Touching results in probation

A woman convicted of indecent assault for touching the breast of a female colleague, apparently as a joke, was sentenced at the Eastern Magistracy Thursday to psychological treatment and 12 months' probation.

In mitigation, her lawyer said Chung Sau-kuen deeply regretted her behavior and wished to apologize to the colleague. The lawyer also pointed out that it was Chung's first offense and didn't involve bullying.

Lawyer admits he planted pot

A lawyer who planted cannabis in his efforts to cure for his chronic insomnia pleaded guilty to one count of cultivation of cannabis plant and one count of possession of a dangerous drug at Eastern Magistracy Thursday.

Lee Kok-hing, 53, earlier told the court he suffers from generalized anxiety disorder and that one of the symptoms is insomnia. He said he had tried different therapies, including yoga, acupuncture and herbal medicine, to no avail before resorting to cannabis, which, according to some Internet articles he read, will provide relief. He ordered cannabis seeds online and grew them in 39 pots on a terrace of his apartment building. Police discovered the stash while investigating a report of an 85-year-old man leaping from a height.

Magistrate Adriana C Tse adjourned sentencing to July 6. She also ordered a specialist report on how to help Lee with his condition.

Travel agency goes belly-up

A travel agency specialized in mainland tour packages collapsed due to financial difficulties Thursday.

The Travel Industry Council has received a report from K & J Travel Agency that the owner has died on the mainland and operations of the agency will be wrapped up. Remaining funds of the agency will enable some 200 tourists to travel as contracted. But another 250 customers will be affected.

Partial lunar eclipse June 26

A partial lunar eclipse will occur in Hong Kong's night sky on June 26 (Saturday).

The partial eclipse already will have begun when the moon rises over Hong Kong at 7:08 pm.

A maximum eclipse will occur at around 7:39 pm, when 54.2 percent of the moon's orb will enter Earth's umbra. The eclipse will end at around 10:21 pm.

The event is best observed at places with an unobstructed view to the horizon to the east-southeast. That includes locations such as Shek O, Cheung Chau, the east dam of High Island Reservoir and on top of Tai Mo Shan.

7 communities without ATMs

Seven Hong Kong communities are without ATM service or bank counters, according to the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. The DAB issued the results of a survey Thursday, listing among the communities Chun Seen Mei Chuen in Kowloon City and Shek Mun Estate in Sha Tin.

Many communities have only one ATM, either Jetco or HSBC, although access to both ATM systems is often necessary, said the DAB.

China Daily

(HK Edition 06/18/2010 page1)