Hong Kong

The asylum-seekers, from Sri Lanka and the Philippines, housed Mr Snowden for two weeks when he fled the US after leaking thousands of files.

A government spokesman said that there were no substantial grounds for believing that the claimants would face danger in their home countries.

The group, who are also seeking asylum in Canada, have 14 days to appeal.

The asylum-seekers - a Sri Lankan couple with two children, a Sri Lankan man and a Filipino mother with a daughter - were introduced to Edward Snowden by their lawyer, Robert Tibbo.

But these women are not victims of human trafficking.

They are among the approximately 330,000 domestic helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia who left their homes to find work in Hong Kong, some of whom are profiled in a new feature-length documentary called "The Helper" which is holding its Hong Kong premiere on Mother's Day.

The candidate will be chosen by a committee of mostly pro-Beijing electors, rather than a public vote, which pro-democracy campaigners have been fighting for.

Carrie Lam, deputy to the current leader, is China's choice for the role and is expected to win.

Ahead of the vote, around 1,000 people took to the streets to demand a greater say in who will lead Hong Kong.

Mrs Lam's main rival, former finance chief John Tsang, is the public's favourite, according to opinion polls.

The third candidate is retired judge Woo Kwok-hing.

The man had climbed a 20-metre-high (65ft) crane at a construction site, and police were called to the scene.

Ifzal Zaffar, who is of Pakistani descent, duly climbed up too and addressed him in their shared language.

The man agreed to come down, and was taken to hospital.

Constable Zaffer, who also speaks fluent Cantonese, said he was simply following his training.

"I used the techniques we learned at the academy … I think he felt safer knowing that I could talk to him in his own language," he told Apple Daily.

Criminal investigators from Sri Lanka are believed to have visited Hong Kong looking for them, their lawyer said.

The Sri Lankan police have denied the allegations.

Law enforcement authorities from mainland China or other countries have no jurisdiction in Hong Kong.

The lawyer representing the men, Robert Tibbo, said that at least two officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka police visited Hong Kong in December looking for them.

The victims have been transferred to local hospitals, although their conditions are not known, Hong Kong officials said.

A 60-year-old man has been arrested and accused of arson, Hong Kong police said at press conference Friday.

The man, whose last name is Cheung, was critically injured and told police he set the fire, authorities said.

Police said they believe the fire was an isolated incident carried out for personal reasons. There is no evidence it was terror-related, they said.

Russia captain and flanker Viktor Gresev was instrumental in the win with a hat trick of tries to his name.

The defending champions were out to a 21-0 lead after Gresev’s first two tries in the 12^th and 19^th minute.

The Pukpuks were on the board after 21 minutes of play when winger John Ephraim crossed over. An unsuccessful conversion brought the score to 21-5.

But Russia continued to pile on the points with more points to Anton Ryabov and Valery Tsnobiladze.

The Barras were in trouble early on in the match when openers Tony Ura (8) and Vani Vagi Morea (1) were dismissed.

Captain Assad Vala steadied the ship, top scoring with 70 runs. He was assisted along the way by Lega Siaka (22) and Sese Bau (40).

But after Vala’s dismissal, wickets continued to fall with the last four batsmen going for 28 runs. 

The Barras were all bowled out after 45.5 overs.

Nadeem Ahmed was his side’s top bowler, taking 4/50.

(File picture)

Hong Kong batted first and set a mammoth target of 269 for the Barras to chase for victory.

Barras started well knocking off Hong Kong openers cheaply off consecutive balls after deciding to bat, but a 78-run third-wicket stand from skipper  Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan got them back on track to end the overs at  6 for 269.

Chad Soper was the Barras’ best bowler, finishing with 3/39.

The warning calls for tropical storm winds of 63 to 117 kph (39 to 73 mph) and advises residents to secure windows, reinforce them with shutters, and remain indoors. The No. 8 Storm Signal is expected to remain in force most of the day in Hong Kong.

So far, the Home Affairs Department has opened 20 temporary shelters in various districts, with a total of 59 people seeking refuge at the shelters. The stock exchange (HKEX) is also closed.