â€‹The Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Cherry Tse; the Director General of the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Yiyang; and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Ms Mok Ian-ian, attended the 20th Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation Meeting in Macao today (June 20). About 100 delegates including officials and representatives of relevant arts and cultural authorities and organisations from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao also joined the meeting.
 
     In her concluding remarks, Mrs Tse said that following the launch of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to strengthen its efforts on arts and culture, such as jointly taking forward the transmission and development of the traditions of Chinese culture, as well as promoting arts organisations and groups in the three places to perform in the Greater Bay Area. Moreover, the Government has reserved $140 million for use over five years to support Hong Kong arts groups and artists in making cultural exchanges in the Greater Bay Area. There have already been 29 performances of 11 local productions in five Greater Bay Area cities supported by this initiative in the past year.
 
     The three places have made progress in various areas of co-operation. In the performing arts, the three places will co-organise the "Showcase of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Cantonese Opera Masters" in Hong Kong this year. As for museums, Hong Kong will organise the Museum Summit in November this year again in tandem with the re-opening of the renovated Hong Kong Museum of Art, and will invite professionals from museums in Guangdong and Macao to attend. Regarding professional training, the three places will continue to organise the Greater Pearl River Delta Conservation Training Workshop to enhance professional conservation skills. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the inscription of Cantonese opera onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the three places will also organise the Chinese Arts and Cultural Festival 2019, as well as the Greater Bay Area Cantonese Opera Development Forum.
 
     The Home Affairs Bureau signed an agreement on cultural co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in 2003 with the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR, to establish a cultural co-operation framework within the Greater Pearl River Delta region. The five working groups set up under this framework met yesterday afternoon (June 19) to discuss specific topics, namely exchanges for performing artists and co-organisation of cultural programmes, co-operation in public libraries and cultural information, co-operation in museum services, intangible cultural heritage, and co-operation in cultural and creative industries.

        

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The meeting of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee originally scheduled at 3pm tomorrow (June 21) in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex will be held at 4.15pm (or an earlier time between 4pm and 4.15pm). 
 

     The Home Affairs Department will open 19 temporary night heat shelters tonight (June 20) for people in need of the service.
 
     The shelters will be open from 10.30pm until 8am tomorrow.
 
     For further information, please call the department's hotline before midnight on 2835 1473.
 
     The 19 night heat shelters are located at:
 
Hong Kong Districts:
———————
 
Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
 
Eastern –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
 
Southern –
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau
 
Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
 
Kowloon Districts:
——————
 
Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
 
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin

Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate
Sham Shui Po
 
Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
 
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
 
New Territories Districts:
————————–
 
Islands –
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building,
39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
 
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
 
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
 
Sai Kung –
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
 
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
 
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
 
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
 
Tuen Mun –
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
 
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
 
Yuen Long –
Tin Yiu Community Centre
Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai

     The temporary night heat shelters will resume their functions as either community centres or community halls in the daytime for hire by the local community and cannot continue to be open as heat shelters. People may choose to take refuge from the heat during the daytime in the common areas in any of the 20 designated community centres or community halls. Their opening hours are from 9am to 10pm. For addresses of the community centres or community halls, please browse the following webpage: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf.

     The Labour Department launched a prosecution against Kong Kee Engineering Limited, the employer, and Man Kit Construction Company Limited, the principal contractor, for failing to make periodical payments in accordance with requirements of the Employees' Compensation Ordinance (ECO). Both the employer and the principal contractor pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (June 20) and were each fined $39,000, making a total of $78,000.
      
     A bar bender sustained an injury during a work accident on June 19, 2017. The employer and the principal contractor failed to make periodical payments to the employee on the normal paydays or within seven days thereafter as required by the ECO.
      
     Section 10(10) of the ECO stipulates that during a period of temporary incapacity, the employer shall pay the injured employee periodical payments at a rate of four-fifths of the difference between the employee's monthly earnings at the time of the accident and his or her monthly earnings during the period of temporary incapacity.  Section 24 of the ECO provides that when an employee of a sub-contractor is injured at work, the principal contractor shall be liable for any claim of compensation made by the injured employee under the ECO.
      
     The periodical payments are payable on the injured employee's normal paydays. Employers or principal contractors who, without reasonable excuse, fail to pay within seven days after the due day, have committed an offence and are liable to a fine of $100,000 on conviction.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The United States Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (US Fed FOMC) decided last night to maintain the target range of the fed funds rate at 2.25 per cent to 2.50 per cent .
      
     Although the FOMC has kept the fed funds rate unchanged, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) note its comments on increased uncertainties in the US economic outlook, and an obvious split in Members' views on interest rate path.  While half of members preferred the interest rate to remain unchanged this year, the other half considered one or two reductions necessary.

     The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Norman Chan, said, "In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) interbank interest rates will continue to be influenced by US dollar (USD) interest rates and other factors such as changes in the market supply of and demand for HKD funding.  The HKD interbank rates have gradually increased over the past year as interest rate normalisation progressed, with increased volatility due to seasonal factors including half-year-end effect.  Recently one-month HIBOR once rose to 2.6 per cent.  As HIBOR increased, carry trade activities reduced and the HKD exchange rate strengthened once to 7.8170 level.  Notwithstanding this, transactions in the HKD FX and interbank markets have remained smooth.  Movements of HKD interbank and exchange rates are also consistent with the operation of the Linked Exchange Rate System."
      
     "Future direction of fund flows has become more uncertain in view of the increased uncertainties in the Fed's monetary policy direction.  The public should stay vigilant in managing the potential risks arising from market volatilities," added Mr Chan.