Tag Archives: China

     â€‹The Marine Wildlife Appreciation Festival organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) was launched today (January 11), with a view to promoting respect, care, and appreciation for marine wildlife among the public.

     “Themed on the conservation of key and iconic local marine species, including cetaceans, horseshoe crabs and corals, the Marine Wildlife Appreciation Festival promotes respect, care and appreciation for marine wildlife among the public,” said the AFCD Assistant Director (Fisheries and Marine Conservation), Mr Patrick Lai.

     The Festival, organised by the AFCD with Ocean Park Hong Kong, Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong and World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong as co-organisers, is conducting a series of activities including panel exhibition, education booths and workshops, education talks, and video broadcast, with a view to sharing with the public the notion of respect, care and appreciation for Hong Kong’s diverse marine resources.

     Mr Lai noted that these activities, which are being held for family enjoyment, allow children to learn at a young age the appropriate attitude and behaviour when participating in marine wildlife appreciation, and to conserve the valuable marine resources in Hong Kong and live with them in harmony. 

     The AFCD takes the opportunity to remind members of the public to follow the Code of Conduct for Dolphin Watching Activities when watching local Chinese white dolphins. Moreover, the public should not disturb cetacean species sighted in local waters.

     The education activities are being held between January and March. Details can be found in the Annex or on the AFCD’s Hong Kong Marine Classroom Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HongKongMarineClassroom/.

        

     W2E Technologies Limited and its director were prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for contravention of the Employment Ordinance (EO). The company and its director pleaded guilty and were each fined $25,000, making a total fine of $50,000, at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (January 11).

     The company failed to pay one employee, in accordance with the requirement of the EO, wages totalling about $6,000 within seven days after the expiry of the wage periods and termination of employment contract. The company also failed to pay a sum of about $7,000 awarded by the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board (MECAB) within 14 days after the date set by the MECAB. The director concerned was prosecuted and convicted for his consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences.

     “The ruling will disseminate a strong message to all employers, directors and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay employees’ wages within the time limit stipulated in the EO and awarded sums as ordered by the Labour Tribunal or the MECAB,” a spokesperson for the LD said.

     “The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees’ statutory rights,” the spokesperson added. read more

     The Government today (January 11) welcomes the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre (FDRC)’s appointment of Dr Thomas So Shiu-tsung as the Chairman to its Board for a term of two years from January 12, 2024, to January 11, 2026.
 
     A spokesman for the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) said, “We welcome the appointment of Dr Thomas So as the Chairman of the Board of the FDRC. We trust that under his stewardship, the FDRC will continue to provide accessible, efficient and transparent mediation and arbitration services for financial institutions and their customers in Hong Kong, enhancing investor confidence. Our heartfelt thanks go to the outgoing Chairman, Mr Dieter Yih. His sterling leadership and dedication to the FDRC over the past six years are pivotal to the effective operation of the FDRC, improving Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre.”
 
     The FDRC administers in an independent and impartial manner a financial dispute resolution scheme. The scheme provides an alternative avenue which is independent and affordable for resolving monetary disputes between financial institutions and their customers primarily by way of “Mediation First, Arbitration Next”. The FDRC is governed by a Board of Directors, comprising a non-official Chairman, four non-official members, and one representative each from the FSTB, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Securities and Futures Commission, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the FDRC. read more

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, continued his visit to Beijing today (January 11).

     Mr Yau met with Deputy Director-General of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau Ms Li Yanling in the morning to foster closer ties and exchange views on attracting enterprises and investment as well as promoting external trade.

     Noting that Hong Kong, with its distinctive advantages and ideal business environment under “one country, two systems”, is the best location for overseas and Mainland enterprises to establish their business foothold, Mr Yau said that Hong Kong will continue to fully utilise its strengths as an international trade and financial centre and proactively play the bridging role between the Mainland and the world to attract overseas enterprises to invest in the Mainland while assisting Mainland enterprises to tap into overseas markets.

     In the afternoon, Mr Yau called on Vice Minister of the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) Mr Yang Guorui to update him on the latest developments of Hong Kong’s broadcasting industry. Mr Yau said that with the staunch support of the NRTA all along, a number of liberalisation measures facilitating the co-operation between the broadcasting industries on the Mainland and in Hong Kong have been implemented under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. These measures have opened up more opportunities for the development of Hong Kong’s broadcasting industry and also enabled Hong Kong audiences to enjoy more quality television programmes co-produced with the Mainland, thereby promoting people-to-people bonds.

     Mr Yau said he looks forward to further deepening collaboration between the broadcasting industries on the Mainland and in Hong Kong as well as strengthening talent and technical exchanges, with a view to promoting the joint development of the cultural industries of the two places.

     Before leaving Beijing tomorrow (January 12), Mr Yau will call on the China National Intellectual Property Administration to exchange views on issues relating to the promotion of intellectual property trading. He will return to Hong Kong tomorrow evening.

    

     The Hong Kong Flower Show (HKFS) 2024 will be held at the Victoria Park from March 15 to 24, with the colourful angelonia as the theme flower this year, featuring "Floral Joy Around Town" as the theme of the show. The plan… read more