With the northeast monsoon over southern China generally weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, February 2024 was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean minimum temperature of 17.6 degrees, monthly mean… read more
The Land Registry today (March 4) released its statistics for February 2024. Land registration ——————- * The number of sale and purchase agreements for all building units re… read more
More than 1 000 young musicians from 17 bands, choirs and orchestras of the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will jointly present a variety of Chinese and Western classics at five concerts of the series of 2024 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras (Fiesta) in April.
The New Territories Youth Strings, the Hong Kong Youth Strings, the Island Youth Strings and the Kowloon Youth Strings will perform at the string orchestras’ concert “Let’s Dance!” to be held at 3pm on April 4 (Thursday) at the Tuen Mun Town Hall Auditorium. They will perform lively dance music including Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances”, “Waltz” from Leonard Bernstein’s “Divertimento”, Perry Fletcher’s “Folk Tune and Fiddle Dance” and “Jig” from Gustav Holst’s “St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29” to mark the opening of the Fiesta.
The second concert, “Wishes of Our Hearts!”, will be held at 7.30pm on April 7 (Sunday) at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. There, the Music Office Children’s Choir, the Music Office Youth Choir and the Music Office Junior Symphony Orchestra will perform choral and symphonic works including the lyrical Jacob Narverud’s “Lunar Lullaby”, Mark Burrows’ “A Light of Hope, A Song of Peace”, Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No.99 in E-flat major, 1st movement” and “Orpheus in the Underworld Overture” by Jacques Offenbach.
The Chinese orchestras’ concert “Martial Arts ‧ Heroes” will be held at 3pm on April 21 (Sunday) at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium. The Music Office Children’s Chinese Orchestra, the Island Youth Chinese Orchestra, the New Territories Youth Chinese Orchestra and the Kowloon Youth Chinese Orchestra will present all-time Chinese music favourites, including the stirring and passionate Lei Zhenbang’s “Chinese Martial Arts”, legendary composer Joseph Koo’s “A Medley of Themes from Television Drama Series (1)” and his “The Love is Strong within Our Hearts” for the television drama “The Return of the Condor Heroes”, as well as “Decree of the Sichuan General”, which vividly depicts hero figures, to share with the audience the Chinese musical gems in pop culture. This concert is one of the programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024 and the Chinese Culture Promotion Series.
The bands’ concert “Sounds of Asia”, which will feature the Music Office Youth Brass Band, the Kowloon Youth Symphonic Band and the New Territories Youth Symphonic Band, will be held at 7.30pm on April 27 (Saturday) at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium Arena. They will perform Paul Voet’s “Far Eastern Dream”, Benjamin Yeo’s “Legend of the Ancient Hero” and Satoshi Yagisawa’s “Sunshine on Hill in Spring”, showcasing fascinating band music full of Asian flavours.
The finale concert “Musicland”, featuring the Music Office Junior Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Children’s Symphonic Band and the Music Office Junior Symphonic Band, will be held at 3pm on April 28 (Sunday) at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium Arena. The young musicians will perform Chinese orchestral and symphonic band works filled with cheerful buoyancy, including Peng Xiuwen’s “Moon Dance of Axi”, Scott Watson’s “Extraordinary Machines of Clockwork and Steam” and Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Folk Dances”.
Tickets of the string orchestras’ concert “Let’s Dance!” are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). Tickets for “Wishes of Our Hearts!” and “Martial Arts ‧ Heroes” will be available one month before the concert dates, while tickets for the “Sounds of Asia” and “Musicland” will be available starting March 27. Tickets are priced at $55, $65 and $75. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries, please call 2796 7523 or 3842 7784 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/traineesevents/musicnconcert/2024-Fiesta.html. read more
Hong Kong yesterday (March 3, Manama time) signed a comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement (CDTA) with Bahrain, signifying the sustained efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in expanding Hong Kong’s CDTA network, in particular with tax jurisdictions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.
​ This CDTA is the 49th agreement that Hong Kong has concluded. It sets out the allocation of taxing rights between the two jurisdictions and will help investors better assess their potential tax liabilities from cross-border economic activities.
​ The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, “Bahrain is one of the economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. I have every confidence that this CDTA will further promote economic and trade connections between Hong Kong and Bahrain, and offer additional incentives for the business sectors of both sides to do business or make investments. Hong Kong will continue to negotiate with trading and investment partners with a view to expanding its CDTA network. This could enhance the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a business and investment hub, and consolidate the city’s status as an international economic and trade centre.”
​ Under the Hong Kong-Bahrain CDTA, Hong Kong companies can enjoy double taxation relief in that any tax paid in Bahrain, whether directly or by deduction, in accordance with the CDTA will be allowed as a credit against the tax payable in Hong Kong in respect of the same income, subject to the provisions of the tax laws of Hong Kong.
​ The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, who was on an official visit to Manama, signed the CDTA with Bahrain on behalf of the HKSAR Government. Representing the Government of Bahrain was the Minister of Finance and National Economy of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
​ This CDTA will come into force after the completion of ratification procedures by both jurisdictions. In the case of Hong Kong, it will be implemented by way of an order to be made by the Chief Executive in Council under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112). The order is subject to negative vetting by the Legislative Council.
​ Details of the Hong Kong-Bahrain CDTA can be found on the Inland Revenue Department website (www.ird.gov.hk/eng/pdf/Agreement_Bahrain_HongKong.pdf).
The Department of Health (DH) today (March 4) appealed to members of the public to be aware of obesity and develop a healthy lifestyle in support of World Obesity Day.
World Obesity Day has been observed on March 4 since 2020 to stimulate and support practical actions that will help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight and reverse the global obesity crisis. Having the theme of “Let’s Talk About Obesity And…”, World Obesity Day in 2024 urges the community to start cross-cutting conversations.
A spokesman for the DH said, “Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders and sleep apnoea.”
In Hong Kong, a body mass index (BMI) of adults from 23 to less than 25 is regarded overweight, while a BMI equal to or greater than 25 is considered obesity. Furthermore, having excess body fat around the waist may also bring health problems. Waist circumference of men who are 90cm or above, and that of women are 80cm or above, are considered centrally obese. For students, overweight (including obesity) is defined as weight exceeding 120 per cent of the median weight-for-height (applicable to male students with height below 175cm and female students with height below 165cm).
According to the Population Health Survey (PHS) 2020-22 conducted by the DH, among persons aged between 15 and 84, 32.6 per cent of them are obese, 22 per cent of them are overweight and 37.8 per cent were classified as centrally obese. The PHS also revealed some common unhealthy lifestyle in Hong Kong. About one quarter of persons aged 18 or above performed an insufficient level of physical activities, and about 98 per cent of persons aged 15 or above reported an inadequate intake (i.e. an average of less than five servings) of fruit and vegetables per day.
The DH’s Student Health Service provides free annual health assessment service for eligible primary and secondary school students. A total of 233 000 primary school students and 97 000 secondary school students attended the Student Health Service Centres for annual health assessment in the 2022/23 school year. The detection rates of being overweight (including obesity) among primary and secondary school students were 19.5 per cent and 20.5 per cent respectively.
Leading a healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of obesity. “The fundamental cause of obesity is more calories are consumed than expended. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, members of the public are encouraged to eat a balanced diet, be physically active and reduce the amount of time spent being sedentary,” the spokesman stressed.
The DH has been promoting a healthy lifestyle through a life-course and setting-based approach. People eating out and ordering takeaway food are common in Hong Kong. The DH has been enlisting the support of restaurants to provide healthier dishes to members of the public through the EatSmart Restaurant Star+ campaign. Furthermore, in collaboration with relevant government bureaux/departments and the public, private and non-governmental sectors, the DH has also launched the StartSmart@school.hk, EatSmart@school.hk campaigns, and the Joyful@Healthy Workplace Programme to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in order to create an environment conducive to a healthy lifestyle in pre-primary institutions, primary schools and workplaces.
Furthermore, with an aim to advocate members of the public to lead an active lifestyle, the DH has launched “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign since 2022 to arouse members of the public to integrate walking, which is a simple form of physical activity, into their daily life. The Walking Challenge last year further invited people to form groups with family members and friends to support each other to walk 10 000 steps a day.
The Government is committed to halt the rise of obesity. The DH will continue to step up efforts to enhance public awareness about the importance of healthy living and increase people’s health literacy, as well as working in close partnership with other government departments and community partners to foster a health-enhancing environment. read more