Anticipating that the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches would provide opportunities for criminals to develop infringement business, Hong Kong Customs is undertaking a special operation codenamed "Goalkeeper", focusing on infringing items that may be trafficked through passenger and cargo channels at the airport, seaport, land boundary and railway control points on the eve of the matches. The operation started on April 30, and until yesterday (June 13) about 259 000 pieces of suspected infringing items valued at about $15.3 million had been seized in 21 cases with five arrests also made.

     Suspected infringing items seized so far include about 180 000 pieces of apparel and accessories, 50 000 pairs of shoes and 29 000 bags. The apparel seized includes some 57 000 pieces of suspected counterfeit jerseys, among which 50 000 pieces bear suspected forged FIFA trademarks.

     The items were seized from 12 seaborne containers, four goods vehicles and a batch of air parcels.

     The operation is ongoing.

     Hong Kong Customs reiterated that it has all along been committed to combating infringing activities in various ways, and will step up mobilisation for stringent enforcement actions especially on the eve of and during mega international sport events.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trade mark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

          

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, June 14, 2018 is 99.6 (down 0.2 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited on fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Tin Sum today (June 14) in which an 86-year-old man died.

     At about 8.19am, a school bus driven by a 49-year-old man was travelling along Mei Tin Road towards MTR Tai Wai Station. When approaching near Mei Chung Court, it reportedly knocked down the 86-year-old man who was crossing the road.

     Sustaining serious head and multiple body injuries, the 86-year-old man was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital in conscious state and was certified dead at 10.41am.

     The driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for further enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories South is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 1300.

     Nine Hong Kong films, including two world premieres, one North American premiere, and three New York premieres, will be featured at the 2018 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) in the Walter Reade Theatre of the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts from June 30 to July 12. The two world premieres are Sunny Chan's directorial debut "Men on the Dragon" and Antony Chan’s comeback "House of the Rising Sons".
      
     The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Ms Joanne Chu, said yesterday (June 13, New York time) that the slate of movies, from new releases to action-packed thrillers, highlights the depth of film talent in the territory and underscores the Hong Kong Government’s efforts to nurture film talent and promote film development. For example, "Men on the Dragon", a Film Development Fund project, has been selected by the festival to be the Centerpiece presentation. It is being presented a year after the NYAFF put a special focus on first-time directors from the territory. It has also been selected to compete in the festival’s relaunched Main Competition with six other films.
      
     Sunny Chan, together with actress Jennifer Yu, will attend the premiere and a meet-the-audience session for the movie on July 12. Yu is one of 10 up-and-coming artistes featured in the Hong Kong Film New Action 2018 – Nova Power initiative.  
      
     Antony Chan is an original member and the drummer of the legendary teen-idol band the Wynners, formed in 1973, and he has returned to the director's chair after 26 years to present a vibrant biopic. His previous directorial works included "A Fishy Story", for which he was nominated for Best Director in the 1990 Hong Kong Film Awards. The director will attend the film screening on July 2 to talk about his music and filmmaking career.
      
     Presented under the "Hong Kong Panorama" banner and with the support of HKETONY, Hong Kong films have been the backbone of the annual festival since 2009.  Oxide Pang's "The Big Call" will have its North American premiere on July 4. The three New York premieres are Jonathan Li's debut "The Brink" (July 4), Wilson Yip's "Paradox" (July 4) and Chapman To's "The Empty Hands" (July 6). The star of "The Empty Hands", Stephy Tang, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2018 Hong Kong Film Awards, will attend the film screening and meet the New York audience for the first time
      
     This year is also the time to celebrate the career of Dante Lam, whose first psycho-thriller "Beast Stalker" became an instant modern classic when it was released in 2008. Since then, Lam has been at the creative forefront of the action genre, and the festival will present him with the Daniel A Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. There will be a special 10th anniversary screening of "Beast Stalker" on 35mm (July 1), as well as screenings of his mixed martial arts drama "Unbeatable" (July 1) and his latest film "Operation Red Sea" (June 30). Lam will attend the festival's opening to discuss his films together with long-term producer Candy Leung.
      
     The programme trailer of the "Hong Kong Panorama" can be found at www.facebook.com/hkmeetsamerica/videos/1105792796234459.