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Sources

Giant Rubber Ducks, The Worldwide Tour

THE STANDARD, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (Hong Kong)

Worldcrunch

HONG KONG- A five-story-high rubber duck floated into Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on Thursday morning. Maybe you've seen this before. Maybe not. Maybe you're really not amused?

Well this particular duck happens to be a piece of conceptual art from Dutch sculptor Florentijn Hofman; and the 16.5-meters tall yellow installation is not just a simple super-sizing of a your favorite bathtime friend, but a political statement. Hong Kong's The Standard daily quoted the artist as saying that the duckie "knows no frontiers; it doesn't discriminate or have political connotation."

"The friendly, floating rubber duck has healing properties," says Hofman on his website. "It can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!"

The duck will be on display near Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui until June 9, according to the South China Morning Post.

This isn't the first time the duck has made an appearance -- it's actually on a worldwide tour! From Sydney to Sao Paolo and the Loire Valley in France to Osaka, these ducks are off to see the world!

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Economy

First It Was Poland's Farmers — Now Truckers Are Protesting Ukraine's Special Status

For the past month, Poland has been blocking off its border checkpoints to Ukrainian trucks, leaving many in days-long lines. It's a commercial and economic showdown, but it's about much more.

Photogrqph of a line of trucks queued in the  Korczowa - border crossing​

November 27, 2023, Medyka: Trucks stand in a queue to cross the border in Korczowa as Polish farmers strike and block truck transport in Korczowa - border crossing

Dominika Zarzycka/ZUMA
Katarzyna Skiba

Since November 6, Polish truckers have blocked border crossing points with Ukraine, citing unfair advantages given to the Ukrainian market, and demanding greater support from the European Union.

With lines that now stretch for up to 40 kilometers (25 miles), thousands of Ukrainian truckers must now wait an average of about four days in ever colder weather to cross the border, sometimes with the help of the Polish police. At least two Ukrainian truck drivers have died while waiting for passage into Poland.

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The round-the-clock blockade is being manned by Polish trucking unions who claim that Ukrainian trucking companies, which offer a cheaper rate, have been transporting goods across Europe, rather than between Poland and Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian truckers have been exempt from the permits once required to cross the border.

Now, Polish truckers are demanding that their government reintroduce entry permits for Ukrainian lorries, with exceptions for military and humanitarian aid from Europe. For the moment, those trucks are being let through the blockade, which currently affects four out of Ukraine’s eight border crossings with Poland.

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