Pedantic Panda

Anger swelling in Hong Kong over deadliest fire in more than 70 years Some think leader John Lee’s focus on blaming bamboo scaffolding deflects from actual cause

But some Hongkongers are angry about the focus that has been put on bamboo as a potential accelerant of the fire. On Thursday afternoon, much of the bamboo scaffolding remained standing, with the green mesh between the poles having been incinerated.

I drew North London

Disbarment and reprisals against Hong Kong lawyer Kevin Yam amid a broader pattern of intimidation of lawyers defending the rule of law - Lawyers for Lawyers Lawyers for Lawyers, the Law Society of England and Wales, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, Asian Lawyers Network, Lawyers’ ...

Grave concern over the disciplinary proceedings and subsequent disbarment of Hong Kong solicitor Kevin Yam.

YouTube video by The Guardian Patrick Stewart sketch: what has the ECHR ever done for us?

6 years old, more relevant than when it was made:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptfm...

The Law Council of Australia’s statement on Kevin Yam being struck off from the roll of solicitors in Hong Kong

Britain and Europe need to get serious about air conditioning In a rapidly warming world, a former extravagance is becoming a necessity

Seriously

Maybe the tweeting didn’t help?

Congratulations to David Webb, now David Webb MBE, on his Order of the British Empire award, for services to Raising Standards of Corporate Economic Governance, particularly in Hong Kong.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

buff.ly/2s1ndWd

The Streisand effect

Makes me want to consider admission in my old hometown

The Law Society of South Australia has spoken out against attempts to intimidate lawyer Ted Hui, which coincides with Hong Kong’s ruthless authoritarian turn in recent years. I’m not holding my breath for the Law Society of Hong Kong to speak out in my defence.

Hong Kong security law informers: 'We're in every corner, watching’ Ex-banker Innes Tang has established a hotline for reporting behaviours deemed disloyal to Beijing.

harrowing.

"One third of my friends and students are now in exile, another third of my friends and students are in jail, and I'm sort of… in limbo,"

www.bbc.com/news/article...

'Labour doesn't need to be welded to plan for change - we need a change of plan' Labour MP Emma Lewell writes: "Strong governments listen to the public and their MPs who are telling them they are making grave mistakes...Strong governments admit mistakes and change."

“Strong governments listen to the public and their MPs who are telling them they are making grave mistakes...Strong governments admit mistakes and change”

Labour MP Emma Lewel
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Australians have soundly rejected Trump-style culture wars. Now Albanese must act with courage and vision | Julianne Schultz We can no longer rely on the rest of the world to provide the lead – the future is ours to make

"Thank you, Donald Trump. Australians are much better at defining who they are by identifying what they are not, rather than by making lofty statements. And they have now said unequivocally that they are not angry little Americans, cultural warriors or self-interested libertarians."

Labour have a very easy option, rejoin the EU, get £42bn a year to spend, add £250bn a year to the economy.

Lose ZERO voters, gain millions.

It would win them the next election by itself.

Why won't they do it?

Australian justice Robert French resigned from Hong Kong’s top court on Friday, saying the role of overseas non-permanent judges at the Court of Final Appeal has become “increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic." In full: hongkongfp.com/2025/04/11/a...

Harvard University Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.

Harvard redid its whole homepage to push back against the administration’s demands. I mean, this is just a website but I think it’s kind of a great PR move: www.harvard.edu

Pete is pissed.

SRA wins appeal to prosecute Dentons again Over very dodgy client

Dentons correctly identified Client A as high risk, but then “relied on internet searches and Mr Chateau’s knowledge of Client A’s employment”, and “mistakenly believed” that prior to the merger he had already asked Client A about the source of his wealth

Operator of OKX crypto exchange enters guilty plea, to pay more than $504 million, US says reut.rs/3Xfz5DZ

Trump is the world’s greatest showman – and the weakest strongman it has ever seen | Jonathan Freedland His capitulation to Putin over Ukraine reveals a pattern. He’s the patsy: giving everything away, getting little in return, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

“The president’s surrender is pathetic and weak.” This is the right language to use. Trump may be the greatest showman, but he is the weakest strongman the world has ever seen.

BREAKING CROSSPOST: Donald Trump Was Recruited by the KGB Under Codename ‘Krasnov’ Claims Former Soviet Spy Chief Byline Times has crashed due to a DDOS attack and the original story blocked: a former senior KGB chief claims Trump was recruited by them in 1987 due to his role as a prominent US businessman

www.bylinesupplement.com/p/breaking-c...

You cannot determine whether you saved or cost money based solely on one side of the ledger.

Example: I saved my household $2K by not paying the mortgage.

If the Democratic Party embraces disruption and challenges orthodoxies, it could bounce back quickly. Americanism, law & order, innovation, competence, anti-corruption… it all plays against Trumpism. Dems just need a mission for the country that’s bigger than identity politics.

Trump’s inaugural address centers on pledge to lift a country in ‘decline’ In his second Inaugural Address, the president reprised dark themes from his first and laid out an expansive policy agenda.

President Trump's inaugural address was a misleading assessment of the U.S. It has a growing economy, falling inflation, slowing illegal immigration, a record-breaking stock market, the lowest levels of violent crime in years and a military that has limited engagement in conflicts around the world.

Hong Kong's 45 jailed democrats: What exactly is now illegal? "The question which has been awaiting an answer since before the trial, and indeed before the primary, is: how can this possibly be illegal?" writes Tim Hamlett.

"The question which has been awaiting an answer since before the trial, and indeed before the primary, is: how can this possibly be illegal?" writes Tim Hamlett.

In full: https://buff.ly/4fSB5cm

Hong Kong: A decade of protest is now a defiant memory The BBC speaks to Hongkongers whose hopes for a freer city have withered.

BBC: Silenced and erased, Hong Kong's decade of protest is now a defiant memory
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Hong Kong top court upholds rulings protecting inheritance, housing rights for same-sex couples Hong Kong recognises same-sex marriage only in certain circumstances, but court rulings protect access to subsidised housing and inheritance Hong Kong’s top court upheld earlier rulings that favoured subsidised housing benefits and equal inheritance…

Hong Kong top court upholds rulings protecting inheritance, housing rights for same-sex couples

全國人大常委會法工委副主任張勇：「港人治港」不完全是指香港只能由港人治理 - 光傳媒 Photon Media 基本法委員會副主任、全國人大常委會法工委副主任張勇昨（24日）出席講座，指根據《憲法》，一國兩制中的「港人治港」，不完全是指香港只能由港人來管治，全國人大作為國家的主權者，可行使任何它認為應當由其行使的權利，指出「中央也要治港，不治港這個基本法哪裏來？」

A Beijing official has given a new interpretation of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong" - that Hong Kong is not just ruled by Hong Kong people, but also by the central government

photonmedia.net/hkppladminis...

Meta Finally Breaks Its Silence on Pig Butchering The company gave details for the first time on its approach to combating organized criminal networks behind the devastating scams.

Meta announced today that it's done 2 million account takedowns related to pig butchering this year, but the real news is Meta talking about pig butchering in any specific/substantial way (the company has warned a bit about investment/romance scams in the past)
www.wired.com/story/meta-p...