New appointees meet the media

Sixteen newly appointed under secretaries and political assistants of government bureaus met informally with the media yesterday in a tea gathering held at the Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang's residence.

The only absentee was Under Secretary for Food and Health Gabriel Leung, who was out of town.

These political appointees said their zeal for serving Hong Kong people has not been dampened by the political disputes surrounding their nationalities and salaries.

5-day week improves staff morale

Staff morale and motivation has improved since the government implemented the five-day work week in July 2006, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung said.

Speaking at a luncheon yesterday, Cheung said the upbeat employment market has led to intense competition for talent and a surge in staff turnover.

Adopting work-life balance instead of providing higher salary or better fringe benefits is an effective strategy to retain staff, as it offers a win-win scenario for both employers and employees, Cheung said.

Olympic health drill to be held

An interdepartmental exercise will be held tomorrow to assess the preparedness of the government and related organizations to public health incidents during the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events. The drill will validate interdepartmental procedures and contingency plans on health incidents during the events and enhance co-ordination and cooperation among government departments. Ground movement capacity, including field investigation and management of patients will be tested.

Renminbi deposits slowing down: Joseph Yam

After four months of rapid growth the rate of increases in renminbi conversion and the amount of renminbi deposits slowed considerably in May, along with the slower pace of renminbi appreciation in recent weeks, Monetary Authority Chief Executive Joseph Yam says.

In his weekly column Viewpoint published yesterday, Yam attributes the development to the higher handling fee levied by the China Foreign Exchange Trade System on the trading of renminbi by the clearing bank from May 5.

Weather information goes wireless

Two weather tools specially designed for personal digital assistants and smartphones with Internet access and multimedia capabilities have been launched, offering meteorological information anytime, anywhere.

Satellite and radar animation sequences enable users to visualize the movement of weather systems by observing the progress of cloud or rain bands. The Weather Banner is a software plug-in for PDAs and smartphones to show weather warnings, air temperature and humidity, local area forecasts and five-day forecasts.

Seven arrested for illicit photocopying

Customs officers have arrested seven people in raids on photocopying shops, seizing 104 infringing photocopies of books, six photocopying machines and five binding machines worth HK$73,000.

Officers raided shops in Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan, Tai Po, Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai on Tuesday and Wednesday and arrested six men and a woman aged 25 to 48.

Six were shop owners and one a salesperson. They have been released on bail pending further investigation.

China Daily

(HK Edition 06/06/2008 page1)