The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, May 9, 2024 is 106 (same as yesterday's index).

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site in Kai Tak yesterday morning (May 8), in which a male worker, while inspecting the progress of construction works on a power-operated elevating work platform, was trapped between the platform and a metal structure. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.

     The LD's spokesman said, "We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the use of the platform. The contractors cannot resume the work until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken."

     The spokesman added, "We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation."

     The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years on conviction on indictment; or $3 million and imprisonment for six months on summary conviction.

     In regard to yesterday's accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its mobile application "OSH 2.0", website and by email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers' unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.

     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees' compensation under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees' compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.

     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.

     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) announced today (May 9) that mobile network operators (MNOs) have been actively setting up fifth generation mobile services (5G) radio base stations (RBSs) at major public event venues and nearby government venues to implement the policy measure relating to the enhancement of 5G network capacity at major public event venues as specified in the 2023 Policy Address.
 
     Major public event venues undergoing enhancement of 5G network capacity in the first phase include Central Harbourfront Event Space, Hong Kong Coliseum, Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) and Victoria Park. The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and OFCA have been proactively co-ordinating with MNOs, relevant venue managers and government departments to streamline the approval and installation procedures so as to facilitate prompt installation of 5G RBSs by MNOs at these venues, enhancing their 5G network capacity and ensuring smoother communications services for mobile users attending major public events at these venues.
 
     A spokesman for OFCA welcomed the co-operation and co-ordination of venue managers and relevant government departments, which have facilitated the prompt commencement of the relevant 5G RBS installation works at these venues with satisfactory progress made thus far. At present, four MNOs have completed the installation of and activated the 5G RBSs at HKCEC, AWE and near Victoria Park. After completion of the installation works, 4G network services at HKCEC and AWE have been upgraded to 5G. Following the activation of the 5G RBS near Victoria Park, 5G network capacity at the aforementioned locations has also been significantly enhanced. In addition, the installation works of 5G RBSs at Central Harbourfront Event Space, Hong Kong Coliseum and Kai Tak Sports Park have commenced progressively, and the 5G RBSs at Central Harbourfront Event Space and Hong Kong Coliseum will be activated shortly in phases.
 
     "OFCA will continue to work closely with relevant government departments and MNOs to enhance 5G network capacity at more major public event venues through installation of additional mobile infrastructures, with a view to providing mobile users with seamless, secure and efficient communication services, ensuring smooth proceeding of major public events and supporting Hong Kong's reputation as a host city for international mega events with the provision of high-quality and reliable telecommunications infrastructure," the spokesman added.

     The Film Programmes Office (FPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present the "Summer Family Cine Fest" (SFCF) from July 13 to August 27 and offer over 50 fun-filled film screenings at the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA), Hong Kong City Hall, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Space Museum (HKSpM) and the North District Town Hall. The programme is one of the highlights of the International Arts Carnival (IAC).
 
     Among the 10 cinematic works in the Feature Films section of the SFCF, seven are animations. In the opening film that swept several major European animation awards "Chicken for Linda!" (2023), a mother causes a commotion across the city just for making a chicken dish. Underneath the frenzy, there lies her daughter's longing for her late father. In "Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light" (2023), the life of Tony, who is an overprotected child with a body that lights up like a bulb, takes an unexpected turn when his peculiar little neighbour enters his world. In "Bim" (2023), a little winged bell embarks on a thrilling journey before Easter in search of an elixir to prevent the world from plunging into eternal winter.
 
     In "Teca & Tuti: A Night at the Library" (2023), a little clothes moth, Teca, suddenly gains the ability to read and, to unravel a mystery, she decides to venture into a human's library. Two sisters accidentally fall into the magical world of a book in "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds" (2023) where they transform into cats and embark on an extraordinary adventure in the Kingdom of the Winds. In "A Mystery on the Cattle Hill Express" (2023), Clara and Gavin join forces with the world-famous detective Agatha Chichester to solve a mysterious heist of seeds to secure the Cattle Hill farm's future. Inspired by Ukrainian mythology, "Mavka: The Forest Song" (2023) tells the story of the forest guardian Mavka who dispels hatred with love and saves the world from the scourge of war.
 
     Three other feature films in the section are about little boys and girls persevering over adversity. In "Thabo and the Rhino Case" (2023), Thabo dreams of becoming a detective. His first case is to investigate who are the rhino poachers. However, he soon discovers that prejudice is his true adversary. In the "New Tales of Franz" (2023), Franz inadvertently provokes a bandit when trying to make peace between his two best friends leading all three into a thrilling and hilarious adventure. "Big Dreams" (2023) is a highly acclaimed Czech film of recent years. It chronicles the inspiring journey of a group of underestimated youngsters breaking into the world of ice hockey through faith and solidarity.
 
     The "Youthful Encounter" section has specially selected "How to Get Your Parents to Divorce (2022)". Twelve-year-old Justine, who is tired of her parents’ constant quarrels, hatches a plan to get them divorced with the help of her friends and classmates in a "Youth Court". However, the unfolding events do not go as expected, and lead to a surprisingly heartwarming ending.
 
     The "Film Tunnel" section of the SFCF will screen "Babe" (1995), which won the Best Visual Effects category of the Academy Awards. Facing the teasing and prejudice from the other animals on the farm, a little pig, Babe, not only learns to herd sheep but also win a sheepherding contest under the care and guidance of a sheepdog. This classic family comedy is both uplifting and touching, evoking laughter and tears alike.
 
     In addition, the FPO will co-organise with the HKSpM to present the dome show "3-2-1 Liftoff! The Space Adventures of Elon the Hamster" (2021) at the Space Theatre of the HKSpM. The audiences will follow Elon the Hamster in his fight to overcome a series of obstacles to return to space a robot that has accidentally crashed onto Earth with limited time. After the screenings, audiences will be invited to join an interactive demonstration at the HKSpM Lecture Hall to explore the science behind rocket manufacturing and space-station orbiting. The activity will be conducted in Cantonese.
 
     Veteran dubbing artists Yip Ka-man and Kinson Lai will perform live Cantonese dubbing for "Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light", "Bim" and "A Mystery on the Cattle Hill Express" with no subtitles. "3-2-1 Liftoff! The Space Adventures of Elon the Hamster" is in Cantonese, with English available through the headphone system, with no subtitles. Other films have Chinese and English subtitles.
 
     A post-screening tips-sharing session on parenting will be held after the opening screening of "Chicken for Linda!" on July 13 at the HKFA Cinema, and will be conducted in Cantonese.
 
     Apart from the feature films, the FPO has hand-picked 23 animation and short films from around the world to present three "World Animation & Shorts" programmes, titled "Love and Companion", "Wisdom in Stories" and "Think Outside the Box". Professional actor and drama tutor Man Jai (Raymond Chan) will host an introduction in Cantonese for the programmes.
 
     Tickets priced at $80 will be available from tomorrow (May 10) at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2900 or visit https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en/listing.html?id=60.
　　
     For details of other IAC progranmmes, please visit the following website www.hkiac.gov.hk.

    

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on May 8 to noon today (May 9), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 175 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 49 597 samples of food imported from Japan (including 32 217 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 12 834 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.