Govt to subsidize building inspection

The Urban Renewal Authority may subsidize owners of buildings eligible under the Mandatory Building Inspection Schemes up to HK$100,000 toward the cost of a first building inspection.

The proposal was discussed at a board meeting of the authority on Monday morning.

According to the proposal, the eligible buildings will be those required for mandatory inspection by the Buildings Department and with a ratable value of under HK$120,000 per unit.

The amount of subsidy will increase with the number of units in the building, starting at HK$25,000 for a building with 20 or less units. The subsidy for buildings with 200 or more units is HK$100,000.

Civil servant caught with porn

An officer of the Census and Statistics Department pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography in the District Court on Monday.

The court heard that police snagged Choy Ka-leung, 35, through a program that monitors downloading activity from pornographic websites.

In Choy's home in Tseung Kwan O, police found 2,457 child pornography photos and 157 videos on his computer. The subjects of the photos and videos appear to be only two or three in age.

In mitigation, the defense counsel said Choy has no criminal record and is not a pedophile.

Sentencing was adjourned to August 21, pending psychiatric, psychological and background reports.

Gangsters lose ritual appeal

The appellate court has rejected an appeal by nine gangsters who were caught in a ritual tribute marking the passing of faction leader Lee Tai-lung, one year after he was hacked to death outside Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in 2009.

The nine were sentenced to eight to 11 months in prison on convictions for acting as or claiming to be triad members. They were arrested while taking part in the ritual at Argyle Street playground during the hungry ghosts festival in 2010.

The defendants appealed on the ground that they were honoring the deceased as a normal traditional ritual. Deputy High Court judge Patrick Li rejected the argument, saying it was clearly a triad activity from the way the way the participants spoke and behaved.

18 injured in road pile-up

Eighteen people were injured in a four vehicle pile-up in Sha Tau Kok Road on Monday morning.

Two minibuses, one rubbish truck and a car collided in the Lung Yeuk Tau section of the road around 8 am.

All of the injured are passengers on the minibuses, including some seriously.

Visa-free deal with Kazakhstan

From July 26, 2012, Hong Kong passport holders may visit the Republic of Kazakhstan visa-free for a stay of up to 14 days. Likewise, nationals of the Republic of Kazakhstan will also enjoy 14 days' visa-free access to Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong government and the Republic of Kazakhstan signed the Agreement on Mutual Exemption of Visa Requirements in May this year. Confirmation has recently been received.

China Daily

(HK Edition 07/24/2012 page1)