Tag Archives: China

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services … read more

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (July 24). They are, on Hong Kong Island, the Urban Peacemaker Evangelistic Fellowship Limited; in Kowloon, the Society for Community Organization Limited and in the New Territories, the Yuen Yuen Institute, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on July 24 is as follows:
 

Region	Name of Organisation	Colour of Collection Bag	Colour of Flag
Hong Kong Island	The Urban Peacemaker Evangelistic Fellowship Limited	Orange	Beige
Kowloon	The Society for Community Organization Limited	Purple	Brown
New Territories	The Yuen Yuen Institute	Green	White

     For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678. Information on flag days is available at the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew) and the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more

          Police today (July 23) appealed to the public for information on a boy who went missing in Tin Shui Wai.           Kwong Cho-hang, aged 12,… read more

     In response to the rumours on an online platform claiming that the office buildings of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR, the Chief Executive’s Office and the Legislative Council Complex will be guarded by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison from today (July 23), a Government spokesman clarified that the claims are totally unfounded. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 23) that a fresh beef sample was found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative which is not permitted to be used in fresh meat. The CFS is following up on the case.
      
     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS took the abovementioned fresh beef sample from a stall in Aberdeen Market for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide at a level of 281 parts per million.”

     According to the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap 132BD), it is an offence to add sulphur dioxide to fresh or chilled meat. The maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.

     The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the abovementioned irregularity.

     Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in a variety of foods including dried fruits, pickled vegetables and meat products such as sausages and grilled burgers, but under the Regulation it is not permitted in fresh or chilled meat. Nonetheless, individual meat traders may illegally use sulphur dioxide to make meat look fresher. This preservative is of low toxicity. As it is water soluble, most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headache and nausea.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade to comply with the law and not to sell fresh or chilled meat adulterated with sulphur dioxide. Members of the public should purchase meat from reliable market stalls or fresh provision shops. They should avoid buying or consuming meat which is unnaturally red, and maintain a balanced diet to avoid malnutrition or excessive exposure to chemicals from a small range of food items.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing. read more