Hongkong Post announced today (September 20) that, surface mail services (including letters and parcels) to Iran have returned to normal with immediate effect.

     Police yesterday (September 19) held the Regional Traffic Day in Kowloon West to raise public awareness of road safety through stringent enforcement actions.

     A total of 239 officers from Traffic Kowloon West and District Traffic Teams of Kowloon City, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Districts were deployed to take enforcement actions at traffic black spots in Kowloon West.

     The operation resulted in the issue of 1 746 fixed penalty tickets and 134 summonses. Among the fixed penalty tickets and summonses issued, a total of 1 601 fixed penalty tickets were issued for illegal parking and the rest were for other traffic offences.

     Police figures revealed that a total of 2 106 traffic accidents involving casualties occurred in Kowloon West in the first eight months of 2018, of which 548 cases involved pedestrian injuries.

     Police will continue to take regular enforcement actions to ensure road safety.

     Hongkong Post announced today (September 20) the release of a set of special stamps under the theme "Cantonese Opera Repertory", together with associated philatelic products, on October 9 (Tuesday).
 
     Cantonese opera is a representative traditional performing art form in Hong Kong that was officially inscribed onto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. It has become an important icon of our local culture – one which is worth savouring and passing on. In Cantonese opera the performers present various stories with the "four basic skills" of singing, acting, narrating and martial arts, complemented by distinctive music, costumes, props and stage settings.
 
     The set of special stamps on "Cantonese Opera Repertory", featuring six immensely popular Cantonese opera plays and their classic scenes, includes The Story of Princess Changping ($2), The Moon Pavilion ($2.60), Lord Guan Gong Releasing Lady Diao Chan ($3.40), The Princess in Distress ($3.70), Butterfly Lovers ($4.90) and Lady Zhaojun Departing for the Frontier ($5). The stamps show an important scene from each opera with vivid and distinctive portrayals of the characters in the plays.
 
     Most of the plots are based on folk tales, Chinese history and myths. As the scripts of the plays are often created by talented writers, the lyrics are regarded as literary classics. Apart from being a popular form of entertainment, Cantonese opera is also a precious cultural tradition that we should preserve. For those looking to learn more, the stories behind these six great works are outlined in some detail in an attractive bilingual Prestige Stamp Booklet, accompanied by colourful photos of the key scenes from the performances.
 
     Official First Day Covers at $1.30 each will be put on sale at all post offices from tomorrow (September 21). The special stamps and associated philatelic products will be displayed at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office, Tsuen Wan Post Office, Sha Tin Central Post Office and Tuen Mun Central Post Office from the same day. Advance orders for servicing self-provided covers will be accepted at all philatelic offices from tomorrow to September 28.
 
     Information about this special stamp issue and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post website at www.hongkongpost.hk and via the Hongkong Post mobile app.

            

     The Transport Department (TD) today (September 20) said that the relevant departments continued to work at full strength to clear road surfaces affected by Typhoon Mangkhut so as to resume the remaining affected public transport services as soon as possible. 

     Up to now, most of the major roads have been cleared to enable passage of traffic, including public transport.  However, more time is needed to clear the fallen trees on some major roads such as Clear Water ­­­­­­­­Bay Road, Tai Mong Tsai Road, Tin Ping Road and Route Twisk in the New Territories; and Wong Nai Chung Gap Road,  Tai Hang Road, Peak Road, Victoria Road, Nam Fung Road and A Kung Ngam Road on Hong Kong Island.

     A spokesman for the TD reminded members of the public that they should pay attention to the traffic situation and the latest public transport service arrangement this morning before starting their journey. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and drive carefully.

     As at 5.30am today, the latest public transport situation is as follows:

(I) MTR Services

Rail services         – all rail lines, service normal
Light Rail services – service normal
MTR Bus services  – normal frequency, except routes of some services have to be diverted

(II) Franchised Bus Services

     All franchised bus services will provide service this morning, except that the following routes are still suspended. The public may consider using the alternative arrangements indicated below:
 
Hong Kong Island (4 Routes)

  
New Territories (2 Routes)

 
The service resumption of the above routes will be announced as soon as possible after the road surfaces have been cleared, but some resumed routes will be temporarily diverted subject to the road conditions.

 (III) Ferry Services  

     Except the ferry service between North Point and Hung Hom, all inner harbour and outlying island ferry services resumed normal.

     The spokesman reminded members of the public to stay alert to the latest traffic news and allow more time for travel. For details of the above public transport arrangements, members of the public can visit the TD's website or get the information through the TD's mobile application "HKeMobility".

     Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin), Hong Kong has entered the stage of the Jameson CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival (CineFest) for the second straight time. This year's edition of Hungary's leading international film festival witnessed an even bigger Hong Kong presence than last year.

     Film enthusiasts from Central and Eastern European region and beyond enjoyed the Hong Kong Film Days from September 18 to 19 (Miskolc time) as part of the 15th CineFest edition which runs from September 14 to 23. The Hong Kong Film Days featured the award-winning action film Paradox by Wilson Yip who is not least famous for the Ip Man trilogy. Cineasts in Miskolc also watched an all-time classic of Hong Kong's film history, The Grandmaster. Directed by the legendary Hong Kong filmmaker, screenwriter and producer Wong Kar-wai in 2012, this martial arts drama was a great highlight for the audience to see what the Hong Kong cinema is like: vivid, entertaining and exciting. Films like Ip Man and The Grandmaster have substantially contributed to Hong Kong gaining its reputation as the "Hollywood of the East".

     On the opening reception of the Hong Kong Film Days on September 18, the Director of the HKETO Berlin, Mr Bill Li, highlighted in his welcoming remarks that co-operation between Hong Kong and Hungary has great prospects of getting even stronger in future: "Looking ahead, business and cultural exchanges between Hungary and Hong Kong are expected to become more frequent under Hungary's 'opening to the East' policy, and China's Belt and Road Initiative." This provides excellent business opportunities for both sides. In particular, Hungarian professionals and companies in the creative sector can tap a huge potential through Hong Kong as "with the integration of Mainland of China and Hong Kong, Hong Kong has access to a huge market of 1.3 billion audience, and the bright prospect of co-production with investors and talents from the Mainland of China", as Mr Li said.

     Another step forward in bringing Hong Kong and Hungary closer together was taken in Miskolc. Create Hong Kong, a government agency driving the development of the creative economy in Hong Kong, has joined hands with CineFest to initiate exchange between talented film professionals from both regions. Namely, a delegation of visual effects specialists from Hong Kong came to Hungary to conduct professional exchanges and explore business opportunities at various occasions in Miskolc and Budapest. They hosted joint workshops together with their Hungarian counterparts at CineFest, and screened films with strong visual effects-basis to showcase their state-of-the-art work. 

     One could hardly imagine a better starting point for exchange and future collaboration than meeting the fellow film practitioners face-to-face at the CineFest. "It provides us with a unique opportunity to share our film-making experience and skills with the Hungarian and European filmmakers at film shows, post-screening talks and workshops hosted by our action stunt experts, cinematographers, visual effects experts and post-production professionals", Mr Li emphasised and further added that he would very much like to see Hungarians to come to Hong Kong as well: "Come and join us in our own renowned film events such as the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the FILMART next spring that showcase the creative diversity and the cutting-edge standards of one of the most dynamic film entertainment industries in the world."

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 Hungary as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.