Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 19) that due to big wa… read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Acting Chief Executive, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (June 19):
Reporter: Mr Cheung, do you think the MTR has failed to submit its report yesterday? Is the Government going to penalise the MTR for that? And also, there are two further incidents coming out in the past week over the MTR saga – will the judge-led inquiry also investigate into these two incidents in the To Kwa Wan station as well as the exhibition centre?
Acting Chief Executive: The delay in submitting the report by MTR certainly is not satisfactory. In fact, the Director of Highways has already expressed our disappointment yesterday. And MTR promised to submit the report this morning, and apart from the To Kwa Wan report, they will also submit a report on the Exhibition station problem, involving underground support work. So we’re expecting two reports today from MTR.
On whether to extend the terms of reference on the Commission of Inquiry, I already responded yesterday at my function at the Tuen Mun Dragon Boat Festival. I said that the Chief Executive, Mrs Lam, when she announced the news of setting up the Commission of Inquiry last Tuesday, made it quite clear that we want, we really wish the terms of reference to be more focused on problems of the Hung Hom station, rather than spreading it too thin. The reason is very simple, the Hung Hom case is far more complex. We have other ways of tackling the other two issues, the so-called To Kwa Wan problem as well as the Exhibition station problem. There are ways and means of tackling it. It does not necessarily involve expanding the Commission of Inquiry’s terms of reference. We don’t want the Commission of Inquiry to overextend or overstretch itself. We want it more focus on the more complex problems. And in fact in the course of investigation, there will be certain issues common to all MTR contracts. I am sure that there will be some common denominators coming up in terms of, for example, work supervision. So, we’ll certainly kick-start the Commission of Inquiry as quick as possible and at the same time keep a very close eye on the entire Shatin-Central line. In fact, the Chairman of the MTR, Professor Fred Ma, also undertook to launch a thorough Investigation into the whole Shatin Central line. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited on fraudulent web… read more
Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (Ju… read more
Local ballet educator Margaret Lau will give a lecture series on ballet appreciation entitled “The Magic of Love” from July to September.
The lecture series will feature 12 full-length and short ballets of different styles which follow the destinies of lovers, whether sweet and romantic or bitter and sorrowful.
The lectures will be held at 7.30pm at AC1, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. They will be conducted in Cantonese and supplemented with video clips of repertoire. Details are as follows:
July 19 (Thursday): “La Sylphide”
Video clips: Royal Danish Ballet (Denmark), Paris Opera Ballet (France), Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), Staatsballett Berlin (Germany)
July 26 (Thursday): “Petrushka”, “Lilac Garden” and “L’Arlésienne”
Video clips: Paris Opera Ballet, The National Ballet of China, National Ballet of Cuba, American Ballet Theatre
August 9 (Thursday): “Romeo & Juliet”
Video clips: The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Teatro alla Scala Ballet (Italy), Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (Monaco), Korea National Ballet
August 16 (Thursday): “Two Pigeons”
Video clips: The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet (United Kingdom)
August 23 (Thursday): “The Little Mermaid”
Video clips: The Hamburg Ballet (Germany), San Francisco Ballet (United States), The National Ballet of China
August 30 (Thursday): “Hobson’s Choice”
Video clips: Birmingham Royal Ballet
September 6 (Thursday): “Ondine”
Video clips: The Royal Ballet
September 13 (Thursday): “The Golden Age”
Video clips: Bolshoi Ballet
September 20 (Thursday): “Onegin”
Video clips: Stuttgart Ballet (Germany), Bolshoi Ballet, The National Ballet of China, The National Ballet of Canada
September 27 (Thursday): “La Chauve-souris”
Video clips: Teatro alla Scala Ballet, The National Ballet of China
Margaret Lau holds a bachelor of arts degree and a postgraduate diploma in education from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a master of arts degree from the University of Hong Kong. She is a dance critic and feature writer for various magazines and newspapers in Hong Kong, and has worked as a researcher for the ballet section of the publication “A Dance History of Hong Kong”. Her other engagements include writing feature articles, conducting dance talks and translating house programmes for dance performances. She has also translated teaching materials and prospectuses for the teaching certificate programmes of the Royal Academy of Dance. Lau has been the speaker of the Lecture Series on Appreciating Ballet since 2009.
The Lecture Series on Appreciating Ballet “The Magic of Love” is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets priced at $50 for each lecture are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7323 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/dance/programs_565.html. read more