One nomination for the San Tin Constituency was received by the Returning Officer for the by-election of the Yuen Long District Council today (May 28), the first day of the nomination period. No nominee was named for the by-election… read more
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, today (May 28) visited Guangzhou to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Special Cooperation Zone for Intelligent Manufacturing and to exchange views with Mainland scholars on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He also visited an entrepreneurship base for Hong Kong and Macao youths and a development project undertaken by a Hong Kong enterprise in Guangzhou.
On arrival in the morning, Mr Nip attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Special Cooperation Zone for Intelligent Manufacturing developed and operated by the Guangzhou Development District and a Hong Kong enterprise. The development project comprises the construction of a Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao immigration building, an intelligent international exhibition centre and facilities for a Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao ferry service.
Mr Nip said he was pleased to learn that the launch of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao ferry service would reduce the travel time between the north-eastern part of Guangzhou and Hong Kong International Airport to 1 hour and 30 minutes, which would help bring in more visitors and business opportunities for the airport.
He also welcomed the active participation of Hong Kong’s business sector in the development of the Greater Bay Area, adding that he hoped the business sector would join with the government to broaden the space for development in the Greater Bay Area.
Mr Nip then visited the Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies of Sun Yat-sen University and exchanged views with scholars there on the development of the Greater Bay Area. He was also briefed by the Institute on its research and analysis relating to the Greater Bay Area.
In the afternoon, Mr Nip visited a youth entrepreneurship base of the Guangzhou Tianhe Hong Kong and Macau Youth Association to learn about its operation and facilities. The base is one of the first batch of 10 youth entrepreneurial bases that were presented with a plaque during the 21st Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference on May 16.
Mr Nip said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was supportive of young Hong Kong people participating in the development of the Greater Bay Area, adding that the Government hopes to work with the Guangdong provincial government to establish an Alliance for Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in future as a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform to serve Hong Kong young people starting business in the Greater Bay Area.
He also visited the Guangzhou Chow Tai Fook Finance Centre afterwards to keep abreast of the business development of Hong Kong enterprises in Guangzhou.
Mr Nip will return to Hong Kong this evening. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: The spokesperson for Siu Lam Hospital made the following announcement today (May 28): Four patients (aged 39 to 63) in… read more
A woman was fined $8,000 at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (May 28) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in October last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Queen’s Road West in Sai Ying Pun. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
According to the OLA’s records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for operating the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more
A red wine company and its director were convicted today (May 28) at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts for supplying red wine to which a false trade description was applied, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). The director was sentenced to imprisonment for two months suspended for three years while the red wine company was fined $50,000. The victim also received $247,000 in compensation.
Customs earlier received information alleging that a red wine company in Kowloon Bay had supplied red wine with a suspected false trade description.
The relevant manufacturer confirmed the red wine was not from the brand of product produced by them.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO. Under the TDO, any person who supplies goods with a false trade description in the course of trade or business, or is in possession of any goods for sale with a false trade description, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk). read more