The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

Hong Kong Monetary Authority Exchange Fund Bills Tender Results
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning November 26:
 

     Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley tomorrow (November 21). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure

     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp outside Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Vehicles from eastbound Queen's Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen's Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen's Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen's Road East.

     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen's Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic on southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will co-organise the Zoological Education Exhibition 2018 at six selected LCSD parks from December 1 this year to March 31, 2019. With "Hong Kong Biodiversity" as the theme this year, the exhibition will introduce details of Hong Kong's biodiversity and various of its species. Members of the public can also learn more about the importance of maintaining biodiversity from themed talks to be held at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (HKZBG) on December 1 and 2.

     In an ecosystem, every species has a role to play and they are connected to each other in an intricate network. The quantity of species is closely related to the stability of biodiversity as well as the whole ecosystem, which also impact on the supply of natural resources for human beings. Owing to climatic and geographic advantages Hong Kong has many species of plants and animals, leading to an exceptionally high biodiversity despite the fact that the city only covers a small area. This exhibition will take visitors deep under the sea, across the land, and up in the air for an all-round view of Hong Kong's bustling nature. Through resourceful information panels with colourful photos, visitors will learn about the native species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects, and various kinds of wildlife habitats, as well as the threats faced by our biodiversity.

     A spokesman for the LCSD said that the department hopes that the exhibition can help enhance public interest in ecology and biodiversity and raise their awareness of nature conservation.

     The roving exhibition will be held at six parks, namely the HKZBG, Yuen Long Park, Tuen Mun Park, Tai Po Waterfront Park, Hong Kong Park and Kowloon Park. It will start at the HKZBG, where the exhibition will be held from December 1 to March 31, 2019. To launch the event, Meet-the-Zookeepers sessions and Orienteering Fun Day activities will also take place during the exhibition's first two days (December 1 and 2) at the HKZBG.

     This is the second round of Meet-the-Zookeepers sessions organised by the HKZBG this year. Zookeepers will share with participants their experience of daily primate and bird care as well as animal conservation. Visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about the HKZBG's animals, including Bornean orangutans, buff-cheeked gibbons, emperor tamarins, golden-headed lion tamarins, black and white ruffed lemurs, meerkats, American flamingos and red-crowned cranes. Moreover, the public can join the Orienteering Fun Day activities to appreciate and familiarise themselves with different species of animals and plants through touring various facilities in the HKZBG.

     To tie in with the theme of the roving exhibition, four educational talks will be held on December 1 and 2 at the HKZBG featuring topics including "Where Have the Coral Larvae Gone?", "Appreciating the Diversity of Life in the Wetlands", "Meet the Bats of Hong Kong" and "Global Warming and its Threat to Biodiversity". Guided tours will also be provided, during which the participants can tour the HKZBG and see for themselves about 70 mammals, 160 birds and over 20 reptiles being kept there.

     Park visitors will find plenty to enjoy while taking part in these interactive and fun activities, the spokesman said.

     All activities are free of charge. Interested parties should assemble at the information counter of the HKZBG's Education and Exhibition Centre at specified hours. In addition, stall games and a reading corner will be set up in the HKZBG. Members of the public will also receive souvenirs during their visit.

     Please refer to the annex for information on the exhibition periods of the six parks and details of the "Meet-the-Zookeepers" sessions, Orienteering Fun Day activities, talks and guided tours at the HKZBG. For enquiries, please contact the LCSD's Zoo and Horticulture Education Unit at 2723 6053 or 2530 0154 during office hours.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (November 20):
 
Reporter: Mrs Lam, will the Government consider and review the current rule so that gatherings won't only be limited to Sundays or public holidays in the civic square. And also a second question, in light of the drop in ranking on the world talent ranking, what is the Government going to do specifically to make sure that it will not continue to drop?
 
Chief Executive: Let me just recap that the re-opening of the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Offices was a decision made by me upon taking office last July. That reflects my intention and my sincerity to allow members of the public to come into the Forecourt to express their views on government policies or other social matters. But since this is a government property and there are a lot of things happening in this building, we have to strike a balance in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the government offices at the same time. So we have devised a scheme and introduced certain guidelines. Now, in the light of the court judgment on the judicial review case, first thing we will do is the relevant departments together with the Department of Justice will carefully study the judgment and then decide on the next step. The second thing is I have already asked the Director of Administration to revisit those guidelines and mechanism to see whether there are ways, in light of the experience in the last year, that we could change or relax some of the requirements. As soon as we have a decision, we will let the public know.
 
     As far as talent ranking, I'm not too worried about this drop in the ranking because there are a lot of factors in international rankings of this nature and I have yet to find out the so-called cut-off date of the information as a basis for the ranking, because it might capture a situation a year ago, so it will not have reflected the extensive investment we have made in education in this term of the Government. In response to your enquiry on what sort of specific measures, actually we have rolled out quite a few of these specific measures already. One is to continue to invest. You have heard me saying this many times that spending in education is the best investment that the Government could make, because it would nurture talents to meet the needs of the economy in future. So, we will continue to invest in education.
      
     Secondly, we will have to review the existing arrangements to achieve quality education. On the eight areas that I have asked for review, I think only two or three have finished. Review on curriculum and maybe on teachers' career development are still ongoing. I'll certainly carefully study the recommendations coming out from this review.

     Thirdly is to provide students with more opportunities to learn beyond the classroom because in order to be a more creative and innovative talent, you really need to have that sort of broad exposure. So we are spending a lot and doing a lot on promoting what we call "life-wide learning" among students. We are providing internships and exchanges, both with the Mainland and overseas, in order to broaden students' horizon, especially in STEM education. We'll continue to roll out those measures and evaluate their effectiveness. If they are not sufficiently effective, then certainly my government will do more.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) 

     Dance Day, an annual dance carnival presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will be held at Tsuen Wan Town Hall and Tsuen Wan Park from 1pm to 5pm on December 2 (Sunday). The event is admission free and members of the public are invited to participate.
 
     The event will showcase different generations of local dance artists, who will be joined by professional and amateur dance groups and social organisations, in a wide variety of dance performances of different genres. With "Collaboration" as the theme, this year's Dance Day aims at encouraging people to work closely with one another to break down barriers, so that participants can enjoy a new experience together. Local dance artist Andy Wong is the Dance Day Event Advisor.
 
     Entertaining programmes include a variety of dance genres, one-minute flash dance, site-specific dance, an improvisation area, workshops and exhibitions. There will also be a "U Can Dance!" free dancing zone, where everyone is invited to join in and enjoy the fun of dancing, and a new dance theatre entitled "2018 Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme – 'Dance Bao Shan'". Dancers Huang Ju and Liu Heung-man will depict a story with dance to reveal the relationship between "da jiu" and everyday life, culture and society with the aim of passing on this local intangible cultural heritage.
 
     Dance artists and groups at Dance Day include R&T (Rhythm & Tempo), Unlock Dancing Plaza, Y-Space, Muse Motion, the Hong Kong Ballet Group, the Association of Hong Kong Dance Organizations, Hong Kong Dance Federation, School of Dance, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Tsuen Wan Culture and Recreation Co-ordinating Association, Hugh Cho and TS Crew, DanceArt Hong Kong, Fun Forest, St James' Settlement Rehabilitation Services Dancing Heart Troupe, PassoverDance, Studiodanz and DancingAngels.
 
     The LCSD has been holding Dance Day since 2009 with the aim of promoting dance art to the public while at the same time providing a platform for local dance artists and small and medium-sized dance groups to perform. Previous Dance Days were held in Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Central and Western District, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun. All received an overwhelming public response, effectively raising public interest – especially among the young generation – towards various forms of dance.
 
     For more details on the Dance Day, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/dance/programs_689.html or call 2268 7323.