Skilled Hong Kong youths will go up against teams from around the world in the WorldSkills Competition in Russia next year.
News.gov.hk interviewed two winners of this year's WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition to see how they are preparing for a chance to represent the city.
The story appears on news.gov.hk today (July 8) in text and video format.
Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting today (July 8).
The arrangements will come into effect two hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.
Appropriate traffic signs will be put up and police will be on hand to guide motorists.
The Police also appeal to people going to Sha Tin Racecourse for the race meeting and to Happy Valley Racecourse for cross betting to make maximum use of public transport.
Parking spaces at the two racecourses are available only to holders of appropriate permits issued by Hong Kong Jockey Club and any vehicles illegally parked will be towed away.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (July 7) urged the public, for the sake of prudence, not to consume several kinds of prepackaged frozen vegetable products produced by the Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen. The trade should stop using or selling the products concerned immediately if they possess them.
Details of the products are as follows:
1. Product name : Sainsbury's Mixed Vegetables
Packing: one kilogram per pack
Importer: The Dairy Farm Company Limited
Best before date: All codes to January 2020 inclusive
2. Product name : Waitrose Love Life Vegetable Medley Steamers
Packing: four small packs of 160 grams each per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: May, July, September 2018
3. Product name : Growers Pride Mixed Vegetables
Packing: 450 grams per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive
4. Product name : Ross Mixed Vegetables
Packing: one kilogram per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2020 inclusive
5. Product name : Ross Sweetcorn
Packing: 450 grams per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive
A spokesman for the CFS said, "The Centre, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, learned of a notice issued by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency that the Greenyard Frozen UK Limited is recalling several kinds of frozen vegetable products as they might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. "
The CFS immediately contacted major local importers and retailers for follow-up. Preliminary investigation found that two local importers, The Dairy Farm Company Limited and PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited, had imported the above affected products into Hong Kong for sale at their chain supermarkets. The importers concerned have already stopped sale and removed from shelves the affected products and initiated a recall. Members of the public can contact the importers and the supermarkets concerned for enquiries about the recall.
"Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperature. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns," the spokesman said.
The spokesman urged consumers not to consume the affected products if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess them.
The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to monitor the case and take appropriate follow-up action. Investigation is ongoing.
Hong Kong actress, Stephy Tang, whose leading role in "The Empty Hands" (2017) was deemed to be her "career-best performance" as described by the reputable entertainment magazine Hollywood Reporter, has added the "Screen International Rising Star Award" to her accolades in the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). She is the first Hong Kong actress to receive the coveted award.
At the presentation ceremony in Lincoln Center on July 6 (New York time), the Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (HKETONY), Ms Joanne Chu said the award was a timely boon as this year marked the 10th anniversary of the collaboration between HKETONY and NYAFF.
While she congratulated the singer-turned-actress for a successful year, she also thanked the organisers of NYAFF for bringing Hong Kong films and talents to the New York movie-savvy audience in the past decade, counting 80 award-winning films and inviting more than 30 directors, actors and screenwriters for interviews.
The Executive Director of NYAFF, Mr Samuel Jamier, said the Hong Kong film series had always been the core segment of the festival. "We are pleased to see the festival grow from strength to strength since 2002 and with the ETO's support since 2009. Ten years down the road, we have presented in world/US/New York premieres a variety of Hong Kong genre films besides action, horrors and police thrillers which obviously are still the audience favourites," he added.
The festival has since been regarded as the "best film festival in New York" by Village Voice and "one of the city's most valuable events" by New York Times. It was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs of contemporary Asian cinema. Since 2010, it has been produced in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
The lineup this year featured nine Hong Kong films, with two world premieres, one North American premiere and three New York premieres. "Men on the Dragon" (2018), the debut feature of screenwriter-director Sunny Chan, will have its world premiere on July 12. Both Chan and co-actress Jennifer Yu will meet the audience in a Q&A session. The film starring Francis Ng, Poon Chan Leung and Kenny Wong was another successful venture of Hong Kong Film Development Fund.
The film talents who have attended the festival in the past ten years (including 2018) were Heiward Mak Hei-Yan, Wai Ka-fai (2009); Sammo Hung, Simon Yam (2010); Tsui Hark (2011); Pang Ho-cheung, Donnie Yen (2012); Jackie Chan, Erica Li, Herman Yau (2013); Felix Chong, Alan Mak, Sandra Ng (2014); Aaron Kwok, Ringo Lam, Lau Ho-Leung (2015); Adam Wong, Miriam Yeung (2016); Florence Chan, Derek Hui, Lawrence Lau, Alan Lo, Carrie Ng, Eric Tsang, Wong Chun (2017); and Antony Chan, Sunny Chan, Dante Lam, Stephy Tang and Jennifer Yu (2018).
The video of the award presentation can be found at www.facebook.com/hkmeetsamerica/videos/1130956700384735/ch. Photos are available on www.instagram.com/hongkongmeetsamerica/.
Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at Jockey Club Music Children Seed Programme Kick-Off Ceremony today (July 7):
I just follow the fine tradition of the chairlady and will start my speech in English first, and followed by Cantonese. I am really touched today for being invited to this very important occasion.
First of all, Monique (Founder and Artistic Director of the Music Children Foundation (MCF), Ms Monique Pong), Annike (Founder and Executive Director of the MCF, Ms Annike Pong) and Anthony of course from the Jockey Club (Deputy Chairman of Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Anthony Chow), without you we won’t be able to gather here today.
I would like to pay warm tribute to the three ladies, particularly the two sisters. You started the whole movement five years ago. I first came to know you when the project was operated in run-down premises in Sham Shui Po. I was touched by your passion, generosity, commitment and selfless devotion to the underprivileged people in Hong Kong. It is really a moving story. I was in tears because you really changed the life of the disadvantaged kids living in cubicles in Sham Shui Po. It is a dream come true.
The programme has mushroomed over the last five years, multiplying effect from one to eight. And of course my enormous gratitude goes to the Jockey Club as always. I always love seeing Anthony. Every time I see him means more people will likely be benefited. So my warm tribute to the Jockey Club! This is a huge donation, but this is also a substantial investment for future generations. There is no better investment than investing in our own children, particularly in their future, in their qualities, in their soft skills. In fact you are changing the lives of many, many Hong Kong children.
Monique told me that you’ve got the first batch of your trainees now, becoming scholars, and also coming back to help the younger kids. So this is what we call by giving back to the community. This is a very good story of reinvesting in the whole community and then helping the whole new generation of Hong Kong. They are the future of society.
The Government also attaches great importance to the well-being of our children. The current term government has just celebrated the first year of our anniversary. Generally, I think we are still kicking our life of course. In the first year, we decided to place the well-being of the underprivileged very high on the policy agenda, particularly the upward mobility of children and young people. So I have been tasked to chair, first of all, a Youth Development Commission, targeting the cohort of 18 to 35 years of age. I have also taken up the very difficult task of chairing the Children’s Commission, from age 0 to 18. So, we call it a continuum of caring, a through-train service, under the Chief Secretary for Administration, called Matthew Cheung.
And this underlines our important attachment to the upbringing, the qualities of our next generation in Hong Kong – upward mobility, their qualities. Music in fact is a very important, I would say, propeller for them to move forward. Look at the kids just now- their performance, their confidence, their facial expressions and also their co-operation, their team work. The Music Children Foundation indeed a symphony of passion, love, generosity, collaboration and, finally, selfless devotion for the love of Hong Kong. I must thank a lot of supporters, like Dr Lo (Chairman of Lo Ying Shek Chi Wai Foundation, Dr Lo Ka-shui), from day one; the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which very kindly donated $45 million, enough for three years. Their target is to train up 4 100 young children who can stand here, sing, play instruments, without paying a single cent, not a single dollar. Even if they can’t afford instruments, no problem, instruments provided, all free, provided that you really practice it and do it.
I was in tears when I watched that video – a young kid who loves saxophone living in a cubicle in Sham Shui Po. How can you practice in a cubicle with 10 families living on the same floor or up on the rooftop surrounded by all washings and TV antennas, and start practicing early in the morning? This is about persistence, professionalism, commitment and determination for upward mobility, right? It also changes the whole character of young people.
So, on that note I would simply say I come here with a heart of gratitude. To say thank you very much indeed for helping me in my task of enhancing the well-being of the next generation. Allow me to say a few words in Cantonese now.
