Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 19) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island; Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach in Islands District; and Hap Mun Bay Beach, Silverstrand Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

Attention TV/ radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 19) that Mui Wo Swimming Pool in Islands District, closed earlier due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty, has been reopened.

     Hongkong Post announced today (October 19) that five sets of special stamps of various themes will be issued from January to June 2024. Each stamp issue has its own ingenious design and distinctive style, making the special stamps valuable collectables for philatelists and the public.
 
     Having originated thousands of years ago, the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Among the 12 zodiac animals, the dragon is a mythical creature that symbolises prestige and power, and is widely known as a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck. As the Year of the Dragon is approaching, Hongkong Post will release the first issue of the fifth Lunar New Year special stamp series. A set of four stamps and two stamp sheetlets showcase a vivid depiction of the dragon with different graphic elements and festive colours, creating an atmosphere of rejoicing in celebration of the Year of the Dragon. The $50 stamp sheetlet is a laser-cut paper art stamp sheetlet issued by Hongkong Post for the first time. The motif on the stamp is laser-cut to create a delicate silhouette of a dragon. The elaborate design of the paper-cut, coupled with an exquisite crafting technique, render the stamp sheetlet a perfect collectible in the Year of the Dragon. In addition, the Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on Lunar New Year Animals – Rabbit/Dragon and the Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on Lunar New Year Animals – A Complete Collectible Set, will be issued at the same time to celebrate the new year.
 
     Hong Kong is a city where East meets West and where tradition and modernity intertwine, with many historic buildings around. Historic buildings are symbols of Hong Kong's cultural identity and continuity. They also carry various kinds of academic and aesthetic value. Hongkong Post will issue a set of six special stamps on the theme of "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong II" with a view to fostering the public's understanding and appreciation of historic buildings in Hong Kong.
 
     Hong Kong is renowned for being a "clean" city. This is attributed to the concerted efforts of the community and the Independent Commission Against Corruption in fostering a probity culture. To tell the good anti-corruption stories of our city, Hongkong Post will issue a set of six special stamps and a stamp sheetlet on the theme of "Anti-corruption in Hong Kong", reliving the city’s momentous days of fighting corruption over the past 50 years.
 
     As the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival was inscribed onto the First Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Hong Kong, Hongkong Post will launch a special stamp issue on "Cheung Chau Jiao Festival" to promote this intangible cultural heritage of Hong Kong in the hope that this traditional festival and its associated folk crafts can be passed down through the generations.
 
     Chinese porcelain enjoys a great reputation both at home and abroad. Chinese tea culture has a long history, and tea ware is an integral part of Chinese ceramics. Hongkong Post will issue a set of six stamps and two stamp sheetlets on the theme of "Hong Kong Museums Collection – Selected Tea Ware from China and the World" to showcase selected tea ware from China and the world from the collection of the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, demonstrating the development and influence of Chinese tea culture in history.
 
     Customers may place advance orders for the above new stamp products from today on Hongkong Post's online shopping mall ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk). Customers may also visit the Facebook page "郵票．郵趣@Hongkong Post Stamps" (www.facebook.com/HKPStamps) for more details. Customers who place orders by November 8 (Wednesday) will receive attractive gifts and bonus points. Further information about placing orders can be obtained from the Hongkong Post Stamps website or by calling the Hongkong Post Philatelic Bureau hotline at 2785 5711.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, and the Director of Buildings, Ms Clarice Yu, at a media session today (October 18) on the application for renewal of registration of a contractor:
 
Reporter: First of all, can you just talk about what is the criteria to deny the renewal of Aggressive Construction's registration? You mentioned they cannot convince you that they can provide sufficient monitoring and safety measures on sites. Can you just elaborate further on what do you mean by that? What do you mean by sufficient monitoring and safety measures? And also before delisting the contractor, what else can the department do to suspend their registration before the whole review is completed? Is there a plan to review the whole mechanism, seems like it takes almost a year to review the registration or renewal. So do you think it takes too long? Finally, how do you ensure smooth handover of the affected construction sites while the handover is ongoing?
 
Secretary for Development: Quite a number of questions. Perhaps I take the one on the various enforcement actions taken first. As I have mentioned just now, the Government has a multi-pronged approach in enforcing against mishaps in construction sites. And this multi-pronged approach will involve prosecution under the relevant laws; disciplinary action against the relevant contractors or professionals, again, also under the relevant laws; and also this process of considering whether an existing registration should be removed; and finally we have another measure for contractors which are listed in our tendering list for public works projects, we may consider suspending or removing their status as a potential tenderer altogether. So this is a multi-pronged approach. And I have to say that the various approaches under all the regimes involve very serious investigation, prosecution and other follow-up actions. So inevitably, it may take some time because when we talk about investigations, particularly investigations involving possible criminal liability, we have to be very careful. But I have to emphasise that justice will be done and must be done. So we do not worry that justice will at the end be left undone. We are pretty confident about that. So it is a matter of time and we will expedite our work as much as possible. On your other questions, I would like to invite the Director of Buildings.
 
Director of Buildings: The authorised signatories representing the contractor needed to attend interviews with the Contractors Registration Committee (CRC). The interviews focused on the authorised signatories' abilities and their competence in site supervision and also in safety management matters. The CRC asked them questions surrounding and related to these subjects and they needed to demonstrate that they had the knowledge and abilities to implement effective measures. During the interviews, the authorised signatories had not been able to demonstrate their abilities and competence in these areas. So, the application was refused.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Thematic Forum on Maritime Cooperation of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing today (October 18):
 
     Thank you, Professor Lin (Member of the Academia Europaea and Chair Professor of Southern University of Science and Technology, China, Professor Lin Jian). In response to the questions raised by Professor Lin just now, I would like to share with you all how Hong Kong contributes to promote innovation in marine science and technology for the benefit of the mankind and how the application of innovation and technology (I&T) can champion the development of blue economy in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
     Our country clearly indicates the importance of promoting marine economy development and marine ecosystem protection in order to strike a balance between economic development and ocean protection, for the sustainable development of mankind.
 
     Being one of the most important international cities in China facing the South China Sea, Hong Kong is a key node city of the Belt and Road. Apart from strengthening our position as an international financial, trade and logistics centre, Hong Kong is working in full steam towards the vision of becoming an international innovation and technology centre. Let me share with you two points on how Hong Kong’s I&T community promotes innovation in marine technology.
 
     First, exploring marine resources to facilitate the development of life and health science and technology.
 
     Oceans are rich in biological resources with great potential for application in biomedicine, environmental protection and many other fields. Marine resource development technology can unleash the application potential of biological resources and create new industries. Our scientific research teams in Hong Kong have conducted R&D (research and development) work on marine biological resources through various scientific means, and succeeded in tapping active lead compounds of medical value from these resources, which are helpful to the R&D of new medicines.
 
     Second, using AI (artificial intelligence) and big data to protect the marine environment in a precise and efficient way.
 
     Maintaining biodiversity is crucial to the balance of the marine ecosystem. The State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution in Hong Kong has been working for many years to address the ecological imbalance caused by marine pollution. In addition, a Hong Kong start-up has developed a solar-powered marine cleaning robot that uses AI technology to identify ocean garbage and determine shipping routes to facilitate marine clean-up.
 
     In conclusion, innovation in marine science and technology not only opens up new areas for the blue economy development, but also brings new opportunity for the sustainable development of humanity. Hong Kong stands ready to work with the world and contribute our blue power in promoting innovation in marine science and technology for the betterment of the world. Thank you very much.