edX, attracting over 114,000 learners. Karena is the co-founder and CEO of WHub – a start-up ecosystem builder and the largest start-up platform in the city. Her group helps startups grow and enables stakeholders to connect with the innovative power of the local tech ecosystem. WHub is also an organizer of global conferences. Most notably, earlier this year, WHub was appointed as the organizer of Hong Kong FinTech Week – which resumes its physical format on October 30, 2023 – by the Hong Kong Government. She is also the co-founder, CFO, and RO of AngelHub, Hong Kong's first and only investment platform for tech companies licensed by the SAR's capital markets watchdog, the Securities and Futures Commission, for professional investors and growth tech companies scaling in Asia. She is a founding board member of the newly established Web3 association called Web3 Harbour. With a double diploma from the University of Mannheim and the MBA business school ESSEC in Paris, Karena worked for Procter & Gamble for 15 years in finance, sales, strategy, and M&A across Europe, North-East Asia, and Greater China. She has been deeply immersed in the Hong Kong start-up scene for the past decade as a member of the Start-up Committee of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) of the HKSAR, as well as being on the Organizing Committee of the Innopreneur Awards of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), and the HKTDC Belt and Road & Greater Bay Area Committee. She is also an ambassador of StartupAsiaBerlin, an initiative of the German Senate in Berlin, and serves as vice president of TiE HK and a member of the Hyderabad FinTech Forum core team. Karena is also a '10 Best Female Entrepreneurs of the World by True Global Ventures and Women of Hope' Awardee. She has also volunteered at Hong Kong International School (HKIS) in several capacities. She talks to Regulatory Ramblings' host Ajay Shamdasani about the early part of her life, growing up, and being educated in Germany and later in France for her MBA. They also discuss how she transitioned from a finance and management background into life as a technology entrepreneur and her motivations for founding WHub and AngelHub as incubators to serve Hong Kong, guide, and develop budding innovators. The conversation also delves into the logistical challenges of putting together a key global event such as Hong Kong FinTech Week, the obstacles she has faced as a businessperson and particularly as a woman in tech and the corporate world, as well as her view that few places in the world come close to Hong Kong in enabling entrepreneurs to realize their dreams. Their chat concludes with Karena's views on why she resolutely believes Hong Kong's rule of law and robust regulatory system make it more than well-suited to cope with the emerging fields of FinTech and virtual assets.Navigate using the chapter markers in your favorite podcast apps. HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.

Consider Supporting Us For A Few Bucks A Month:https://discord.com/servers/hi... Check This Link Out:https://linktr.ee/himediatv Join Our Discord!https://discord.gg/himedia Podcasts:https://www.spreaker.com/user/... Subscribe On Youtube:https://bit.ly/himvideo Backup Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channe... Shorts Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channe... Social Media:https://facebook.com/HIMediaTVhttps://instagram.com/himediat...https://twitter.com/HIMediaTV Merch Store:https://bit.ly/himrkt Support HI Media!

In this episode, we dig deep into the reasons to why there are so many elderly in poverty in Hong Kong. We discuss the limited Social Security Programs for elderly, expensive elderly care facilities and the overall failure of providing a good quality of life for the ageing population by the Hong Kong Government.

Cyril Bourke received his first qualifications in radio communications and radio electronics 1983. He then went on to become an IBM trained engineer and a licensed electrician. He has worked for both the British Military  and the Hong Kong Government. His career has spanned both the electronics manufacturing industry, heavy power industry, oil and gas exploration and deep sea remote intervention. After suffering an industrial injury that had far-reaching effects on his whole body, Cyril started studying the field of pain management and spent 8 years in a successful clinic combing the use of bio-feedback and energy therapy. Cyril was also part of the team that developed the NES MiHealth device, a powerful hand-held bio-feedback device that is non-invasive and effective for reducing stress, releasing and re-educating energy flow, muscles, nerves, organs and areas of the body. His understanding of technology and electricity has him perfectly placed to follow his specialty interest of EMF and ‘dirty electricity', bringing the latest cutting edge information to the public.licensed

On today's episode the gang discusses: 1) Black Adam Early Release Reviews From Audiences DESTROY Critics Reviews 2) Supposed Free Speech Advocate JK Rowling Supports the Destruction of Alex Jones 3) Showing of 'The Dark Knight' Banned by The Hong Kong Government

With the Hong Kong Government cutting its growth forecast, we ask Michael Frank, Senior Analyst of Public Policy, Economist Impact how will China's Covid Zero policy impact its immediate and long term future as well as understand who will benefit from Hong Kong's decline

With the Hong Kong Government cutting its growth forecast, we ask Michael Frank, Senior Analyst of Public Policy, Economist Impact how will China's Covid Zero policy impact its immediate and long term future as well as understand who will benefit from Hong Kong's decline

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been more than a year since the Hong Kong government began its COVID-19 vaccination program. Check out more audio articles of EpochCasts. Listen Now for Free : https://ept.ms/3tcKKo2

Hong Kong Government says the country will resume international flights from the United States, Britain and seven other countries as it announced a loosening of some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions. Authorities earlier banned flights from nine countries deemed high-risk including the United States, Britain, France and India. Lam says Hong Kong will lift flight bans for the nine countries from April 1. She says the epidemic situations in those countries are not worse than Hong Kong's, and most arrivals did not have serious symptoms.

Hearing Architecture is back! We're going to start off this season of the podcast by continuing our collaboration with the Asia Pacific Architecture Festival otherwise known as APAF. The theme of the festival this year is “Co-operate, co-design, and co-exist”. In this episode, we're focusing on the word “co-operate” and how architects can work well with their clients, project team and even the government to create something truly extraordinary. Our guests in this episode are Tracey Skovronek and Steve Phillips from Purcell Architecture with offices based across Australia, the UK, and Hong Kong who worked with Herzog and de Meuron, Rocco Architects, and the Hong Kong Government to revitalise the heritage precinct called Dai Kwun Centre.

Welcome to Episode 32 of Eco Convos with Dan, where I chat with two guests - Chris Henderson and Cyril Bourke. CHRIS FROM BIO-LIGHT AND DIAGNOSTIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS Having experienced health challenges when in his late teens, Chris was determined to find alternatives to the medication that was making him sicker. This journey would take him to juice fasting health retreats, biologic dentists to remove mercury amalgam fillings safely, reiki and energy healers and from a practising vegan all the way to Paleo diet principles to rediscover his health. Chris is a qualified ‘Functional Diagnostic Nutrition' practitioner coaching clients through diet, rest, exercise and stress reduction principles including their exposures to light and how this effects the bodies natural sleep, hormonal and circadian rhythms. Light became an important part of his health equation when in 2016 he used natural light therapy combined with blue light reduction at night to reverse eye-sight issues that had arisen years early from working under artificial lighting and on screens in a busy office environment. This powerful combination helped him reduce his need for prescription glasses to read or work and eventually get rid of them for ever! Chris believes that too much exposure to ‘Fake Junk Light' from LED screens and lighting can cause a myriad of adverse symptoms including eye strain, headaches, sleep problems, concentration, behavioural issues and fatigue, as well as contribute to more serious conditions such as cognitive degeneration and cellular health challenges. What most of us don't realise is that our eyes, brain and skin are tuned to receive very subtle energies, frequencies and colour spectrums from sunlight, and these activate very specific chemical and electrical functions in our bodies to maintain optimal health. Discover how both natural and artificial light can have massive impacts on your health including how to maximise Vitamin D levels, use light for therapy and choose healthier lighting options for your home and office that's more human centric in design and function. Find Chris at http://www.bio-light.co (www.bio-light.co) and use discount code HEALTHYLIGHTS for 10% off your purchase. CYRIL FROM EMF SAFETY AND HEALTH EXPRESS WORLD Cyril received his first qualifications in radio communications and radio electronics 1983. He then went on to become an IBM trained engineer and a licensed electrician. He has worked for both the British Military (Royal Signals & Special Air Service) and the Hong Kong Government. His career has spanned both the electronics manufacturing industry, heavy power industry, oil and gas exploration and deep sea remote intervention. After suffering an industrial injury that had far-reaching effects on his whole body, Cyril started studying the field of pain management and spent 8 years in a successful clinic combing the use of bio-feedback and energy therapy. Cyril was also part of the team that developed the NES MiHealth device, a powerful hand-held bio-feedback device that is non-invasive and effective for reducing stress, releasing and re-educating energy flow, muscles, nerves, organs and areas of the body. His understanding of technology and electricity has him perfectly placed to follow his specialty interest of EMF and ‘dirty electricity', bringing the latest cutting edge information to the public through his presentations. Health Express World provides leading edge technology and health care products to equip practitioners and the general public with the best tools available. Their aim is to have a healthy, happy life and to help others achieve the same. They have a background in health and electrical engineering, and provide leading edge products, personalised service and education to health professionals and the general public. They have a special interest in EMF (ElectroMagnetic Frequencies) detection and mitigation. Every house/work environment is different and their solutions...

Jim James, a consultant with Hill Dickinson in Hong Kong joined to discuss the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. How will these changes the legal market in Hong Kong?What else has been said about the two legal hubs in Hong Kong and Shenzhen?Does this extend to the OBOR initiative? To find out more about arbitration in Asia, please visit https://www.hilldickinson.com/offices/hong-kongJim is a dispute resolution lawyer based in Hong Kong. He concentrates on arbitration, aviation, banking, commodities, engineering and construction, corporate, commercial, energy, insurance, shipping, shipbuilding, mortgage enforcement and regulatory. He is admitted as a solicitor of England & Wales (1977) and Hong Kong (1983). He is a panel arbitrator of the Beijing Arbitration Commission, CIETAC and CMAC, a mediator and past chairman of the Hong Kong Insurance Law Association. He is a qualified adjudicator under the Hong Kong Government's Security of Payments Legislation (which has yet to be brought into effect).Jim is frequently mentioned in legal directories: “Outstanding litigation partner Jim James is well versed in many areas, including shipbuilding disputes and mortgage enforcement. His clients highlight that “he's analytical in the business and naturally good value for money - he can cover all parts of the world for us” (Chambers Global 2012) “Shanghai-based Jim James is ‘fantastic, really experienced'” (Asia-Pacific Legal 500, 2009/2010). “Jim James is “a sterling lawyer, widely experienced in investment and shipping work.” He is highly respect for his “committed, persistent effort to find the best solution” for his banking clients (Chambers Asia, 2009). Lloyd's List included Jim in its top 10 law personalities 2011. He is ranked as a Leading Individual Shipping Hong Kong by Legal 500 and in Band 1 by Chambers for Shipping Litigation in China.Jim has been based in Asia since 1983. Previously he was in London for six years. He has worked in Beijing (2005 - 2006), Shanghai (2006 - 2010), where he was the managing partner of his previous firm, and in Singapore (1999 - 2002). He spent one year on secondment to the shipbuilding division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea (1986 - 1987).

Jim James, a consultant with Hill Dickinson in Hong Kong joined to discuss when drafting a dispute resolution clause, what factors should be considered, what are the advantages and disadvantages of arbitration and what are the benefits of dispute resolution clauses.To find out more about arbitration in Asia, please visit https://www.hilldickinson.com/offices/hong-kongJim is a dispute resolution lawyer based in Hong Kong. He concentrates on arbitration, aviation, banking, commodities, engineering and construction, corporate, commercial, energy, insurance, shipping, shipbuilding, mortgage enforcement and regulatory. He is admitted as a solicitor of England & Wales (1977) and Hong Kong (1983). He is a panel arbitrator of the Beijing Arbitration Commission, CIETAC and CMAC, a mediator and past chairman of the Hong Kong Insurance Law Association. He is a qualified adjudicator under the Hong Kong Government's Security of Payments Legislation (which has yet to be brought into effect).Jim is frequently mentioned in legal directories: “Outstanding litigation partner Jim James is well versed in many areas, including shipbuilding disputes and mortgage enforcement. His clients highlight that “he's analytical in the business and naturally good value for money - he can cover all parts of the world for us” (Chambers Global 2012) “Shanghai-based Jim James is ‘fantastic, really experienced'” (Asia-Pacific Legal 500, 2009/2010). “Jim James is “a sterling lawyer, widely experienced in investment and shipping work.” He is highly respect for his “committed, persistent effort to find the best solution” for his banking clients (Chambers Asia, 2009). Lloyd's List included Jim in its top 10 law personalities 2011. He is ranked as a Leading Individual Shipping Hong Kong by Legal 500 and in Band 1 by Chambers for Shipping Litigation in China.Jim has been based in Asia since 1983. Previously he was in London for six years. He has worked in Beijing (2005 - 2006), Shanghai (2006 - 2010), where he was the managing partner of his previous firm, and in Singapore (1999 - 2002). He spent one year on secondment to the shipbuilding division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea (1986 - 1987).

Jim James, a consultant with Hill Dickinson in Hong Kong joined to discuss when might disputes related to ESG be brought before arbitration tribunals and how well suited is arbitration to ESG disputes.To find out more about arbitration in Asia, please visit https://www.hilldickinson.com/offices/hong-kongJim is a dispute resolution lawyer based in Hong Kong. He concentrates on arbitration, aviation, banking, commodities, engineering and construction, corporate, commercial, energy, insurance, shipping, shipbuilding, mortgage enforcement and regulatory. He is admitted as a solicitor of England & Wales (1977) and Hong Kong (1983). He is a panel arbitrator of the Beijing Arbitration Commission, CIETAC and CMAC, a mediator and past chairman of the Hong Kong Insurance Law Association. He is a qualified adjudicator under the Hong Kong Government's Security of Payments Legislation (which has yet to be brought into effect).Jim is frequently mentioned in legal directories: “Outstanding litigation partner Jim James is well versed in many areas, including shipbuilding disputes and mortgage enforcement. His clients highlight that “he's analytical in the business and naturally good value for money - he can cover all parts of the world for us” (Chambers Global 2012) “Shanghai-based Jim James is ‘fantastic, really experienced'” (Asia-Pacific Legal 500, 2009/2010). “Jim James is “a sterling lawyer, widely experienced in investment and shipping work.” He is highly respect for his “committed, persistent effort to find the best solution” for his banking clients (Chambers Asia, 2009). Lloyd's List included Jim in its top 10 law personalities 2011. He is ranked as a Leading Individual Shipping Hong Kong by Legal 500 and in Band 1 by Chambers for Shipping Litigation in China.Jim has been based in Asia since 1983. Previously he was in London for six years. He has worked in Beijing (2005 - 2006), Shanghai (2006 - 2010), where he was the managing partner of his previous firm, and in Singapore (1999 - 2002). He spent one year on secondment to the shipbuilding division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea (1986 - 1987).

Jim James, a consultant with Hill Dickinson in Hong Kong talk to me about theHong Kong-PRC Interim Measures Arrangement and this may benefit the business community. To find out more about arbitration in Asia, please visit https://www.hilldickinson.com/offices/hong-kongJim is a dispute resolution lawyer based in Hong Kong. He concentrates on arbitration, aviation, banking, commodities, engineering and construction, corporate, commercial, energy, insurance, shipping, shipbuilding, mortgage enforcement and regulatory. He is admitted as a solicitor of England & Wales (1977) and Hong Kong (1983). He is a panel arbitrator of the Beijing Arbitration Commission, CIETAC and CMAC, a mediator and past chairman of the Hong Kong Insurance Law Association. He is a qualified adjudicator under the Hong Kong Government's Security of Payments Legislation (which has yet to be brought into effect).Jim is frequently mentioned in legal directories: “Outstanding litigation partner Jim James is well versed in many areas, including shipbuilding disputes and mortgage enforcement. His clients highlight that “he's analytical in the business and naturally good value for money - he can cover all parts of the world for us” (Chambers Global 2012) “Shanghai-based Jim James is ‘fantastic, really experienced'” (Asia-Pacific Legal 500, 2009/2010). “Jim James is “a sterling lawyer, widely experienced in investment and shipping work.” He is highly respect for his “committed, persistent effort to find the best solution” for his banking clients (Chambers Asia, 2009). Lloyd's List included Jim in its top 10 law personalities 2011. He is ranked as a Leading Individual Shipping Hong Kong by Legal 500 and in Band 1 by Chambers for Shipping Litigation in China.Jim has been based in Asia since 1983. Previously he was in London for six years. He has worked in Beijing (2005 - 2006), Shanghai (2006 - 2010), where he was the managing partner of his previous firm, and in Singapore (1999 - 2002). He spent one year on secondment to the shipbuilding division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea (1986 - 1987).

As a result of Covid-19, there was a significant economic decline in Hong Kong, with some businesses forced to close their doors or reduce their trading and services. The Hong Kong Government tried to ease the pressure put on businesses by introducing the Employment Support Scheme last year with the aim of helping employers retain their workforce and reduce redundancies; however, that scheme only lasted 6 months and, while helpful, did not solve the longer term issues faced by businesses.  The unemployment rate in Hong Kong has declined from 5% to 4.7% in recent months - the lowest level since March 2020 - and the economy is expected to grow by 6.5% this year, which is positive news and may indicate that the economy is slowly improving in Hong Kong. For many companies, however, the impact of the pandemic means that this slow recovery is not enough, and they must now consider restructuring their workforce to get back on track.Those companies facing this challenge will undoubtedly have a number of questions. The first question to ask is whether a company can make redundancies if it is still a going concern.From the processes to the costs, Kathryn Weaver of Lewis Silkin talked to me about redundancy procedures in Hong Kong. For more information about HK employment law, please visit https://www.lewissilkin.com/hk

Hong Kong is one of the world's leading hubs when it comes to FinTech innovation and opportunities, and a major driver of the city's Fintech initiatives is InvestHK, the department under the Hong Kong Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment. On the backdrop of Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021, we caught up with King Leung, Head of FinTech at InvestHK, as he details InvestHK's mission to foster a vibrant FinTech ecosystem and community in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. An engineer turned entrepreneur, King also shares why start-ups and scale-ups should come to Hong Kong and the support services and schemes his department offers.As the Head of FinTech at InvestHK, King has the privilege to work closely with major financial service institutions, FinTech companies, accelerators, innovation labs, investors, regulators and universities. Recognised for his industry domain experience, King has been invited to serve in leadership roles at the FinTech Association of Hong Kong, The Marketing Society Asia and the Asia America Multi-technology Association. Prior to his FinTech immersion, King's tech entrepreneurial career included his role as angel investor in start-ups involving AI, Big Data and InsurTech.Notices & Disclaimers • Views, information and opinions expressed in the Podcast are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent that of the HashKey Group. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. • This Podcast should not be considered as an offer or solicitation to sell, buy or subscribe to any financial instruments or product, securities or any derivative instrument, or any other rights pertaining thereto. • Any decision made by a party after listening to this Podcast shall be on the basis of its own research and not be influenced or based on any view expressed in this Podcast or otherwise. This Podcast does not address all risks. This Podcast does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation and has been prepared without regard to individual financial circumstances, objectives or particular needs of listeners. Listeners should seek their own financial, tax, legal, regulatory and other advice regarding the appropriateness or otherwise of investing in any investments and/or pursuing any investment strategies. The HashKey Group does not express any opinion as to the present or future value or price of any instruments referred to in this Podcast. • By accessing this Podcast, listeners acknowledge that the HashKey Group makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cryptocurrency can be a daunting concept for the uninitiated. How does Bitcoin actually work? Where does it get its value? What's the safest way to buy and trade it? These are just some of the common questions beginners are most eager to know about this space.To kick off the Crypto Savvy podcast, we talk to Angelina Kwan, a former regulator and Senior Advisor to the Board at HashKey Group, to break down the fundamentals of digital assets and cryptocurrencies. We also discuss why regulating crypto is essential to the industry in the long run.Angelina Kwan is the Senior Advisor to the Board at HashKey Group. Before joining HashKey Group, she has held senior management and Directorate positions with the Hong Kong Exchanges Clearing, the Securities & Futures Commissions of Hong Kong, and other multi-national and financial corporations. Angelina is also a Hong Kong Government-appointed Member for Sustainable Development, the Vice Chairman of The Women's Foundation, and an Honorary Fellow and Director of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute, among many other roles.Notices & Disclaimers • Views, information and opinions expressed in the Podcast are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent that of the HashKey Group. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. • This Podcast should not be considered as an offer or solicitation to sell, buy or subscribe to any financial instruments or product, securities or any derivative instrument, or any other rights pertaining thereto. • Any decision made by a party after listening to this Podcast shall be on the basis of its own research and not be influenced or based on any view expressed in this Podcast or otherwise. This Podcast does not address all risks. This Podcast does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation and has been prepared without regard to individual financial circumstances, objectives or particular needs of listeners. Listeners should seek their own financial, tax, legal, regulatory and other advice regarding the appropriateness or otherwise of investing in any investments and/or pursuing any investment strategies. The HashKey Group does not express any opinion as to the present or future value or price of any instruments referred to in this Podcast. • By accessing this Podcast, listeners acknowledge that the HashKey Group makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vital interpreters are in providing access to high-quality health care and advice. The NSW Ministry of Multiculturalism has just announced its interpreter scholarship program for the training of interpreters in new, emerging and in-demand languages. This week, Fatih chats with George Bisas, the Director of Language Services, Multicultural NSW, about the program and how aspiring interpreters can apply.Link to apply for the NSW Interpreter Scholarship:https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/Guest Bio:George Bisas has more than three decades of extensive management experience in Australia and abroad within government, private and non-government sectors.George has assumed multiple key management positions across various sectors and disciplines, including change management, public relations, adult education and training, media and marketing. He was previously CEO of VITS, the Victorian Interpreting and Translating Service, where he managed a major change process resulting in significant commercial success.Before joining VITS, he was with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, where he managed the Commission's education, community relations and commercial operations. George was appointed to a senior advisory position with the Hong Kong Government through the HKEOC, where he was responsible for establishing a range of commercial training, education, research and consultancy services. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Headway Victoria, a state-wide disability advocacy service providing support for people living with acquired brain injuries and their families.He has been elected or appointed to an extensive range of Government and non-Government boards and advisory committees.Your interest and support is greatly appreciated and we hope you will join us for our events throughout 2021 and onwards.Don't forget to visit our training website for more information and PD opportunities: https://www.conversations-interpretingandtranslating.com.au/w/AU/

03/08/2021 CCP Is Taking Over Hong Kong Government

China persecution against an American missionary? Francis Chan is back on the Homefront after Hong Kong denied his visa. Pastor Chan explains what happened and why he's concerned about the future of the Hong Kong church.

Meet Hong Kong former executive turned holistic entrepreneur Neelam Harjani. In just 30 minutes Neelam shares how we can heal inflammation and manage stress with Ayervedic practices. Having been introduced to Ayurveda from her parents at a young age, Neelam has many years of experience in healing the body and mind through simple yet effective techniques. In this podcast, you will find out that Ayurveda is not just drinking turmeric teas and practicing yoga. Neelam sheds light and wisdom on how we can all tap into the world's oldest holistic healing system. Neelam is the founder of Inspire Yoga in Hong Kong in 2011. As the author of “Secrets to Live Stress Free” her vision to create self-awareness as a starting point for balance has been well received by busy executives and high performing corporations. Previously an investment banker, she structures her mind-body paradigms with science and experience, taking an integrative approach of yoga and mindfulness for modern day application. She has been awarded by the Hong Kong Government to counsel statutory and advisory bodies in wellness, empowerment and inclusion. Tap into the free online course and de-stress your life in just 8 minutes a day. Follow Inspire Yoga on: Facebook: http://facebook.com/inspireyogaofficial Instagram: http://instagram.com/inspireyogaofficial Website: http://www.inspire-yoga.com Don't forget to subscribe to the Hack My Age podcast for updates on the latest episodes. If you're tempted, you can also leave a review so others can find this great content too. Join the Hack My Age community on: Facebook : http://facebook.com/hackmyage Instagram: http://instagram.com/hackmyage Website: http://www.hackmyage.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hackmyage/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hackmyage/support

In this episode of the NextWave Private Equity Podcast, Josh Lewsey, EY-Parthenon Strategy & Transactions Partner, and John Levack, Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, join Winna Brown to help private equity investors understand how new regulations will impact the current and future private equity ecosystem in APAC. Visit ey.com to read our latest private equity perspectives. The global trade environment has increased geopolitical uncertainty, making forecasting difficult. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is predicting 2020 will see a 4% global contraction in GDP with only one G20 country having a positive GDP: China. It is possible that a bifurcation between US/Europe and Asia of both markets and products will occur as a result of politics rather than consumer requirements. This combined with the region’s growth potential and faster post-pandemic recovery can potentially result in Asia as a more promising market in which to deploy private capital. Hong Kong is the biggest cross-border center for private equity (PE) in Asia. While the National Securities Law in Hong Kong has caused significant discussion, the impact on Hong Kong-based PE firms has been nominal: this is because China is already a major investment market for these firms and anyone investing in China is already subject to the Chinese national security law, which is quite similar.  The Hong Kong Government recently passed the following three landmark laws that solidify Hong Kong as an ideal base for private equity operations: Unified Fund Exemption Regime: extends the profits tax exemption to all funds, whether or not the fund's central management and control is exercised in Hong Kong. New Limited Partnership Fund Law: allows a limited partnership to be set up in Hong Kong so a PE fund vehicle can be based there. New concessionary tax rate on carried interest starting in 2020. Over the next three to five years, PE in Asia-Pacific (APAC) will see: Fee pressures and low yields in developed markets will push more capital allocation to APAC. Funds that drive sustainable returns through operational value creation and prioritize ESG will emerge as market leaders. Bifurcation of funds into financial conglomerates and small specialist funds. Minority stakes in local SME companies coming to market as new generations explore exit opportunities. An influx of capital from pension (defined contribution) investors will increase dry powder and exacerbate the challenge of deploying it successfully and responsibly.

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist is appealing to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for a lifeline for young Hong Kongers at risk from a new security law in the city. Nathan Law, one of the leading Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, fled and is now living in Britain. His name was recently published on an international wanted list by the Hong Kong Government. Law is hoping New Zealand will consider a lifeline scheme, such as allowing Hongkongers studying in New Zealand the opportunity to work after they graduate. He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Alphabet Inc’s, Google on Friday said it would no longer provide data in response to requests from Hong Kong authorities following the enactment of a new national security law imposed by China. It added that it had not produced any data since the sweeping new law took force in June and would not directly respond to such requests henceforth. Google in an emailed statement said as always, authorities outside the U.S. may seek data needed for criminal investigations through diplomatic procedures. It added that Google reviewed all requests for user data and pushed back on overly broad ones to protect the privacy of users. According to the Washington posts, Google also notified Hong Kong police on Thursday that it would direct officials to pursue any requests for data through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States, which involves routing through the U.S. Justice Department. --- This episode is sponsored by · Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WA Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Migrant workers carry a disproportionate burden of Covid 19 infections. The conditions of workers in construction and manufacturing industries have grabbing international headlines. But the plight of Asia's foreign domestic workers has largely remained invisible. In this episode Petrina and Laurindo shed light on the systemic migrant labour issues that Covid 19 has helped to illuminate with guests Eni Lestari Andayani Adi - chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance, Ramasamy Madhavan - filmmaker of $alary Days, Bhing Navato - helpdesk volunteer for HOME and Eli Nur Fadilah - winner of Migrant Worker Storytelling Competition 2018. ***** TRANSCRIPT Petrina Kow: [00:00:00] Hi and welcome another episode of Inclusively, in the series, we're asking, how has the pandemic changed people's lives and what lessons have we learned that could make a post pandemic world more inclusive? I'm your host Petrina Kow. Laurindo Garcia: [00:00:13] And I'm Laurindo Garcia. Petrina Kow: [00:00:14] Today, we shine the spotlight on migrant workers. Now, I think in Singapore, this has been one of the biggest issues that have come up for us in the last few months. When Covid hit Singapore and I think, you know, looking at it as a whole now, it I mean, I'm I'm not sure I'm right in saying and I'm glad, but I'm really, in a way, sort of grateful that the situation that we've seen in Singapore has allowed us to really sort of sit up and pay attention to the people who are most vulnerable right here in Singapore. Laurindo Garcia: [00:00:52] From a personal perspective, this this conversation is coming at a time when, at least globally, there is much more heightened consciousness about who are most vulnerable during the pandemic. We've got protests in the United States, in the UK, in Australia that are really exposing systematic racism that is contributing to two people getting sick and not having what they need to to to be able to survive the pandemic. And at the same time, we're also at least very aware that for a migrant, if you're a migrant in many places, it's very difficult for you to stand up and to make your voice heard because you're oftentimes you are a guest in the in the country. Your situation about your your ability to stay and integrate into side into society is also a challenge as well. And so it makes it very difficult for for migrant workers, for for migrants as a whole to be part of this process and trying to work work out some of the challenges and the problems in these systems. So I'm really excited that we've got a chance to talk through some of these issues with a fantastic panel today who one of our guests is Ali Noor Fadhila. She's a domestic worker in Singapore from Indonesia. She's also a volunteer with an Invisible Hands Singapore and a winner of the migrant storytelling competition here. Welcome to the show, Eli. She's also our artist in residence today, and she'll be offering us a poem later on in the show. So please stay with us. Also joining us is , who is an engineer from India who works here in Singapore's construction industry and Singapore. And Madhavan was also a director of a short film called Salary Days as well, which has gotten a lot of people talking and really gaining a greater understanding of the situation for construction workers here in Singapore. So welcome to you to Madhavan. Petrina Kow: [00:02:53] And we also joining us on the show we have been Novato, who's a volunteer here who works in one of the crisis hotlines for the Humanitarian Organization for Migrant Economics, also known as Home. And she will also be offering her perspective. And she's also been a foreign domestic worker, here in Singapore for many, many years. Plus, we're also very fortunate to have Eni Lestari Andayani Adi joining us from Hong Kong. Any is the founder of the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers and the chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance. Welcome, everybody. Laurindo Garcia: [00:03:28] So Eni let's start with you. Thank you for joining us from Hong Kong today. And they know Sunday's are a very busy day for you, but I'd love to just find out how you are. I mean, tell us how where are you joining us right at this moment? Eni Lestari Andayani Adi: [00:03:45] Well, yeah, I'd like to thank both of you for inviting me to join the discussion. Really, in the past months, we have been trying to make our voices visible in the discussion of Covid 19, as you know, that the migrant workers are really being put sidelined. And until that is a big case in Malaysia or maybe in Singapore, then our stories would never been found in the news. So for me, the Covid 19 has been very challenging. Honestly, it changed everything. Our way of life. Every day, you know, like you have to limit your time to go out personally because I'm also a domestic worker here so I can't go too much outside. And that's mean I have to work a lot from the house. I can we can not organised now. We can't not gather together. You know, in Hong Kong at least we have weekly holiday right. So Sunday domestic work would have gathered in the park, under the bridge or every, you know, every public spaces. But now, since the Covid 19 line been it was like a gone. It was disbursed. With the Hong Kong imposing social distancing by 4. Now by 8. That means that even if you have 20 members, you can not get together. So that's really becoming a big challenge for us now. And and in the past three months, there have been other major issues. And yet our issue now is to put a lot of domestic workers about different policies. That has been changed. Like for example immigration, with Covid 19, you know, you don't have to go out to extend your visa. You can renew it in Hong Kong. But we can not do this. The problem is because we can't not even meet them regularly. So now we are changing our style of using social media or Facebook to send our news. So we organise a weekly community fact community on this issue. With me, I'm still okay. My employer is doing good. And he really have a lot of understanding it. Just give me a lot of warning about, you know, being clean and careful, you know, you know, like wearing the mask all the time which is mandatory. But he doesn't impose any unnecessary requirements. Laurindo Garcia: [00:06:09] It sounded like as a well, number one, it's great that you've got an understanding and supportive employer that enables you to do all this other work. But at the same time, as an organization, you've had to learn very fast how to change the way that you're delivering services as well and doing a lot of this online. And so you were you were saying to me before before we joined today's show that normally on a Sunday you would be out in the park. Right. So so how does that work within the context of social distancing? So you're still able to be out there. But so how does that work? Eni Lestari Andayani Adi: [00:06:47] You know, one of the funny part of this. You know I would like to go to the negative consequences first. Since the Covid 19, a lot of employers are getting, they are too afraid to even let the domestic workers to go out. They said that, you know, you might bring virus to my house. So that even though they workers us not to go out, even on Sunday, and you can imagine after six days a week being confined in the house, that's the only day that you can breathe. You know, you've meet with friends. You can go to the church, you can go to the mosque. And this is even denied. So in our survey maybe even found out 50 percent of the domestic workers. We have 400000 domestic workers in Hong Kong. Half of them were actually denied holiday. So some even two months without holiday. So that's one of the consequences. The second is those with holiday. They have a shorter time, shorter hours. You know, they usually go out by 10:00, 11:00. And they have to come back by 5:00. So even our own members we cannot meet them, you know, so. And a lot of them are forced to stay, you know, within the employer premises, like the park nearby employers your house so they don't have to travel that far. And then they don't have to consume so much time. So that means even the half a day off, as organised, said I can meet them. So it's getting so challenging for us to even meeting our own members. So what we do not. Even when you can get together, you have to remember all the time, sit by for sit by 4 and don't get together sometime. You forgot. And then you can not eat, usually the Indonesian, I'm sure in other nationalities, especially in South East and South Asian, we eat my hand, right. We we like to share. And then I would tell everyone don't eat by hand, you know eat by spoon, something like that. So it's kind of education, you know. It's the other side of that, the positive side. It's also an education about hygiene that the people, you know, I mean, not that I'm not clean, but sometimes we don't mind all this hygiene issue. But this is the time that you have to be clean. So now to do organising, the way we do it is we actually group our leaders or our officer said into small group, usually three through four people. And this four people are the one going around different places in Hong Kong, you know, meeting different people, giving away flyers like. Because the problem also the information we have, Covid 19 and other policy are in English and Chinese. So that translated to Urdu to translate it to Thai or Indonesian. Even Filipino, not everyone can really understand what it means. Right. So as organiser, you are being challenged to even translate that into your own language, putting it very simple, direct to the point and print in it. And unfortunately, I can say the additional funding for this kind of program. We are the one raising the money, talking to our different supporter to give us money so we can bring in thousand thousand of this information. So one of the gap that I really find in this Covid 19 is a gap in information. We do not know what is going to happen. Yeah. And a lot of our members, we they learn about Covid 19 through the employer because the employee is watching the media, you know, and they don't understand what, you know, in Chinese or Cantonese. So it's the employee who tell them. Or you don't go out. You only stay by four. They learn it from the employer. You know, it's this is very unfortunate. So we have been very critical to Hong Kong Government for putting us aside. Now we are being blamed whenever we gather more than four. They say that you don't follow the rule. How can you even follow the rule? We don't understand the rule. So that's one of the biggest gap in terms of information. And the second issue is also there is no support in terms of mask, sanitiser, or even cash. We get nothing. So in our survey, we found out 35 percent of the domestic workers in Hong Kong were not given mask and sanitiser. So in the first two months of this Covid 19, you know what happened to us? We keep collecting donations of mask, sanitizer and we go around different park and places in Hong Kong to give away free mask. And this is something that the government has done. You know, it's just like it. Give us a double work. But that's how we try to cope up. I mean, the positive lesson of this Covid is really the lesson of solidarity. A lot of Hong Kong people who really care, they give us a box and box of mask and that they'll ask, please give it to your fellows because they know exactly many of us were not given. And then for us, we have to rely to the most leaders who are given holiday by employer without any condition. And that means out of 50 members that we have, we only rely on to 10 people. Something like that, you know. So our number is very small now. And you have to split them and put them into different places. So is that a lot of adjustment. Honestly, for me, I feel very exhausted. I feel more exhausted during this Covid 90 than before the Covid 19. And I'm sure everyone feels that even, you know, you don't have to be migrant domestic workers or migrant workers to be exhausted, but migrant workers, because we are left behind in any assistance. You have to work double, triple, just to raise the mass, sanitiser. And now when the government is given away cash to the Hong Kong people, including Hong Kong resident. Domestic workers, refugee community are not given at all. So, I mean, we spend more money, during Covid 19. You have to buy mask. You have to buy sanitiser. You have to buy food that will keep you healthy. But none of the cash is given to us. So that's the, you know, the setback of this. Laurindo Garcia: [00:12:33] Thank you for sharing the situation in Hong Kong Eni. And I think that there's a lot of echoes with this experience here in Singapore and other cities and places in the region there. Please stay with us and we will be coming back to you in a moment. I do want to then invite Madhavan to join the conversation now. How are you Madhavan? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:12:54] Yes, I'm good. Laurindo Garcia: [00:12:55] I got to know your work through the film that you made called Salary Days. So for our listeners who may not have seen it. Can you give us a bit of a. Just share a bit about what your film was about. Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:13:06] Salary Days about the life of migrant workers in all over the world? I just take the concept from one of my poem about the migrant life. In his first month salary on the day what he do. How he tally the money for different expenses. He need to send money to family. To pay back agent fees. And also for the monthly food. And then mobile top-up. Then for groceries. Balance eight dollars in hand. Then he look for good food in some restaurants. After that, he decided to go for haircut rather than taking the food. Then for haircut seven dollar gone. Then balance one dollar in hand. Laurindo Garcia: [00:13:54] That's right. So that's. That's really illustrates how very little money that a construction worker or migrant worker here has to live on after money is being sent back home where you're supporting your families back home. So I've got two questions for you. So, number one, what has been the response from form your film? And secondly, your film when it was released in April? And then what have you been observing since the film was released in relation to the pandemic? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:14:28] I received almost ninety nine percent positive feedback. Everyone supporting me. Many. Many bigger people in Singapore appreciate it. Art Science Museum contacted me and they are ready to share my short film in their webpage. It's Raining Coats founder Deepa contacted me. She also appreciated it. Many people appreciated through Facebook and YouTube comments. One or two people questioning me about that the film is not up to the level because of lack of technical items missed out. But they forgot to catch the story. Petrina Kow: [00:15:23] Yes, they miss the point, isn't it? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:15:26] Yes. Laurindo Garcia: [00:15:27] There's always critics. Right. But it sounds like it's great. It's great that there's a overwhelming response, a good response, Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:15:33] As a film acting skill is a bit less. The technical part is a bit less. I don't want add music something. Because I want to take the raw footage. With the minimal resources, available resources. We. Me and my friends doing this film. Zakir was there and Say Peng is the main person whoo do this film. The main content is the what he film tells. They forgot to notice this. Laurindo Garcia: [00:16:05] And since it was released. And as the situation the the you know, the situation for construction workers in Singapore has. Has gotten worse. You know, what were some of the things that you have observed amongst your your co-workers and your friends and how the how when what is the response that you've seen from from local. From the local stakeholders? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:16:30] From the local people, they also mention it's like my story. They commented like it's my story. And I also I send my you. My film link to Dubai friend. And he shared in the Facebook. Some of the Dubai friends, the calculated in KD, maybe the Dubai Dollar. The one guy calculated in how he spent. Kindly he left only 2 KD. The people who work in construction and also domestic worker also appreciated it. They also mention it. It's like. Our. My story. Thank you. Thank you. Petrina Kow: [00:17:11] I mean, I think that's just. Yeah. I remember watching your film actually was the opening film for another and during the film festival last year, and it was really moving. So thank you very much for that, that film. And I personally thought I didn't need anything else. It didn't need to have fancy lighting or, you know, the point of it was, you know, and and I really felt for the guy when he looked at how much he had left and he decided, no, I think I need a shave and a haircut instead of, you know, having a fancy meal. Thank you so much, Madhavan, for that. I think to now bring on Bhing who she's been, somebody I really had the privilege of getting to know a couple of years ago when I organized the migrant workers storytelling competition. She's been a domestic worker here in Singapore for 25 years, and she's a single mother of three. A grandmother of seven, though. And you look at her, she just has this wonderful youthful beauty. She's also an active help desk volunteer to HOME, which is dedicated to supporting and empowering migrant workers who suffer abuse and exploitation here in Singapore. Welcome to the show Bhing. How are you? Bhing Navato: [00:18:27] Hello. Yes. Yeah. Petrina Kow: [00:18:31] So. Bhing Navato: [00:18:31] Yeah I'm doing great. Petrina Kow: [00:18:33] Wonderful. Maybe you can tell us perhaps first is your own your own personal experience with how, you know, the whole pandemic has affected the way your movements in the house are. Perhaps, you know, whether or not you've been allowed like off days and things like that. Just just your make your own experience for now. Bhing Navato: [00:18:54] Yeah. You know, before this pandemic. We we move freely. Like my Sunday. Also, busy as always. Doing my volunteer, going to church, meeting up friends and doing my activities. So every every Sundays was like that for 25 years and suddenly Covid 19 happens. We were like, what will happen next? You know, we I'm I was even questioning myself. Like, when will this end? During the Covid 19 we're used to going out. Like full day being out of the house, but now we are stuck at home, you know, our rest day is at home now being with our employers. Which is good because we get to know them really well. We have conversations. But for me, it is a new. It is true that this is a new normal for everyone, even even for domestic workers like me, because we stop meeting friends, we stop going to church, we stop everything that we do. So it is something that really difficult for us because our work is at home. Six days a week. And normally the Sunday, the only time we can go out and do whatever you want to do. To run our errands. But now, even on Sundays, we just stay at home. That's why I always find the odd when when the Minister of Manpower will send messages before, you know, since March 21, I always remember that day because they started saying that domestic workers must stay home on their rest day. But they never even really think that many domestic workers don't have a place to live to take a risk, because not all of us have our own room. And many domestic workers here also like on their rest day, they need to work. Even with even, you know, without employers telling them. But because I think that is our instinct that since we're at home, we need to do something. I agree. I agree to that. I mean, even my friends are doing the same thing, too. Like, most of their have the most of their off days are on half days now. Because they need to do something. We cannot stay on our bed the whole day. It will give us headache.   Petrina Kow: [00:21:41] Yeah. It's kind of like if you're there, you're like, oh, I might as well just vacuum the floor or I might as well just fold the clothes. I know the feeling. Bhing Navato: [00:21:49] So it will be like that. And and then be getting used to the routine, especially on the first month of the circuit breaker was really difficult because that time we are uncertain whether we can go out or not. I mean, we see people, we see locals and some other like not the domestic workers are outside or doing exercise, but because of the notice of the Ministry of Manpower that when our rest day we must be at home, we can do our errands. But after doing your errands, like sending money or buying your your essential things, you need you need to go back home. No need to meet up with friends or any other things. So that time I was uncertain. Like, can I go out for a walk? Can you know, can I just go for for exercise. That's why the time I wrote an article asking, like, are we allowed to exercise like the other people here in Singapore? So that was. Yeah, that was difficult. It changes a lot. It changes a lot because not only for my routine, but I think for many domestic workers here that their work has doubled. And I think there are more stressed, I think not only us, but also our employers are also stress because we're getting used to being. To seeing everyone at home all the time. So it wasn't easy. Petrina Kow: [00:23:22] Yeah. I mean, I guess, you know, we we just so sort of take for granted, you know, in in a in a way, I'm so glad to hear that your employer has been really understanding. But I'm I'm just not sure that this is the same for, I don't know, 80 to 90 percent of the domestic workers in Singapore where the employers are being very kind of strict about no, put it down, go and rest or watch TV or, you know, go out for a walk or something. You know, I think very often they would just sort of either leave you be if you want to do the work, you do it. Hey, I'm getting extra work for free. You know, I'm not paying you extra, you know, that type of thing. And it's a really fine line. So I feel like, um. Do you have any statistics or have you seen an increase rate in the number of calls for help or, you know, more distress calls from the domestic workers here in Singapore through to home? Bhing Navato: [00:24:18] Yes, the calls have been increased like 20 to 25 percent. It is like a distress call. Like everyone. Most domestic workers will call because they if they ask for. Do we still have an off day? Are we allowed to go out? When can we go out? Are we allowed to go out with friends? Is it true that M0M said that we cannot go out? So I need to clarify with them and notice. That the notice said we have a rest day. It depends on your communicate and how you communicate with your employer. Like if employers say, can you work on your rest day and then they need to pay you, you know, when you work on that day. But but if you initiate to do the work at home, then I think it's fine because you feel like you're doing not doing anything. But there are many employers now that that. Mainly are expat, but mostly are locals. So it's fair to say that. But I receive a lot of calls that employers were saying that MOM said that you cannot go out. On your rest day you need to work because you're not allowed to go out. Then they will. When they asked me, I said that's not the notice. They said, you can go out. You can send money. Do your errands. But you need to come back. I mean, it's for your own safety. So I need to explain to them what this notice about. But then still, because their employer said so. So they will comply with that. Then they will just stay at home. I have one caller who showed me a picture of just one chair because she has no room. She sleeping in the living room. So Sunday morning, everybody's up and she has no place to go like. She asked to go for a walk. But the employer said no you cannot go out. What if you get the virus outside? So those are the things. So I explained to some people like how employers should allow their domestic workers to be outside, even for just a couple of hours, that they will use the time to call their family. They will talk freely. They can show like how how they feel, their emotions. You know, they can do that outside. Or they can call their friends, you know, at least for two hours. Just let them breathe. I mean, it is very important because I think our employers will feel the same thing, too. Right. So I have one call. I was very alerted into that. When she said she wants to commit suicide already because her her employer told her that I will treat you like a robot. So literally like you cannot rest, you're not allowed to talk to anyone. She used to have her phone, like, at night, 10:30 at night. And then the employer will take it back at 6:00 a.m. But the employer can see from the CCTV that she's spent like three hours on the phone at night. But how can she? Because that's the only time she can talk. So they started, you know, confiscating it again and give it to her like on weekends. But if she will make a mistake, they will not give back her phone. But finally, she ran away. Two Sundays ago. But because I was really worried that, you know, when she told me that I just want to die if I cannot go out, I just want to die. Yeah. So it is really. There are so many calls. It's why when when the news few weeks ago said that they only received like two calls during this call, it said, no, it was not like that. I received like ten calls. My other volunteer friends received more calls. And what about other NGOs? So we keep receiving calls. The problem with the, with the ministry, I think, is that there is no one to answer their phone. Because for, for me, for me, if I cannot you know, there's no advice left for me to say to to person. I will say can you just call MOM. I think you will be directed. And then they will tell me they will call me back and said that nobody's answering the call. You can only e-mail, but not all domestic workers know how to send e-mail. So that's the problem. So there is like a 20, 25 percent raise of calls. Petrina Kow: [00:29:05] That is just, you know, so heartbreaking to hear because, you know, already without the pandemic, when I hear stories of employees in Singapore and the high rates of just the inhumanity and the abuse of these domestic workers suffer and then using the pandemic as an excuse. Right. To exploit them even further is unconscionable. And and it is just I can't I have no words. I'm so sorry. Bhing Navato: [00:29:35] There are there's there's so many of them. That's why when when I had an interview a few weeks ago, I said we're thanking the Ministry of Manpower for taking care of the male, my migrants, because you know what's happening to them right now. But don't forget the domestic workers, because we are the hidden one. Like, no one will know once we're inside the house, no one will know what's happening to us. And sometimes they can ask for help because their phones are confiscated or during not even allowed to go out. So those are the reasons. I think once Phase Two started. There will be many domestic workers will run away. We're waiting for that. Petrina Kow: [00:30:19] Oh dear. And I mean, I want to say, you know, good luck. What? Like, I don't know what else to say except, you know, I hope that they find the help that they can get and that we're here to support you guys here. Thank you. Thank you for that Bhing. And and for constantly and so diligently, you know, showing up and being being the voice of the people whom you who who have no voice. So thank you for that Bhing. We'd like to invite also our next foreign domestic worker, Eli. She's from Central Java. She also volunteers at Voice of Invisible Hands here in Singapore, most other places. And she's also one of the winners of the migrant workers storytelling competition two years ago. Eli, are you here with us? Eli Nur Fadilah: [00:31:03] Yes. Connection just in and out. Petrina Kow: [00:31:05] No problem. So I wanted to check in with you as well. If you're doing okay and if you're, you know, you being well looked after. And I think because you are a writer and a poet, that you probably turned some of your experiences here into verse. So tell me what that experience has been like for you. Eli Nur Fadilah: [00:31:26] Yeah. For me is the opposite from anybody else. I am grateful that I always met, like, beautiful people. I always blessed in many ways. But during the pandemic, my employer she usually not around. But see decide to stay the border is about to close. So she came here before the circuit breaker. So she had stay for fourteen days stay home notice. And then after that, everyone is staying at home. And see like to eat our restaurant food. But the kids don't like to eat restaurant. So I have to go outside and I go outside, buy more than three times a day. So it's like I worried about myself. Like if I don't wear a mask, I met a lot of, like, strangers. And what will happen to me? Like, I'm I really scared, but I keep telling myself I will be okay. And I should be okay. And I keep. I'm not skipping taking the vitamins. I mean, so I will not worry about it until there is one cases in the nearby apartment. And then then she reduce ask me me to go. But still after I go out to bring her like one packet of noodles and then come back to cook for the kids dinner. And then go out again to buy something else. So yeah, it's the opposite of the others. But it's scary because outside is like scary, right? There is almost no people on the street. But I also feel like those people are working on the construction that time, are still working. Those are like. Maybe hurry to finish up the route work or something else. I was wondering, like, how do their work without wearing a mask? Right. There is no hand sanitiser beside them. Even the water and the glass is just beside the stand and and the dust and everything. I mean, how hard can they keep their faith? Like, how do they're not worried about everything. Petrina Kow: [00:33:42] Yeah. No, no. Thanks for sharing that. You know, alternate point of view. That whilst a big group of of our domestic workers are being held at home. They might also be another group who are constantly being sent out to run the errands. The employers don't want to do themselves right. As like we'll expose you instead. We don't have to expose ourselves, right? Yeah. Absolutely. Thanks. I mean, it is. And, you know, if you're afraid, you can also sort of say, I don't feel like going out to buy your food today. Can I cook you a meal? Eli Nur Fadilah: [00:34:20] She will say. I'm craving for this. Petrina Kow: [00:34:24] Yeah. There's also Deliveroo. I introduce her to the app. Eli Nur Fadilah: [00:34:29] And her most our favourite restaurant is out of the range. So it's like something in Bebod. Something in Lavender. And I was in East Coast. Right. Petrina Kow: [00:34:40] So no, I mean, I tell you what. Look, whatever it is, you know, we we think about, you know, who we've come to deem as essential workers and front line workers. Right. People who have to keep going out there every day, risking their lives to make sure the rest of us can function. And we just. You know. Like our, our food delivery drivers. You know, our essential worker is in health care, you know, and and the people, you know, serving our food, we we we you know, they're out there every day, you know. So with the faith and with lots of extra cleanliness measures, I think that's how they all do it. But thank you so much, Eli. I look forward to hearing your poem in a while. At this point. We'd like to kind of open the floor up to everybody. And here's where we kind of, you know, threw the question open to whoever would like to sort of weigh in. What do you reckon? Lau. I mean, do you know I've been thinking about this and something you said Eni earlier really struck me, which was. The in times of, you know, crisis like that, like the pandemic. It's like a war on information, isn't it? And and I feel like especially for our most vulnerable. The access to information is something that is I don't know whether it's deliberate or is just a blind spot for a lot of people. So I'm not sure where to take this, but I'm happy just to to hear, you know, your perspectives. You know, some things have come up that have been positive. But I think, you know, this particular in this particular situation, a lot of the issues have been there for very long. It's just that I think for the general populace to sort of kind of go, OK, OK, we we we see you now. You know, so how can we move forward from this and how can we be more inclusive of your voices? And, you know, how can we make working here in Singapore better for everyone? I mean, everyone, any or maybe maybe you can give us a little perspective. Eni Lestari Andayani Adi: [00:36:58] One of the good thing, when I because I've been chairing the International Migrants Alliance is this actually a grassroots alliance of them immigrants, migrant workers and refugee community in the world. So we have like hundred eighty members in thirty five countries. So we've been talking a lot of the Zoom, of the Skype before we. In fact, during those Covid 19 we keeps. A lot. We have a lot of exchanging from Canada, U.S., Europe and so forth. And what I can say. There really commonalities. Commonalities in the sense that what has been experienced by migrant workers, regardless of our sector, whether you are in construction, whether you are in plantation, on whether you are domestic workers, has been existing for years. This is not the first time we are suffering. The issue of low pay, long working hours, awful work, you know, denial of us and other thing has been part off the system. And that's one thing that before Covid 19, many people just take for granted that, you know, this issue is not even visible. You know as well, I should say, domestic workers, migrant workers are happily, you know, with happy faces on Sunday. You think? Everything is fine, you know. And then they take it for granted that, you know, the road is clean, migrant workers can eat, and everything is fine. They do not go beyond the wall. They don't go beyond factories. They don't go beyond that, though, you know, the gadget that this workers are holding, because, you know, when migrant workers is holding this iPhone stuff, you know, everything, suddenly you are you are so well, you know, so you have no problem. So that kind of assumption is really very strong. And I think this is also added because off with, you know, the exclusion, you are using the the language of inclusivity. In them. For decades, the migrant workers in the different part of the world has been excluded from the society in the sense you are excluded within the law. So you are not, many of us are not even under the labor ordinance. You don't have even a rest hours or, you know, working hours. You don't have minimum wage, what you have is a market wage, you know, so you will be price. You have a price tag according to your nationality. So that is kind of sad, you know, because you look like an animal. You know, you whether you are a cow or you are a pig, you know, you have different price. And that's how we we that's how the migrant workers for many decades has been treated. So within the law, we are completely excluded. That example, domestic workers. It's not even within the labor ordinance. Migrant workers in general are not. Until you it's like, semi professional or even professional, you call it expat, then you are within the law. Otherwise, when you are falling under the informal sector, you are not protected by any law. If your government do not fight for any memorandum of agreement with that country, then practically you are under the radar. So this is the the reason why our conditions become very invisible within the context of the regulation. Now within society you can see that we are living in isolation. The domestic workers in employer houses. You don't see them until Sunday. You don't even see them on Sunday if they don't go out. In Taiwan, it's not even mandatory to have holiday. Right. Actually, within Asia, only Hong Kong has a weekly mandatory holiday. But again, if you don't fight for it, you don't pursue it. Government, employers, you don't get even 24 hours. You get on like 10:00 am all the way to 5:00, and that's all. How many hours is that? It's only, eight hours. That is your rest hours. You know, so it's not like the right that has been given is is is there if you don't fight for it there, nothing yet. Yet when you see construction workers, plantation they are hidden. You know in the case of Singapore the are in the dense, cramp and very unhygiene dorms. And who put them there? The companies. Do you think government don't know about that? Of course they know. They legalised their dormitories. But what do they do about that? Nothing. You know, so. So what you see is actually maltreatment, abusive treatment. We call it modern day slavery treatment. Forced labor. Name it. You know, to migrant workers. And yet there is a strong denial in the part of government to even be there for the for us. You know, something like that. Not only the Singapore or Hong Kong government, even our own government. Now, in fact, during Covid 19 what has been found in common. The time when a lot of people being deported, terminated, our own government is not even ready to accept us back home. Some government even tell their people oh stay abroad. I'll send you the food, I'll stay abroad. I'll give you some money. You know, I mean, it's so sad. It's sad. Like, I need to go home. Yeah. I mean, Laurindo Garcia [00:42:03] You're referring to the Indonesian. You're referring to the Indonesian government there? Is that what you're saying? Eni Lestari Andayani Adi: [00:42:07] Yeah. But you can see in other countries also. We find in the case of Bangladesh or even in Latin America, many home government, our own government. I mean, I'm not an Indonesian. I'm I'm talking about the rest of our sending government. Are not even ready to welcome their return migrants. And that is very sad. And one of the things that we notice whenever we were forced to go home for any reasons, there is no social subsidy. The fact that you will be unemployed for at least six months to come, maybe by end of the year, you can only do this the only time you can look for another job abroad. You will be unemployed for six months and yet no subsidy to your family. Why? Because most countries treat migrant workers as no longer poor families. So that's one of the thing. So when you ask about so what to do to move forward for the inclusivity, we'd be one of the biggest lesson for me. I find it during Covid 19 is the realisation and awareness among the people. A lot of the workers, the migrant themself actually now acknowledge if they don't come together and they don't say something about that condition forever, they will suffer under the misery. So now you can see a lot of migrant workers, just the social media. And, you know, they are in the plantation and say, hey, I'm hungry can you send me food, you know? They don't have to wait until they die to do that. Now, the workers inside the camp are also doing that. The refugee is doing that. So you can see there are more voices. People have no choice but to take it publicly. Now, among the community, you know, whether you are in receiving or sending government in Singapore, Hong Kong, the the people actually now start acknowledging. Yeah. This migrants, man. They've been with us forever. They live and grew up with migrants. In fact, their children actually being brought up by the domestic workers throughout, you know, 20 years, maybe 30 years. And they never really understood understand yet until Covid 19, came that this people are really, really suffering. No one is taking care of them. They have to take care of the families. They have to be healthy. They have to be strong. With very low wages. But no one is caring and for them. So a lot of Hong Kong families here or even Hong Kong people are realising that. And I think I believe even in the case of Singapore. How they support? Many of them call us. Okay. I have this cash, use it for your community. I have this mask, use it. Oh. What do you need for us to help you? The church coming to us. The mosque is doing something. So now we don't have to ask. Hey, hey, guys, help us. Now they are coming voluntary us to offer assistance. And that's one of the beauty we see within, you know, this Covid 19. That the local also acknowledge that cannot live without migrants. And the migrant also acknowledges they don't say something about their condition, nothing will change. Petrina Kow: [00:45:09] Yeah. That. Thank you for that Eni, because you you summed it up so well, you know. And I'm just I'm just in awe of you really. And how you managed to, you know, do all his activism and all this, you know, work on top of the work that you do in Hong Kong. And I tell you what, every time I look at Hong Kong and I look at the the way they are protesting for their rights. Right. I mean that the young people of Hong Kong and they really give me hope. Like I love I love what they're doing. I love that they're, you know, getting out there and. Yeah. So thank you for that. You know, I hope, you know, us and Singapore can take some you know, can look at Hong Kong as an inspiration and and kind of get there some one day. Some day. I have hope. Bhing or Eli or Madhavan do you guys want to weigh in on that? Of something that you've noticed or how we can be more inclusive. Ya Bhing. Bhing Navato: [00:46:10] Yeah. Yeah. Eni was right. I think for for for Hong Kong, at least. Some people most people they realising importance of the migrant workers presence in their country. But I think for Singapore now, they only realise how important male migrants are. You see how they care of them. They had you know, they have a singing together the other night for them. So those those are the things they saw, the importance. Like who build this country, who build the buildings that will build the houses? These are the male migrants. But I think for now, they're still forgetting the presence of the domestic workers who have been helping the employers. You know, how how can they work if no one is taking care of their children, taking care of their parents? So they need to realise that the you know, in order to lessen the abuse. Like to, just don't tolerate anymore. I have written in one of my articles that if if only we can be like, act as a team during this, especially this situation of Covid, then I think we can survive this situation successfully, like our employers will do to work at home, because most of the most of the people now do stay, work from home. So just just be a team. Like I will take care of your kids. I will cook your food. You do your own work at home. I'll make sure that it will be quiet. If the kids are noisy, I'll be downstairs. You know, those are the things that they need to realise this. Many domestic workers are doing these without employers realising how important to be their presence must be in the house. And I have like, for example, I have these people who called me like, because her employers are busy working during the day and they have a sick parent at home. So the helper must stay with the father inside the father's room overnight because they cannot take care of their father. But still, when she asked for a rest day, the employer said, no, you can take a rest like at this time. Or you can break your you're off day into like two hours every day. So how can how can you do that? But I think I think that's very important to do, get to know who's in the house. Because I think for every domestic workers, that's what we're trained to do when we're at home with our employers, we're trying to create a conversation so that at least everybody will be in a good mood, you know, try to avoid arguments and everything. But even even we do that if our employers will, you know, show stress, everybody's stressed like. I used to think that there's one complaint and then the employer said because I'm stressed, that's why I vented on my domestic worker. But we're stressed too. But we don't vent it out to you or  your child. Petrina Kow: [00:49:39] Absolutely. Bhing Navato: [00:49:40] Yeah. Petrina Kow: [00:49:41] And I think I think parents of all around the world having to deal with home based learning are really understanding this this issue right now in a very, very real way. Thank you so much being for sharing that, Madhavan. Did you share anything? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:49:56] I heard the story around 1995 or something. The worker. The person who working in Singapore as a migrant worker shared their stories with the family. Usually in the villages most people in the neighborhood are gathered with that discussion in the evening with my Dad. One uncle, mentioned that if you earn one day's salary in Singapore, you can get one gram of gold during 1995. But now you cannot get the same one gram of gold. Petrina Kow: [00:50:35] Did you say one gram of gold? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:50:37] Yes. In 90s, if their one day salary, they can get a one gram of gold. But now also the salary is same. Same 18 dollar, but the one gram of gold is 63, 65. Petrina Kow: [00:50:51] I understand what you mean. So basically we have not. I mean, with inflation, everything goes up, right. And everybody salaries goes up at the same rate. But you know that the growth of the salaries of our, you know, foreign workers have not grown together with everything else. They've kept it low. And I mean, I think that's really where we're beginning to understand where there are a lot of these exploitations happening by the companies who are hiring you guys and getting you guys here on big, big promises of wonderful things. But I think it's so systemic because it should not be a case where somebody can exploit and earn money from the situation. I think that's. And because in the first place, your rights as workers here are not protected. You're obviously easy targets, you know, for people to exploit you. So once again, I I'm just I mean, I'm learning I've I've come to know about the situation. You know, of human trafficking, because I got to know a woman who who started an organisation here called Emancipasia Sylvia Lee. And she was educating me on the human trafficking situation here in Singapore. And and for me to have kind of linked that to this idea of human trafficking here in Singapore was very shocking to me about, you know, 10 years ago when I when I learned this. And then as the layers are coming, coming off. And I think with everything that is kind of blowing up around the world, people are really sitting up and wanting to know. So for me at least, I feel like this pandemic, at least a silver lining is that people are really. Hang on. Hang on. What? What? What? Tell me about. Tell me more. You know, I want to learn more. So I don't know if. And I'm really hoping that we don't go back to the new the old ways or like I want things to be back to normal again. And then we forget all of this happened. But I really hope that with elections and with, you know, putting our leaders and making our leaders accountable, that we will continue to speak up for the people who cannot be heard. You know, I think that's that's really important for all of us. And it's not just the voices that, oh, you know, I'll just do one article. Thanks. And then that's it. You know, I hope we continue to have the conversation going so that we can continue to make sure that systemically something happens. I mean, what do you think Lau? Laurindo Garcia: [00:53:31] Yeah, definitely. I think it's. What has happened over the last few months. It's been more of a symptom of a bigger problem for sure. And the solutions are not going to happen overnight either. It's going to be a long road ahead. And I think what would help our audience is perhaps some ideas of what, you know, our listeners should be looking out for. What what they could be trying to have conversations about with, you know, their their their fellow residents, their their employers or just their friends and their family about what a more inclusive world would look like. And so with that, I want to open up the discussion to a segment that we have in every episode where we ask our guests to imagine that they were bestowed with a magical power, a magical wand. Right. And by waving that wand, you could change the way that societies work. And so imagine you were given that magical power to change the migrant labor system after the pandemic. So my question to you, to each of you is what is the one thing that you would do to make migrant work more inclusive with your magic wand? And so I'd like to start off with you Eni, what is that one thing you would do with your magic wand? Eni Lestari Andayani Adi: [00:54:57] Is recognition to our contribution. And also recognition to our human rights. You don't have to think of us or any other thing. Just think of as a human human means you have to work and earn money and contribute to the society. And we've become very useful to the development of any, you know, country where we stay. So just recognise us as a human, which also including as I workers, as a woman. Second is inclusion. It's very important. We just we don't want to be any thing about the society. We don't want any privilege. We just want an equality within the law and within the treatment. That means inclusion within the law and inclusion in any type of program that given to the people, specially during Covid 19 and even after, should also be given to the migrants. And the last thing is also aspect of our rights. As some foreigner that means that we have right to stay, to work. Of course, right to settle. You know, because if we consider how many years we already live abroad, maybe more than half of our life is really abroad. But yet you cannot be a normal person in this host countries because you have been you know, you have been pushed down. You know, you have been denied your human rights. They just want our labor. They just don't want our human rights. So it's time to respect our our basic rights, see, you know, respect us. If people believe in religion, in humanity, you know, in in justice this is the time for everyone, whether are in the government, whether they are in the in the you know, in the society, whether they are in any type of element of the society, it this time for us to show that in time of crisis like this, we we we we we we learn to show that we are really a human. That means we have to treat everyone like us. You know, if you are, if you are hurt, then we are also hurt. If you are hungry, we are also hungry. If you are exhausted, we are also exhausted. And just imagine that it happen could happen to you. It also could happened to us. If you don't want that kind of treatment, then you better start treating others, you know the way you treat yourself. Laurindo Garcia: [00:57:26] Thank you. Thank you, Eni. How about you Madhavan? Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:57:29] I have two opinion. One is to increase the salary. The other one is. I don't think everything change. So I decided to get one gun with three bullets. Wanted to shoot the God who created this cruel world. Second bullet, shoot the whole world because I need to punish the. All the person who behaved with inhuman, without humanity. Then the person who behave with humanity and social response, I want to take them rest. To relive from the world. And last then. Last bullet for me to shoot myself. Laurindo Garcia: [00:58:07] Oh dear. Okay. Petrina Kow: [00:58:09] This sounds like a movie. Madhavan. This will be your next movie. This should be your next movie. That was that was incredibly graphic. Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:58:24] Because everyone running for money. Nothing won't change much. In India also the migrant worker face many problems. Petrina Kow: [00:58:32] Yeah. Ramasamy Madhavan: [00:58:33] When compared to Singapore, Singapore is much better. If I had a chance to meet someone who may take some action in Singapore, they must consider domestic worker and sex worker also. They also suffered a lot. Petrina Kow: [00:58:47] That's right. Thank you for raising that Madhavan. How would you Bhing? What would you do with your magic wand? Bhing Navato: [00:58:53] Yes, I will make all the migrant workers be part of the labor law. So everybody, all of us will be treated equally. We will have our rest day. We will that we can take leave. Because we cannot take leave. We are not part of the labor law. And, you know, everybody will treat us as decent workers. Petrina Kow: [00:59:16] Thanks for saying that. And how about you, Eli? Eli Nur Fadilah: [00:59:19] I am so excited for this segment. I love magic. So if I given the power did change the world, you know, is to erase this stigma and the gap between the blue collar and the white collar workers. And I wish there is no migrant labor in the world. Every country, can taking care of their people and everybody can just happily working side to side with their loved ones, without suffering being away. In this pandemic we suffer emotionally a lot because we worry about how is our family doing? Are they okay? How if anything happened to them and we are busy taking care of others family. Wow we as a domestic worker, taking care of other family and foreign worker, construction worker building of someone else's home when, well, they don't know whatever happened in their own home. I have no words for this. Petrina Kow: [01:00:17] Thank you for sharing that, Eli. And very soon you'll be sharing with us the poem that you have written, inspired by all that's happened around us. So thank you all so much. A big warm thank you to all our guests, Eli Nur Fadilah, who we'll be hearing from in a moment. Mr. Ramasamy Madhavan the director of Salary Day. Bhing Navato from HOME and Eni Lestari Andayani Adi, the chairperson of International Migrants Alliance. For more information on our guests and their work. Make sure to check out the Inclusively website for details. Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify or YouTube, and you'll be notified when new episodes are out. And of course, if you heard this podcast up to here and you like it, do submit a review and tell us how what you like and how we can improve. We always welcome any feedback. That's our show for today. Until next time. I'm Petrina Cow. Laurindo Garcia: [01:01:07] And I'm Laurindo Garcia. And now we go over to you, Eli, our artist in residence. And we invite you to recite your poem and take us out for the show. Thank you. Eli Nur Fadilah: [01:01:18] Today I would like to read my poems. Based on my inspiration and my experience during this pandemic. I wrote this first poem when I feel tired and I feel. Miss my family so much about I cannot meet them. And also my friends. I cannot be with them. So. The title is When This Will End. When this will end? I'm sure you do feel sad. Though we all know the world too feel bad. Like those sick patients in hospital beds has nothing but hope of health that will come back. When this will end? I'm sure you do feel the pain, though, we actually can strongly stand like mahogany tree facing the rain, feel the blazing and the power that we will gain. But who can answer when things are unsure? Nobody. Now one. Only when we united together by heart, we believe. All shall pass. When it's time. We'll back. Holding each other hands, seeing along the mahogany tree under the rain, happily waiting for the sun to shine again. When it will end? Soon, as soon as we believe we strong and we can. Keep praying. Keep believing. Tighter your hands onto your faith, because the ray of the God grace waiting. Thank you. So and this is my second poem. I wrote this when I miss my special person. My favourite person, so. I Fear What You Fear is the title. I fear what you fear. Remembering to have spent time together. We share spirit, joy and laughter. With you, my path getting clearer. Although our distance is not near. Honestly, I miss you. But I fear what you fear. That's why I choose to not stay near. I really wish you were here because the night is getting colder. Without you. Oh, how I miss your laughter. Even only through network wire. You know that I fear what do you fear. It's not possible to run the you and get closer. Can I just hug you in my prayer? Thank you.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd revealed on Tuesday that the Hong Kong government will lead a recapitalisation plan worth HK$39 billion ($5 billion) to help it through the coronavirus pandemic, the latest public rescue for a troubled airline. Independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie said Hong Kong needs to protect its position as a hub given all the investment in expanding Hong Kong International Airport and the competitive landscape following Singapore’s big move over two months ago. The Hong Kong government would be issued HK$19.5 billion of preference shares giving it a 6% stake, and HK$1.95 billion of warrants under the rescue plan announced by Cathay on Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One year on from the beginning of the mass pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, protesters once again took to the streets yesterday, but in radically different circumstances. An estimated 1 million people turned up on June 9th 2019, to speak out against a planned extradition bill. If made law, it would have made it possible for Hong Kong people to be extradited to China if criminal proceedings were deemed appropriate for crimes they'd committed. Following on from the demonstrations, the bill was withdrawn by the Hong Kong Government. But protests renewed a couple of weeks ago, after two pieces of legislation were passed in Beijing - the national security law, and the anthem law - which pro-democracy protesters say infringes upon their rights, and defies Hong Kong's unique status. With Hong Kong still dealing with measures to prevent the transmission of coronavirus, the anniversary events yesterday looked vastly different to those a year ago. Hong Kong correspondent Richard Kimber spoke to producer Harry Lock about the day's unrest.

This is the second episode in another short series I’ll be doing about the Hong Kong protests.Certain outlets have chosen to remain silent on the most recent events in Hong Kong, as well as the June 4th vigil that was officially cancelled by the state but took place in Victoria Park regardless. This episode discusses the rise of self-censorship, instances of innocuous creeping censorship of the Chinese state against international institutions, and what this means for freedom of expression not just in China, but for everyone.

This is the first episode in another short series I’ll be doing about the Hong Kong protests.Tensions in Hong Kong have flared up once again as the CCP pushes to introduce the National Security Law in the wake of last year's protests. This law seeks to punish those who threaten the integrity of the state through sedition, secession, terrorism, or collusion with external forces. The public and some members of parliament have also been angered by the push of the national anthem law, which would criminalise parody or insult of the March of the People.This episode provides an overview of the most recent protests from April till date, discusses some of the international responses, and describes the escalation of police brutality and authoritarianism in Hong Kong. It is clear that Beijing has lost patience with Hong Kong and the freedoms the territory currently enjoys will be taken away much sooner than 2047.Carrie Lam’s Letter to Hong Kong https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/29/letter-to-hong-kong-from-carrie-lam/New York Times “‘Facing the Darkest Hour’: Hong Kong’s Protest Movement in Crisis” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-future-china.html

--{ "We're the Fodder for Latest New World Order...There's a Reign of Terror on Us All, Authoritarian, Sadistic, Marriage of Governments, Corporations, Sciences, Fascistic." © Alan Watt }-- The Club of Rome - World Economic Forum (WEF) - World Bank, IMF, BIS all Run by Same Private Group at the Top - Unified Front - Thomas Malthus, Charles Darwin - Merchant Banks, The City of London, Cleopatra's Needle - Doctrines, Sciences - Suffragettes - History is Muddied by Special Interest Groups - Germany was an Experiment in Social Engineering; Studied the Soviet System, Conformity, Collectivism - Five Food Cartels for the World - Plato, Know the Formula that Made People Adapt, You can Implement it Again - Fear, Terror - An Old Bill Cooper Talk from the 1990s; Obey, Conform, Paid Snitches; Cooper was Assassinated - Previous Pandemics, SARS, CDC, WHO, Millions of Dollars of Vaccines Dumped; Completely Fake Swine Flu from the 1970s - Julian Huxley, Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood - Eugenics Movement in U.K.; U.S. Cold Spring Harbor - WEF, a Supranational Authority - Academia, Social Engineering; Those Who are Brainwashed don't Know It - Eleanor Roosevelt's Hero, Pavlov - Groupthink, Teacher's Tool Kits, Consensus, Conformity - Destroy Religion, Nothing Left but Cold, Hard Science; End Up with Horror - Systems of Control - Public-Private Partnerships; Fascism - CIA Creation of Big Businesses - MI6 - A Small Club Owns All the Banks - Military, Mercenaries - War Debt, Compound Interest - Depopulation - Bertrand Russell, Diet, Injections, and Injunctions - Carroll Quigley, The World Being Set Up to Be a New Feudal System, Feudal Overlords are the CEOs of Big Corporations - Technocracy; Energy Units; Experts (Technocrats) - This Pandemic called a War Against a Virus, Frontline Workers, First Responders - Media Owned by Same Cartel - Journalism; Entertainment a Substitute for News - Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission - Your Silence, Compliance - A Ten Year Gap Between This Pandemic and the Fake Pandemic of 2009-10; Stacks of Movies about Pandemics - Choreographed, Dancing Nurses - Pictures Used of 9/11 Protests Against America that Were Supposedly from Iraq were Really from India and Pakistan - Used a Picture of a Covid Ward in Italy and Said it was a New York Ward - The True Fascii, the Rulers All Stick Together - Herd Immunity - 77 Brigade in Britain, Cyberwarfare, Behaviour Insights Teams - Creation of Consent; Bernays; Young Communist League, Hitler Youth, Antifa - Philanthropists All on Board with Same Agenda - Get People Out of the Country into the Cities - The Agenda for the 21st Century - Those Not Authorized to Speak are Pulled Off the Net - Event 201 - A New Way of Living is to Come Out of This; Complete Tyranny; B. Russell's Scientific Tyranny - Make a Note of My Official Sites, Visit www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com - Also Please Remember to Donate to Help Me Keep Going - My Sites have a Wealth of Information - Austerity - John Pilger, a Real Journalist; The New Propaganda is Liberal and the New Slavery is Digital; Leni Riefenstahl's Revolutionary Camera and Lighting Techniques, Triumph of the Will; Germans having Battles in the Streets with the Communists - Soaking Up Fiction - Justin Trudeau's Picture by Every Article, Big Brother - Canada's Theresa Tam; WHO; 2010 Documentary, Outbreak: Anatomy of a Plague, Theresa Tam Suggests Tracking People with a Bracelet (a Bracelet is a Manacle) - The CIA have Always Run Drugs - Pilger article, Hold The Front Page. The Reporters Are Missing. - Robert Parry, Consortium News - Bristol's Nightingale Hospital Remains Empty a Week after Opening - CDC Going Door to Door in Atlanta, Georgia to Test for Antibodies - Chicago Launches New Covid App, Vaccine Rollout; Chi Covid Coach, Google - 77 Brigade, ‘Rapid Response Unit', the ‘Fake News Unit', Monitor Online Breaking News Stories and Social Media Discussion - Black Widow Spiders, The Hague - Daily Conditioning, Programming - Apple, Google to Release Early Versions of Contact Tracing Tool to Developers - Movie with Donald Sutherland, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers - US Coronavirus ‘Bailout' Scam Is $6 Trillion Giveaway to Wall St. - The Meatless Society; Carbon Taxes - January 2020, Beyond Meat and McDonald's Expand Canadian Plant-Based Burger Test - Cargill Meat Packing Plant Closure, Staff is Largely Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) - Doctors Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi had Video Pulled - PNAC; Continuation of Wars through Different Administrations - Delaying Herd Immunity is Costing Lives; Over-50s Should be Kept in Coronavirus Lockdown for Longer - Dr. Fauci Backed Controversial Wuhan Lab with Millions of U.S. Dollars for Risky Coronavirus Research - Biowarfare is an Old Concept - Gain of Function - Dr. Marc Lipsitch, Should we be Making Potential Pandemic Pathogens in the Lab - Fort Detrick - Revived 1918 Flu Virus after Digging Up Frozen Corpses and then Made the Virus More Virulent - CBS 60 Minutes Documentary with Mike Wallace, 1979, Swine Flu, Vaccine Damage; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - Dr. Stanley Monteith - Article from 1983, The Swine Flu Fiasco - 2008, Homeless Die in Poland after H1N1 Vaccine Trials - 2009, Baxter Flu Product Contained Live Bird Flu Virus - Cytokine Storm - Different Vaccines for German Politicians and the German Public - Margaret Chan, Chinese-Canadian, Director of Health for Hong Kong Government (1994–2003) and Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) (2006-2017) - McDonald's Canada to Start Using Imported Beef amid Canadian Supply Concerns - CCP-Linked Firm Targets U.S. School Children With Chinese ‘Morality and Values', Shows CCP Military Parades in Schools - A Different System is to Emerge from All This - Pigs Might Fly - Western Australia, 'Anti-vaxxers stay home', New Flu Vaccine Program for All School Children - The Club of Rome books, The Limits to Growth; Biodiversity - Club of Rome Call for Action to Global Leaders - Club of Rome Emerging New Civilizations Initiative, With Slogans, "the I Am because you Are" and “no Me without We” - CDC's Failed Coronavirus Tests were Tainted with Coronavirus - 'The need is massive,' say Donors as 3km Centurion Food Queue Shocks South Africa - Canada Destroying Hogs - Your Donations are Appreciated - Please Keep in Touch. *Title and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - May 3, 2020 (Exempting Music and Literary Quotes)

This episode takes us to Hong Kong where I meet with Wing Shing Tang, a professor at the Department of Geography at Hong Kong Baptist University. His research interest is to comprehend the nature of cities and urban development, with a focus on Chinese cities, including Hong Kong. We speak about the hyperdensity of Hong Kong as a result of the three stages of colonization; his argument to conceive of urban redevelopment in Hong Kong through hegemony-cum-alientation, which differs from gentrification and is a more complicated process than displacement of the working class; and the Hong Kong Government’s attempt to blame the recent and ongoing unrest on the fact that young people can’t afford apartments.

Ed is joined in the studio by the owners and managers of 3 of Hong Kong’s leading gym businesses. Having been ordered to close our doors to the public a week ago, today’s conversation revolved around what we have done to ensure we come out of this situation in a better place than we entered it. We discuss the measures that we put in place leading into the shutdown, filtering out the noise from the media, and preparing ourselves for the worst-case scenario. We discuss how to keep your staff and coaches motivated and driven, and the importance of making decisions as a team. A really interesting conversation was about how we have all adapted to the situation with our service offerings: online classes, community engagement, personal communication, membership extensions, and virtual coaching to name a few. To conclude, we discuss what the future holds for the fitness industry and gym businesses in general. There are so many takeaways that apply to everyday life: The long term benefits of building culture and community. The importance of open and honest communication. And why leaders and organisations must lead from the from.   Sponsored by: The Hong Kong Government

Julia Chatterley is live from the New York Stock Exchange. Here are the top business news stories today! Volatility reigns! U.S. stocks fall, as the CDC warns the U.S. needs to prepare for coronavirus. Helicopter money? Hong Kong government announces cash giveaways to support the economy. And, a fairy tale fairwell! Disney's Bob Iger steps down, Bob Chapek is named C.E.O. It's Wednesday...let's make a move

Kia ora,Happy New Year wherever you are, and welcome to Friday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the International edition from Interest.co.nz.Today we lead news of low growth, liquidity issues, and climate disasters to start 2020.But first in the US, the latest December consumer confidence survey dipped in December. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved slightly but their expectations declined, driven primarily by a softening in their short-term outlook regarding jobs and financial prospects. While the American economy hasn’t shown signs of further weakening, there is little to suggest that growth, and in particular consumer spending, will gain momentum in early 2020.But one lesser-watched PMI report for December suggests that their factories expanded modestly, even though business confidence was subdued and inflation pressures are building.In New York so far this week, the Fed has injected more than US$200 bln in short-term liquidity into their banking system. Most of it was overnight or 2 day funding, but US$36 bln was for longer periods (generally two weeks). That is a lot when you consider at the height of QE they were "only" buying US$80 bln in bonds - per month.In China, the private Caixin PMI was virtually unchanged in December showing a modest expansion. Production and export orders are up, but the new order growth rate fell modestly.And as earlier signalled by their Premier, China has cut its reserve ratio by -50 bps and that is expected to add another NZ$170 bln to banks lending capacity to shore up their economic headwinds. That means, the required reserve ratio is 12.5% for big banks and 10.5% for smaller ones.[Advert]And here is a message from our friends at Hatch.The foundation of sound investing is all about the ability to minimise risk by spreading investments across sectors, industries and companies. Exchange-traded funds that track market indexes like the S&P 500 offer everyday investors – like you – the benefit of diverse holdings in the largest 500 companies listed on stock exchanges in the US. Hatch gives you can access more than 500 ETFs from BlackRock’s megatrend ETFs to Vanguards Total Stock Market Index fund. Visit www.hatch.as/investing to easily diversify your portfolio. Hong Kong rang in the New Year with more large protests. It is hard to get a handle on the crowd numbers, but they were large, a sea of people at Causeway Bay. Police made hundreds of arrests. Beijing is requiring the Hong Kong Government to fire all teachers who were involved and replace them with Beijing-loyal people. So far only one of the protesters five demands have been met, with little indication any of their other demands will be. But equally the protesters are still committed to all five ("not one less").Hong Kong has its problems, and so does Singapore. Their economy grew by +0.7% in 2019. But that was better than the +0.6% growth forecast by analysts, although it was far below the +3.1% expansion in 2018. It is also Singapore’s slowest economic growth since 2009. Also we should note that the New Zealand-Singapore Closer Economic Partnership was upgraded starting in 2020. (Details here from the New Zealand perspective.)As we have reported previously China has infuriated Malaysia with its "nine dash line" territorial claims. Now China has infuriated Indonesia with a Chinese Navy/Coastguard incursion into Indonesian territorial waters trying to enforce the same "ridiculous" claim, one it has lost in law, but is trying to impose with might.Meanwhile, Jakarta is suffering through heavy flooding. That part of Java is slowly sinking adding urgency to the relocation of their capital.In Europe, the latest region-wide PMI shows that their manufacturing sector funk deepened in December. Interestingly, only one country is recording a healthy expansion - Greece. And only one other isn't contracting - France. Things are particularly tough in Germany, and the UK.In Australia, December saw a steeper deterioration of their manufacturing conditions. The headline PMI was dragged down by survey-record falls in both new orders and output. It is now contracting at a faster rate of decline.And in their housing market, December brought sharply higher prices that started in earnest in November. Over the past three months, that is the fastest rise in a decade. But this was before drought, fire and the partisan climate change debate started weighing on their economy. Tourism may be an early casualty. Coal mining may not be far behind.And their bush fire emergencies are spreading with disaster zones declared in both NSW and Victoria. And Australia's bush fires are believed to have spewed as much as two-thirds of the nation's annual carbon dioxide emissions in just the past three months, with experts warning forests may take more than a century to absorb what's been released just so far this season.The UST 10yr yield is down -4 bps at 1.88%. The gold is firmer again today, up +US$10 from Tuesday, now at US$1,525/oz.US oil prices are little-changed at just under US$61/bbl but the Brent benchmark is now sharply lower at just over US$66/bbl.The year-end spike higher of the Kiwi dollar is being reversed this morning. It is now at 66.9 USc and is nearly a -½c fall from Tuesday. On the cross rates we are also lower at 95.8 AUc. Against the euro we are holding at 58.9 euro cents. That puts our TWI-5 at 71.7. And the Chinese are letting their yuan gain in value against the greenback, now at a five month high.Bitcoin is down -4.2% from where we left it Tuesday, now at US$6,935.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.Get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz and subscribe to receive this podcast in your favourite podcast app - we're on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or subscribe on our website.Tell your friends and leave us a review - we welcome feedback.

Our guest on this episode is Justin Wai (SHA ‘06), Managing Director of Blackstone’s Hong Kong Real Estate Group. Since joining Blackstone in 2007, Mr. Wai has focused on acquiring and managing real estate investments in Greater China, including the establishment of Blackstone’s logistics portfolio in China, the acquisition of Tysan Holdings and the establishment of Blackstone’s non-performing loan investment platform in China. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Wai worked as an analyst at Macquarie Bank's Real Estate Investment Banking team in Hong Kong, primarily covering the Hong Kong real estate sector as well as the region's various REIT and business trust markets. Mr. Wai is also a member of the Leadership Council of Blackstone Foundation, the University Council of Cornell University, and the Advisory Board of Hong Kong Government’s Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged.

Kia ora,and welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the International edition from Interest.co.nz.Today we lead with news of how slowing growth is affecting key economies.First up today, China has announced that its foreign currency reserves slipped slightly to just over US$3 tln. And India also said its foreign currency reserves hit a record high for them, US$435 bln.In China, their tech sector is feeling the pinch, more so than the rest of their economy. But their tech sector is a very large portion of Chinese economic activity - surprisingly large. In September, it accounted for just under 28.7% of overall economic inputs. But that was down from the 29.4% in August, and in an economy as large as China's, a difference like that is large.In Hong Kong, there has been another night of high violence on the streets after the Government extended its ban on umbrellas, to face masks or face paint. China's surveillance won't work on either. Protester fury has been raised a notch in reaction to that and strategic shutdowns of their public transport system. As we have reported previously retail sales have fallen sharply. Now Hong Kong's richest landlord as offered HKD$1 bln in assistance to 'SMEs' (about NZ$200 mln), but he is doing it in conjunction with the Hong Kong Government's own HKD$2 bln assistance package.In India, they have cut their benchmark policy interest rate by -25 bps to 5.15% which is the fifth rate cut they have made in 2019. This is in response to a slowing Indian economy. Interestingly, their central bank is saying all the responsibility for reviving growth is up the Central government and their fiscal policies.The American non-farm payrolls report came in weaker than almost all analysts expected over the weekend at a gain of just +136,000, and the lowest since 2017 that did not involve the aftermath of a hurricane, or a government shutdown. Factory payrolls actually decreased, as did trucking payrolls. Despite the low growth, their jobless rate fell to 3.5% and their participation rate held steady, even if it is quite low. Weekly earnings growth slipped to +2.9% in the past year.The downshift was enough for markets to assume that Fed help is on the way, and Wall Street was up on the prospect. Meanwhile, the US trade deficit widened in August, with imports rising faster than exports. The goods deficit is rising while their services surplus is falling. But the politically sensitive goods deficit with China has fallen slightly in 2019. All that does however is signal a re-routing of imports.In Canada, they posted a different result, with exports up, imports down, and a narrowing of their trade deficit. [Advert]Exchange-Traded Funds are a relatively easy and inexpensive way to diversify a portfolio without having to have the expertise required to pick individual shares. Hatch offers more than 500 ETFs and the most popular ones include Vanguard’s S&P 500 and The US Total Stock Market Index. Visit www.hatch.as/investing to learn more about how you can easily diversify your portfolio. In Australia, the RBA has released its October financial stability review and warned of the growing risk to their growth from the deeper slowdown in the global economy. They also warn of 'rapid housing price growth' that seems to be taking hold in Sydney and Melbourne.Also out late Friday was data for August retail sales in Australia, and while they were up, the rise was much more modest than anyone expected. After a AU$15 bln tax cut flowed into consumer pockets, this was a very lame outcome and not what their Government was hoping for. The RBA will likely be concerned as well, bringing closer more official rate cuts, negative rates, even QE.Today is a public holiday in most eastern Australian states, but not Victoria.The UST 10yr yield is down at 1.53% and -15 bps lower than this time last weekGold will start the week at US$1,504/oz.US oil prices are firmer today at now just under US$53/bbl. The Brent benchmark is just over US$58.50. But that is a -5% fall for the week.The Kiwi dollar is little-changed this morning, now at 63.2 USc. On the cross rates we are still at 93.3 AUc. Against the euro we are still at 57.5 euro cents. All of these are firmer than this time last week. That puts the TWI-5 at just on 68.6. It is worth noting that in the past two years, our currency has devalued by -15%. But that hasn't improved our trade performance; exports have grown +$8.3 bln while our imports have grown +$10.6 bln. Our merchandise trade deficit is 75% higher despite the currency assistance. Meanwhile, our bank debt is also +$48 bln higher in that same period, just saying.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.Get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz and subscribe to receive this podcast in your favourite podcast app - we're on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or subscribe on our website.Tell your friends and leave us a review - we welcome feedback from listeners.

Dr. Hoi Cheu joins me in an interview about China in general and Hong Kong in particular."You can understand the frustration of the young people in Hong Kong now... It is [about] this hopeless and frustrated youth." This is the third episode, thank you for joining me here! Dr. Cheu gives critical theory insights on the ongoing events in Hong Kong.Book Recommendations: (Non-Fiction) A Documentary History of Hong Kong: Government and Politics by Steve Tsang | (Fiction) The Piano Teacher by Janice Y K LeeFollow MeHost: RosieSocial Media: Twitter @historyeh | Instagram @historyeh.podcast | Facebook @historyeh | Website www.historyeh.comJoin me on the Blog for more in-depth information: China & Hong Kong with Dr. Hoi CheuFollow the GuestGuest: Dr. Hoi CheuDetails: Teacher Profile Laurentian University Profile | Film Truly and Humbly#History #HistoryEh #Podcast #HistoryPodcast #Hong Kong #China #Current #International #News  

Julia Chatterley anchors a special edition of First Move following three major stories: In the Bahamas - catastrophic damage left in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. In the UK, a general election inching ever closer after Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a huge setback on Tuesday. And in Hong Kong , the government is withdrawing the controversial extradition bill that sparked 13 straight weekend's of protest.

Glenn van Zutphen speaks to Claire Huang, Straits Times Hong Kong Correspondent who shares more about the latest developments from Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Government announcing a new economic support package as well as what businesses can do to protect themselves from the fallout of the demonstrations.

Hong Kong is facing the deepest political crisis since it was handed back to China by the United Kingdom in 1997. The partially autonomous Chinese territory has been shaken by weeks of huge democracy protests, and violent clashes between activists, the police and supporters of the Chinese Government. The spark for the latest tensions was a now-suspended bill that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be extradited to mainland China. But the protests are being driven by opposition to Beijing’s intensifying pressure on the freedoms and autonomy that were promised to the city for 50 years from 1997. The Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion about the causes of this crisis, the implications for this global financial centre, and the impact on China’s place in the world. Lai-Ha Chan is a Senior Lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Program at the School of Communication at the University of Technology Sydney. She studies China’s international relations and its place in the global order. Before coming to Australia to conduct her PhD research, she worked for the Hong Kong Government. Jared Fu is a university student and democracy activist from Hong Kong who helped organise the recent protest in Sydney against the extradition bill. Ben Bland is the Director of the Southeast Asia Project at the Lowy Institute and a former correspondent for the Financial Times in Hong Kong. He is the author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow, which tells the stories of the young Hong Kongers on the frontlines of the city’s struggle for freedom. The discussion was chaired by Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute Senior Fellow and leading expert on China’s political system and Asian geopolitics. He is the award-winning author of The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers and Asia’s Reckoning: China, Japan and the Fate of US Power in the Pacific Century.

This is the first episode of our new series focused on Innovation in Asia - Red Envelope. Asia has proven to be a hotbed for Fintech innovation, where the consumer base, mobile penetration and lack of legacy have given way to leap frog moments. In this episode, Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar talk to Charles D'Haussy about the Hongkong ecosystem. Charles is the Director Strategic Initiatives at ConsenSys, and previous to that Head of Fintech at Invest Hongkong.Hong Kong, also known as the “Peal of Orient”, is home to 7.4 million people from countries around the world. It consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon peninsula (which borders mainland China), and many smaller islands, with total footprint less than Manhattan. It is a land of dream, hope, and resilience. It is also a city filled with people who believe that hard work will bring them a prosperous future, who continue to re-invent themselves despite all odds.Hong Kong is also the third most attractive financial center globally and best in Asia according to the Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI), with 159 banks (and 70 of the world’s 100 top banks) and 160 authorized insurers. The territory has seen strong growth in fintech startups in the past two years, especially in the areas of wealthtech and blockchain. This is largely due to an open economy, strong support by the Hong Kong Government, and favorable tax system. It is the link between the East and the West, a landing pad for fintech companies eyeing opportunities in Asia, and a launch pad for Chinese mainland fintech companies expanding abroad.Listen in for Charles' views on Hongkong, China and the Fintech boom in the region that has become a case study for the world to learn from. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is the first episode of our new series focused on Innovation in Asia - Red Envelope. Asia has proven to be a hotbed for Fintech innovation, where the consumer base, mobile penetration and lack of legacy have given way to leap frog moments. In this episode, Theodora Lau and Arun Krishnakumar talk to Charles D'Haussy about the Hongkong ecosystem. Charles is the Director Strategic Initiatives at ConsenSys, and previous to that Head of Fintech at Invest Hongkong.Hong Kong, also known as the “Peal of Orient”, is home to 7.4 million people from countries around the world. It consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon peninsula (which borders mainland China), and many smaller islands, with total footprint less than Manhattan. It is a land of dream, hope, and resilience. It is also a city filled with people who believe that hard work will bring them a prosperous future, who continue to re-invent themselves despite all odds.Hong Kong is also the third most attractive financial center globally and best in Asia according to the Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI), with 159 banks (and 70 of the world’s 100 top banks) and 160 authorized insurers. The territory has seen strong growth in fintech startups in the past two years, especially in the areas of wealthtech and blockchain. This is largely due to an open economy, strong support by the Hong Kong Government, and favorable tax system. It is the link between the East and the West, a landing pad for fintech companies eyeing opportunities in Asia, and a launch pad for Chinese mainland fintech companies expanding abroad.Listen in for Charles' views on Hongkong, China and the Fintech boom in the region that has become a case study for the world to learn from. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stuart Leckie is based in Hong Kong and advises on investments and pensions in Hong Kong and Mainland China. He is the author of books titled "Pension Funds in China" and "Investment Funds in China". He was Founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Retirement Schemes Association, acts as an advisor or trustee to a number of funds and was the Chairman of the CFA Institute Advisory Council on Standards and Financial Market Integrity.     Stuart. Leckie worked in life insurance in the UK before moving to Hong Kong. He served as the Chairman of Willis Towers Watson (formerly Watson Wyatt) in Asia-Pacific and as Chairman of Fidelity Investments, Asia-Pacific. He has advised the Chinese Government on pension’s reform and advised the Hong Kong Government on the establishment of the Mandatory Provident Fund.     In this episode Stuart shares his worst investment ever story, investing £500,000 in an affiliate product he did not deeply understand which was actually offered by a trusted friend. Eventually, he stopped investing further after realizing he needed to do more due diligence into the person he originally trusted.    “Do not be afraid to ask information to people. If they do not like it, the investment is not for you.” - Stuart Leckie     What do you want to hear from the My Worst Investment Ever Podcast? Tell us here!   Resources:  My Worst Investment Ever Book   myworstinvestmentever.com    Pension Funds in China by Stuart Leckie Investment Funds in China. A new look by Stuart Leckie and Rita Xiao   Topics Covered:  00:44 – Stuart Leckie’s professional and personal background 02:33 – Stuart shares his worst investment ever story venturing into an affiliate product he did not understand 03:40 – Finding out that his trusted friend did not do his due diligence about the investment 04:28 – One of the personnel of the investment unaccounted the collected investment to the fund 06:11 – Availing the UK government grant for tax refund 07:16 – Lessons that Stuart learned from the experience 08:17 – The importance of reporting and transparency in any investment 09:42 – The circumstance that led him to invest in the fund his friend was offering him 10:40 – The different investment red flags Stuart encountered     Main Takeaways Lesson 1: Do not touch things you do not understand. Get proper due diligence done. Performing due diligence will give you the necessary information that you need and it will help you vet out a possible investment. Lesson 2: Do not be afraid to push people especially those who are involved in your investment. If they do not like it that means that the investment is not for you. Do not be patient with people who seem to follow the time in the world and do what he likes about it.  Lesson 3: Importance of reporting and transparency in any investment.  Regularly sending the newsletter about the investment is important. Listing over the 9-parts bad news and the one-part good news. Financial reporting is important because people make their investment decisions based on the financial data of the company. Lesson 4: Never be afraid to tell bad news. You actually build a good reputation over time if you are the person that is willing to talk about it and say what you have learned from it.   You can also check out Andrew’s books How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market My Worst Investment Ever 9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Transform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 Points   Connect with Stuart Leckie: Linkedin Stirling Finance Limited   Connect with Andrew Stotz: astotz.com Linkedin Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

Joe's first career was a brokerage firm in Seattle, followed by years overseas working for the Securities and Futures Commission (the financial market regulator for the Hong Kong Government). There, he protected small investors and helped recover lost assets resulting from the Asian financial crisis of 1997. When he returned to US and settled on Bainbridge Island (his home since 2000), his passion for the natural environment and climate change led him to co-found nonprofit Community Energy Solutions. He worked with then Senator Phil Rockefeller, passing innovative community solar legislation, Senate Bill 6658. Thousands of Washingtonians went solar as a result, and more than 60 community solar projects across the State are creating clean power, jobs, and needed local infrastructure. Bainbridge Island City Hall's 72-kilowatt photovoltaic system is a project he led. Financed entirely by 24 Island families, the City receives a constant revenue stream from the electricity generated. Deets also led or participated in a solar program for low-income housing (which continues to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Kitsap County), and a community-wide residential energy efficiency program for Bainbridge Island funded by the US Department of Energy. He is currently a consultant for Sunergy Systems in Seattle, and speaks to state policymakers, tech graduate students, various organizations & environmental groups. Joe has a B.S. in Business Administration with special focus in Finance from Univ of Montana, a MBA from Seattle University, and a MA in Environment and Community from Antioch University Seattle (Thesis: Adapting to a New Energy Paradigm: Evaluating Behavior-Based Strategies for Increasing Renewable Energy Adoption at the Community Level) . He is Ethics Board Chair for the City of Bainbridge Island, and volunteers for Bainbridge Island School District, Habitat for Humanity, and Hospice of Kitsap County.  

Hong Kong, on China’s Pearl River Delta, is one of the most densely populated territories on earth. It regularly ranks as the most developed financial centre globally, and the world’s most economically competitive place. As a new Chief Executive takes over the running of the Hong Kong Government, what are the great issues facing the territory today?

During a recent trade mission to Jakarta (March 2017) led by the Hong Kong Government and HKTDC, PC Lau, Convenor, Professional Services Working Group, Hong Kong Economic Development Commission, offers his thoughts on the role Hong Kong can play as a “super-connector” to support Belt and Road Initiative partners in both China and Indonesia.

Growing trade and cultural links with Indonesia were explored by a mission to Jakarta led by the Hong Kong Government and Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The March 2017 trip put a focus on opportunities created under China’s new Belt and Road Initiative, and in particular how Hong Kong can help open doors with its expertise in infrastructure and professional services.

Eco Expo Asia has evolved into Asia’s premium environmental trade event. This year, 2015, marks the fair’s 10th edition. To celebrate this milestone, organisers and the Environment Bureau of the Hong Kong Government are confident that the trade fair will turn into one of the top sourcing destinations for green innovations in Asia.