Hong Kong police have notified a local pro-independence group of the intention to ban its operation in accordance with the Societies Ordinance, the city's security chief said on Tuesday.In a press briefing, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said he had received a recommendation from an assistant societies officer to make the move.The group will have 21 days to make representations in writing and explain why the Secretary for Security should not make such an order, Lee said.The deadline is 5 pm on Aug 7.Lee said he will not make a decision until after the deadline, or until after he receives the group's written representations within the deadline.According to Section 8 of the Societies Ordinance, the Societies Officer may recommend the Secretary for Security make an order prohibiting the operation of a society if he reasonably believes the prohibition of the society's operation is necessary in the interests of national security, public safety, public order or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.This is the first time Hong Kong police have enforced Section 8 of the Societies Ordinance since the city was returned to the motherland in 1997, Lee said.People enjoy freedom of association in Hong Kong, but such freedom is not limitless, Lee said.As stipulated in the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, lawful restrictions may be placed on the exercise of freedom of association if they are necessary in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others, Lee added.Founded in 2016, the Hong Kong National Party claims to uphold "a self-reliant nation" and an "independent Hong Kong" as its goal.Its convener, Andy Chan Ho-tin, acknowledged receiving a letter from the police on Tuesday, as he uploaded the bilingual message onto the group's social media page. logo braceletsrainbow wristbandcheap rubber wristbandswrist band com coupon codeprintable wristbandsfidget spinner bracelet24hourwristbands
North China's Hebei province issued an orange alert for air quality on Thursday because of severe air pollution that will envelop the province and neighboring regions from Friday to Sunday, according to the Hebei Environmental Protection Bureau. It is the second time this year that Hebei, typically shrouded by heavy smog in winter, has issued a regional alert. The first orange alert - the second-highest level for air pollution - was issued in early November. "Because of a new round of disadvantageous weather, including low atmospheric pressure, slow winds and high humidity, it is hard for airborne pollutants to disperse," said Wang Xiaoli, director of Hebei province's Environmental Emergency and Heavy Pollution Weather Forewarning Center. Though weather conditions will keep severe smog around for three days, pollutants discharged into the air remain the primary source, he said. Under an orange alert, emergency responses to the pollution were started on Thursday in 10 cities in the province. More than 6,000 polluting companies will take turns suspending operations and another 8,000 firms will temporarily reduce emissions to ensure a reduction of at least 20 percent during the period. Cities in neighboring Henan province, such an Anyang, will also suffer from severe air pollution, while the air in Beijing and Tianjin will be slightly affected, Wang said. Air quality is expected to improve starting on Sunday night, with the influence of a cold front that will disperse pollutants. Northern China usually experiences worsening air quality in late autumn and winter partly due to less wind and increased emissions from heating sources, especially coal burning. According to the provincial environmental protection bureau, 30 percent more pollutants are discharged in Hebei during the heating season. To cope with that, Hebei is replacing coal for family heating with electricity or gas, shutting down illegal polluting companies and limiting production in heavy industries such as iron, steel and coking. The province is also increasing its investment in technology for environmental monitoring to better forecast smog and control pollutants. "We are considering introducing high-tech instruments that use a LIDAR - or light detection and ranging system - to precisely monitor particulate matter in the air," said Huang Yunlong, who works at the bureau's development service center. According to Huang, the instruments are carried in a vehicle and can monitor a certain area's pollutants in three-dimensional space, unlike traditional stationary monitors. The province's average density of PM 2.5 - particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns - fell by 25.3 percent year-on-year in the last two months to 62 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the monitoring center. [email protected]
