Hong Kong: Late kung fu superstar Bruce Lee may be an international icon, but he is still not the complete local hero in Hong Kong.
Fans are marking his death 40 years ago this weekend with art gallery shows, exhibitions and even street graffiti but some people are urging Hong Kong’s government to do more to honor the former British colony’s biggest star. Lawmakers and scholars have joined calls from fans, fearing the government is wary of fully embracing Lee’s legacy. His enduring spirit of youthful rebellion and a willingness to fight big oppressors may have spooked city leaders prone to second-guessing their political masters in Beijing.
“The Hong Kong government or the people on top of the governing body are not thinking, first of all, in terms of Hong Kong people’s mindset,” said Lo Wai-luk, an associate professor in the Academy of Film at Hong Kong Baptist University.
“They think of how to do something to please the main Chinese government, or not to violate” what they think Beijing likes, he said.
American-born but raised in Hong Kong, Lee died of brain swelling aged just 32 at the height of his fame. His most popular film, the worldwide blockbuster Enter the Dragon, was released just six days after his death in 1973.
The government did not respond to Reuters questions but in recent statements it has outlined a number of officially backed efforts to mark the anniversary.
It has supported a five-year exhibition, due to be opened on Friday by the city Financial Secretary John Tsang at a museum. The government film archive is also producing documentaries of his life and new prints of some of Lee’s films.
But some fans feel the government is simply making up for lost time and they are angry about the lack of a permanent memorial or museum to honor Lee.
A member of the city’s Legislative Council questioned officials over their failed negotiations two years ago to buy and restore Lee’s former mansion in the upscale Kowloon Tong suburb to create a museum devoted to him.
Bruce Lee’s legacy still debated in Hong Kong
Bruce Lee’s legacy still debated in Hong Kong
Gulf airlines launch limited relief flights as Middle East airspace closures strand passengers
RIYADH: Qatar Airways and Emirates said they will operate limited relief flights from March 5 to assist stranded passengers after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered widespread airspace closures and disrupted global travel.
Qatar Airways announced that its flights will depart from Muscat, Oman, to six European destinations, including London, Berlin, and Rome, as well as from Riyadh to Frankfurt.
These would be the airline’s first flights since Feb. 28, when its Doha hub was shut after the strikes on Iran, according to airline service Flightradar24.
Emirates said that it will operate the flights from March 5 until 11:59 p.m. UAE time on March 7, as a result of the current conditions prevailing in the region.
“We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority on these limited flights. Customers transiting in Dubai will only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating,” the organization said.
The airline continued to advise passengers not to go to the airport unless they have been notified directly by Emirates or hold a confirmed booking for these flights.
“Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly,” the airline added.
As of the morning of March 5th, Emirates flights had departed from Dubai to destinations including Sydney, Paris, and Amsterdam, as well as Toronto and Mumbai, Flightradar24 data showed, though the vast majority of services remained canceled.
All Etihad Airways’ scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 6:00 a.m. UAE time on March 6.
“In coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals, a limited number of repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights are operating,” the airline said in a statement.
The closures disrupted key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, which operate from these hubs, normally handle around 90,000 passengers daily, with even more traveling to other Middle Eastern destinations, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airline shares rebound as trickle of Middle East flights resume
Airline shares rebounded on March 5 as more flights took off from the Middle East, providing some reprieve for carriers after US-Israeli strikes on Iran wiped billions of dollars off their market value earlier in the week, Reuters reported.
Governments have been scrambling to arrange flights out of the Middle East for tens of thousands of citizens stranded by the intensifying conflict, which has closed most of the region’s airspace due to the risk of missiles hitting passenger planes.
Asian airlines shares rebound
Jet fuel prices have soared globally since the strikes on Iran, with the Singapore rate hitting an all-time high on concerns of supply disruption, S&P Global Platts said.
Nevertheless, many Asian airline shares rebounded after double-digit losses in recent days amid uncertainty over the conflict’s duration and rising oil prices.
“For now, I consider this rebound to be primarily short-term in nature, and its sustainability will still depend on the ongoing situation in the Iranian conflict,” said Kenny Ng, a securities strategist at China Everbright Securities International.
Shares in Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways rose 4 percent, Japan Airlines was up 0.25 percent, Qantas Airways closed 1 percent higher and Korean Air Lines jumped more than 6 percent.
Major Chinese carriers, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, fell between 1 percent and 3 percent in both the Hong Kong and Shanghai markets, stabilizing after steeper falls earlier this week.
“Asian airlines are highly sensitive to Iran’s situation due to exposure through routes and energy in both revenue and costs. Any news on shortening the duration of the war can easily turn sentiment,” said Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis.
With airspace severely constrained, airlines have been forced to reroute flights, carry extra fuel, or make additional refueling stops to guard against sudden diversions or longer flight paths through safer corridors.
In addition to upending travel, the escalating Middle East conflict has also reduced the world’s air cargo capacity by more than one-fifth and pushed up freight rates.
