The Tourism Commission today (February 27) expanded the City in Time tourism project to Tai Hang with an addition of five new designated locations, allowing locals and visitors to experience Hong Kong's past and present through a mobile application.

     The five new City in Time designated locations in Tai Hang include Fire Dragon Path, Tung Lo Wan Road, Lin Fa Kung Street West, Wun Sha Street, and the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre.

     Apart from the above designated locations, the City in Time Project currently encompasses areas including Central, The Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan, and Lei Yue Mun, with a forthcoming expansion planned for Kowloon City. Locals and visitors can scan the "AR clocks" installed at the above designated locations using their smartphones with the City in Time mobile app downloaded to experience 360-degree historical panoramas developed from archival photos or artistic renderings by local artists.

     Commissioned by the Tourism Commission, the City in Time Project is developed and produced by the School of Creative Media of the City University of Hong Kong. The mobile app is available for free downloading at the Apple App Store and Google Play. Locals and visitors can also embark on virtual journeys and find out more on the City in Time website (cityintime.hk).

  

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on February 26 to noon today (February 27), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 271 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 118 559 samples of food imported from Japan (including 77 806 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 27 476 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, February 27, 2025 is 106.9 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     The Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Digital Solar Resource Maps and Management Technologies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow (February 27 and 28). Thirty experts and delegates from six ASEAN member states are gathering to exchange valuable experiences and technical knowledge and share insights on digital solar resource maps and management technologies.
      
     Delivering a welcoming speech by video, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that Hong Kong was honoured to hold the ASEAN Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Digital Solar Resource Maps and Management Technologies to enhance renewable energy utilisation in combating climate change in the region.
      
     Mr Tse emphasised that Hong Kong has been reducing carbon emissions significantly since 2014, with the reduction progress surpassing that of the United States and the European Union. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government also set the interim target to further reduce carbon emissions by half from the 2005 level before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. He said that the HKSAR Government has been leading by example in developing renewable energy systems at government premises, including restored landfills and impounding reservoirs, and launching the Pilot Scheme on Building-Integrated Photovoltaics.
      
     In addition, he pointed out that digital solar resource maps and management technologies enable solar plant operations to be remotely monitored and managed more effectively, helping ASEAN member states better plan energy transition policies and roadmaps by collecting and analysing solar energy data and information.
      
     Mr Tse also expressed that, to encourage innovation, the HKSAR Government has devoted resources to support research and pilot projects on green energies, including the development of solar-to-hydrogen facilities. The HKSAR Government also published the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in June last year. The Strategy outlines four major strategies to complement the development of hydrogen energy of the country, seize opportunities for development, and maintain the important role as the "super connector" and "super value-adder" between the Mainland and the rest of the world.
      
     The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying, shared the HKSAR's advancements in solar energy development with emerging technologies. He thanked ASEAN member states for joining the workshop and encouraged them to embrace innovative technologies for utilising solar resources.
          
     The workshop is organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department with support from the Economic and Technical Co-operation (ECOTECH) Work Programme under the ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement. The ECOTECH Work Programme has supported 35 projects in pursuit of mutual benefits between ASEAN and Hong Kong, benefitting around 6 600 participants from Hong Kong, ASEAN and other regions to date.

    

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 27) that in view of a notification from the General Veterinary Inspectorate of Poland about outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in MyÅ›lenicki District of MaÅ‚opolskie Region, MÅ‚awski District of Mazowieckie Region and OlsztyÅ„ski District of WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie Region in Poland, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 6 600 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Poland last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Polish authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.