Kwok is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council
FILE PHOTO: Anna Kwok, 26, a Washington D.C. based Hong Kong activist, who has been designated by the Hong Kong police as a fugitive with a $1 million Hong Kong dollars bounty offered for her arrest, is photographed near the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
Hong Kong national security police have arrested the father and brother of wanted activist Anna Kwok for allegedly dealing with her finances, local media reported on Friday, in the first use of the city’s security law to deal with an absconder’s relatives.
Kwok is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council and one of 19 overseas activists wanted by the city’s national security police. She is accused of colluding with foreign forces and police have offered a bounty of HK$1 million ($127,656) for her arrest.
Hong Kong’s national security law has been criticised by rights groups and several democratic nations for eroding freedoms and quashing dissent in the financial hub. The United States has also strongly condemned the city’s ongoing harassment of the family members of pro-democracy activists living overseas.
Police said in a press release on Friday that they had arrested two men aged 35 and 68 on April 30 on suspicion of handling “funds or other financial assets” belonging to Kwok.
Local media cited unnamed sources saying the two men were Kwok’s father and brother.
According to a charge sheet seen by Reuters, 68-year-old Kwok Yin-sang, identified as Anna Kwok’s father by Hong Kong media, was charged under the security law on Friday morning for attempting to deal with the finances.
The document said he had been trying to deal with Kwok’s life and personal accident insurance policy which could be used to obtain funds.
Local media reported that he was denied bail by designated national security judge Victor So at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, while the younger man has been released on bail pending further investigation. The case was adjourned to June 13.
A lawyer for Kwok’s relatives could not be reached for comment.
Police warned the public that handling an absconder’s funds was a serious offence punishable by a maximum of seven years in jail.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the security law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong’s economic success.
Players willing to continue to access the U.S. market are forced to hike their price tags
FILE PHOTO: Parcels await processing at a post office as Hong Kong Post stops certain U.S.-bound shipments since April 27 due to new U.S. tariff rules, in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
As the United States ends a tariff exemption for small parcels on Friday, some retailers have stopped selling to U.S. customers while others are seeking temporary workarounds in the hope the tariff rate may be reduced.
The removal of “de minimis” – duty-free treatment of e-commerce packages worth less than $800 – for products originating from China and Hong Kong exposes those goods to tariffs of 145% on most Chinese goods following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision last month. The move upended global trade and triggered retaliation from Beijing.
British beauty products retailer Space NK has paused e-commerce orders and shipping to the United States “to avoid incorrect or additional costs being applied to our customers’ orders”, the company said in a notice on Wednesday.
It is not alone. Understance, a Vancouver-based company that sells bras and underwear manufactured in China, told customers in an Instagram post that it would no longer ship to the United States due to the tariffs, saying it will resume once there is clarity.
“We’re going from zero to 145%, which is really untenable for companies and untenable for customers,” said Cindy Allen, CEO of Trade Force Multiplier, a global trade consultancy.
“I’ve seen a lot of small to medium-sized businesses just choose to exit the market altogether,” she added.
Import charges can vary depending on shipment methods. For goods handled by the U.S. Postal Service the tariff will be 120% of their value, or $100 per package. The amount is due to increase to $200 in June, according to implementation guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
PRICE HIKES UNDERWAY
Players willing to continue to access the U.S. market are forced to hike their price tags.
Oh Polly, a British clothing retailer, has increased prices in the U.S. by 20% compared to its other markets, and may have to consider further price increases because of the higher tariffs, said managing director Mike Branney.
Singapore-based fast-fashion giant Shein sought to reassure customers in a post on its U.S. Instagram account on Thursday, saying: “Some products may be priced differently than before, but the majority of our collections remain as affordable as ever.” Shein sells clothes mostly manufactured in China, and the U.S. is its biggest market.
Temu, the international arm of Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, prominently featured products already in U.S. warehouses on its website, labelled ‘Local’, and a pop-up informed customers there would be no import charges for local warehouse items.
“All sales in the U.S. are now handled by locally based sellers, with orders fulfilled from within the country,” Temu said in a statement, adding that its pricing for U.S. customers “remains unchanged”.
But items imported before the May 2 change will eventually run out. Both Shein and Temu have slashed their U.S. digital advertising spending in the past weeks as they prepared for the change that is likely to hit their sales.
Shein did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
De minimis was initially introduced to smooth online shopping and boost international trade, but became the target of bipartisan criticism due to its role in facilitating smuggling of fentanyl ingredients from China and fuelling a surge in imports of cheap clothes, toys, and furniture made in China through online platforms like Temu, Shein, and Amazon Haul.
De minimis has also been a channel for counterfeit goods. In 2024, de minimis shipments accounted for 97% of the intellectual property infringement-related cargo seizures made by Customs and Border Protection.
Without de minimis, sellers of goods made in China have to provide U.S. customs with more detailed information about where each component of their product is made, an increased administrative burden that, along with the huge tariff cost, is dissuading small retailers.
UPS CEO Carol Tome said on Tuesday that many of the delivery firm’s small to medium-sized business customers source 100% of their goods from China.
U.S. online marketplace Etsy said in a notice to sellers earlier this month that it was making it easier for them to clarify the country of origin of their products, as tariffs are applied based on where a good is made rather than where it is dispatched from.
While disruptive to ecommerce, the end of de minimis treatment of Chinese goods could give a boost to retailers less reliant on ecommerce or on Chinese manufacturing.
British fast-fashion retailer Primark, which sells clothes to U.S. customers only through its stores across the country, not online, said it could benefit from the change.
“With prices going up from this part of the trade, I wonder if some Americans might start going back to shopping centres to find value there,” George Weston, CEO of Primark owner Associated British Foods, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Reporting by Helen Reid, additional reporting by Amy Tennery, Lisa Baertlein, James Davey; Editing by Lisa Jucca, Anna Driver and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
The 49-year-old comedian slowly and silently made his way into Westminster Magistrates’ Court
British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault, walks outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
International news via Reuters:
British actor and comedian Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday to face charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault in cases relating to four separate women more than two decades ago.
Brand, once one of Britain’s most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of U.S. pop singer Katy Perry, has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations about him were first aired two years ago.
The 49-year-old comedian, wearing sunglasses and a dark shirt unbuttoned to his chest, slowly picked his way through a throng of reporters and cameramen into Westminster Magistrates’ Court without speaking.
In the dock, he was read out the charges he faced of rape, oral rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault involving the four women between 1999 and 2005.
British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault, leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe
He stared ahead as prosecutor Suki Dhadda detailed a summary of the charges which involved raping a woman in her hotel room, groping one of the women’s breasts and buttocks, and trying to pull another of the complainants into a toilet.
He did not enter a plea, and spoke only to confirm his name and address and to thank the judge, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, when he said he was free to leave on conditional bail until his next hearing at London’s Old Bailey court on May 30.
“You face a number of allegations,” Goldspring told him, saying Brand risked prison or a fine if he did not attend court.
After the charges were first announced last month, Brand said in a video statement posted to social media that in his younger days, before getting married and having children, he had been a fool and a sex addict but “what I never was, was a rapist”.
“I have never engaged in non-consensual activity,” he said in the video. “I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
In the 2000s, Brand was a regular on British screens, known for his flamboyant style and appearance. He worked for the BBC and starred in a number of films including “Get Him to the Greek” before marrying Perry in 2010. They divorced 14 months later.
British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault, leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe
By the early 2020s, he had faded from mainstream culture, appearing primarily on his internet channel where he airs his views on U.S. politics and free speech.
In September 2023, the Sunday Times newspaper and Channel 4 TV’s documentary show “Dispatches” reported allegations of sex offences against him, and London police opened an investigation some weeks later.
Brand, who said last year he had become a Christian, rejected those accusations.
“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” he said.
Reporting by Michael HoldenEditing by Gareth Jones, William Maclean
The Paris Agreement requires all countries to submit Nationally Determined Contributions
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev speaks during a closing plenary meeting at the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
International news via Reuters:
Azerbaijan, host of last year’s United Nations climate summit, will deliver its overdue climate action plan by September, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev told Reuters on Thursday, adding the oil-producing country was advancing its green energy transition,
Azerbaijan had said it would use its presidency of the annual U.N. talks to lead by example and persuade countries to submit national climate plans aligned with the U.N. goal to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)above pre-industrial levels.
The Paris Agreement requires all countries to submit Nationally Determined Contributions, or climate action plans, that describe policies or decisions to cut emissions, and update them every few years.
But only a handful of countries submitted plans by the original February deadline and Azerbaijan was among those who failed to do so, prompting the U.N. to extend the deadline to September.
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev walks during a closing plenary meeting at the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
“It is very easy to declare something,” Babayev said, noting that countries may have delayed submission of their NDCs due to the need for more preparation into developing their programmes.
He said Azerbaijan was developing a comprehensive programme on a transition to a lower carbon economy and would submit its plan by September.
Campaigners are concerned global efforts to tackle climate change are losing momentum after the United States, historically the biggest producer of greenhouse gases, under President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the United Nations’ efforts and big business has abandoned sustainability goals.
Babayev said Azerbaijan was working towards a goal to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and planned to increase its solar capacity, as well as seeking to export offshore wind from the Caspian Sea to EU customers.
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev holds a hammer as he attends a plenary meeting, during the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
“For us, it’s so important to demonstrate how the country with a big oil and gas history (has) now turned the economy to the green energy direction,” he said.
Only 19 countries have submitted new Nationally Determined Contributions, according to tracker Climate Watch.
Azerbaijan this year hands the presidency of the U.N. talks to Brazil, which will host COP30 in November.
Reporting by Virginia Furness; Editing by Rachna Uppal and Barbara Lewis
Farage has been mindful of voters’ concerns over some of Trump’s positions
Reform party leader Nigel Farage celebrates as the party wins the Runcorn and Helsby by-election results at Halton Stadium in Widnes, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
International news via Reuters:
Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party won a vacant parliamentary seat, a mayoralty and a host of local council posts on Friday in early results from elections leader Nigel Farage said proved it was now the real opposition.
The populist Reform, led by the veteran campaigner for Brexit, hopes Thursday’s local elections in England will mark the breakdown of a century of domination of British politics by the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives.
In the most closely watched contest, for the vacant parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby, Reform won by just six votes after a full recount, giving Farage’s party its fifth seat in the House of Commons. Labour had won the seat in last year’s national election with a majority of almost 15,000.
Reform party leader Nigel Farage celebrates as the party wins the Runcorn and Helsby by-election results at Halton Stadium in Widnes, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
“It’s been a huge night for Reform,” Farage told reporters. “This is heartland Labour Party, their vote has collapsed and much of it has come to us.”
The Conservatives – historically one of the most successful parties of any modern democracy – were now “toast”, he said.
“You’re witnessing the end of a party that’s been around since 1832.”
Reform won the mayoral race in Greater Lincolnshire: Andrea Jenkyns, a former Conservative government minister who defected to Reform after losing her seat last year, became its most powerful elected politician yet, with responsibility for an area covering about a million people.
It was also leading all parties in the initial tally of councillors elected, though only a small number of more than 1,600 seats up for grabs on local authorities had so far been declared.
The fracturing of the political landscape has given an opening to Farage to stake his claim to represent the right of British politics, since a general election last year consigned the Conservatives to historic defeat, losing more than half of their support.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in British history last summer, has since suffered the fastest decline in popularity of any newly elected government.
His government has raised taxes and cut benefits for the elderly, saying the moves were necessary to restore financial stability after 14 years of Conservative mismanagement.
Farage, long a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, has been mindful of voters’ concerns over some of Trump’s positions which have hurt the right-wing vote in countries such as Canada, and has distanced himself from Trump over tariffs and Ukraine.
“Reform UK look like the real deal this morning,” said Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at polling firm Ipsos. “That said, with increased support comes scrutiny. Where they do win, they will need to show they can deliver the change their voters want.”
Reform party leader Nigel Farage and candidate Sarah Pochin react as the party wins the Runcorn and Helsby by-election results at Halton Stadium in Widnes, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
CONSERVATIVES SUFFER
Voters cast their ballots on Thursday for local authority seats across much of England and six high-profile mayoral elections, with results coming in throughout Friday.
Runcorn and Helsby was the only parliamentary seat up for grabs after its Labour lawmaker quit following a conviction for punching one of his constituents. It was Labour’s 49th safest seat at last year’s general election.
A Labour spokesperson said the results showed that voters “clearly expect the government to move faster” to change Britain after 14 years of Conservative rule.
Reform party leader Nigel Farage reacts as the party wins the Runcorn and Helsby by-election results at Halton Stadium in Widnes, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
The Conservatives, under the new leadership of right-leaning Kemi Badenoch, suffered expected losses having yet to recover from last year’s defeat. Co-chairman Nigel Huddleston said winning back trust in the party would “take us a long time”.
In her mayoral victory speech, Jenkyns pledged to bring an end to “soft touch Britain” and said asylum seekers should be held in tents, not in hotels as they often are in Britain.
“The rebuilding begins here … we’re going to have a Britain where we put British people first,” she said.
Labour managed to hold on despite losing votes to reform in three of the other mayoral contests: in North Tyneside, the West of England and Doncaster.
Labour’s support plunged by 23 percentage points in North Tyneside and by 11 percentage points in Doncaster compared to 2021.
Ros Jones, who won for Labour in Doncaster, said her party was being punished for its moves to reduce spending. Asked if Starmer’s government was listening, Jones said: “I would say ‘no’.”
Reform was founded as the Brexit Party in 2018 and written off in its early years as a one-issue party only interested in limiting immigration. But it has seen a surge in its support over recent months, beating Labour and the Conservatives in some opinion polls.
It hopes the results on Friday will give it a chance to build up its local infrastructure and cement its place as the best positioned party to challenge Labour and the Conservatives at the next national election, expected in 2029.
Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; additional reporting by William James, Catarina Demony and Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Kate Holton and Philippa Fletcher
Pickleball travelers tend to travel more frequently than average tourists
It’s the sport that’s sweeping the globe—and now, it’s serving up a new kind of tourism. Pickleball is now big business, drawing travelers to destinations that offer courts, clinics, and competition. And Gavin Manders, Director of the Pickleball Association of Bermuda and Captain of Team Bermuda’s recently crowned regional champions, says now is the time for the island to tap into a growing wave of visitors who pack their paddles right alongside their passports.
Bermuda is set to make its first major foray into pickleball tourism next February as it gears up to host the 2026 Caribbean Championships. Following Team Bermuda’s triumph at the inaugural event in the Cayman Islands earlier this year, Mr. Manders believes that, with the right support, next year’s tournament could be even bigger and position Bermuda as a premier destination for pickleball travellers.
Bragging rights and prize money will be on the line during this Friday’s Bermuda Pacers Track Club, Schools Relay Classic. Race co-director and Pacers Head Coach, Cal Simons, tells us what we can expect for the 16th edition of the annual youth track meet.
The top primary, middle, and secondary schools will each receive a cheque for $3,900 to support their athletic programs. The Relay Classic takes place this Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the National Sports Centre.
Cricket: BCB Hosts Skills and Drills Sessions to Gauge Local Interest in Ladies Cricket
Since setting viewership records at the 2020 World Cup, women’s cricket has continued to grow and break new ground worldwide. To gauge local interest in the sport, the Bermuda Cricket Board is hosting the Girls’ and Women’s Creeo Cricket Festival tomorrow evening at the National Sports Centre. The event will feature skills and drills sessions for ladies aged 13 and up, led by coaches and cricketer Katherine Bean-Rosario, who will be one of the lead demonstrators.
Ms. Bean-Rosario, also known for her football talent, enjoys the strategic side of cricket and isn’t shy about showcasing her skills in our local men’s league.
The the Girls’ and Women’s Creeo Cricket Festival will take place at the North Field of the National Sports Centre Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 6 to 8.30pm.
Ahead of the Budget, Economist is unconvinced about the touted revenue figures
Economist Craig Simmons wants more clarity over Government’s plans to clear the national debt.
Our debt service – paying the interest on our loans – is currently around $127 million dollars every year.
That’s similar to the annual taxpayer cost of the Ministry of National Security – including the Police and Fire Services.
In the interview above, Mr Simmons argues that we still don’t have a picture of what the Corporate Income Tax may, or may not, contribute to our economy.
Economist suggests Gov’t should work with grocery stores on price cuts, rather than blame them
Price controls don’t work.
That’s the opinion of Economist Craig Simmons, who suggests Government is tacitly blaming local grocery stores for contributing to the high cost of living, rather than working with them to find solutions.
Speaking to Gary Foster Skelton ahead of tomorrow’s Budget, Mr Simmons also compares price controls to rent control – which he says impacts the availability of affordable housing.
At the top of the list is enhancing pricing controls on groceries, and examining the financial records of businesses.
Economist Craig Simmons, however, says Government is villianising local businesses.
“There’s an old expression that you catch more flies with honey”, Mr Simmons says.
“The government’s approach seems to be not to use honey, but to treat businesspeople as the enemy, and the reason why the cost of living in Bermuda is so high”
“The cost of living is so high because we’re out in the middle of nowhere, and it’s difficult getting stuff here.”
Government’s Cost of Living survey finished yesterday, and it included some pointed questions as to whether people believed duty cuts on essentials were being passed on to customers, and whether Government should strengthen price monitoring and enforcement.
Mr Simmons says, “it would make more sense to work with the business community to try and figure out things, in the same way that the government worked with the international business community to bring on a corporate income tax.”
“You seem to treat foreigners nicer than you do your own people.”
Speaking to Gary Foster Skelton, Mr Simmons also compared the concept of price controls to rent controls in the housing market.
Craig Simmons: “Rent control is targeted at the bottom end of the the market. At the top end, you can charge whatever rent you want. And interestingly enough, it’d be easier to find places at the top end than at the bottom end. So my argument is this – rent control is making it unprofitable for contractors, for landlords, to invest money in constructing new affordable housing, because they will be told by the government the maximum that they can charge… rent control in and of itself creates shortages of affordable housing.”
GFS:“…therefore you think some kind of price control could have a similar effect upon grocery stores?”
Craig Simmons: “That’s exactly the argument. It would make more sense to work with the grocery stores to target those items that low income people buy… I would make the argument that grocery stores are trying their best to keep costs down. And when a government stands up and says that you are the problem, that doesn’t bode well for relationships with the business community. And so, there is this sort of hostile standoff between the two that’s not going to bring down the cost of living in Bermuda. The government is going the wrong way.”
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
