The Government announced today (October 13) that following an open recruitment exercise, Mr Yeung Tak-keung will take up the appointment as the Head of the National Games Coordination Office (NGCO) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) on October 16. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, welcomed the appointment.
      
     He said, "Previously serving as the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Yeung Tak-keung has excellent knowledge of sports policies and practices of the sports sector in Hong Kong and is highly experienced in organising major international and regional multisports games and sports events, including the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events held in Hong Kong. Under his leadership, I look forward to seeing the NGCO do its best in successfully organising the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games with Guangdong Province and Macao in 2025. This will not only allow participating athletes to give full play to their talents, but also enable Hong Kong to scale new heights in the development of sports."

     Mr Yeung Tak-keung, who has just been appointed to the post, said he was delighted with the opportunity to continue to play a part in promoting sports development. In the next two years or so, the NGCO will work closely with relevant organisations in the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong to produce a successful 2025 National Games. He said, "Hong Kong athletes have demonstrated indomitable spirit and attained outstanding results in various major sports events. They are the pride of Hong Kong people. In the 2025 National Games, we will be able to enjoy high-level sport competitions in Hong Kong and neighbouring cities, and cheer for our athletes in person at event venues. In parallel with the completion of the Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area can demonstrate their capabilities in organising large-scale sports events through the National Games. We hope that this will attract more international events to Hong Kong in the future, and that all relevant parties will work together to promote a sporting culture and foster the sustainable development of sports as a profession and an industry."
 
       Brief biographical notes of Mr Yeung are set out below:

Mr Yeung Tak-keung
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     Mr Yeung joined the Government as an Inspector of Police in 1984. He then joined the Administrative Service in 1994. He has served in various bureaux and departments, such as holding the office of the first Commissioner for Sports in the former Home Affairs Bureau (the post was transferred to the CSTB upon the restructuring of the government) from 2016 to October 2022.
      
     Mr Yeung received a Bachelor's Degree in Arts (Honours) from the University of Hong Kong in 1984 before attaining a Master of Business Administration degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1993, and a Bachelor's Degree in China Law from the Peking University in 2001.

  

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 12) detected a suspected smuggling case involving a private car at the Heung Yuen Wai Control Point and seized about 12 kilograms of suspected smuggled bird's nests with an estimated market value of about $700,000.

     Based on risk assessment, Customs yesterday intercepted an outgoing seven-seater private car at the control point. Upon X-ray examination, Customs officers spotted irregularities in the images of the doors and rear parts of the vehicle. The batch of suspected smuggled bird's nests was found concealed inside the doors and the rear pillar.

     After an investigation, Customs arrested a 40-year-old male driver suspected to be connected with the case. He has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs will continue to combat cross-boundary smuggling activities with firm enforcement action based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

    

     The Government published in the Gazette today (October 13) to appoint April 1, 2024, as the day on which relevant legislative provisions for the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging shall come into effect, and on which the charges for disposal of construction waste shall be adjusted thereafter.
      
     To facilitate the implementation of MSW charging on April 1, 2024, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology has appointed that day as the day on which the uncommenced provisions of the Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Amendment Ordinance) shall come into effect, which include provisions on relevant offences and their penalties, defences to offences, by virtue of the Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (Commencement) Notice 2023.
      
     Moreover, the existing construction waste disposal charge at landfills is $200 per tonne. Upon the implementation of MSW charging, the MSW disposed of at landfills, and to be charged by a weight-based gate fee, will be charged at $365 per tonne under the Amendment Ordinance. To prevent any deliberate mixing of MSW and construction waste to avoid paying the charge difference, as well as cost considerations, the Government needs to adjust the charging levels of construction waste disposal from the commencement date of the implementation of MSW charging. To this end, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology has made the Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation (Amendment of Schedules) Notice 2023. The Notice will take effect from April 1, 2024, with a view to adjusting the charges to be imposed in respect of construction waste accepted for disposal at the prescribed facilities, including the landfill charge, the sorting charge and the public fill charge (see Annex).
      
     The two notices will be laid before the Legislative Council on October 18 for negative vetting.
      
     A spokesperson of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said since the Amendment Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council on August 26, 2021, the department has been actively taking forward relevant preparatory work, including establishing the manufacturing, inventory and distribution system, and the retail network for the supply of designated bags and designated labels; conducting briefings and communicating with different stakeholders; providing specialised trainings and assistance for frontline staff of relevant trades; expanding the community recycling network and improving recycling facilities; strengthening the extensive public education and publicity campaigns on waste reduction and recycling, to enable the Government, various stakeholders and the public to prepare adequately for the implementation of MSW charging. All preparatory work is being implemented as planned.
      
     The spokesman said, "MSW charging sits at the centre of the overall waste reduction strategy of the Government. It encourages the community to reduce waste at source and practise clean recycling by using financial disincentives with a view to reducing the overall waste disposal amount. We call on members of the public to proactively learn about the details of MSW charging, cultivate the habits of waste reduction and recycling, and make good use of the community recycling network facilities. Let's get prepared for the implementation of MSW charging together."
      
     Members of the public are welcome to visit the thematic website (www.mswcharging.gov.hk) for more details on the implementation of MSW charging.

　　World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his longtime collaborator pianist Kathryn Stott will stage a recital at 8pm on November 6 at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Limited tickets are still available and will be put on sale at URBTIX (on www.urbtix.hk and mobile ticketing app only) from 10am on October 18 (Wednesday) on a real-name and first-come, first-served basis.
 
　　The programme of the recital encompasses Shostakovich's "Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40" and Franck's "Sonata in A for Violin and Piano" (version for cello and piano). They will also present the sentimental rhythms of DvoÅ™ák's "Songs My Mother Taught Me", the meditative melodies of Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel", as well as lyrical short pieces of Fauré's "Berceuse, Op. 16" and "Papillon, Op. 77", Sérgio Assad's "Menino" and Boulanger's "Cantique".
 
　　Each ticket buyer is required to provide the English full name(s) of recital attendee(s) for printing on the ticket(s) and admission verification purposes. Ticket-holders are required to bring along the true copy of documentary proof of identity with photo, and are advised to arrive at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre at least 90 minutes before the commencement of the recital (i.e. 6.30pm) for identity verification upon admission. Tickets are not transferable. For details of the ticketing and real-name admission arrangements, please visit the programme website: www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1577.html.
 
　　"Duo Recital by Yo-Yo Ma (Cello) & Kathryn Stott (Piano)" is part of the Great Music 2023 and will be held at 8pm on November 6 at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets are priced at $380, $580, $780, $1,080 and $1,380. For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit the above-mentioned programme website.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     In response to media enquiries about the issuance of licence for manufacturer of advanced therapy products by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong, the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) today (October 13) issued the following statement:
 
     In Hong Kong, advanced therapy products are regulated under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, Cap. 138 as pharmaceutical product.
 
     The DH indicates that the Board has issued a licence for manufacturer on August 30 in accordance with the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, Cap. 138A, authorising a local company to manufacture autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells for clinical trial. The licence specifies that the company is authorised to manufacture CAR-T cells only for the purpose of clinical trial instead of any clinical treatment purpose. If the company wishes to manufacture the above-mentioned pharmaceutical product for clinical treatment purpose, the company must first apply to the Board for alteration of the licensing condition.
 
     The DH supplements that any CAR-T cells for treatment purposes should apply to the Board for registration in accordance with the Regulations; the Board would only approve the application if the product meets the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality. In addition, any person who wishes to conduct clinical trial on human or medicinal test on animal must apply for a clinical trial certificate or medicinal test certificate in accordance with the Regulations. Using CAR-T cells product for clinical trial or treatment purpose without approval is illegal and may be considered as a criminal offence.  
 
     On the treatment side, the HA has commenced its CAR-T cell therapy pilot programme at Queen Mary Hospital in 2021. The service has already been extended to Hong Kong Children's Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital. The HA is now prescribing Tisagenlecleucel for CAR-T cell therapy, which has already been registered for clinical use for two indications, namely patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that is refractory, in relapse post-transplant or in second or later relapse, or adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. Currently, Tisagenlecleucel is the only CAR-T cell therapy drug registered in Hong Kong for clinical use. This CAR-T cell therapy drug is not manufactured by the above-mentioned pharmaceutical product manufacturer licensed on August 30.
 
     The DH and the HA will continue to closely monitor the relevant development of the technology.