Tag Archives: China

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt, and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on October 25 to noon today (October 26), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 96 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website (www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 10 489 samples of food imported from Japan (including 6 921 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 3 108 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     To enhance learning and enrichment opportunities for international students, the Government announced today (October 26) that, starting from November 1, full-time non-local postgraduate students would be temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up part-time jobs. The arrangement will be implemented on a trial basis for two years.

     Currently, eligible students who have been approved to come to Hong Kong to study in full-time locally accredited local programmes at the postgraduate level will be individually issued a “No Objection Letter” (NOL) by the Immigration Department (ImmD), allowing them to take up part-time employment on campus for not more than 20 hours per week, curriculum-related internships during semesters or summer jobs. The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address announced a two-year suspension of the restrictions with effect from November.

     A Government spokesman said, “The trial arrangement will allow more room for these students to look for jobs during their studies to enhance their experience and understanding of working in Hong Kong, and further increase their incentive to stay in Hong Kong for their development after graduation.”

     The ImmD will arrange briefing sessions for the relevant institutions within this week to introduce the arrangement, and subsequently issue to eligible students through their institutions new NOLs setting out the suspension. Eligible students are not required to submit applications separately. Students approved of visas/entry permits on or after November 1 will also be issued with the updated NOLs.

     For enquiries, please call the ImmD’s enquiry hotline 2824 6111, or send enquiries to the ImmD by fax at 2877 7711 or by email at enquiry@immd.gov.hk. read more

     The Government announced today (October 26) that from November 1, the list of eligible universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) would be expanded to add eight top institutions from the Mainland and overseas, making a total of 184 institutions, with a view to attracting more talents to Hong Kong for development.

     A Government spokesman said, “The global competition for talents remains fierce. Hong Kong needs to recruit talents proactively to relieve the tight situation of the local labour market and supplement the local talent pool. To further expand the network for attracting more global talents, the Policy Address this year set out the expansion of the list of eligible universities of the TTPS to strengthen the efforts to compete for talents.”

     At present, the list of eligible universities under the TTPS covers the top 100 universities under the four designated world university rankings in the past five years, namely the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities Rankings and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Ranking of World Universities.

     From November 1, the list of eligible universities will also include eight additional top institutions from the Mainland and overseas, namely:
 

1. The top five universities/institutions providing specialised hotel programmes on the QS World University Rankings in the discipline of “hospitality and leisure management” in the past five years: EHL Hospitality Business School, Swiss Hotel Management School, Les Roches Global Hospitality Management Education, Glion Institute of Higher Education, and Hotelschool The Hague; and
2. The top 10 Mainland universities under the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Best Chinese Universities Ranking in the past five years yet to be included in the current list of eligible universities: Wuhan University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and Harbin Institute of Technology.

     The expanded list of eligible universities under the TTPS will be increased to cover 184 universities. The eligibility criteria, procedures and immigration arrangements of the TTPS remain unchanged.

     The Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) online platform (www.hkengage.gov.hk) and the TTPS webpage of the Immigration Department (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/TTPS.html) will be revised later. Interested applicants of the talent admission schemes may visit the HKTE online platform or the electronic application platform of the Immigration Department (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/index.html#tab_b_1) and submit online applications directly. read more

     Fifty-three convictions were recorded in September 2023 for breaches of legislation enforced by the Environmental Protection Department.             Eleven of the co… read more

     A partial lunar eclipse can be observed in Hong Kong on October 29 (Sunday). This will be the only partial lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong this year. During the event, the Moon will gradually grow dimmer and a small portion of it will disappear. To enable the public to witness this phenomenon in real time, the Hong Kong Space Museum will be live streaming the partial lunar eclipse in the wee hours, from 2am to 5am that day.
      
     The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 3.35am and reach its maximum eclipse at 4.14am, with around 13 per cent of the Moon’s diameter entering the Earth’s umbra. The eclipse will end at 4.54am when the Moon exits the umbra completely. The entire partial lunar eclipse will last about one hour and 19 minutes, during which the Moon’s altitude will range between 20 degrees and 40 degrees. It is possible to observe the eclipse from any district in Hong Kong as long as the view is unobstructed by buildings. Interested observers are advised to choose a location with a wide view to the west, such as waterfront promenades or parks, to observe the lunar eclipse.
      
     The Hong Kong Space Museum will live stream the partial lunar eclipse on its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/hkspacem). Curators will also address online questions from the audience during the live streaming.
      
     As astronomical observations depend heavily on weather conditions, members of the public are advised to check the latest weather update before an outdoor observation. For more information of the partial lunar eclipse and the webcast, please visit the Museum’s website at hk.space.museum.
      read more