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Photo of the Day Jul 2019
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 Schloss Schonbrunn The opulent Baroque-styled Schloss Schonbrunn, the summer palace of the Hasburgs, has 1441 rooms, of which 40 are open to the public. It is backed by the beautifully tended French-styled formal palace gardens and a UNESCO World Heritage. Vienna . Austria | 2018 20 Jul 2019  My photo is the top story on the front page of Master-Insight.  Hofburg Palace of Vienna The Hofburg, symbol of Austria's resplendent cultural heritage, was the principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 to 1918 and today serves as the offices of the President. Hofburg shows many different architectural styles, from Gothic to Renaissance, Baroque to Rococo, and Classicism, as each ruler added its imprint. With many squares and gardens, the Hofburg occupies an area of some 59 acres and comprising 18 groups of buildings, 19 courtyards, and 2,600 rooms. Vienna . Austria | 2019 19 Jul 2019  Vienna's Belvedere The Baroque palaces of Belvedere, set in a garden landscape and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates. The palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, during a period of prosperity in Vienna, which at the time was both the imperial capital and home to the ruling Habsburg dynasty. Vienna . Austria | 2019 18 Jul 2019  Hungarian Parliament at Budapest The Eclectic-style Parliament, a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture with Renaissance and Baroque characters and designed by Imre Steindl was completed in 1902. Hungary's largest building, it has 691 sumptuously decorated rooms and stretches for some 268m along the Danube on the Pest side of Budapest, Hungary. Budapest . Hungary | 2019 17 Jul 2019  Budapest's Castle Hill Castle Hill is a kilometre-long limestone plateau towering 170m above River Danube. It contains some of Budapest's most important medieval monuments and museums and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Matthias Church, a neo-Gothic structure dating back 500 years, rises above. Budapest . Hungary | 2019 16 Jul 2019  Balatonfured's Marina at Dusk Balatonfured is considered to be the capital of the Northern Balaton Lake shore and is a yachting destination with the most stylish marina. With a superb tree-lined promenade along the shore, it is the most fashionable town on the Lake. Balatonfured . Hungary | 2019 15 Jul 2019  Festetics Palace Hungary The glimmering white, 100-room Baroque Festetics Palace in Keszthely, Hungary was constructed starting in 1745, and the two wings were extended out from the original building 150 years later. Some 18 splendid rooms in the Baroque south wing are now part of the Helikon Palace Museum, as is the palace's greatest treasure, the Helikon Library, with its 90,000 volumes and splendid carved furniture. Keszthely . Hungary | 2019 14 Jul 2019  Pier at Lake Balaton Known as the Hungarian inner sea, Lake Balaton is home to picturesque landscapes surrounded by ancient fortresses, underwater cave, thermal lake, galleries, vineyards and historic towns. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, at 600 sq km (230 sq miles), and a foremost tourist destination. Keszthely . Hungary | 2019 13 Jul 2019  Firewatch Tower of Sopron Hungary The 16th-century Firewatch Tower at the north end of Foter, the main square, is the symbol of Sopron, Hungary. Constructed on the remains of the former Roman town wall in the 13th century, it was rebuilt after a great fire in 1676. A narrow spiral staircase of 116 steps leads to the summit of this 60m-high tower from which trumpeters would warn of fire, mark the hour and watch for salespeople trying to smuggle in non-Sopron wine. Sopron . Hungary | 2019 12 Jul 2019  3 Arrested for Bar Brawl by Riot Police Serious bar brawl broke out on Venturska Street at the heart of Bratislava Old Town on Wednesday evening. Explosions were heard, shattering glass and bottles with fire broke out, apparently by Molotov cocktails. Numerous tables and chairs were damaged. Tens of riot police and firemen arrived and cleared the scene quickly. At least 3 men were arrested with others fleeing into the neighbouring streets. Bratislava . Slovakia | 2019 11 Jul 2019  Silent Protest by Lawyers Against '709 Crackdown' Hong Kong Lawyers and activists gather at the Court of Final Appeal at 6 pm and stand silently for 7 minutes 9 seconds to protest the mass arrest of human rights lawyers in China on 9 July 2015 on its fourth anniversary on Tuesday. Four years after the '709 crackdown' on rights lawyers, many of about 321 rights lawyers, legal assistants and activists arrested across China are still in jail, detained or under strict surveillance. Wang Quanzhang, who had been secretly detained for nearly 1100 days, has been jailed for 4.5 years in January and his wife and family were not allowed to visit him until 28 June. His wife Li Wenzu has since expressed serious concern for his health and well-being as a result of ill-treatment. Lawyer Yu Wensheng, the defence lawyer of Wang, has been under arbitrary detention for more than 500 days, and is awaiting sentencing after being secretly tried on 9th May 2019. The activists also condemn the new trend of admistrative punishment by revoking the licenses of the rights lawyers. From Jan 2017 to Sep 2019, licenses of 26 rights lawyers and law firms had been revoked, invalidated or suspended. They strongly condemn the Chinese Government's relentless and ruthless suppression against people in pursuit of freedom of speech, justice and rule of law. Central . Hong Kong | 2019 10 Jul 2019  Press Assns Condemn Police over Insults & Jostling Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association issued a joint statement, sternly condemning the police for repeatedly using shields to push the front line reporters and their cameras, yelled at and even assaulted reporters, thus impeded freedom of the press. The statement stated that most reporters on scene wore vests with “PRESS” printed on them, carried press passes on them and identified themselves as journalists. They added that despite following police instructions to step away from the front line, journalists faced “malicious jostling” from the police. The two unions said similar acts against journalists had repeatedly occurred during recent protests. “We hope the police to reflect on the issue, to respect the right for media to report, to defend press freedom and to protect the public's right to know,” they said. Civil Rights Watch said that many protesters questioned why plainclothes officers and the Special Tactical Squad did not display their warrants and police officer number when on duty in accordance with the Police General Order. They were also concerned about journalists have been pushed and rudely treated by the police. Admiralty . Hong Kong | 2019 9 Jul 2019  Over 230,000 people marched in Kowloon Over 230,000 marched from Salusbury Garden in Tsimshatsui to the West Kowloon High Speed Rail (HSR) terminal on Sunday, according to organisers of an anti- extradition law protest, to inform visitors from the mainland about their movement. At about 3 pm, Salisbury Garden and nearby areas were filled with protesters in black. Banners list the demands: withdrawal of the laws, revoke the categorisation as "riot", and dropping charges against the arrested. Mr Lau, one of the organisers, criticized the police for deploying a disproportionate number of police outside the HSR station. They believed that the police not only hindered people from using the HSR station, but also made it difficult for the protesters to disperse when they reached the destination. Apart from the D and K exits today, the rest of the entrances to the HSR Station were closed all day. The HSR trains stop selling same day ticket and barricades were set up 10 metres outside the HSR Station to check tickets. Mainland visitors without purchased tickets have to change to the MTR East Rail Line to return to the Mainland and think that the HSR over-reacted. Dr Chung Kim Wah, director of the Social Policy Research Center of the Polytechnic University, who tried to travel to Guangzhou, criticized: "Police is simply creating inconvenience. The protest march starts only in the afternoon, but the police have already caused considerable inconvenience in the morning." Tsimshatsui . Hong Kong | 2019 8 Jul 2019  My photo is the top story on the front page of Master-Insight.  Thousands Mourn Ms Wu On 30 June, Ms Wu fell from the International Finance Centre (IFC). She had a cheerful personality and participated in the march on June 9 and 16 but was dissatisfied with the government's actions and response. On 6 July, about a thousand people participated in the memorial service held in Edinburgh Place in Central, including traditional offering of incense, Buddhist chanting and candlelight vigil, expressing the sadness and remembrance for the departure of Ms Wu. In order to avoid the recurrence of similar tragedies, there are social workers and pastors who listen to and counsel repressed feelings of the attendees. Central . Hong Kong | 2019 7 Jul 2019  My photo is the top story on the front page of Master-Insight.  8000 Hong Kong Moms Rally for Young Protesters A group of Hong Kong mothers held a rally "Between Human Life and Glass Panels: The Choice of HongKongers" at Chater Garden last night (5 July) to support young people who protested against China Extradition. Wong Kit-ying, one of the organisers, said that the rally hopes to provide support to the young people. Some also worried that after the Legislative Council incident on 1 July, the "No China Extradition" movement would lose support from the people. They want to show that mothers still support the young people's ideas. Their message to the authorities in Hong Kong: let go of your arrogance, respect life, and accept the demands of Hong Kong people and young people as soon as possible. The organizers said that 8,000 people attended the rally, with Chater Garden packed to capacity. Central . Hong Kong | 2019 6 Jul 2019  "Stand with Hong Kong at G20" Global Newspaper Show The exhibition showcases 19 prideful copies of open letters printed in newspapers across 13 countries, published from 27 to 29 June, including the US "Washington Post" and the "New York Times", the British "Financial Times", Japan "Yomiuri Shimbun", Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan and other newspapers. The crowdfunded campaign raised over HKD$6.7 million within a few hours, well surpassing its initial target of HK$3 million. The exhibition illustrates major incidents of the anti-extradition bill movement and the timeline of the crowdfunding campaign. The curators cordially put together a book of published advertisements along with exclusively unpublished designs for public viewing. 2-7 July 1-8pm | ACO Art Space | 6/F, Foo Tak Bldg, 365 Hennessy Rd, Wanchai Wanchai . Hong Kong | 2019 5 Jul 2019  My photo is the top story on the front page of Master-Insight.  A Preacher Initiated Hunger Strike Since the beginning of the amendment of the "Fugitive Offenders Ordinance", from marathon hymn singing to praying for Hong Kong, many religious people have joined the social movement. After the incident of the Legislative Council on July 1, the "Good Neighbourhood North District Church" preacher Roy Chan intiated a hunger strike at Admiralty indefinitely from 10 am on July 3. Chan feels that as a preacher who believe in Jesus, he should stand up and speak out. "Through moral appeal, I hope that more people will pay attention to the incident, to put pressure on the government to respond to the four demands of the people. The four demands are very just." Therefore, try to arouse attention through this action. At present, three people joined in the hunger strike, including former Legislative Council Member, The Reverend Fung Chi-wood. Admiralty . Hong Kong | 2019 4 Jul 2019  Independent Investigation Required - IPCC "Toothless Tiger" The amendments of the "Fugitive Offenders Ordinance" dispute triggered a series of protests, and the police response attracted attention. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) announced yesterday that a special task force will be set up to examine the public activities, including the July 1st attack on the Legislative Council, to assess whether the police operate in accordance with procedures, laws and guidelines. IPCC Chairman Anthony Neoh has repeatedly acknowledged that they have no power to call witnesses, and ask the police, the public and the media provide information for review. Informants will be reported to the Police if they broke the law. Some lawyers criticize the system as being ridiculous and discourange complaints; civil rights organizations say that the police have limited investigative powers and lack legal protection for witnesses, and cannot replace an independent investigation commision established by the government. This is the 10th Anniversary of the IPCC since its inception in June 2009. An examination of the statistics of the past 9 years revealed that only 3% to 4% of the complaints were confirmed each year. In about 90% of the cases, the officers were only warned or admonised, showing that IPCC advice were ignored. In 4 years, the complaint acceptance rate by the police was 0%. Some civil society groups have criticised the IPCC as a "toothless tiger." In 7 years from 2011/12 to 2017/18, there were 2,119 allegations of police assaults, but only 2 counts were accepted, with a success rate of only 0.09%. 11 former members of the IPCC, another 32 former senior goverment officials and members of the Legislative Council jointly urged the government to set up an independent investigation committee led by a credible person. Admiralty . Hong Kong | 2019 3 Jul 2019  'Live Free or Die' : Artist Kacey Wong Visual artist Kacey Wong marched on 1st July with a huge black flag, symbolising 'Give me liberty or give me death'. Wong says: When the helicopters carrying the Communist occupiers flags, our black flags are flying in the air. There are really nothing worth celebrating on the July 1st change of sovereignty in Hong Kong, from the abusive 7 Hong Kong Police incident to the booksellers kidnapping incidents, to the recent 3 Hong Kong citizens suiciding for freedom. There are just too much absurdity, proving this city is slowly heading towards death, being kidnapped by the Chinese Communist Party. My art work for this year's Hong Kong July 1st Protest is a black flag. It symbolises mourning, pain, resistance, and the power to mourn this dying city. It also express the resistance spirit of 'Live Free or Die' (Viurem lliures o morirem). Admiralty . Hong Kong | 2019 2 Jul 2019  Another Epic March for Democracy When all west-bound traffic lanes are flooded with protesters outside Victoria Park, the start of the annual protest march, it points to another record-breaking epic rally for democracy marking the 22nd anniversary of city's return to Chinese rule. 50,000 marched last year. This year probably exceed 500,000. Many defy police warnings by joining in after the official start from Victoria Park, where a celebration organised by a pro-China group that took over the six footall courts is attended only by a handful of people. Protesters are forced to squeeze into a small lawn at great inconvenience. The protesters marched from Causeway Bay to Government headquarters in Admiralty demanding 'No Extradition to China' and 'Carrie Lam Step Down'. Visual artist Kacey Wong marched all the way with a huge black flag, symbolising 'Give me liberty or give me death'. Earlier at 3:20 am, a black Hong Kong regional flag was hung at the flagpole outside the Legislative Council, juxtaposed against the red regional flag flying at half mast next to it, satirising the official flag raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square. It symbolises the protest against the authoritarian rule and numerous political prisoners in China and Hong Kong. Causeway Bay . Hong Kong | 2019 1 Jul 2019  My photo is the top story on the front page of Master-Insight. 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