Excessive melamine found in chocolate gummy

A sample of muscat flavor Doraemon Chocolate Gummy was found to contain excessive melamine, the Centre for Food Safety said yesterday.

The sample, taken from a 50g pack with an expiry date of August 19, 2009, had a melamine level of 12ppm. The legal limit is 2.5ppm.

The trade has been asked to stop selling the product and the center has warned the retailer and the importer concerned.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection was informed of a case involving a 2.5-year-old Southern District boy, who had been fed melamine-tainted milk and biscuits, with two renal stones. He is in stable condition and hospitalization is not required.

Knife-wielding man shot, arrested

A police sergeant shot and wounded a knife-wielding man and arrested him for attempted wounding in Tsing Yi yesterday morning. Officers patrolling outside Wang Ching House in Cheung Wang Estate found the 27-year-old acting suspiciously about 9:30 am. When they tried to intercept him he allegedly attacked a sergeant with a fruit knife and then fled toward Cheung Hang Estate.

Believing he might threaten the safety of a group of elderly women in a sitting-out area near Hang Yip House, the sergeant fired two shots at the man after he ignored warnings.

He was sent to Princess Margaret Hospital with a gunshot wound to the left buttock.

Safe-cycling campaign to launch

Police is holding a citywide safe cycling campaign from today until next Tuesday. Officers will distribute publicity leaflets in areas frequented by cyclists, including cycling tracks, railway stations and shops using bicycles to deliver fast food, for the first three days of the campaign, then stringent enforcement action will be taken against offenders from Saturday.

There were 1,015 traffic accidents involving bicycles in the first eight months of the year, up 1.7 percent year-on-year.

Of the 921 casualties involving cyclists, three died and 103 were seriously injured.

Productivity council OKs paid paternity leave

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has decided to provide paid paternity leave to its male staff beginning January 1, 2009.

The HKPC management said it had studied similar arrangements by many private businesses as well as suggestions from consultants before making the decision.

Under the new arrangement, a male employee can take one day off in the week before his wife's due date and two days off within two weeks of the childbirth.

The HKPC is a government-funded institution with over 270 male staff at the moment.

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/15/2008 page1)