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South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
How can Hong Kong's MTR Corp get back on track amid funding, manpower woes?
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu was stern-faced and did not mince his words as he took the MTR Corporation to task for 'inadequacies' in the way it responded to emergencies and planned for disruptions. Advertisement He spelled out what he expected of the city's rail operator when he spoke on May 27, five days after the third service disruption in four months due to technical failures. He demanded action to prevent incidents, which could affect thousands of the rail system's 5 million daily riders. But if such incidents still happened, it had to do better in responding and minimising inconvenience to commuters. The most recent five-hour breakdown on May 22 affected the entire Tseung Kwan O line during the evening rush hour, leaving tens of thousands of people scrambling to find their way home. Lee told the MTR Corp to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire rail network, strengthen its emergency response and contingency handling capabilities, and improve alternative transport arrangements for commuters when services were suspended. Advertisement Experts and observers welcomed that dressing down by the city leader, but also highlighted a number of issues the rail operator had to grapple with, not least its daunting funding challenges and a persistent shortage of skilled technical staff. Despite a near-perfect punctuality rate of 99.9 per cent and a net profit of HK$15.8 billion (US$2 billion) last year, the MTR Corp has been plagued by a series of management crises and safety incidents since 2018.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Osaka Expo unveils cool solutions amid Japan's record heatwave
As the mercury soars in Japan , the World Exposition in Osaka has moved into full gear to beat the summer heat, with firms showcasing their latest cooling technologies while the organiser urges visitors to take measures to ward off heat exhaustion. Advertisement Daikin Industries, a major Japanese air conditioner manufacturer, has built the Ice Cool Spot, a rest area inspired by the ancient Japanese icehouse. It uses panels of ice on the walls to lower the temperature inside by 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with the outside. Solar panels on the building's roof collect sunlight during the day and use the energy to freeze water at night. Its floor is 30cm (12 inches) below ground level, allowing cool air to flow down, according to the company. Daikin's Ice Cool Spot uses panels of ice on the walls to lower the temperature inside by 5 degrees Celsius. Photo: Daikin Industries 'We want visitors to feel as if they were in an icehouse,' a Daikin official said. Advertisement At the Forest of Tranquility, located at the centre of the venue, around 1,500 trees have been strategically arranged using computer modelling to maximise shade coverage.
RTHK
3 hours ago
- RTHK
Russia's Lavrov visits North Korea
Russia's Lavrov visits North Korea Russian state media said Lavrov will discuss the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Korean peninsula with his North Korean counterpart. Photo: Reuters Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in North Korea on Friday, North Korea's state media KCNA said on Saturday, the latest visit by a senior Russian official to the isolated state amid warming ties between the countries. Lavrov's visit, scheduled to Sunday, includes a meeting between the countries' foreign ministers, KCNA reported. Lavrov flew out of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur following the Asean foreign ministers' meeting and arrived in Wonsan, North Korea's eastern coastal city, which is home to a recently opened resort and known for its missile and naval facilities. Lavrov's visit is the latest high-level meeting between the two countries amid a dramatic upgrading of their strategic cooperation that now includes a mutual defence pact. The South Korean intelligence service has said North Korea may be preparing to deploy additional troops in July or August, after sending more than 10,000 soldiers to fight with Russia in the war against Ukraine. North Korea has agreed to dispatch 6,000 military engineers and builders for reconstruction in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a mass cross-border incursion nearly a year ago. Russian news agencies also reported Lavrov's arrival and said after North Korea he is expected to travel to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, which is set to take place on Monday and Tuesday. Russia's state TASS news agency said Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart, Choi Son Hui, would discuss the 40-month-old Ukraine conflict and the situation on the Korean peninsula. TASS said the new coastal resort could boost Russian tourism to North Korea, citing the resumption of direct trains from Moscow to Pyongyang and a project to build a bridge across the Tumen River forming part of the boundary between North Korea, China and Russia. TASS quoted Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying more high-level delegations would visit North Korea later this year. Rudenko said the accord on strategic partnership "clearly meets the changing needs over recent decades and strengthens traditionally friendly, good-neighbourly Russian-Korean relations to a qualitatively new level as allies." (Reuters)
