Tuesday, April 30, 2024
【Hong Kong weather】Mostly cloudy with a few showers. There will be a brief period of sunshine in the morning, and sometimes heavy rain and squally thunderstorms in the afternoon. The maximum temperature is about 31 degrees. The wind blows gently to a clear southerly wind, and the wind is sometimes strong.
Tomorrow will see sometimes heavy rain and thunderstorms, and the weather will remain unstable on Thursday. Towards the end of the week, showers decreased.
News
● The "Patriotic Education Working Group" held its first meeting on the 29th, and the Chairman of the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee and Chief Secretary for Administration, Chan Kwok-ki, said after the meeting that the Working Group has established a clear direction, that is, the work of promoting patriotic education in Hong Kong should not only be in line with the content of the National Patriotic Education Law, but also adapt measures to local conditions, and make suggestions on the effective implementation of patriotic education measures in light of the actual situation in Hong Kong. The goal is to make patriotism and love for Hong Kong a core value in Hong Kong, so that the patriotic spirit can take root in Hong Kong society and be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so that everyone can consciously safeguard the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the country. He emphasised that no legislation would be enacted on the issue, but only soft promotion through measures, policies and activities.
● The Regulations on Safeguarding National Security came into effect last month. Secretary for Justice Lam Ting-kwok wrote an article in Ming Pao on the 29th, pointing out that the new law will never impose additional unreasonable restrictions on press freedom, including the freedom to criticize the government.
● Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Mr Christopher Hui attended the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum Fintech Parallel Forum in Beijing on the 29th. On the same day, he called on Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Central Committee and Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, to report on the latest situation and future prospects of the financial markets and financial services and the treasury bureau (FSTB). Mr. Xia Baolong fully affirmed the work of the Financial and Treasury Bureau, and said that the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Central Committee will fully support Hong Kong in its economic development and development, and hoped that the SAR Government will publicize, give full play to and make good use of Hong Kong's unique advantages and role to attract more enterprises and talents to develop in Hong Kong.
●Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Cheuk Wing-hing, chaired the fourth meeting of the "District Governance Task Force" on the 29th to follow up on the work assigned by the "District Governance Leadership Committee", including reviewing the preparatory work of various bureaux and departments in celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the progress of the implementation of seven district issues.
● The Bills Committee of the Legislative Council deliberated on the "Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill" on the 29th, and the Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ho Kai-ming, said that the government will propose three amendments, including clarifying criminal liability, taking into account intent when prosecuting, and strengthening the defences and exemptions.
● Recently, when two male passengers were leaving for Hong Kong in the departure hall of Luohu Port Passenger Inspection Hall of Luohu Port, the X-ray machine found that their carry-on luggage was abnormal, and the customs officer opened the box for inspection. After careful inspection, it was found that 35 stacks of US dollar bills were hidden in many places such as books, pillows, and pancake bags in the luggage, with a total of 329,900 US dollars.
●Hong Kong team's men's epee representative Ho Wai-chuen made his debut on the Olympic stage at the Olympic Fencing Asia and Oceania Qualifying Tournament held in the United Arab Emirates, earning the Hong Kong fencing team its fourth quota place for the Paris Olympics and the Hong Kong team's 30th ticket to the Paris Olympics.
● The Chairman of the Travel Industry Council, Ms Tsui Wong Mei-lun, said in a radio program on the 29th that it is expected that 800 mainland tour groups will visit Hong Kong during the May Day Golden Week, almost returning to the pre-epidemic level, and the number of days of stay in Hong Kong will be more than two nights and three nights will be less. Ms Tsui pointed out that the current ratio of same-day and overnight visitors is about 6 to 4, and it is expected that the number of same-day visitors will increase this year due to the current convenient transportation and the possibility of same-day travel to and from the mainland.
●The Hospital Authority (HA) held a welcome ceremony for the Greater Bay Area Medical Talent Exchange Programme on the 29th, welcoming a new batch of more than 100 healthcare professionals from Guangdong Province to Hong Kong. Two of the medical staff who participated in the exchange had already arrived in Hong Kong, including two doctors who had already started exchanges and clinical work at the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Hong Kong Eye Hospital.
● According to the disclosure of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on the 29th, the mainland home appliance giant Midea Group once again submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the joint sponsors were CICC and BofA Securities. Previously, it was reported that the company plans to raise more than $1 billion. According to the application, in 2023, Midea Group's revenue will reach 373.7 billion yuan, with overseas revenue accounting for more than 40%. Midea Group said it is the largest provider of commercial air conditioners in Chinese mainland and the world's largest home appliance company. From 2021 to 2023, the company's total R&D expenditure exceeded 39 billion yuan.
● The yen exchange rate hit a new low on the 29th, and the exchange rate against the dollar once fell below 160 yen per dollar, reaching a low of 160.03 yen, hitting a new 34-year low. The yen also tested further against the Hong Kong dollar, and also traded as low as 4.946 per 100 yen against the Hong Kong dollar. At a money changer in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, it was crowded with people who came to exchange yen at a low price, and the crowds lined up at the nearby shop outside the door.
● Bank of China Hong Kong (02388) announced that the operating profit before impairment provision was 13.808 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, up 21.5% year-on-year and 11.8% quarter-on-quarter. Operating expenses increased by 2.9% year-on-year, with increases in personnel expenses, IT investment, business promotion and communications expenses. The cost-to-revenue ratio was 22.40%.
● The police said on the 29th that the "Yuen Long 18 Heung and Ping Shan Township Tin Hau Treasure Festival Parade 2024" will be held in Yuen Long city on May 1. To facilitate the public to enjoy the parade, special traffic control measures will be implemented. Starting from 8am on the same day, road closures will be implemented in phases in the vicinity of Tung Tau Industrial Park, Long Ping Station and Yuen Long Town Centre until the end of the event.
● The Government will announce a review of the minimum wage mechanism shortly, according to local media reports, the minimum wage will be shortened from every two years to once a year, and the introduction of a "can be added but not subtracted" mechanism, if calculated according to the mechanism, the review will be increased by $1.8 to $41.8.
● Customs said on the 29th that it detected 3 cases of air passenger drug transportation on the 28th, seized 32 kilograms of methamphetamine, 27 kilograms of marijuana flowers and 15 kilograms of heroin, with a market value of about 37 million yuan, and arrested a total of 7 people involved in the case.
synthesis
● Driven by the good news in the Chinese market, Tesla's stock price rose by more than 15% on April 29, and its market value rose by $82.1 billion overnight. On the 29th, it was reported that Tesla will use the advanced assisted driving map (Gaofu map) provided by Baidu Maps for the Chinese version of FSD (full self-driving). In addition, Tesla's user app shows that the description of the purchase page of the Chinese version of the FSD service has been changed from "to be launched later" to "coming soon".
● According to a report by the Ukrainian National News Agency on the 29th, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on the same day that he invited Zelensky to attend the NATO summit in Washington in July this year.
● Korean media revealed on the 29th that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon told IOC President Bach at the end of January this year that Seoul intends to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics. At least 10 cities from different countries are currently competing for the Olympic Games, including Qingdao, Berlin, Germany, and Ahmedabad, India, among others, according to the report.
● The Chinese Embassy in Georgia announced on the 29th that Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian submitted a note to Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Hevtyshashvili, confirming that China has completed the domestic approval procedures for the "China-Georgia Agreement on Mutual Exemption of Visas for Ordinary Passport Holders". The agreement between China and Georgia on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports will come into force on May 28.
● On the 29th local time, according to the "Capitol Hill" newspaper, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that the best way to resolve the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is to reach a ceasefire agreement. He added that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip must be improved before the agreement can be reached. Blinken said Israel needs to do more to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. The U.S. State Department said Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel from April 29 to May 1 to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli situation and other issues.
Editor: Lin Kenghong
Proofreader: Zhuo Ling
审核：Oriole
Executive Producer: Yushan