news
Calls for Big Wave Bay to become a designated surf beach Due to the uptick in popularity for water sports, particularly at Big Wave Bay beach, citizens are calling for the government to categorise it as a surfing beach. Though this would require more extensive training for lifeguards, locals feel this is a necessary step so that beach goers and swimmers will know to exercise precaution and look out for surfers. More cautionary measures would also be made by the government to protect those who surf at Big Wave Bay beach, should it be classified as a surf beach.
Mandarin Oriental launches an online shopping channel
Guests and fans of Mandarin Oriental are now able to experience a range of the Group’s branded products in the comfort of their home. Providing a global online shopping experience, Shop M.O. features a collection of signature luxury items including the hotel’s own bedding and spa products. 10times.com
Fireworks return to Disneyland
Repulse Bay robbers caught red-handed
Hong Kong Disneyland’s firework show is set to return in 2022 after a four-year hiatus. The show, featuring the new Castle of Magical Dreams, will become a multimedia display of “projection mapping, water projections, theatrical lighting, lasers, choreographed water fountains, flames, pyrotechnics and firework effects,” says an official statement from Disneyland. The announcement was made just a couple of weeks after Hong Kong Disneyland raised their peak-day ticket price by 10 percent.
In the first week of November, two men were arrested in a residential area in Repulse Bay called Celestial Gardens. At around 1.45am on November 3, a security guard noticed two unfamiliar men in the estate’s parking lot. On the suspicion that they were going to attempt to burgle, he called the police and an hour-long search for the pair ensued. They were found on separate residential balconies on different floors after having climbed up the gutters on an external wall in an attempt to escape authorities.
Retail sales soar after consumption vouchers
The consumption voucher scheme, which was worth $36 billion, has caused Hong Kong’s retail sales to increase by 7.3 percent as of September. The scheme, which granted eligible Hongkongers $5,000 worth
of e-vouchers and Octopus payments, has been issued in stages since August and last month, the Census and Statistics Department released figures that indicate that sales for that month shot up to $28 billion.
10 | SOUTHSIDE
4 SS News.indd 10
25/11/2021 4:04 PM