The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, December 16, 2024 is 106.9 (same as last Saturday’s index).
​The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, December 14, 2024 was 106.9 (same as last Friday’s index). read more
The EMSD Symposium 2024, organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), was held today (December 16). It is one of the events celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Officials from the National Energy Administration and the National Railway Administration and academics from Tsinghua University delivered keynote speeches under the theme “Empowering High-quality Development for a Green Future”. Over 400 representatives of local, Mainland and overseas government departments, public organisations, electrical and mechanical (E&M) and innovation and technology (I&T) sectors, professional institutions and academics attended the symposium and shared innovative solutions and research and development (R&D) achievements related to new energy, smart E&M, green transport and efficient construction.
Delivering an opening address at the symposium, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, encouraged all participants, trade members and other stakeholders to promote the development of renewable energy and new energy, including green hydrogen and low-carbon hydrogen energy, seize opportunities in hydrogen development to establish Hong Kong as the country’s hub for promoting hydrogen industry and technology, address the green transition, and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.
In his welcoming speech, the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Raymond Poon, expressed hope that the symposium would inspire innovative thinking and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world, contributing to the high-quality green city development of the country. He called on participants to work together to optimise city management and promote in-depth integration and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As the Government’s innovation facilitator, the EMSD will continue to support R&D and promote the adoption of I&T and artificial intelligence to foster new quality productive forces.
At the symposium, the EMSD signed a Memorandum of Co-operation with the Guangzhou Association for Science & Technology aimed at strengthening exchanges and co-operation between the two places and promoting technological innovation. Prize presentation for winners of the GWIN 2024 Smart City E&M IoT Application Challenge and the Hydrogen Fueled Street Washing Vehicle Naming & Drawing Contest was also held during the symposium.
To enhance the diversity of communication channels with the public and promote co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the EMSD has set up its WeChat official account and held a launching ceremony for it at the symposium.
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 December 13 to noon today (December 16), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 302 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category, in the past three days (including last Saturday and Sunday). 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 150 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, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 105 535 samples of food imported from Japan (including 68 317 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 23 916 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more
The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Youth Development Commission (YDC) jointly launched the two-year Funding Scheme for Youth Adventure Training Activities (2025-27) today (December 16). Eligible non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are invited to submit applications.
The Government attaches great importance to youth development. The HYAB and the YDC launched the first round of the Funding Scheme under the Youth Development Fund in late 2022, which subsidises NGOs to provide large-scale and high-quality adventure training activities for young people in a structured manner. The Funding Scheme aims to improve young people’s physical and mental well-being, foster their positive thinking and resilience, and promote their sense of discipline and team spirit. The Funding Scheme emphasises the importance of cultivating positive values and thinking of young people in their development, enabling them to become a new generation with a sense of ownership and responsibility, and an aspiration and willingness to contribute to the development of the country and Hong Kong.
Details of the new round of the Funding Scheme and application forms are available on the YDC website (www.ydc.gov.hk/en/programmes/positive/adventure.html). Interested NGOs should submit their applications on or before noon on January 21, 2025.
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A Government spokesman announced today (December 16) that two more new drugs submitted under the “1+” mechanism have been approved for registration in Hong Kong. These new drugs in two different dosages are used to treat patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, creating more treatment options for patients in Hong Kong and facilitating more good drugs for use in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has implemented the “1+” mechanism since November 1, 2023, for facilitating the registration of new drugs used for the treatment of life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases in Hong Kong. With effect from November 1, 2024, the “1+” mechanism has been extended to all new drugs, including all new chemical or biological entities and new indications, and vaccines and advanced therapy products. New drugs that are supported by local clinical data and recognised by local experts can be applied for registration in Hong Kong by submitting approval from one reference drug regulatory authority (instead of two in the past).
The above products for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer have been approved by the drug regulatory authority in the United States and submitted for registration application in Hong Kong under the “1+” mechanism. Having evaluated the clinical data and relevant information submitted by the applicant and advice given by local expert, the Registration Committee under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong considered that the new drugs satisfied the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality, and approved the registration of the new drugs. The Department of Health (DH) has already notified the applicant of the result of the applications.
The “1+” mechanism serves to attract more new drugs from different parts of the world seeking approval for registration in Hong Kong, giving patients more choices and further strengthening the local capacity for drug evaluation while enhancing the development of relevant software, hardware and expertise with a view to progressing towards “primary evaluation”.
Since the implementation of the “1+” mechanism, a total of nine new drugs have been approved under this mechanism. The DH has been promoting the “1+” mechanism through different channels and so far has received more than 350 enquiries from over 90 pharmaceutical companies, including those from overseas and the Mainland. Many companies have expressed interests in submitting applications for registration of their products, including advanced therapy products, under the extended “1+” mechanism.
Meanwhile, the DH will continue its efforts to bring along the reform of the approval mechanism of drugs and medical devices as announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”. These include putting forward a timetable for establishing the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and charting a roadmap towards “primary evaluation” in the first half of 2025, as well as formulating strategies and measures to facilitate research and development of drugs and medical devices. read more