Financial downturn won't affect green efforts: CE

Chief Executive Donald Tsang has pledged Hong Kong will not step back from efforts to protect the environment, despite the financial turmoil.

On the last day of the APEC economic leaders' meeting in Lima yesterday, Tsang urged member economies to join Hong Kong in not cutting public spending on environmental initiatives.

Noting that climate change has no geographical boundary, Tsang said that closer cooperation in tackling it is a vitally important undertaking for all APEC economies.

MA to offer more Exchange Fund Bills on high demand

The Monetary Authority will offer an additional HK$8 billion in Exchange Fund Bills in the Dec 2 tender to meet increased demand from banks.

It will be conducted by increasing the size of a regular three-month Exchange Fund Bills issue and launching a special issue of 98-day Exchange Fund Bills. The aggregate balance will fall by HK$8 billion on Dec 3.

The additional supply is primarily to meet banks' strong demand for the paper for liquidity-management purposes.

Hand-foot-mouth outbreak at school sparks warning

The Centre for Health Protection reminded people to maintain their personal and environmental hygiene to prevent hand-foot-mouth disease following an outbreak at a Kwun Tong primary school involving 20 students.

The affected children, aged 6 to 11, came from 10 different classes. They had developed fevers, mouth ulcers and rashes over their hands or feet since Oct 25.

Eighteen of them consulted private doctors or sought treatment at general out-patient clinics while one went to United Christian Hospital.

4 airlines given approval to cut fuel surcharges

The Civil Aviation Department has given approval for four airlines to cut passenger fuel surcharges by up to 45 percent for the two-month period starting Dec 1.

The new maximum fuel-surcharge levels will be HK$108 for short-haul flights - a 45 percent reduction from current levels, and HK$499 for long-haul flights - a 40 percent cut. The current average passenger fuel surcharges at other major international destinations are about HK$413 per passenger for short-haul flights, and about HK$1,256 per passenger for long-haul flights.

Drug bust nets 10 teens and adults at Tuen Mun

Police arrested 10 young people, five male and five female, for selling and using illegal drugs early yesterday at an apartment in Tuen Mun, western New Territories.

One 16-year-old boy was being held as of 7 pm yesterday for suspected selling and using illicit drugs after police say they found 60 grams of ketamine (worth HK$3,600) on him. The other nine people, aged 15 to 20, were also in police custody on drug abuse charges.

China Daily

(HK Edition 11/25/2008 page1)