New immigrant payout on Oct 3

An estimated 230,000 qualified newly arrived immigrants will be able to apply for the Community Care Fund's HK$6,000 allowance commencing on Oct 3, a spokesman for the care fund said on Thursday.

Applications will continue to be taken until June 30, 2012.

To be eligible, new immigrants with Hong Kong Identify Cards must be 18 years old, and to have lived in Hong Kong for less than seven years before March 31, 2012.

The rules apply to those who hold one-way permits, who have the right to come for unconditional stays, and who live in Hong Kong legally as dependents of permanent residents.

Bicyclist killed by minibus

A 46-year-old bicyclist was killed after she was hit by a minibus in Ma On Shan on Thursday morning.

It was the second fatal accident involving a bicyclist in Sha Tin in four days.

The incident took place around 7:50 am when the minibus driven by a 59-year-old man was traveling along A Kung Kok Street towards Ma On Shan.

Nearing Sha Tin Fishermen's New Village, the minibus reportedly knocked down the woman who was crossing the road on her bicycle.

The woman was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital, where she was certified dead at 8:42 am.

The minibus driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death. The investigation is ongoing.

Vendors fined for short weight

Seven fruit retailers have been fined between HK$1,000 and HK$3,400 under the Weights and Measures Ordinance after pleading guilty in court to selling short-weighted fruits during the first eight months of this year.

Another ten fruit traders will be prosecuted shortly for the same offense.

They were caught by customs officers posing as customers and conducting test buys in areas including Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Yuen Long in the past few months.

One of the 17 was found to have tampered with the scale and the remaining 16 exaggerated the weight of fruits in sales.

The actual weights were 5-35 percent lower than what was charged.

CMC head takes national post

The State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Health has appointed Paul Fan, chairman of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMC), as its Chinese medicine international collaboration senior adviser for a term of three years, commencing in September.

Fan has worked in Hong Kong's finance and securities sector.

Apart from having served in various public offices in his own sector, Fan has also made distinguished contributions to the development of youth affairs and Chinese medicine in Hong Kong over the years.

He has been chairman of the CMC since September 2005.

His term of office will come to an end in later September.

China Daily

(HK Edition 09/09/2011 page1)