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     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin), together with the Hong Kong Federation of Invention and Innovation, hosted a reception on the occasion of Hong Kong’s participation at the 47th edition of the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Switzerland on April 12 (Geneva time).
      
     The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is the biggest event in the world to be exclusively devoted to inventions, and this year the event witnessed a strong presence from Hong Kong again. A delegation of more than 100 participants exhibited more than 100 projects, and they were awarded a total of 57 gold medals, 51 silver medals, nine bronze medals and nine special awards. Hong Kong was once again awarded the top Grand Prize at the Exhibition.
      
     Given the excellent performance of the Hong Kong entries, the Director of HKETO Berlin, Mr Bill Li, took the opportunity to emphasise the city’s strength as an innovation and technology hub in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, and also highlighted the most recent government policies to further transform Hong Kong into a knowledge-based economy.
      
     Mr Li said that thinking of Hong Kong in this respect means thinking in broader dimensions, and pointed out that Hong Kong is a key part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. With its population of 70 million and a collective GDP worth some US$1.6 trillion, the Greater Bay Area is an ever more integrated region in which Hong Kong is the most open and international city, known for its status as an international financial, transportation and trade centre and aviation hub as well as its renowned professional services. Enjoying the advantages of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong plays an important role in the Greater Bay Area development as a hub that provides the infrastructure and talent for innovation. “That includes ample opportunities in particular for young professionals and talents as there are various support schemes for our young entrepreneurs, initiatives for start-up companies, world-class research facilities, creation of quality employment opportunities and more,” Mr Li said.
      
     Citing the Policy Address delivered by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, in October 2018, Mr Li reiterated that the Government has decided to inject US$2.5 billion into the Research Endowment Fund set up by the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the University Grants Committee to strengthen the research capabilities of Hong Kong’s universities, and to set up Matching Grant Scheme of US$382 million to increase research funding. The RGC is a non-statutory advisory council advising the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on the needs of higher education institutions.
      
     Hong Kong’s efforts in promoting innovation and technology are already bearing fruit. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) set foot in Hong Kong in 2015 when launching its Innovation Node, a collaborative space that aims to connect the MIT community with unique resources. The Swedish Karolinska Institutet has also reached out to Hong Kong, with its Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine functioning as a technology hub exploring novel technologies, including genome editing, reprogramming, single cell transcriptomics, biomedical engineering and 3D tissue imaging technologies. “There will be other top-notch European research institutions to follow these two examples and collaborate with our local universities,” Mr Li said.
      
     With the success stories of world-renowned institutions choosing Hong Kong to push their innovations and the Hong Kong projects presented at the International Exhibition of Inventions in mind, Mr Li said that there is a bigger goal behind all the Government’s investments and initiatives. “It is to improve people’s daily lives and benefit the general public, not least of all for the elderly and the underprivileged,” he said, adding that further benefits are found in the healthcare sector to improve medical treatment, in better protecting the environment and in simply being more efficient. Given all that, Mr Li said the beauty of having a strong Hong Kong presence at the exhibition is not only the success measured in medals and prizes but also the opportunity to see how these innovations enter real life and serve the people.
      
About HKETO Berlin
 
     HKETO Berlin is the official Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Switzerland as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.

    

     At its meeting today (April 16), the Land and Development Advisory Committee (LDAC) was briefed by the Development Bureau on the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, the major recommendations of the Planning and Engineering Feasibility Study on Kwun Tong Action Area (KTAA) undertaken by the Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), and the progress of the Buildings Department (BD) in reviewing the current arrangement of requiring private development projects to be registered for certification under the BEAM Plus (Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus).
 
     Members noted that one of the key initiatives of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision is to commence studies on the formation of artificial islands of about 1 000 hectares in the Central Waters near Kau Yi Chau to alleviate the acute shortage of land in Hong Kong in the medium-to-long term. The Kau Yi Chau artificial islands are capable of providing 150 000 to 260 000 housing units, 70 per cent of which will be for public housing. In taking forward the development projects, the Government is also committed to conserving the rural Lantau. Members generally supported the commencement of studies, and would like to see them proceed in a way and speed that reflect the importance of the initiative that seek to build a new community to address the housing and economic development needs of Hong Kong.
 
     As an initiative to release the development potential of government land, the KTAA was proposed for mixed uses including commercial, government, institution or community, open space and public transport facilities. Members were briefed on the Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP) for the KTAA and the water body co-use proposals for Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter (KTTS) and the adjoining part of Kai Tak Approach Channel for water sports/recreation activities formulated under the Study. Members provided comments on various technical aspects, such as encouraging the use of interesting building height profile, placing of due emphasis on connectivity, ensuring adequate parking provision, and seeking opportunities to revitalize the piers within the study area.
 
     Members were also briefed by the BD and its consultant on their progress in reviewing the current arrangement of requiring private development projects to be registered for certification under the BEAM Plus as a prerequisite for application for Gross Floor Area concession for its green, amenity features and non-essential/non-mandatory plant rooms and services. The review explores possible options of requiring a private development project to attain specific standards of performance in environmental protection, or adopt performance-based and site-specific approaches to determine the maximum GFA concession. Members agreed with the need to promote green building and encourage a quality and sustainable built environment, and gave views on the operation of the BEAM Plus mechanism and relevant incentives to achieve the said objectives. These views will be taken into account by the consultant of the BD when finalising the recommendations for the Government’s consideration.
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     â€‹Hong Kong Customs seized about 4.2 kilograms of suspected heroin and about 200 grams of suspected cannabis buds with a total estimated market value of about $3.78 million at Hong Kong International Airport and in Kwai Chung on April 10 and yesterday (April 15).

     Customs officers inspected an air mail parcel from Malaysia at Hong Kong International Airport on April 10 and found the batch of suspected heroin concealed in eight coffee powder boxes in the parcel.

     After follow-up investigation, Customs officers yesterday (April 15) arrested a 29-year-old man and two 14-year-old men suspected to be connected with the case in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwai Chung respectively.

     Customs officers further seized the batch of suspected cannabis buds at one of the 14-year-old men’s residence in Kwai Chung.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Customs will maintain close contact with Hongkong Post and the logistics industries to step up action against drug trafficking through postal parcel or express courier channels.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to the Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, today (April 16, The Hague time) commenced her visit to The Hague, the Netherlands, by meeting with judges from International Court of Justice, government officials and representatives from different international organisations. 

     Ms Cheng called on Judge Peter Tomka of the International Court of Justice in the morning. During the meeting, Ms Cheng introduced the legal system in Hong Kong and the work of the Department of Justice, adding that the “one country, two systems” principle has been fully and successfully implemented and the rule of law has been upheld since Hong Kong’s return to the Motherland. Judge Tomka was glad to note the judicial independence and sound legal system in Hong Kong as well as the development of Hong Kong as an international arbitration centre.

     Ms Cheng then proceeded to The Hague Academy of International Law where she met with the Secretary-General Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin to exchange views on capacity building in international law and explore collaboration opportunities.

     In the afternoon, Ms Cheng visited The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). She met with the Secretary General of HCCH, Dr Christophe Bernasconi, to exchange views on international legal co-operation and explore further opportunities of collaboration on the legal side through its Asia Pacific Regional Office in Hong Kong. HCCH is a global inter-government organisation which develops multilateral legal instruments to respond to global needs.

     Ms Cheng will later today meet with the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Mr Hugo Siblesz, to be followed by a meeting with the Executive Director of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, Ms Lise Bosman. Ms Cheng will introduce the latest developments in international dispute resolution in Hong Kong and exchange views with them.

     Afterwards, Ms Cheng will call on the Charge d’ Affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, Mr Chen Ribiao.

     On her last day of visit to Paris yesterday (April 15, Paris time), Ms Cheng visited the International Chamber in the Commercial Courts of Paris to meet with its president, Mr Paul-Louis Netter, and gave an introduction of the laws and legal system of Hong Kong. The Commercial Court of Paris, seated by judges from business community based on their commercial expertise, specialises in handling complex commercial disputes.

     She then arrived at the Cour de Cassation to have meetings with Prosecutor General, Mr Francois Molins, and Judge Dominique Hascher respectively. Ms Cheng told Judge Hascher that the principle of “one country, two systems” and the rule of law have been successfully implemented and upheld in Hong Kong. She also gave him a brief account of the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the relevant provisions of Third Party Funding of Arbitration. Established in 1790, the Cour de Cassation is the highest court in the French judiciary to ensure that all the laws are interpreted in the same way throughout the nation.

     Afterwards, Ms Cheng called on the Minister for Justice of France, Ms Nicole Belloubet, to explore signing of a memorandum of cooperation to strengthen collaboration on issues relating to deal making and dispute resolution services.

     Ms Cheng will leave for Vienna tomorrow morning (April 17, The Hague time) for the final leg of her visit.

      

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 16) urged the public not to buy or consume a virility product called Blue M as it was found to contain undeclared controlled ingredients.
 
     Acting on a public complaint, samples of the above product, with each pack containing two capsules and one wet wipe, were collected for analysis by the Government Laboratory. The test results confirmed that samples of the wet wipe contained lignocaine, a Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap 138), while one sample of the capsules also contained another Part 1 poison, sildenafil.
 
     Based on the laboratory results, the DH and the Police raided a retailer in Mong Kok in a joint operation today during which a woman aged 26 was arrested for suspected illegal sale and possession of Part 1 poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical product.
 
     The DH’s investigation is continuing.
 
     Sildenafil is a prescription drug used for erectile dysfunction and should be taken under a doctor’s advice or supplied at pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist upon a doctor’s prescription. Side effects of sildenafil include low blood pressure, headache, vomiting, dizziness and transient vision disturbances. It may interact with some drugs (such as nitroglycerin for the treatment of angina) and cause a decrease in blood pressure to dangerous levels. Improper use of sildenafil may pose serious health risks, especially for patients with heart problems. Lignocaine is a local anaesthetic and may cause hypersensitivity reactions.
 
     According to the Ordinance, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold legally in the market. Illegal sale and possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
 
     “The public should not buy or consume products of doubtful composition. All registered pharmaceutical products should carry a Hong Kong registration number on the package in the format of “HK-XXXXX”. Safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed,” a DH spokesman said.
 
     “The public may visit the Drug Office’s webpage for health messages on sexual dysfunction and virility products and the list of virility products found to contain undeclared western medicines for more information,” the spokesman added.
 
     Those who have purchased the above product should stop taking it immediately and consult healthcare professionals if in doubt or feeling unwell after consumption. They may submit the product to the Drug Office at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.