Police today (June 26) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Wong Tai Sin. Cheung Man-kit Noctis, aged 24, went missing after he was last seen outside Sau Yuen… read more
The Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) launched the Energy Saving and Decarbonisation for All 2024 Campaign today (June 26) at the EMSD Headquarters Building to encourage the community to save energy, reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the low-carbon transformation of Hong Kong. Rewards were presented to winners of the Energy Saving Championship Scheme 2023 in recognition of their outstanding performance in the competitions.
Delivering a welcoming speech by video, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, said, “The Government strives to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and implement multiple energy-saving policies. There are more than 50 000 buildings in Hong Kong, and the electricity consumption of buildings accounts for about 90 per cent of Hong Kong’s total electricity consumption. Promoting ‘Energy Saving and Green Buildings’ can reduce electricity consumption and power generation demand. However, active actions by all citizens are essential in successfully combating climate change. Therefore, I appealed to all sectors of society to actively participate in the Energy Saving and Decarbonisation for All 2024 Campaign.”
Jointly organised by the EEB and the EMSD, the Energy Saving and Decarbonisation for All 2024 Campaign comprises the Energy Saving Charter 2024 and the 4T Charter. The Energy Saving Charter is promoted in conjunction with the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme to encourage all sectors in practising energy saving when using appliances in their daily lives. This year, over 3 300 premises have signed up for the Energy Saving Charter 2024. They pledged to maintain the average indoor temperature at their premises between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius during the high summer months from June to September, switch off appliances when not in use, procure energy-efficient appliances, promote energy data transparency, share energy-saving measures and achievements, and facilitate retrofitting in existing buildings. As for the 4T Charter, over 780 premises have joined by setting an energy-saving Target with an action Timeline, ensuring the Transparency of building energy data and the reporting of energy-saving results, as well as encouraging stakeholders to work Together to achieve the target of energy saving.
At the ceremony, Legislative Council Member Dr Lo Wai-kwok; the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying; and Deputy Secretary for Environment and Ecology Ms Polly Kwok presented awards to winners of the Energy Saving Championship Scheme 2023. The Competition for Household aims to promote public participation in the Energy Saving and Decarbonisation for All 2023 Campaign, and encourage them to practise energy conservation and carbon reduction in their daily lives through creativity and the application of innovative technology. The Competition for Students seeks to inspire the creativity and imagination of youth towards achieving carbon neutrality before 2050 through energy saving and the wider adoption of renewable energy. The winners’ energy-saving initiatives will be uploaded to the Energy Saving for All website www.energysaving.gov.hk. Members of the public may browse the website for more details of the Energy Saving and Decarbonisation for All 2024 Campaign.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) welcomed the Government’s announcement today (June 26) regarding a new batch of recognised medical qualifications by the Special Registration Committee. The HA fully supports the Government’s policy, and has been conducting various visits and recruitment activity promotions in different countries and regions in order to attract more qualified non-locally trained doctors to practice in Hong Kong.
The HA spokesperson said, “The HA has put much effort in recruiting overseas healthcare talent, including the establishment of the Global Healthcare Professional Recruitment Centre to co-ordinate all overseas recruitment programmes and regularise overseas recruitment activities. Recruitment events had been held in London and Manchester of the United Kingdom in April this year, with an aim to proactively encourage medical students to return to Hong Kong to work upon graduation, and to attract qualified overseas medical practitioners to serve the public in Hong Kong. The number of non-locally trained doctors currently working in the HA has increased to around 140 in May 2024 from 55 in March last year, and is expected to increase to around 250 by the end of this year.”
To tackle the rising service demand for the public healthcare sector, the HA will prioritise the recruitment of all suitable medical graduates from local universities, and will also recruit more qualified non-locally trained doctors under special registrations and limited registrations. The HA has set up various channels including online platforms to handle enquires and applications from non-locally trained doctors by a dedicated team. read more
​Co-organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office (CCPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Education Bureau (EDB), a teacher study tour to Henan on the ancient civilisation of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will be held from tomorrow (June 27) to July 1. More than 20 secondary school Chinese history teachers will join the five-day study tour to visit places including Zhengzhou, Anyang and Luoyang of Henan Province to enhance their understanding of the historical background of Henan’s Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties for promoting history education and enriching teaching content, through visits to cultural institutions and archaeological sites, as well as from expert scholars’ sharing and interviews.
The first exhibition of the CCPO’s General History of China Series, “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Ancient Civilisation of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in Henan Province” exhibition, is currently held in the Hong Kong Museum of History. To tie in with the exhibition and with the full support of the Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, the study tour allows teachers to visit various museums and archaeological sites, including Anyang Municipal Museum, Luoyang Museum, Yinxu Museum, the National Museum of Chinese Writing and the Erlitou Site. During the visit to the Henan Museum, teachers joining the study tour will attend a seminar, at which experts will share experiences on how they make use of museum resources to promote history education, to see what can be learned for Hong Kong. They will also explore teaching resources provided by Mainland institutions to support Hong Kong students in learning Chinese history and culture.
Teachers play a pivotal role in promoting and preserving Chinese culture. The Chinese History and Culture – Train-the-Trainer Workshops co-organised by the CCPO and the EDB are tailor-made for secondary and primary school teachers, and will cover Chinese history and culture, arts, technology, and intangible cultural heritage with a view to providing support for teachers to teach students of different ages and levels Chinese culture, thus enabling the inheritance of Chinese heritage. In recent months, the CCPO has held various teaching seminars, and will arrange diversified events in the new academic year commencing in September, including guided tours for exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence and exhibitions related to Chinese culture, film screening and thematic talks on intangible cultural heritage and ancient astronomy.
The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html. read more
As a number of international sports events will be held consecutively starting this month, Hong Kong Customs conducted a three-week special operation from June 3 to 23 by adopting a three-pronged strategy combining enforcement, inspection and public education to protect intellectual property rights.
On the enforcement front, Customs officers combat infringing activities at every level, including cross-boundary transhipments, local retail, and online and technology-related crimes. During the operation, Customs detected 33 related cases in total and seized about 68 000 items of suspected infringing goods with a total estimated market value of over $52 million. Nine persons were arrested.
Regarding cross-boundary transhipments, through big-data and intelligence analysis, as well as in-depth investigations and surveillances, Customs identified and raided over 60 logistics centres in Kowloon Bay, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and selected a container arriving in Hong Kong from Nansha, Guangdong, at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal for inspection. As a result, Customs detected 27 related cases and seized about 67 000 suspected counterfeit goods, including watches, handbags, clothes, footwear and sporting goods, with a total estimated market value of about $51 million. A 62-year-old woman who was responsible for arranging the transhipment of the goods was arrested.
After investigations, Customs believed that most of the suspected counterfeit goods would have been re-exported to Europe, America and Middle East regions.
On the technology crimes’ side, after a comprehensive investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owners, Customs officers raided six retail shops in Wan Chai, Kwun Tong, Hung Hom and Yuen Long on June 12 to crack down on infringing activities involving unauthorised communication of copyright works to the public. The case involved about 130 suspected illicit streaming devices and a batch of electronic products and audio and visual equipment, with an estimated market value of about $230,000. During the operation, four men aged between 32 and 48, including three shop owners and a salesperson, were arrested.
Also, Customs, carried out cyber patrols and made use of a big-data analytics system to conduct risk assessments and analyses and found that suspected counterfeit jerseys had been put on sale online. After an investigation and with the assistance of trademark owners, two cases of suspected counterfeit jersey sales through online platforms were cracked down during the operation. Thirty-one suspected counterfeit jerseys, with an estimated market value of about $30,000, were seized. A man and a woman, aged 24 and 30, were arrested.
On the retail side, Customs earlier received information alleging that some shops were selling suspected counterfeit sports-related products at low prices. Customs officers then swiftly took action on June 22, and raided four stalls inside a flea market at Kam Sheung Road and a retail shop nearby. During the operation, Customs arrested two shop owners, aged 50 and 39, and seized around 1 000 suspected counterfeit sports related products with an estimated market value of about $700,000.
Investigations of the above-mentioned cases are ongoing. All arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs also launched a high-profile seven-day operation from June 13 and deployed officers across the territory, including Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, Wan Chai, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tai Po, Sheung Shui, and Islands District, to conduct anti-infringement activities inspections. Customs also took the opportunity to distribute promotional leaflets to stores, bars and restaurants, and explained the relevant legal requirements to the merchants to prevent them from violating the laws unwittingly.
Additionally, in terms of education, Customs organised an Intellectual Property Rights Seminar for members of “Customs YES” in June to promote Customs’ work in protecting intellectual property rights, the relevant legislation and the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance to campuses and to sow the seeds of respecting intellectual property rights among youth. In July, Customs will hold a seminar in conjunction with the Intellectual Property Department to deepen the understanding about the respect for intellectual property rights and legal requirements of the bar and catering sector.
Customs appeals to consumers to purchase goods at reputable shops or websites and to check with the trademark owners or authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt to avoid buying counterfeit goods. The department also reminds traders or online sellers not to sell counterfeit goods, and to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since selling counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.
Customs reminds practitioners in the logistics industry to comply with the requirements of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) and to check with the trademark owners or authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt when handling cargoes.
Under the TDO, any person who imports or exports or sells or possesses for sale any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Customs also reminds merchants not to take part in activities involving unauthorised communication of copyright works to the public. Also, members of the public should respect intellectual property rights and not buy any illicit streaming devices. Unknown websites connected with the illicit streaming devices might contain computer viruses or malware which can pose a risk to users.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who, without the authorisation of the copyright owner, communicates a copyright work to the public for the purpose of or in the course of any trade or business that consists of communicating works to the public for profit or reward; or communicates the work to the public to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the copyright owner, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $50,000 in respect of each copyright work.
Customs will continue to step up inspections and enforcement to vigorously combat different types of infringing and counterfeiting activities.
Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting or infringing activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
