Latest news with #Bauhinia
South China Morning Post
01-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong residents and tourists revel in handover anniversary festivities
From free museum visits and tram rides to discounted meals and fun runs, residents and tourists took full advantage of offers by thousands of businesses, braving the frequent showers to revel in the celebrations of the city's 28th anniversary of its handover to Beijing. Rows of bright red national and Hong Kong flags adorned the streets and tourist attractions on Tuesday, as around 3,800 restaurants offered special discounts, hoping to attract diners and boost spending. A parade of about 30 fishing boats along Victoria Harbour drew crowds despite the gloomy weather, while the Star Ferry offered free one-day rides between Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui, an opportunity that many tourists seized to visit Golden Bauhinia Square. Near the Wan Chai ferry terminal, the spot features the famous Bauhinia statue, a prominent symbol of the city's 1997 handover. Sinopec, which sponsored the free ferry rides, also set up booths to hand out complimentary panda plush toys and Chinese flags to passengers. Among those celebrating was Lili Zhong, 25, a recent master's graduate visiting Hong Kong and Macau with her mother from Shandong province. 'I was given a national flag and a Hong Kong flag at Tsim Sha Tsui by the staff there. I feel they are very meaningful souvenirs available only on Tuesday,' Zhong said.
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Black and white creature — snacking on snails — is new species in French Guiana
In the tropical rainforests of French Guiana, a new species has been hiding in plain sight. Sibon nebulatus, a species of snail-eating snake, is found all the way from Mexico to northeastern Brazil, according to a study published June 6 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. But now, genetic testing has revealed that some snakes mistaken for S. nebulatus were actually a different, cryptic species. Cryptic species are animals that may morphologically, or physically, look the same as another species, but are 'genetically distinct' and have their own evolutionary lineage. The new species was found in French Guiana, researchers said, on the northern edge of the Amazon Rainforest. Sibon nebulatus, or the black and white snail-eating snake, was collected from Mont Itoupé at an elevation of about 2,600 feet, according to the study. The snakes are about a foot long from snout to body, with a seven-inch tail, researchers said. Their heads are distinct from the cylindrical shape of their bodies, and their snouts are short and blunt. The snakes earn their name from their coloration pattern, photos show. The snakes are gray with white bellies and covered in thick black bands that extend the length of their bodies. '(The black and white snail-eating snake) is only known from French Guiana, (where it was so far mistaken with S. nebulatus whereas specimens of S. nebulatus (strictly speaking) were considered to belong to a new species) but it is widespread throughout the territory at the exception of the upper Maroni basin and along the coastal strip of savannas where S. nebulatus occurs,' the study explains. Researchers suspect the snake can also be found in the old growth forests of neighboring Surinam, but no records have been made so far. 'Several specimens have been observed feeding on snails in French Guiana,' researchers said. 'One specimen was observed at (5:30 a.m.) perched at about (20 feet) above the ground on a vine of the genus Bauhinia and disappeared in a cavity in the trunk.' Researchers said the existence of a second species was hypothesized for decades, but it wasn't until more recent records and genetic testing was used that the theory could be proven. French Guiana is on the northern coast of South America, north of Brazil and along the Atlantic Ocean. The research team included Antoine Fouquet, Alejandro Arteaga, Átilas R. De Sousa and Robson W. Avila.
Time Out
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Urban Revivo
With over 400 stores worldwide, Chinese fast-fashion brand Urban Revivo (UR) finally made its way to our city with its first Hong Kong outlet in Harbour City. Spanning across an 813 sqm space, the shop features a large-scale floral art installation inspired by the Bauhinia flower, with its roots designed to resemble a Möbius strip to symbolise UR's "infinite vitality in Hong Kong's fashion landscape". Offering a curated selection of nearly 1,000 products, shoppers can browse through the latest collections of womenswear, menswear, footwear, as well as a range of accessories like bags, hats, and sunglasses.
South China Morning Post
27-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Bumper Champions Day to feature ‘best international line-up we have had'
There may be no Romantic Warrior, but Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges remains confident Sunday's FWD Champions Day will be the best yet. While local hero Romantic Warrior, the world's highest-earning racehorse, is enjoying a break after a tough overseas campaign, superstars Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble will fly the Bauhinia flag and a record 14 international gallopers will grace the Sha Tin turf across Sunday's three features. 'I personally think it has grown and even if you compare it to before Covid, probably this is the best international line-up we have had,' Engelbrecht-Bresges said of Champions Day, which was introduced by the Jockey Club in 2018. 'We are delighted with the Australian participation and you probably can't have a more popular horse than Mr Brightside. This will create huge interest. 'We are really delighted with how this has shaped up and having 14 international runners, we are heading the right way.' Sunday's richest race, the HK$28 million Group One QE II Cup (2,000m), will feature six international raiders in three-time winner Romantic Warrior's absence, with French giant Goliath shaping up against crack Japanese trio Prognosis, Tastiera and Liberty Island. World's Best Sprinter!? We certainly think so. 🌏 Ka Ying Rising dazzles at Sha Tin, lowering his track record to 1m 07.20s for 1200m with a ninth straight win and second Group 1 in the Centenary Sprint Cup... @zpurton #SpeedSeries | #TripleCrown | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 19, 2025 New Zealand's El Vencedor, to be ridden by Zac Purton, and Bahrain's Calif complete the overseas contingent, while it's a pair of four-year-old's who are perhaps the most interesting of the local brigade. Cap Ferrat will look to become the first horse since Romantic Warrior in 2022 to do the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m)-QE II Cup double in the same season, while Classic Cup winner Rubylot looks open to further improvement. Straight Arron won the key local lead-up race, the Group Two Chairman's Trophy (1,600m), and is not without a chance for the home team, but the reality is it would require a significant upset to prevent the lion's share of the QE II Cup riches heading abroad. A nine-time Group One winner for Ben, Will & JD Hayes in Australia, Mr Brightside has finally made it to Hong Kong after numerous false starts, and he is joined by another galloper trained Down Under, Royal Patronage, in the Group One Champions Mile. Japan's Gaia Force and Goemon of Bahrain also line-up in the HK$24 million feature, but the internationals will have their work cut out beating Ricky Yiu Poon-fai's brilliant miler Voyage Bubble. With the Group One Hong Kong Mile and Group One Stewards' Cup already in the bag, Voyage Bubble can join exalted company by sweeping all three of Hong Kong's elite-level 1,600m contests in the same season. No Golden Sixty this year! 😏 Second in the 2023 renewal, Voyage Bubble takes the @LONGINES Hong Kong Mile with @mcacajamez for Ricky Yiu! #HKIR | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 8, 2024 Mark Newnham's My Wish, an agonising second in the Derby, and Galaxy Patch are also among the local hopes in what promises to be a mouthwatering Champions Mile. History awaits for Ka Ying Rising in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m), with the David Hayes-trained speedster looking to join Beauty Generation and Lucky Sweynesse as eight-time winners in a single Hong Kong season. Standing in Ka Ying Rising's way is perennial bridesmaid Helios Express and a quartet of Japanese speedsters headlined by Satono Reve, who finished third behind Ka Ying Rising in December's Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) and will be ridden by fan favourite Joao Moreira. While a fourth straight Group One win from Ka Ying Rising would no doubt mean plenty for Hayes senior, it's certainly not the only result capable of making the Australian Hall of Fame trainer's day on Sunday. 'I'd say if Brightside managed to win it would be one of my proudest and happiest moments in racing,' said Hayes in reference to the galloper trained by his sons.
