The Kwun Tong Occupational Safety and Health Centre of the Labour Department (LD) will launch a wide range of occupational safety and health courses in the first half of 2019. The courses aim at enhancing the working population's understanding of the occupational safety regulations, and their awareness of occupational health.

     The courses cover a wide range of topics, including:
 

1. Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and Regulations
2. Confined Spaces Regulation
3. Major Safety Regulations Related to Working in Catering Trade
4. Dangerous Substances Regulations
5. Safety Management Regulation
6. Safety Regulations on Manual Handling Operations
7. Regulations Related to Safety in Hotel Industry
8. A Brief Introduction to the Regulation on Display Screen Equipment
9. Office Workstation Setup
10. Air Monitoring in the Workplaces
11. Lighting Assessment in the Workplace
12. A Brief Introduction to Noise at Work Regulation
13. Strategies for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases
14. Gas Poisoning in Manholes
15. Occupational Health in Catering Industry
16. Chemicals and Occupational Health
17. Medical Examinations for Workers Engaged in Hazardous Occupations in Industrial Undertakings
18. Manual Handling Operations and Prevention of Back Injuries
19. Occupational Health Hints for New Recruit Young Employees
20. Health Hazards of Hot Environment at Work
21. Health Hints on the Use of Computer
22. More Exercise, Smart Work
23. Noise Hazards and Prevention of Hearing Loss
24. Occupational Health for Office Workers
25. Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders for Office Workers
26. Occupational Health for Workers in Pre-primary Education Services
27. Occupational Health for Cleansing Workers
28. Occupational Contact Dermatitis
29. Manual Handling Operations and Prevention of Back Injuries for Workers of Hotel Industry/Residential Care Homes
30. Occupational Health for Professional Drivers
31. Work & Common Gastrointestinal Diseases
32. Prevention of Upper and Lower Limb Disorders
33. Occupational Stress Workshop
34. Work & Healthy Lifestyle
35. First Aid in the Workplace
36. Safety Regulations on Working in Times of Inclement Weather and Hot Environment
37. Major Safety Regulations Related to Accident Prevention in Office Work

 
     The courses will mainly be conducted in Cantonese at the LD's Occupational Safety and Health Centre, G/F, Kwun Tong Community Health Centre Building, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong. Enrolment is free.
           
     Application forms are available at the centre or offices of the Occupational Health Service of the LD. They can also be downloaded from the department's website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content6.htm). For enquiries, please call 2361 8240.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (November 30, Buenos Aires time) attended the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of the delegation of the People's Republic of China.

     Under the theme of "Building consensus for fair and sustainable development", the Summit focuses on key issues such as the future of work, infrastructure for development and a sustainable food future.

     Mr Chan attended different meetings on an array of topics, including multilateral trade, financial and tax systems, as well as sustainable development.

     Yesterday (November 29, Buenos Aires time)before the Summit, Mr Chan met with the Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr Sergey Storchak and briefed him on the latest development of Hong Kong’s financial services. Both sides agreed to continue with the negotiation on signing an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. Mr Chan also called on the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance of Germany, Mr Wolfgang Schmidt, to exchange views on global economic outlook.

     Tomorrow (December 1, Buenos Aires time), Mr Chan will continue to take part in the G20 Leaders' Summit.

     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon of December 3 (Hong Kong time).

    

     Hongkong Post announced today (December 1) that the latest posting date of Christmas mail for local delivery before Christmas Day is December 20 (Thursday). Mail posted after this date might run the risk of not being delivered in time because of anticipated seasonal work pressure. Members of the public are advised to post mail as early as possible in order to avoid a last-minute rush.
 
     During the Christmas holidays (December 25 and 26), there will be no mail delivery. All post offices will be closed except for the General Post Office and the Airport Post Office. The business hours of the two offices will be from noon to 5pm and 8am to 5pm respectively. General postal services will be provided. Details of services available will be advertised at the respective post offices. One mail collection will be made for the posting boxes of the General Post Office and the Airport Post Office. 
 
     To ensure that greetings sent by air mail are delivered before Christmas, members of the public are reminded to post their mail on or before the latest dates of posting. A complete list of the latest dates of posting for this year's Christmas mail by air is displayed at all post offices. Customers may also find the information on Hongkong Post's website at www.hongkongpost.hk or contact the Hongkong Post enquiry Hotline at 2921 2222.

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (December 1). They are, on Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong Joint Council of Parents of the Mentally Handicapped; in Kowloon, RainLily; and in the New Territories, Against Child Abuse Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on December 1 is as follows:
 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the Charitable Fund-raising Control Team at 2832 4311 during office hours. Information on the flag days of the month is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew/). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap/). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     Hong Kong has become the ideal hub for companies to develop financial technologies (fintech) and seize the opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as an attractive place for international talents to flourish, the Deputy Representative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels), Miss Fiona Chau, told a group of leading Dutch entrepreneurs on November 29 (Wassenaar time).
 
     Miss Chau was speaking at the end-of-year seminar organised by HKETO, Brussels in partnership with Invest Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Netherlands Hong Kong Business Association held in Wassenaar near The Hague, the Netherlands. The seminar focused on developments and opportunities in the fields of fintech, financial services, logistics for fashion and Dutch seafood in Hong Kong, the gateway to the dynamic Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
     
     "Hong Kong is indeed an ideal centre for developing fintech. After all, Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centres, ranking third worldwide in the latest Global Financial Centres Index covering 110 cities, just behind London and New York City," Miss Chau said.
 
     Miss Chau added that with the concerted efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government as a facilitator, financial regulators such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, emerging and innovative sectors and industry players, Hong Kong's fintech ecology is thriving. Cyberport, which houses over 300 fintech start-ups involved in blockchain, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, big data, wealth management and transaction engineering, is now one of the leading fintech hubs in Asia. 
 
     Asked about Hong Kong's advantages for Dutch entrepreneurs compared to other locations in the region, Miss Chau underlined that Hong Kong enjoys unique and unparalleled advantages as Mainland China's premier global financial centre, a transportation and logistics hub, and a major city for trade and commerce. She emphasised that Hong Kong’s close proximity and its unique status under the "one country, two systems" principle allow it to have first-mover advantage to grasp the vast business opportunities arising from the rapid economic advances of Mainland China, including the development of the Greater Bay Area.

     "Hong Kong has already attracted a variety of overseas innovation and technology institutes, and a number of these see Hong Kong as a hub for the Greater Bay Area. We encourage Dutch companies and institutions to come to Hong Kong to take advantage of the exciting opportunities in the region," Miss Chau said.

     Miss Chau noted that attracting talents is essential to support Hong Kong's development as a high-value-added and diversified economy. Hong Kong's first Talent List, promulgated in August and created to attract talented professionals from around the world, focuses on 11 professions including fintech as well as cyber-security and other aspects of innovation and technology. Miss Chau further elaborated that a vibrant mix of local, Mainland and overseas talents can keep Hong Kong's fintech ecology connected to the latest ideas and developments of the global fintech landscape and be most conducive to having the next big fintech innovations in Hong Kong.