Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.

     To prevent heat stroke, avoid prolonged activities outdoors.

     If engaged in outdoor work or activities, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes. Stay in shaded areas as much as possible.

     Drink plenty of water, and avoid beverages containing caffeine or alcohol.

     If you feel sick, consult a doctor right away.

     A sick 59-year-old female remand person in custody at Tai Lam Centre for Women died in a public hospital today (August 8).
      
     The remand person in custody suffered from mental illness and had a chronic drug abuse history. She required continuous medical care and follow-up treatment at the institution hospital and a public hospital. She was sent to a public hospital for treatment today due to physical discomfort. During hospitalisation, her condition deteriorated and she was certified dead at 6.57pm.

     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner's Court.

     The person in custody was remanded for the offence of possession of a dangerous drug in July 2024.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 8) that an aquatic product from a regulated Japanese prefecture was suspected to be in breach of the relevant Food Safety Order when the CFS inspected food imported from Japan. The product concerned has been marked and sealed by the CFS and has not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the case.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "During an inspection of the consignment of food concerned imported from Japan, the CFS found three boxes of chilled sea urchin processed in Miyagi Prefecture after the Order was issued. The importer concerned is thus suspected of breaching the relevant Order.”

     According to the Order, all aquatic products originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, are prohibited from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong if they are harvested, manufactured, processed or packed on or after August 24, 2023, including all live, chilled, frozen, dried or otherwise preserved aquatic products, sea salt, and unprocessed or processed seaweed.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action, including informing the Japanese authorities concerned of the incident. Prosecution will be instituted against the importer concerned should there be sufficient evidence. The investigation is ongoing.

     â€‹The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 8) that a sample of prepackaged roasted portobello mushroom and sweet potato vegan box was found to contain a pathogen, Salmonella. The CFS is following up on the case.

     "The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a retail outlet in Mong Kok for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed the presence of Salmonella in 25 grams of the sample, exceeding the criterion of the Microbiological Guidelines for Food which states that Salmonella should not be detected in 25g of a ready-to-eat food sample," a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The CFS has informed the vendor and food factory concerned of the above irregularity and instructed them to stop selling the food item concerned immediately. The CFS has also inspected the food premises and the food factory concerned, provided health education on food safety and hygiene to the person-in-charge and staff, and requested the food factory to review and improve its food production process and carry out a thorough cleaning and disinfection.
      
     According to section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.
      
     "Salmonella infection may cause fever and gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The effects on infants, young children, the elderly and people with a weak immune system could be more severe and may even lead to death," the spokesman said.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. An investigation is ongoing. 

The following is issued on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund:
 
     The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund  held a ceremony today (August 8) to award scholarships to nine outstanding young talents in music and dance.
 
     The nine scholarship recipients were Miss Cheng Kiu-yan, Mr Fong Shing, Mr Jones Lau, Miss Natalie Lo, Mr Luk Tsun-ki, Miss Jasmine Ngai, Miss Tan Zhizhuo, Mr Tung Chung-can and Mr Yam Wing-nam. They thanked the Fund for its generous support and expressed their commitment to making the best use of the opportunity to further pursue their studies. In addition, they showcased their talents at the ceremony by delivering short live performances or video presentations.
 
     This year's scholarships, valued at a total of $5.27 million, will support the awardees in pursuing their further education in the field of music or dance in Hong Kong or overseas, encouraging them to contribute to the development of arts in Hong Kong upon completion of their studies.
 
     The Fund was set up in 1980 with a $10 million donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for the promotion and development of music and dance education and training in Hong Kong. In 1994, a further capital injection of $22 million was made by the Trust to meet an increasing demand for financial support. The Trust provided additional funding of $16.87 million in 2014 and $5.68 million in 2020 for a local music and dance scholarship scheme for post-graduate studies, as well as setting up and sustaining the operation of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Awardees Association. In 2023, the Trust provided further funding of $15 million to support the non-local scholarship scheme. To date (including this year), the Fund has awarded 388 scholarships, amounting to about $92.41 million.