Hongkong Post announced today (March 7) that among the 12 special stamp issues to be released in 2019, the issue date of the "Stamp Sheetlet to Commemorate Hongkong Post's Participation in CHINA 2019 World Stamp Exhibition" is now scheduled for June 11 (Tuesday) to tie in with the opening of the stamp exhibition in Wuhan on the same day, and the deadline for accepting customers' orders for this stamp sheetlet is advanced to March 26 (Tuesday).
 
     Information about this arrangement is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website at stamps.hongkongpost.hk. 
 

     The Transport Department (TD) said today (March 6) that to facilitate the holding of a car racing event in the Central Harbourfront, special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in phases in Western District, Sheung Wan and Central from 1.15am this Saturday (March 9) to 5.15am next Monday (March 11). The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of Sheung Wan, Central and Admiralty will be very congested during the road closures and traffic diversions. Members of the public are advised to avoid driving to the above areas and make use of public transport services (especially railway service) as far as possible. Those who have to drive to the above areas should plan their journeys in advance, use alternative routes and allow more time for travelling.
      
     The special traffic and transport arrangements include:
      
* From 1.15am on Saturday (March 9), road sections in the vicinity of the Central Harbourfront including Man Po Street, Man Kwong Street, Man Yiu Street, Lung Wo Road, Yiu Sing Street, Man Cheung Street, the Central and Airport Express Station exits of the Central – Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) westbound, and the at-grade entrance of the CWB eastbound at Man Kat Street in Central will be closed and traffic diversion measures will be implemented;
 
* During the same period, traffic diversion measures will also be implemented at the exit of Western Harbour Crossing (WHC), Shing Sai Road and Hill Road Flyover. Vehicles heading to Central, Admiralty or Mid-levels from Western District and WHC should use Connaught Road West and Connaught Road Central eastbound at-grade roads.  Connaught Road Central flyover eastbound can only be used to go to Wan Chai North and North Point via the CWB. Traffic diversion measures will be implemented at the junction of Connaught Road West and Eastern Street North during the rush hours on Saturday (March 9). Vehicles on Connaught Road West eastbound cannot make a right turn to Eastern Street and will be diverted to Western Fire Services Street and Connaught Road West westbound to go to Eastern Street;
 
* During the closure of the CWB entrances and exits, motorists can still use the CWB westbound to travel from North Point to Wan Chai North, Western District and WHC or from Tsing Fung Street in Tin Hau to Western District and WHC. They can also use the CWB eastbound to go to Wan Chai North or North Point from Western District or WHC. Motorists travelling between Eastern District, and Central and Sheung Wan are advised to make use of Gloucester Road, Harcourt Road and Connaught Road Central. The Central exit of the CWB westbound and the at-grade entrance of the CWB eastbound at Man Kat Street in Central will reopen at 5.15am this Sunday (March 10).
 
     Due to the road closures and traffic diversions, 35 franchised bus routes and nine green minibus (GMB) routes will be diverted, truncated or the terminus will be relocated (please refer to the annex). To facilitate the passengers affected, the event organiser will provide shuttle bus service to connect various ferry piers in Central and temporary bus or GMB stops. The TD anticipates that the journey times and the frequencies of these services may become unstable. These services may also be temporarily altered due to change of traffic conditions. The TD thus reminds passengers to stay alert to the traffic diversions and the change in bus or GMB stops, and at the same time plan their journey in advance, allow ample time for travelling and watch out for the latest service arrangements. They are also advised to use non-road based public transport means as far as possible.
 
     Details of the special traffic and transport arrangements are uploaded to the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk). Members of the public may also visit the website of the event organiser (www.hkformulae.com/intro/tta) to obtain the videos showing the information of temporary traffic arrangements and route diversions. For enquiries, please call 1823.
 
     The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement temporary measures as appropriate and whenever necessary. Members of the public are advised to be alert to the latest traffic news through the media or via the TD's mobile application "HKeMobility".

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (March 6) visited Tsinghua University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing and exchanged views with students.
      
     In the morning, Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, visited Tsinghua University and met with the Party Secretary of Tsinghua University, Professor Chen Xu. She delivered a speech to over 300 teachers and students and answered questions from the students. Among those attending the session were dozens of young Hong Kong people studying in Tsinghua University. Mrs Lam spoke with the students about her exchange experience in Tsinghua University during her university years and briefed them on the latest developments in Hong Kong. She said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will leverage Hong Kong's advantages under "One Country, Two Systems" and the city's traditional strengths to enhance the city's competitiveness through boosting its external relations, consolidating the traditional industries and developing the emerging industries. She said that Hong Kong has been focusing on advancing the development of innovation and technology (I&T) and that with the support of the Central Government and measures to enhance Hong Kong's own I&T capabilities, the city will contribute to the development of an I&T hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
      
          In the afternoon, Mrs Lam and other officials visited the CAFA. Accompanied by the Party Secretary of the CAFA, Mr Gao Hong, and the President of the CAFA, Mr Fan Di'an, they visited the museum of the academy's history and the classrooms of the School of Chinese Painting and the School of Plastic Arts. Mrs Lam also viewed the artwork by Hong Kong students of the CAFA and spoke with them at a session. Mrs Lam said she was pleased that through the support of the Ministry of Education, the CAFA will participate in the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions in the 2019/20 school year so that Hong Kong students will be able to submit applications to this prestigious art school with their results in the Hong Kong Diploma Secondary Education Examination and in accordance with the other requirements, providing a valuable opportunity for students who wish to develop careers in fine arts. Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the CAFA for its support for Hong Kong students as well as its efforts in promoting arts and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland all along.
      
     Mrs Lam and the other officials also visited the People's Daily New Media Tower in the afternoon and attended a dinner hosted by the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong in the evening. Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (March 7).

                  

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (March 6) announced that a kind of raw milk cheese imported from France might have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and is under recall in France.

     Details of the product are as follows:

Product name: VALENCAY et PETIT VALENCAY (raw milk cheese)
Product brand: HARDY
Place of origin: France
Manufacturer: HARDY AFFINEUR
Importer: Classic Fine Foods (Hong Kong) Ltd
Best-before dates: March 6 to 20, 2019

     "The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission that the above-mentioned product might have been contaminated with STEC and is being recalled. According to the information provided by the RASFF, a local importer, Classic Fine Foods (Hong Kong) Ltd, had imported some of the affected product into Hong Kong," a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The CFS immediately contacted the importer concerned for follow-up. Preliminary investigation found that the importer had imported a small quantity of the affected product and all had been distributed to two food premises which had no stock left.

     "People will contract STEC-causing gastro-intestinal disease through consumption of contaminated water or undercooked and contaminated foods. Intestinal bleeding and serious complications such as hemolytic uraemic syndrome may also develop in some people. Moreover, due to poor personal hygiene, person-to-person transmission of this pathogen is possible through the oral-faecal route. E. coli cannot survive under high temperature and can be killed by thorough cooking," the spokesman said.

     The CFS will continue to monitor the incident and take appropriate follow-up action.

     A total of 84 persons in custody at Lo Wu Correctional Institution (LWCI) of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (March 6) in recognition of their academic achievements.

     In 2018, a total of 255 persons in custody at LWCI passed 355 papers in various courses and public examinations organised by the Open University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, the Employees Retraining Board, the Clothing Industry Training Authority and Christian Action. Subjects taken included languages, mathematics, liberal studies, economics, tourism and hospitality studies, bookkeeping and accounting, arts and social sciences, business administration, computer and digital media applications, catering and banquet services, pet sitter training, shop business, sewing skills, nail technician training, floriculture, makeup skills and vocational Putonghua. Today, 84 awardees were given certificates for passing 113 papers, with 35 distinctions and credits.

     Officiating at the ceremony, the President of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA), Dr Dennis Ng, said that the CMA, established in 1934, has grown significantly as one of the largest and most representative non-profit making industrial associations in Hong Kong, with the mission of promoting Hong Kong's industrial and commercial development to fulfil corporate social responsibility for social stability. The CMA has been supporting the rehabilitation work of the CSD by co-organising the Job Fair with the CSD several times to advocate the principle of fair employment opportunities. Dr Ng added that the CMA would strengthen its support for community education at the CSD this year by spending $850,000 to sponsor the large-scale music and dance drama under the CSD's Rehabilitation Pioneer Project. This year's drama is based on a real-life story. Through creative arts and input from various stakeholders, it seeks to enhance vigilance against crime and awareness of being law-abiding among secondary school students. It is expected that the number of student participants will reach more than 10 000.

     With guidance from volunteers, persons in custody of different nationalities staged a stick dance performance to show gratitude to their families, the volunteers and correctional staff. They also expressed their determination to achieve rehabilitation. The performance also reflected the ceremony's theme of "Let's dance along the joyous journey to LOVE and LEARN".

     At the ceremony, a representative of persons in custody spoke about her experience in her journey towards rehabilitation and expressed her gratitude to family members for their support. As a mother, she also expressed her love and expectations for her son. Having finished the Foundation Certificate in Nail Technician Training Course, she is looking for a relevant job after release.

     The CSD has long been providing a favourable environment to encourage persons in custody to pursue studies while in custody. To prepare rehabilitated offenders for their return to the community, the CSD provides courses for them to acquire work-related training and recognition. The department also helps them attain job-relevant accreditation by helping them to apply through the Recognition of Prior Learning Mechanism under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework in accordance with their working knowledge, skills and experience. Those with financial difficulties may apply for an education subsidy.

     Also attending the ceremony were the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Woo Ying-ming, representatives of non-governmental and community organisations, community leaders and family members of persons in custody.

     Lo Wu Correctional Institution, established in 2010, is a medium security institution. It accommodates 1 400 female adult persons in custody.