The Buildings Department approved 34 building plans in May, with 15 on Hong Kong Island, six in Kowloon and 13 in the New Territories.

     Of the approved plans, 25 were for apartment and apartment/commercial developments, two were for commercial developments, two were for factory and industrial developments, and five were for community services developments.

     In the same month, consent was given for works to start on 12 building projects which, when completed, will provide 195 206 square metres of gross floor area for domestic use involving 3 695 units, and 43 472 sq m of gross floor area for non-domestic use. The department has received notification of commencement of superstructure works for seven building projects.

     The department also issued 23 occupation permits, with five on Hong Kong Island, three in Kowloon and 15 in the New Territories.

     Of the buildings certified for occupation, the gross floor area for domestic use was 120 735 sq m involving 1 183 units, and 60 353 sq m was for non-domestic use.

     The declared cost of new buildings completed in May totalled about $9.7 billion.

     In addition, nine demolition consents involving nine building structures were issued.

     The department received 2 557 reports about unauthorised building works (UBWs) in May and issued 1 424 removal orders on UBWs.

     The full version of the Monthly Digest for May can be viewed on the Buildings Department's homepage (www.bd.gov.hk).

     The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office (the Office) under the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) will set up a booth at the Education & Careers Expo 2022 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 21 for four consecutive days to showcase the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) for Hong Kong young people for study, employment and entrepreneurship.
 
     A spokesman for the CMAB said that with the positive feedback from its participation in the Education & Careers Expo 2021, the Office is taking part in the Education & Careers Expo 2022 again to introduce the various support schemes and facilitation measures tailor-made for young people in Hong Kong. Those who are interested in pursuing further development in the Mainland cities of the GBA may obtain the latest practical information from the booth of the Office. This will help them explore the many choices and opportunities for study, employment and entrepreneurship, etc, and understand how the GBA is providing a greater space for them to fulfil their dreams.
 
     The GBA is one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in the country, with huge development potential. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively taking forward the development of the GBA, and endeavors to improve various youth programmes to encourage Hong Kong young people to aim high and explore opportunities beyond Hong Kong. It has also been disseminating information about the development of the GBA to different sectors more frequently and comprehensively through strategic publicity and promotion efforts to encourage different sectors to actively participate in the development of the GBA and reap the benefits it brings about.
 
     The Education & Careers Expo 2022 will be held at Hall 5 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Admission is free. The booth of the Office will be located at Hall 5G (Booth 5G – B01) and will be open from 10am to 7pm from July 21 to July 23, and from 10am to 6pm on July 24. Interactive games on GBA-related themes will be available and souvenirs will be distributed while stocks last.
 
     For more information about the GBA, please visit the dedicated website (www.bayarea.gov.hk/en/). For further details of the Education & Careers Expo 2022, please visit the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's website (event.hktdc.com/fair/hkeducationexpo-en/HKTDC-Education-and-Careers-Expo).

     A total of 14 Hong Kong films are showcased under the Hong Kong Panorama at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) running from July 15 to 31. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (HKETONY), is proud to present this exhilarating lineup of new film productions and classic retrospectives from the city. 

     Hong Kong singer-actor Josie Ho was invited to join this year's NYAFF, and brought to audience her latest project "Finding Bliss: Fire and Ice", an inspiring music documentary filmed in Iceland. The HKETONY organised a welcome reception in honour of Ho prior to the film screening this evening (July 18, New York time).

     During the Festival, Hong Kong director Sunny Chan will also meet with the audience at the screening of his work "Table for Six" on July 23.

     HKETONY Director, Ms Candy Nip, said she is excited that the NYAFF has returned to the big screen this year. She thanked Ho and Chan for being compelling advocates for Hong Kong movies at the festival, and praised them for their creativity and passion in filmmaking. 

     In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong Panorama features five grandmaster classics from the Hong Kong cinema in the past 25 years , including Wong Kar-wai's "Happy Together". Meanwhile, Create Hong Kong is presenting a virtual film still exhibition of "Making Waves-Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema" in the United States from July 8 to August 14. Through the lens of four talented Hong Kong photographers, namely, Jupiter Wong, Wong Wai-lun, Quist Tsang, and Sharon Salad, cinema lovers can appreciate exceptional images from nearly 200 local films over the last 25 years.

     For more information about the Hong Kong Panorama at this year's NYAFF, and the virtual film still exhibition please visit the website of HKETONY: www.hketousa.gov.hk/arts-cultural.

      

     A Government spokesman announced today (July 19) that the supply of fresh food from the Mainland yesterday (July 18) was sufficient and stable.

     According to the latest information, the quantity of vegetables supplied from the Mainland to Hong Kong yesterday (as of midnight) by land and water transportation was over 2 700 tonnes, comparable to the average daily supply from the Mainland on a normal day. The volume of vegetables sold through the wholesale markets of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Vegetable Marketing Organization was about 853 tonnes. The average wholesale prices of choi sum and pak choi stood at $7.20 and $6.60 per catty respectively yesterday, comparable to their average daily wholesale prices last year. The supply of eggs to the wholesale market remained steady, with the average daily supply standing at about 3.2 million for the past week, comparable to the average daily supply on a normal day last year.

     The total supply of chilled meat from the Mainland yesterday was about 42 tonnes. The supply of live pigs was plentiful.

     The supply of chilled poultry from the Mainland was about 150 000 head yesterday, and about 10 000 live chickens were slaughtered locally. The supply was abundant.

     Regarding the rice supply, in compliance with the requirement by the Government, stockholders of rice have to maintain the reserve stock of rice at a level sufficient for consumption by the local population for 15 days. The trade generally stocks double the required amount, which is sufficient for one month's consumption by Hong Kong citizens. In recent years, the import and consumption of rice in Hong Kong has stood at a steady level of around 320 000 to 330 000 tonnes per year. The import quantity (including reserve stock) as of end-June 2022 was 30 400 tonnes. Suppliers also maintain a reserve for food that can be stored, such as frozen meat, for around three months' stock generally.

     The Government will continue to maintain close liaison with the Mainland authorities and major food suppliers to ensure a stable food supply.

     The AFCD updates and publishes the fresh food supply information daily. Members of the public may visit the AFCD website for updates on daily supplies and wholesale prices of fresh food (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_fresh/agr_fresh.html).

     â€‹The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau today (July 19) announced the results of applications for the 11th-round funding exercise of the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme (ACDFS). A total of 16 successful applications for Project Grants will be funded to a total amount of around $45.77 million.
      
     A total of 75 applications were processed for the 11th-round funding exercise. The successful applications are of a high standard, with a diverse representation across genres covering music, theatre, multi-disciplinary arts, arts technology, arts education/appreciation/promotion, media arts and community arts.
      
     The successful applicants (categories and names of organisations in alphabetical order) are as follows:
 

Note: The award of grants is subject to the successful applicants' signing of funding agreements with the Government.
 
     Introduced by the Government in 2011, the ACDFS is administered on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development. Members of the Committee take part in the assessment of applications together with Expert Advisers. The funding scheme aims to provide funding support for innovative and impactful proposals that contribute to the objectives of capacity development, programme/content development, audience building and arts education. It also seeks to provide an avenue of support for large-scale and cross-year arts and cultural initiatives/activities so as to enhance capacity development for promising arts groups and arts practitioners as well as to encourage the community and the private sector to support and sponsor the arts. Since the 10th round of ACDFS, a new category "Arts Technology" has been introduced with a view to encouraging the arts sector to manifest its artistic vision and aspirations through the use of technology in a creative manner. Apart from the applications submitted under the category of "Arts Technology", it is encouraging to see that a great number of applications under other categories have integrated technology into artistic creation by varying degrees.