A Hong Kong couple arrested on suspicion of child neglect have said they were granted a birth certificate for their infant but will only be allowed to take him home once they are deemed “safe parents.”

Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin, the parents of a two-month-old infant, Danny, collected the birth certificate from the Immigration Department headquarters in Tseung Kwan O on Sunday, after initially refusing to undergo DNA tests to confirm their parentage.

The couple also told reporters outside the headquarters that they would be allowed to visit Danny for one hour this week and could take him home if they passed a parental assessment with government social workers.

“The social workers will assess our situation, including our ability to act as parents. If the social workers are satisfied with our performance and think that we are safe parents, we believe we can bring Danny home in no time,” said Tsang, Danny’s father.

As part of the assessment, social workers will inspect whether their living accommodation, at a hostel in Lai Chi Kok, is suitable for raising Danny, he said. If it is deemed unsuitable, the government will do its best to find an environment suited to caring for an infant.

Danny is now under a child protection order allowing the Social Welfare Department (SWD) to care for him instead of his parents.

Prior to the arrests, Danny had not had any medical check-ups since birth, which security chief Chris Tang said constituted child neglect when he announced the arrests on Tuesday. They agreed to undergo DNA tests and were confirmed to be Danny’s parents on Thursday.

The couple had said earlier that they practised “free births” and that their baby boy was born in Hong Kong around two months ago. His birth was not registered, although Hong Kong law stipulates that parents must register the birth of a newborn within 42 days of delivery.

Free birth, also called unassisted birth, involves a conscious decision to undergo pregnancy and give birth without professional maternity care or medical intervention. The trend has put the lives of mothers and babies at grave risk.

Their admission of practising “free births” gained widespread attention and sparked concern over Danny’s well-being.

Separately on Sunday, labour chief Chris Sun told journalists that Danny was in good condition in a care home and that social workers would continue to communicate with the two parents.

Tsang also said that he and his wife had signed documents authorising the government to send their DNA to Sweden, where their daughter Lily is now living with an adoptive family after Swedish authorities removed her from the couple’s care over health concerns in December 2023.

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The Department of Justice (DoJ) has sought to overturn former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting’s acquittal on a charge of perverting the course of justice related to an incident during the 2019 protests and unrest.

Government prosecutors told the Court of Appeal on Thursday that Lam had the intent to pervert the course of justice by demanding that a person, referred to as “X,” delete photos of protesters at a march in July 2019.

The DoJ is also seeking to overturn acquittals for Lam’s co-defendants: former InMedia journalist Ronnie Tsang, 28, and social worker Aggie Chung, 39.

According to case details read out in previous hearings, Lam and Tsang were accused of committing acts with the intention to pervert the course of justice by asking X to delete from his phone photos showing the faces of protesters who might have committed criminal offences that day.

Tsang was also charged with unlawful assembly and later jailed for 13 months, while Chung was charged with access to a computer with dishonest intent and criminal damage for accessing X’s phone and deleting photos. However, Chung was later acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove dishonest intent.

Intention to pervert course of justice

Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ivan Cheung argued on Thursday that the District Court’s January 2023 ruling that Lam had no intention to pervert the course of justice was “counterintuitive,” online news outlet The Witness reported.

Cheung presented to the court a video of the exchange, in which Lam said that “what matters now is to delete the photos with protesters’ faces.”

Although Lam verbally said that he wanted to help X leave the scene, he could also have harboured an intent to pervert the course of justice, Cheung told the three appeal judges.

X had previously testified that Lam did not force him to delete the photos and that he agreed the lawmaker was mediating the situation.

The prosecutor said the lower court erred in finding that Lam had no intent to pervert the course of justice.

However, Judge Derek Pang said on Thursday that it was impossible to conclude that Lam had that intent, while Judge Judianna Barnes said Lam’s actions did not necessarily suggest his intent.

In response to Cheung’s argument that the three defendants invited suspicion upon themselves by being present at a protest, Pang said that this was not a rioting or unlawful assembly case, adding that he could not understand how suspicion could be inferred.

Barrister Erik Shum, representing Lam, noted that the lower court found no connection between Lam’s actions and any existing or potential legal proceedings. The prosecution at trial also failed to specify any crimes or legal proceedings, he said.

Lam’s acquittal could not be overturned if the prosecution failed to prove whether he had interfered with legal proceedings or had any intention to do so, Shum said.

Crab, Claaaaab, and high prices in Asakusa.

Rising prices in Japan have put ramen restaurants in a tricky position, since part of what makes the beloved noodle dish so beloved is that, traditionally, it’s been not only a tasty meal option, but an affordable one too. As inflation continues, though, a growing number of ramen restaurants are now charging more than 1,000 yen (US$6.50) for a bowl of ramen, and crossing over the four-figure threshold in price has made restaurant ramen a tougher sell to the general public.

So with that going on, it’s a bold choice by Kani O, a new ramen restaurant in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, to start their ramen pricing at 2,000 yen a bowl. Bold and divisive, as online reviews and chatter about Kani O, which started serving customers on May 4, have been sharply divided into love-it and hate-it camps.

Making the situation even more complex is that some (though not all) of the negative reviews our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun has seen seem to be from people who haven’t actually eaten at the restaurant. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, some of the most glowing reviews of the place that P.K. has seen come from social media influencers who’re personal acquaintances of Kani O’s owner, mixed martial artist Komeo.

In short, the buzz about the place is a sea of chaos, and so P.K. made the decision to wade into those waters and try Kani O’s ramen for himself (and just to be clear, this was before his heart attack that currently has him in the hospital).

The Kani O name is written in Japanese (かにを) on the storefront, but even if you can’t read the hiragana characters you’ll know you’re there when you see the “SPICY CRAB RAMEN” underneath it and “ARE YOU READY?” across the noren cloth hanging in the doorway. Oddly enough, Kani O calls its standard ramen “The Claaaaab,” with an L, so maybe some of the negative reviews are from linguists.

But P.K. was here to evaluate their ramen, not their spelling, and so he ordered a bowl of The Claaaaab, for 2,000 yen. You can select a spiciness level from 0 to 10, and P.K. asked for his right in the middle, at spiciness level 5.

▼ And yes, that’s a whole soft-shelled crab in the bowl.

Despite its eye-catching coloring, a common complaint online about Kani O’s ramen is that the broth is bland. P.K. started his tasting by trying a spoonful, and while we wouldn’t say it was flavorless, it didn’t have an immediate strong impact on his taste buds either, nor did the level-5 spiciness set his mouth on fire. The primary players in its flavor profile were the umami shellfish notes, making for a surprisingly delicate sensation, and the gap between how the broth looks like it’s going to taste versus how it actually does taste might be contributing to some of the griping about Kani O’s broth being bland, more so than a true lack of flavor.

The noodles are neither thick nor thin, but right in the middle of the bell curve for ramen in Japan.

And then there’s the soft-shelled crab, imported from China and deep-fried before going into your ramen bowl. This is a proper piece of seafood, rich in flavor and even adding some of its aroma to The Claaaaab’s bouquet.

So after trying Kani Wo’s ramen for himself, does P.K. agree with the haters? Not really. In particular, he doesn’t agree wit the criticism about the broth being bland, and instead feels like it’s purposely crafted to have a mild flavor to encourage customers to drink every last drop.

On the other hand, he can see how someone could come away unsatisfied from a meal here, especially at the price of 2,000 yen. That’s a lot to ask for a bowl of ramen, and P.K. didn’t feel like Kani O’s version of the dish is on some sort of completely different level than ramen restaurants with sub-2,000-yen offerings, which aren’t at all hard to find. He’s impressed by the level of originality on display in Kani O’s ramen, but since the flavor didn’t necessarily blow him away, the novelty factor isn’t strong enough to convince him to become a repeat customer.

This puts P.K. in the unusual position of thinking “Yeah, it’s not bad, but not great either” about this love-it-or-hate-it ramen restaurant. However, with nearly a dozen people already waiting to get into the restaurant when P.K. showed up 20 minutes before opening time on a Saturday, it looks like there are currently enough people who love the place, or at least think they will, for it to stick around for at least a while.

Restaurant information
Kani O / かにを
Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Asakusa 2-22-8
東京都台東区浅草2-22-8
Open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

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JERUSALEM, June 2 — Israel’s defence minister said today there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks continued and vowed to establish a military-controlled zone in the area of south Lebanon’s Litani River.

“The Dahiyeh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel—if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Israel Katz said in a statement released by his office, referring to the Beirut southern suburb and Hezbollah stronghold where he had earlier Monday ordered strikes.

“At the same time, the IDF continues to operate with fire and manoeuvre against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Lebanon... in order to push threats away from IDF forces and from the residents of the State of Israel, and to turn the Litani area into a zone under IDF security control, free of weapons and terrorists,” Katz added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after announcing on Friday that a large part of south Lebanon was now considered a “combat zone”, despite a ceasefire.

After the ceasefire came into effect on April 17, Israel established a “Yellow Line” about a dozen kilometres from its northern border, inside Lebanese territory.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday his country was facing “a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression”.

Israel and Hezbollah frequently accuse each other of violating the terms of the ceasefire. — AFP

A Hong Kong couple have been arrested for child neglect after refusing to allow their baby boy, who was born without any medical record, to undergo a DNA test for birth registration.

Security minister Chris Tang told journalists on Tuesday afternoon that the couple, who said they were the parents of an infant named Danny, had been arrested in Cheung Sha Wan while the infant was sent to hospital for a health check.

Tang said the couple could not provide any medical records of the pregnancy or even a photo of the pregnancy to prove their parental relationship with the infant.

The baby had not had any medical check-ups since birth, which clearly constitutes child neglect, the security chief added.

The couple – identified by local media as Mr Tsang and Ms Kwan – caught widespread attention after they said online that the Swedish government had taken custody of their daughter, Lily, in 2023.

Saying they have not met their daughter since, the couple posted on their “Save Lily” Threads and Facebook accounts, appealing for the girl’s return to Hong Kong.

The couple said they practised “free births” and their baby boy was born in Hong Kong around two months ago.

Free birth, also called unassisted birth, involves a conscious decision to undergo pregnancy and give birth without professional maternity care or medical intervention. The trend has put the lives of mothers and babies at grave risk.

According to local media, the couple’s eldest daughter was born at home in Finland but died in infancy, and the Swedish government removed the second child, Lily, from their care due to health conditions.

In a written response to HK01, Linköping municipality in Sweden said that while it could not comment on a specific case, authorities would only apply to the court for a care order if the situation of a child was so severe that further protection was required and voluntary services were no longer sufficient to prevent harm to the child’s health or physical and mental development.

The infant Danny is yet to be registered in Hong Kong, although parents must register the birth of a newborn within 42 days of delivery. According to the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, it is a criminal offence for anyone to deliberately fail to register the birth of a child.

Speaking on Commercial Radio on Tuesday morning, Mr Tsang said he tried to register Danny’s birth within 42 days of delivery, but he did not want to submit DNA samples to authorities to verify the relationship between the couple and Danny.

Welfare minister Chris Sun told the press on Tuesday morning that authorities were aware of the case, but social workers could not find the couple after multiple attempts to visit them.

“We had been trying to contact the parents and family through various means since last Thursday. This included social workers making daily home visits – even waiting until nearly midnight on one occasion. We also tried to locate them at different times during the morning and afternoon, and left various contact details,” Sun said in Cantonese. “However, we were unable to reach them last week.”

Sun said social workers “established contact” with the couple only on Monday and tried to arrange a meeting with them.

DUNGUN, June 8 — A man who was injured in his leg while climbing Gunung Chemerong near Pasir Raja Forest Reserve here was rescued by firefighters in an operation today.

Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) deputy director, Senior Fire Superintendent I, Shahrin Yusmar Mat Yusof said his department received an emergency call regarding the incident at 1.21pm yesterday before six firefighters were rushed to the location to carry out the rescue operation.

He said the climbing activity was attended by 27 participants, including eight women from the Teachers and Staff Club of SMK Puncak Alam 3, Selangor, as well as four mountain guides.

He said that when the report was received, the participants were at the Sungai Bangan Waterfall area on Mount Chemerong and the victim was in stable condition.

“The 48-year-old male participant suffered a leg injury and was unable to walk due to fatigue from climbing so he had to ask for help from the fire department to be taken out of the mountain,” he said when contacted today.

Shahrin Yusmar said the distance to the location from the foot of the mountain was seven kilometres and it took six hours to reach the location.

“The victim was successfully taken out and safely arrived at the Fire Control Post (PKB) at the foothill of Mount Chemerong at 11.55 am this morning and was handed over to the medical team for further action,” he said.

Shahrin Yusmar said the rescue operation faced difficulties due to the rainy weather and the mountainous terrain which is winding and steep. — Bernama

On December 10, 2024, a woman arrived at a health facility in Pariak, a town in the state of Jonglei in South Sudan, with diarrhea, vomiting and symptoms of dehydration. She had recently returned from an area affected by cholera. In one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, where millions of people lack regular access to clean water and health services, this could have been the beginning of a new emergency.

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These fun and free St. Patrick’s Day printable activity sheets include all the iconic symbols of the holiday, like shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns, gold coins, pot of gold, and even a leprechaun trap! Why we love these printables Kids will have fun decoding puzzles and coloring! This free printable St. Patrick’s Day activity sheet pack includes... Go To project

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