Federal Chancellor of Austria to visit Hong Kong

     The Federal Chancellor of Austria, Mr Sebastian Kurz, will arrive in Hong Kong on August 31 for a three-day official visit.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will meet with Mr Kurz on August 31 at Government House.
 




Effective Exchange Rate Index

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 is 103.8 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).




Classic works of Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui to be screened in reruns at North District Town Hall (with photo)

     The retrospective "Glory Days: When Leslie Met Anita" presented by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department several months ago was well received by the audience. To revisit the glory days of superstars Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, the HKFA has selected seven movies from the series to have encore screenings at North District Town Hall from September 28 to October 1.
 
     "Rouge" (1988), the only film co-starring Cheung and Mui as leads, will once again be the first movie shown. Directed by Stanley Kwan, the film tells of the romance between famous courtesan Fleur and wealthy playboy Pang in the 1930s. The film won various prizes at film awards and festivals. The screening will include a three-minute music montage specially edited from a rarely seen international cut.
 
     Both iconic figures in Cantopop, Cheung and Mui occasionally introduced music elements and enriched their works with their attractive voices. The musical drama "The Phantom Lover" (1995) features Cheung as a popular opera star, and the theme song composed and performed by Cheung won a Best Original Film Song nomination for the Golden Horse Awards. In "Au Revoir, Mon Amour" (1991) with the Sino-Japanese War as the story setting, Mui plays a songstress who guards her beloved regardless of the unstable political environment. The strong-willed character is consistent with Mui's own personality.
 
     Cheung and Mui contributed to a wide range of genres in their acting careers. From their comedies, the HKFA picked the Chinese New Year screen classic "All's Well End's Well" (1992) and "Justice, My Foot!" (1992), which saw Cheung and Mui separately co-star with king of comedy Stephen Chow. Both stood on an equal footing with Chow, and the two works are among the top classics in the acting careers of Cheung and Mui. "All's Well End's Well" will be accompanied by a post-screening talk hosted by director Clifton Ko and film critic William Yuen.
 
     Both Cheung and Mui took part in the romance movie series "He's a Woman, She's a Man" (1994) and "Who's the Woman, Who's the Man" (1996). The first film, starring Cheung and Anita Yuen, features crossed relationships and gender confusion, while in the latter film Mui joins the cast with an androgynous stage persona, making the story more complicated and daring.
 
     All films are in Cantonese. "Au Revoir, Mon Amour" is without subtitles, while the other films are with Chinese and English subtitles.
 
     Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/2018gdwlma-ndth/index.html.

Photo  



Red flags hoisted at some beaches

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 (August 29) that due to inclement weather, red flags have been hoisted at Lido Beach, Casam Beach and Ting Kau Beach in Tsuen Wan District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at these beaches.




Students reminded to attend school early on first school day

     The Transport Department (TD) today (August 29) reminded students to attend school early on the first school day next Monday (September 3) as traffic is expected to be busier than normal.
 
     "Students, especially those attending a new school, should familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken to school and allow more travelling time on the first school day. Students living on the outlying islands or attending schools on the outlying islands should check the ferry schedules, the vessel types to be used and journey times for their intended ferry trips beforehand. Students are also reminded to pay attention to road safety when attending school," a department spokesman said.
 
     Major public transport operators have been reminded to provide adequate public transport services to meet the transport demand on the first school day.
 
     "The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will closely monitor the traffic situation and public transport services on September 3. The department will maintain close liaison with major public transport operators and relevant government departments. Staff will be deployed at various major locations throughout the territory to observe the traffic conditions and provide on-site information to the ETCC for arranging public transport service enhancement or informing the Police for traffic regulation when necessary," the spokesman added.
 
     More information may be obtained through the following hotlines and websites of major public transport operators:
 

Operator Hotline Website
New World First Bus 2136 8888 www.nwstbus.com.hk
Citybus 2873 0818 www.nwstbus.com.hk
Kowloon Motor Bus 2745 4466 www.kmb.hk
Long Win Bus 2261 2791 www.lwb.hk
New Lantao Bus 2984 9848 www.newlantaobus.com
New World First Ferry 2131 8181 www.nwff.com.hk
Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry 2815 6063 www.hkkf.com.hk
MTR Corporation Limited 2881 8888 www.mtr.com.hk

 
     Motorists are advised not to drive to the school areas if possible. Drivers of nanny vans and school buses should not carry excess passengers or leave schoolchildren in vehicles unattended. An escort should be provided on board when serving kindergarten or primary school students. Parents should agree well in advance with schools, operators of nanny vans or school buses on the locations for picking up and dropping off their children.
 
     Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest transport and traffic news on radio and television before leaving home. For enquiries, please call the department's hotline at 2804 2600 or the 1823 Call Centre.