The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 is 103.9 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     A man who went missing in Ma On Shan has been located.

     Leong Seng-chi, aged 44, went missing after he left a hostel on Hang Hong Street on April 25 morning. Staff of the hostel made a report to Police on the next day (April 26).

     The man was located at the junction of Soy Street and Portland Street in Mong Kok this morning (April 30). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Hong Kong Space Museum's new sky show, "HORIZON: Beyond the Edge of the Visible Universe", will be launched tomorrow (May 1). Audiences can follow the footsteps of various astronomers from different generations over 100 years to reveal the mysteries of the universe. Apart from learning about science concepts illustrated through vivid animations, viewers will witness how astronomers can broaden understanding of the universe and open up horizons through the use of imagination, reasoning and technology.
 
     By examining the light from stars, astronomers discovered the universe is expanding, which means the universe had a beginning in the past. The light from the most distant galaxies may provide information about the early universe as the light was emitted very long ago. However, there is a limit in terms of the past which we can see. That "edge" of the universe is the cosmic microwave background radiation, the "oldest light" that reaches the Earth.
 
     Fortunately, from the fluctuations in this radiation, astronomers can extract information to allow people to reach beyond this edge and probe into the universe at even earlier moments. Astronomers can also figure out the ratio of ordinary matter, dark matter and dark energy in the universe. The delicate balance of these constituents contributes to today’s universe, formation of atoms, and ultimately the possibility of the very existence of living things and humans.
 
     The 41-minute show will be screened until October 31 at the museum's Stanley Ho Space Theatre. It will be screened daily at 3.50pm and 7.20pm. An additional show at 12.20pm will be available on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
 
     Tickets priced at $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls) are available at the Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office and URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). The museum is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays).
 
     For further information, please call 2721 0226 or visit hk.space.museum.

          

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (April 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 13 300 food samples tested were satisfactory except for nine samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.

     A CFS spokesman said about 1 800 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, some 2 900 samples were taken for chemical tests and the remaining 8 600 (including about 8 200 taken from food imported from Japan) were collected to test radiation levels.

     The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests included pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.

     The samples comprised about 3 200 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; 800 samples of cereals, grains and their products; 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 800 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 1 800 samples of aquatic and related products and 6 000 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

     The nine unsatisfactory samples comprised three vegetable and fruit samples detected with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits; three samples of tuna sashimi and a toothfish sample detected with excessive mercury; a grass carp sample found to contain traces of malachite green; and a fresh beef sample found to contain sulphur dioxide.

     The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

     Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) came into effect on August 1, 2014, as of March 31 this year, the CFS has taken over 171 700 food samples at the import, wholesale and retail levels for testing for pesticide residues. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.2 per cent.

     The spokesman added that excessive pesticide residues in food may arise from the trade not observing Good Agricultural Practice, e.g. using excessive pesticides and/or not allowing sufficient time for pesticides to decompose before harvesting. The maximum residue limits (MRLs) of pesticide residues in food set in the Regulation are not safety indicators. They are the maximum concentrations of pesticide residues to be permitted in a food commodity under Good Agricultural Practice when applying pesticides. In this connection, consumption of food with pesticide residues higher than the MRLs will not necessarily lead to any adverse health effects.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food for sale is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

     The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) Task Force is inviting interested parties to submit proposals to act as an intermediary to design, develop and operate a gerontechnology platform with the goal of fostering the development of the gerontechnology ecosystem in Hong Kong.
 
     Hong Kong's population is ageing rapidly. Statistics show that by 2040, approximately 30 per cent of local population will be aged 65 or over. However, the future ageing population will be better educated and wealthier. In 2016, 25 per cent of local population aged 60 or above had received senior secondary or tertiary education and the corresponding figures for those aged 50-59 and 40-49 were 51 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. The latter two groups of future elderly are expected to seek a more self-reliant and quality-living lifestyle after retirement.
 
     Since 2016, the SIE Fund has been exploring ways to address the challenges and opportunities arising from an ageing population through innovative means and more extensive cross-sector collaboration. Gerontechnology, combining gerontology with technology, is widely recognised as key to this end. As an inter- and multi-disciplinary sector focusing on the application of technology towards elderly related products and services, gerontechnology can help enhance the well-being, quality of life, independence and self-reliance of the elderly, and provide support to the families, caregivers, healthcare institutions and staff.  
 
     The Fund engaged the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in February 2017 to conduct the first landscape study on gerontechnology in Hong Kong and organise a cross-sector workshop. The study report found major difficulties faced by the gerontechnology sector including insufficient collaboration among stakeholders, difficulty in localising overseas successful products, lack of testing ground for product development and others. In light of the report, stakeholders from different sectors suggested the Fund should consider establishing a gerontechnology platform to link up different stakeholders with the aim of fostering the development and application of gerontechnology in Hong Kong.
 
     Upon further consultation with stakeholders through an extensive engagement programme in 2018, the SIE Fund plans to engage an intermediary to design, develop and operate an inclusive platform that will link up different stakeholders on the supply side and connect them with the demand side of the gerontechnology ecosystem through engagement, cross-sector partnerships and collaborations. The platform will comprise four basic functionalities, namely (1) a knowledge hub; (2) network and capacity building; (3) consultancy, localisation and testing support; and (4) impact assessment.
 
     Interested parties are invited to submit proposals to act as the intermediary for the gerontechnology platform. An invitation brief setting out the scope of services, eligibility and submission requirements, the assessment process and selection criteria, key engagement terms, etc, is available for download on the SIE Fund website (www.sie.gov.hk/en/what-we-do/gerontech.page). Proposals should be submitted by 6pm on July 23. For further information and inquiries, please visit the SIE Fund website or contact the SIE Fund Task Force Secretariat at 2165 7389.
 
     The SIE Fund was inaugurated in 2013 as a catalyst for social innovation in Hong Kong. The Fund collaborates with different sectors including businesses, non-governmental organisations, academics and philanthropies, to create social impact through innovative solutions that address poverty and social exclusion, and seeks to foster the well-being and cohesion of society. In addition to nurturing social ventures through intermediaries' programmes, the Fund also actively identifies service gaps across the whole of Hong Kong where there is a need for greater co-ordination and collaboration to achieve a bigger impact and funds infrastructure or institutions to help plug these gaps. The establishment of the gerontechnology platform is the second flagship project commissioned by the Fund, riding on the success of the first project launched in 2016 to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall food support service in Hong Kong.