The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 7) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Day County of the State of South Dakota in the United States (US), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 21 470 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 57.11 million poultry eggs from the US in the first nine months of this year.

     â€‹"The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     The 2023 District Council Ordinary Election will be held this Sunday (December 10). The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (December 7) called on electors to actively participate in the election and elect the District Council members they prefer and trust who will represent them to build a better community. At the same time, the REO reminds electors again on the following points to note when they cast their votes:
 
(1) Electors should check carefully the allocated polling station as specified on the poll card received, which is attached with a detailed location map of the polling station, and vote at the relevant polling station on the polling day (except for electors registered to vote at Near Boundary Polling Stations). Electors who have not yet received their poll card should contact the REO as soon as possible at 2891 1001 for details;
 
(2) Electors are required to vote during the polling hours. Polling hours for District Council geographical constituencies (DCGCs) and District Committees constituencies are from 8.30am to 10.30pm and from 8.30am to 2.30pm respectively. Electors will not be allowed to vote after the polling hours. Dedicated polling stations have different specified polling hours;
 
(3) When casting votes, electors must bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other recognised proof of identity (see Annex for details) to facilitate the verification of their identity by the staff for issuing ballot papers; and
 
(4) DCGC electors must pay particular attention that they can only vote for one candidate (to stamp only one tick in the designated circle opposite the name of the preferred candidate), otherwise the ballot paper will be deemed as invalid.
 
     In addition, the REO pointed out that according to the existing provisions in the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance (ECICO), it is an offence to engage in the illegal conduct of inciting another person not to vote, or to cast an invalid vote (including casting a blank vote), by activity in public during the election period. Upon conviction, the offence warrants a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment and a fine of $200,000. The ECICO has an extraterritorial effect. Law enforcement agencies will strictly enforce the law and bring offenders to justice even if the offence takes place outside Hong Kong. As such, members of the public must strictly abide by the law to prevent themselves from falling afoul of the law inadvertently, so that the election can be conducted in a fair, just and clean manner.

     A woman who went missing in Sham Shui Po has been located.

     Jiamthong Sanom, aged 62, went missing after she left her residence at Tai Hang Tung Estate on December 1 afternoon. Her family made a report to Police on December 2.
    
     The woman was located on Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen this afternoon (December 7). She sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB), the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and the People's Government of Zhuhai Municipality today (December 7) jointly held the Hong Kong Sub-forum of the 2023 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Fair for Trade in Services. The Sub-forum facilitated exchange of views on promoting high-quality development of the financial services industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
 
     With "High-quality Development of Finance in the GBA" as the theme, the Sub-forum covered keynote speeches and a round-table discussion. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Jinsong; the Mayor of the Zhuhai Municipal Government, Mr Huang Zhihao; and the Director General of the Guangdong Financial Supervisory Authority, Mr Yu Haiping, delivered speeches.
 
     Speaking at the Sub-forum, Mr Hui said that Hong Kong's financial services industry has been receiving strong support from the country. "As an international financial centre of our country, Hong Kong can play a leading role in the arena of finance in the GBA, and strengthen complementary and mutually beneficial co-operation with other GBA cities, thereby enhancing the efficiency and ease of capital flow within the GBA. This is conducive to facilitating our country's efforts in enhancing the capability of finance to serve the real economy, internationalising Renminbi, and deepening the reform and opening up of the financial markets," he said.
 
     The Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and the People's Government of Zhuhai Municipality collaborated with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute to host the 2023 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Fair for Trade in Services from December 6 to 8. The Fair included events held in three places (with the main venue in Zhuhai and sub-forums in Hong Kong and Macao). About 150 participants from the financial regulatory bodies, industry organisations and the financial sector of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao attended the Hong Kong Sub-forum held at AsiaWorld-Expo.

          

     Young persons in custody (PICs) at Pik Uk Correctional Institution (PUCI) of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (December 7) in recognition of their efforts and achievements in studies and vocational examinations.
      
     In the past year, a total of 109 PICs sat various academic and vocational examinations including the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), the City and Guilds International examinations, the Cambridge English Examinations and the General Aptitude Putonghua Shuiping Kaoshi, and obtained vocational certificates covering Food and Beverage Services, Coffee Making and Latte Art Training, Cantonese Cooking, Multimedia Design, Building Services as well as Laundry Skill organised by the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong; Christian Action; the Construction Industry Council and the Vocational Training Council. During the year, the PICs attained 12 merits out of 189 certificates obtained. In the ceremony today, 32 PICs were presented with 91 certificates, of which two merits were attained.

     Officiating at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Community Synergy for Rehabilitation Association (CSRA), Dr Cook Chiu, said that the CSRA is fully supportive of the rehabilitation work of the CSD and set up the Community Synergy for Rehabilitation Association – Perseverance Education Fund in November 2022 with the aim of supporting needy PICs to pursue continuing education and vocational training. He encouraged the young PICs to strive for continuous improvement with perseverance and attain excellent results.
      
     During the ceremony, the PICs staged music performance with Chinese drums and western musical instruments to demonstrate their learning outcomes and express gratitude to their families and correctional officers for their support in the course of rehabilitation. Sichuan opera face-changing master Hathor Wai also presented a face-changing performance by using the hand-painted masks which were made by the PICs earlier in a workshop, featuring the transformation of the PICs at different stages and their positive changes during their training at the institution.
      
     In the sharing session, a PIC band member expressed his gratitude to his family members for their continuous support. To demonstrate his determination to embrace the future with an optimistic attitude, he invited his father, who is passionate about music, to join him onstage for a band performance, creating a heartwarming and touching scene at the ceremony. Another PIC thanked correctional officers for their patience and guidance. He was also grateful to his family for their encouragement, enabling him to attain good results in the HKDSE. His mother also shared the happiness of witnessing the positive changes of her son and appreciated the efforts of correctional officers which have made her realise the significance of rehabilitation work.

     Also attending the ceremony were representatives of non-governmental and community organisations, community leaders and family members of the certificate recipients.
      
     PUCI has a capacity of 385 penal places for young male remand and sentenced PICs. The department provides half-day education programmes and half-day vocational training for the young persons in custody to help them rehabilitate and prepare for their reintegration into society.