The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO SF) and SFFILM are co-presenting two Hong Kong movies at the 62nd edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival. The Festival is running at venues across the San Francisco Bay Area from April 10 to 23 (San Francisco time).

     Felix Chong's crime thriller "Project Gutenberg", starring superstars Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok, as well as Stanley Kwan's "First Night Nerves" are among the more than 160 films being presented in the Festival. Hong Kong filmmaker Kwan is on hand to present "First Night Nerves" and appeared at two of its screenings at the Festival.

     On April 13 (San Francisco time), HKETO SF hosted a reception in honor of Kwan before the screening of his movie. At the reception, the Director of HKETO SF, Mr Ivanhoe Chang, welcomed Kwan's appearance at the Festival.

     "Three years ago, our office, together with SFFILM, presented a Stanley Kwan retrospective at Hong Kong Cinema and featured two of his classics – 'Rouge' and 'Center Stage'. We are delighted to welcome Stanley back to the San Francisco Bay Area with his new movie, a female-centred drama that was shot entirely in Hong Kong.

     "Blessed with a wealth of seasoned and new talents, Hong Kong's film industry continues to thrive. In the 2019-20 Budget, our Financial Secretary announced an injection of another HK$1 billion (US$128 million) into the Film Development Fund, set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government 20 years ago to support film projects. We will make optimal use of the funding to enhance talent grooming and support for novices, promote start-ups, tap new markets for the industry, and build local branding for the sector to facilitate long-term development of the film industry," Mr Chang said.

     Mr Chang said that the Film Development Fund has been providing funding for the winning projects of the First Feature Film Initiative, which seeks to identify and nurture talent by providing financial support for the winners to make their first commercial feature films.

     "We are happy to see that quite a few of these winning projects have been featured in film festivals around the globe. With the additional funding, we expect to see more new projects in the coming years," he added.

      

     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) jointly hosted a forum with the University of Exeter (UoE), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and others today (April 15) to explore how the smart use of big data can help tackle weather and environmental hazards.

     Entitled "Global Conversation Hong Kong: Can big data save lives? Protecting Hong Kong against air pollution and extreme weather", the forum introduced to the participants how scientists make more accurate assessments of climate change and predictions of extreme weather events through revealing and analysing climate data in order to reduce the risks associated with a range of environmental threats and protect lives in the regions affected by climate changes. Over 100 participants, including representatives from different government departments, public utilities and private entities, as well as local and overseas academics, joined the forum. The Director of the HKO, Mr Shun Chi-ming, delivered welcoming remarks and joined a panel discussion at the forum.

     "To study the impact of extreme weather on Hong Kong, the HKO has been collecting diverse types of climate data through various means, from the use of remote-sensing instruments and numerical weather prediction models to the increasingly popular crowdsourcing as a result of the rapid development of social media, and also the microclimate stations which enable the collection of data at street level. The data collected can improve the monitoring and forecasting of severe weather in the long run," Mr Shun said.

     The forum also introduced a series of research projects conducted by the CUHK-UoE Joint Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience on climate change and extreme weather to illustrate how the smart use of big data can provide sustainable solutions to emerging environmental threats including climate change, air and water quality problems, and biodiversity loss.

     The academics who joined the forum today are the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of UoE, Professor Steve Smith; the Chair of Data Science and Statistics of UoE, Professor Gavin Shaddick; Co-Director of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability of CUHK Professor Gabriel Lau; and the Chief Development Strategist of the Division of Environment and Sustainability of HKUST, Professor Christine Loh.

     The forum today was one of the events under the "Global Conversation" series initiated by UoE and was the first event the HKO had jointly organised under the series with UoE. "Global Conversation" is an event series for world academics to explore topics of global importance through organising different forums.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (April 17) at 11am and Thursday (April 18) at 9am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex.  During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Appropriation Bill 2019 will resume and Members will speak on the Bill.

     The Occupational Retirement Schemes (Amendment) Bill 2019 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading.  The Second Reading debate on the Bill will be adjourned.

     On Member's motion, Mr Chung Kwok-pan will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Patents (General) (Amendment) Rules 2019 laid on the table of the Council on March 20, 2019 to the meeting of May 8, 2019.

     Ms Starry Lee will move five proposed resolutions under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance.  The first proposed resolution is to extend the period for amending the Insurance (Prescribed Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2019 laid on the table of the Council on April 3, 2019 to the meeting of May 22, 2019.  The second proposed resolution is to extend the period for amending the Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Ships Operating in Polar Waters) Regulation, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) (Amendment) Regulation 2019, the Merchant Shipping (Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk) (Amendment) Regulation 2019, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage) (Amendment) Regulation 2019 and the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) (Amendment) Regulation 2019 laid on the table of the Council on April 3, 2019 to the meeting of May 22, 2019.  The third proposed resolution is to extend the period for amending the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Notice 2019 laid on the table of the Council on April 3, 2019 to the meeting of May 22, 2019.  The fourth proposed resolution is to extend the period for amending the Registration of Persons (Application for New Identity Cards) Order 2018 (Amendment) Order 2019 laid on the table of the Council on April 3, 2019 to the meeting of May 22, 2019.  The fifth proposed resolution is to extend the period for amending the Solicitors (Professional Indemnity) (Amendment) Rules 2019 and the Solicitors (Professional Indemnity) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2019 laid on the table of the Council on April 3, 2019 to the meeting of May 22, 2019.

     Dr Helena Wong will move a proposed resolution under section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to amend the Public Health and Municipal Services (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2019 laid on the table of the Council on February 20, 2019 as set out in Appendix.

     Ms Starry Lee will move a motion under Rule 49E(2) of the Rules of Procedure.  The motion states: "That this Council takes note of Report No. 15/18-19 of the House Committee laid on the Table of the Council on April 17, 2019 in relation to the Rating (Exemption) Order 2019".

     Meanwhile, Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, all of which require written replies. 

     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk).  Please note that the agenda is subject to change, and the latest information about the agenda could be found on the LegCo Website.

     Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Chamber of the LegCo Complex.  They may reserve seats by calling 3919 3399 during office hours.  Members of the public can also watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website.

The following is issued on behalf of the Air Transport Licensing Authority:

     The Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) has been following up on the financial situation of Hong Kong Airlines Limited (HKA) in accordance with the Air Transport (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations (Cap. 448 Subsidiary Legislation A) (the Regulations).  ATLA had considered the plan submitted by HKA in improving its financial situation shortly, and decided after the meeting today (April 15) to request HKA to provide further clarifications as to how HKA can improve their financial situation shortly.  ATLA will review the further clarifications to be submitted by HKA in accordance with the Regulations and take appropriate actions under the Regulations when necessary.

     In addition, HKA reported to ATLA that it has been in active discussion with and has made partial repayment to the creditors involved regarding the claims against it for recovery of arrears filed in the court on February 22, 2019.  ATLA has requested HKA to continue to report the settlement progress until the claims have been settled completely.

     HKA assured ATLA that it would ensure smooth operation of air services, especially during the upcoming travelling peaks of Easter and Labour Day holidays.
    

     Hong Kong Customs seized about 2.2 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $410,000 at Hong Kong International Airport on April 8.

     Customs officers inspected a parcel arriving in Hong Kong from the United States on April 8 and seized the batch of suspected cannabis buds inside the parcel.

     After follow-up investigation, Customs officers today (April 15) arrested a 49-year-old man suspected to be in connection with the case in Tsuen Wan.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs will maintain close contact with Hongkong Post and the logistics industries to step up action against drug trafficking through postal parcels 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.

     Customs also reminds that cannabis and tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) are classified as dangerous drugs under the Ordinance. Importation of products (including food and drinks) containing cannabis or THC into Hong Kong is prohibited unless the relevant provisions in the Ordinance are complied with. In order to avoid breaching the law inadvertently, special attention should be paid to the packaging labels of food and drinks.

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