Man jailed for killing pregnant deer

An electrician was sentenced yesterday at Tuen Mun Magistracy to six months in jail for animal cruelty. The defendant killed a pregnant barking deer last December with a shovel and a baton for no reason.

The defense argued that the defendant was under the influence of alcohol at the time of his crime and has since shown remorse, but the presiding magistrate said the defendant expressed regret a little too late and deserved the punishment. Local animal rights activists welcomed the decision and hoped it would deter animal cruelty.

4% average salary increase recorded

The Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management released the results of a survey conducted in January, which showed an average increase of over 4 percent in salaries among 120 companies polled. Thirty-six of the companies employing over 36,000 people each revised up their salaries in January.

According to the survey, the banking industry led the raise chart with an average rise of 6 percent, followed by the retail sector with an average hike of 5.3 percent and the shipping and container handling industry, which saw an average raise of 4.5 percent.

Neoguri left earlier

than expected: HKO

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) Director Lam Chiu-ying said yesterday the bad weather over the weekend had left Hong Kong earlier than expected, mainly because tropical cyclone Neoguri weakened and moved northward faster than meteorologists had anticipated.

His explanation was in response to complaints by some avid horse racing pundits about the cancellation of Sunday's races following a Number 3 typhoon warning issued by the HKO that day.

He added that the Jockey Club must have had a good reason to cancel the races, such as muddy race tracks.

CE to attend Expo Central China 2008 in Wuhan

Chief Executive Donald Tsang will lead a business delegation to attend the Expo Central China 2008 in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Friday.

On Saturday he will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a speech at the Central China Business Summit 2008.

During his stay in Wuhan, Tsang will hold bilateral meetings with other provincial leaders attending the expo and inspect industrial and logistics development in Wuhan. Tsang will return to Hong Kong on April 27.

China Daily

(HK Edition 04/22/2008 page1)