Graduates of some of the most prestigious music schools in France, the members of Leonis Quartet, namely violinists Guillaume Antonin and Sebastien Richaud, violist Alphonse Dervieux and cellist Julien Decoin, promise an evening of classical music and laughter in a concert "Total Eclipse" to be staged in October.
 
     Highly cultivated in the field of classical music, the four musicians will entertain the audience with a burlesque and poetic performance involving anything from passionate tango and free-spirited gypsy music to psychedelic rock and classical.
 
     "Total Eclipse" is a musical and visual theatre show that offers an alternative image of classical music through humour and movement. The show uses comical situations rather than musical gags, and relies-in part-on a musical repertoire often unknown to the general public, also including some of the greatest string quartet pieces by Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn. The show takes the audience on a voyage to the fantastic world of the classical musician, who may try to free himself from the rigorous demands of classical music but gets drawn back in again and again.
 
      "Total Eclipse" by Leonis Quartet is one of the highlights of the Music Delights Series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The concert will be staged at 8pm on October 6 (Saturday) at the Auditorium of the Sha Tin Town Hall. Tickets priced at $120, $180 and $240 are now available from the URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk).
 
     For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_590.html

     The Government announced today (September 14) the appointment of two new members and the re-appointment of six incumbent members to the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) from September 15, 2018, until such time as the newly constituted VSB with elected members is established.

     The two new members are Dr Katriona Christine Ferguson Bradley and Dr Henry Yeung Chiu-fat.

     Dr Bradley is an experienced veterinary practitioner in private practice. Dr Yeung is a medical doctor in private practice.

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, welcomed the new members and those re-appointed to the VSB. She said she looked forward to their contribution to the work of the VSB in upholding the professional standards of veterinary surgeons in Hong Kong.

     Professor Chan also thanked the two outgoing members, Dr Gabriel Choi Kin and Dr Diane Lu Dah-an, for their dedicated service and valuable contribution to the VSB over the years.

     Enacted in 1997, the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap 529) provides for the establishment of the VSB, which is responsible for the regulation of the practice of veterinary surgery, the registration of veterinary surgeons, and the disciplinary control of the professional activities of registered veterinary surgeons in Hong Kong.

     The Ordinance has been amended by the Veterinary Surgeons Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) on March 18, 2015. Among other proposals, the membership of the VSB will increase from 10 persons to 19. Six of the seats are to be filled by registered veterinary surgeons elected by members of the profession. The Government is working on subsidiary legislation governing the election of registered veterinary surgeons to the VSB. Subject to passage of the proposed subsidiary legislation through the LegCo, the election is expected to take place in 2019. As and when the elected members are in place to join the VSB, the Government will bring the amendment ordinance into full operation. That future date is also expected to be the time at which the newly constituted VSB will come into operation.

     Following is the membership list of the VSB as from September 15, 2018:

Chairman
Professor Ching Pak-chung

Members
Mr Au Pak-ching
Dr Katriona Christine Ferguson Bradley
Dr Olivia Chan Sinn-kay
Dr Tint Naing
Mr Timothy Ng Sau-kin
Dr Brian David Stewart
Dr Florence Tang Mei-kuen
Dr Henry Yeung Chiu-fat
Dr Michelle Yeung Lee

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released today (September 14) the key analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund at the end of August 2018.

     Foreign assets, representing the external assets of the Exchange Fund, decreased during the month by HK$54.7 billion to HK$3,487.1 billion.

     The Monetary Base, comprising Certificates of Indebtedness, Government‑issued currency notes and coins in circulation, the balance of the banking system and Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued, amounted to HK$1,611.2 billion.

     Claims on the private sector in Hong Kong amounted to HK$225.4 billion.

     The analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund are released in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and are referred to as the Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank under SDDS (Annex).
 
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's SDDS. The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of September 2018, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), published today a tentative issuance schedule for Government Bonds (GBs) offered under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme for the next six-month period from October 2018 to March 2019 (Annex). The schedule contains information on, among others, the tentative tenors, tender dates, issue sizes, issue dates and method of issuance of individual GB issues. Further details on the methods of issuance are set out in the Information Memorandum available on the Government Bond Programme's website www.hkgb.gov.hk.
      
     The issuance schedule is normally published on a half-yearly basis.  It should be noted that the tenors, tender dates, issue sizes, issue dates and methods of issuance in the issuance schedule are tentative. The HKMA may make adjustments in the light of prevailing market conditions. A revised issuance schedule may be issued where appropriate. Other details of individual issues are to be confirmed and announced at least four business days prior to the scheduled tender dates.                                                                                                                 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (September 12) the progress made in its handling of banking complaints received as at end-August 2018. Banking complaints include cases concerning general banking services and conduct-related issues.
 
     In August 2018, 160 cases were received and the handling of 183 cases was completed. As at end-August, the handling of 382 cases was in progress. 
 
     A table summarising the progress made in the handling of banking complaints by the HKMA is attached.