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BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Hong Kong offers 500,000 free flights after Covid isolation

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Feb 2023 19:03
2 Min Read

Hong Kong’s leader launches major campaign designed to boost tourism, business and investment, including a giveaway of at least 500,000 free airline tickets to visitors and city residents.

  • x
  • Shoppers gather at a Lunar New Year flower market in the Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. The Year of the Rabbit officially begins on Jan. 22 (AP Photo/Anthony Kwan)
    Shoppers gather at a Lunar New Year flower market in the Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. The Year of the Rabbit officially begins on Jan. 22 (AP Photo/Anthony Kwan)

Hong Kong is ready to welcome the world back, promising more than 500,000 free air tickets and positive publicity to revive the country after three years of isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

In a rebranding campaign named "Hello, Hong Kong", the government bills itself as an effort to tell "good stories" about Hong Kong, where the political crisis accompanied with pandemic curbs have stained the city's business-friendly reputation.  

During a speech to business and tourism heavyweights, Chief Executive John Lee said there will be "no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions" and announced half a million free flights for visitors to experience the city's "hustle and bustle".  

The giveaway will open in March and will be distributed by local airlines HK Express, Cathay Pacific, and Hong Kong Airlines.  

During the summer, 80,000 more tickets will be offered to residents, with the carriers yet to announce destinations.    

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"This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the world's biggest welcome ever," Lee said.  

Beijing's zero-Covid doctrine of quarantine, closed borders and face masks contributed to an economic recession and the exodus of more than 2.5% of the population.

More than 130 international companies have closed their offices in Hong Kong over the past three years, and a recent poll of 253 Japanese companies showed securing quality workers was their top concern.

More than a quarter of the surveyed firms were concerned about brain drain resulting from the national security law Beijing imposed in 2020 to quell violent protests.  

Last year, more than 140,000 people left Hong Kong's labor force when the economy contracted by 3.5%.  

The city's reputation as a financial centre will hinge on its ability to uphold human rights, the top US diplomat in Hong Kong, Greg May, said last week.

  • Beijing
  • Hong Kong
  • zero-Covid strategy
  • COVID-19
  • Omicron
  • flights

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