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Sample of prepackaged frozen giant scarlet shrimps detected with mercury exceeding legal limit

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Sample of prepackaged frozen giant scarlet shrimps detected with mercury exceeding legal limitPlace of origin: Spain
Pack Lot: FCCAR25114
Best-before: April 2027
Importer: Classic Fine Foods (Hong Kong) LimitedIssued at HKT 19:55

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 9) announced that a sample of prepackaged frozen giant scarlet shrimps imported from Spain was detected with mercury, a metallic contaminant, at a level exceeding the legal limit. The CFS is following up on the incident. Members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it. Product details are as follows: Product name: Frozen Giant Scarlet Shrimp Place of origin: Spain Pack Lot: FCCAR25114 Best-before: April 2027 Importer: Classic Fine Foods (Hong Kong) Limited “The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample at the import level for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained mercury at a level of 0.85 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the legal limit of 0.5 ppm,” a spokesman for the CFS said. The spokesman said that the CFS had informed the importer concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected product. The importer concerned has initiated a recall according to the CFS’ instructions. Members of the public may call the importer’s hotline at 2612 2066 during office hours for enquiries about the recall. 09/06/2025, 19:54 Sample of prepackaged frozen giant scarlet shrimps detected with mercury exceeding legal limit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/09/P2025060900739p.htm#:~:text=The Centre for Food Safety, following up on the incident. 1/2 The CFS is also tracing the source and distribution of the product concerned. “Mercury may affect the nervous system, particularly the developing brain. At high levels, mercury can affect foetal brain development, and affect vision, hearing, muscle co-ordination and memory in adults,” the spokesman added. According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limit is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. The CFS will alert the Spanish authorities and the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing. Ends/Monday, June 9, 2025 Issued at HKT 19:55 NNNN 09/06/2025, 19:54 Sample of prepackaged frozen giant scarlet shrimps detected with mercury exceeding legal

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Alert issued on fake tax texts

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) today alerted the public to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly issued by the department which invite recipients to claim a profits tax subsidy via a hyperlink provided.

The IRD clarified that it has no connection with the fraudulent SMS messages and has reported the case to Police for further investigation.

It reminded the public to stay alert to suspicious SMS messages and not visit the hyperlinks provided in such messages nor disclose any personal information.

The IRD is on the SMS Sender Registration Scheme under the Office of the Communications Authority, meaning all SMS messages issued by the department will bear “#HK IRD” in the SMS Sender ID to help people to verify the sender’s identity.

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US safety reminder issued

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In view of the ongoing protests and riots across the US recently, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today reminded Hong Kong residents who are already there or intend to visit the US to attend to their personal safety.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said residents who intend to visit the US or are already there should monitor the local situation, exercise caution, avoid large gatherings of people and pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation.

The Security Bureau has updated the outbound travel alerts webpage for the US and will continue to closely monitor the situation there. Any update will be issued through the media, the bureau’s mobile app, and the webpage.

Hong Kong residents in the US who need assistance can call the Immigration Department’s 24-hour hotline at (852) 1868, call the 1868 hotline using network data or use the 1868 Chatbot via the department’s mobile app.

They can also send a message to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline or 1868 WeChat assistance hotline, or submit an online assistance request form.

Alternatively, they may contact the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in the US by calling the Embassy at (1) 2024952216, the Consulate-General in New York at (1) 2126953125, the Consulate-General in San Francisco at (1) 4159296998, the Consulate-General in Los Angeles at (1) 2138078052, or the Consulate-General in Chicago at (1) 3123973015.

Hong Kong residents are encouraged to use the online Registration of Outbound Travel Information service to register their contact details and itinerary when outside Hong Kong.

The information provided allows the Immigration Department to disseminate practical information to them through appropriate means on a timely basis when necessary.

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LegCo to consider Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LegCo to consider Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (June 11) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

     The Second Reading debates on the Buildings Energy Efficiency (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2025 will also resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Reading, they will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bills and their reports are adopted by the Council, the Bills will be set down for the Third Reading. 
     Mr Sunny Tan will move a motion on “Stimulating the vigorous development of Hong Kong’s small and medium enterprises with new quality productive forces and actively dovetailing with the country’s high-quality ‘going global’ strategy”. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Mr Erik Yim will move an amendment to Mr Tan’s motion.
 
     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
 
     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hkIssued at HKT 18:50

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Inland Revenue Department alerts public to fraudulent SMS messages

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) today (June 9) alerted members of the public to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly issued by the IRD, which invite recipients to claim profits tax subsidy via a hyperlink provided.

     The IRD clarified that it has no connection with these SMS messages and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation.

     The IRD is registered in the SMS Sender Registration Scheme of the Office of the Communications Authority. All SMS messages issued by the IRD will bear “#HK IRD” in the SMS Sender ID to enable members of the public to verify the identity of the SMS sender. Members of the public should stay alert to suspicious SMS messages, not visit hyperlinks provided in such messages, and not disclose any personal information.

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Remarks by SHYA at media session

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (June 8):

Reporter: Can you briefly recap in English how legalising the basketball betting could help combat illegal gambling and how can they support local sports development? And how much tax is expected to be generated? And also how will the government strike a balance between legalising basketball betting and also advert against gambling especially among young people in the city?

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: For the government, we don’t encourage any kind of gambling. When combating the illegal gambling problem, we have multipronged approach. The first and the most important one is law enforcement, so through law enforcement we will take serious actions against those illegal gambling organisations and people involved in illegal gambling is in fact a criminal offense and can be subject to a penalty of $50,000 and also nine months in jail.

The second one is public education, this is very important that we need to let Hong Kong people know the consequences of illegal gambling and we will encourage people to understand how to avoid illegal gambling and in fact gambling. We will take a series of measures and put in more efforts and resources in enhancing public education. Thirdly, for those who already have gambling problems, we will provide counselling services. Currently, we have four counselling centres carrying out these counselling services.  

The fourth and last one, we can see it as a last resort. When the illegal gambling problem is so serious, we need to channel the illegal gambling to a regulated gambling regime. With illegal basketball gambling, we are also taking these four approaches. I will attend the LegCo (Legislative Council) Panel Meeting tomorrow to report on the results of the public consultation that we have conducted months ago. And during the consultation process, 90 per cent of the people who submitted their proposals, they supported the regulated basketball gambling regime, and this will be modelling on the current football gambling regime. So, tomorrow I will introduce the consultation results and will also report to the LegCo on the next step that we are going to take. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

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Women’s fund invites applications

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Women Empowerment Fund is open for the first round of applications in 2025-26 from today until July 8.

The fund subsidises projects that support women in balancing their career and family commitments, raise awareness of women’s physical and mental health, and unlock their potential.

The 2025-26 thematic projects include the Greater Bay Area Exchange Programme and the Programme on Women’s Participation in Community Services.

The exchange programme will enable women to broaden their horizons, deepen their understanding of national affairs, and interact with local residents, thereby promoting women’s development. 

The community services programme aims to encourage women to make use of their own strengths to plan and launch community service projects, thereby promoting care and inclusion.

Each exchange project and community services project shall be completed within one year, with the funding capped at $120,000 and $400,000 respectively.

Set up in June 2023, the fund aims to empower women, regardless of their age, occupation or background, to realise their full potential in their respective roles, thereby promoting women’s development in Hong Kong.

Interested eligible women’s groups and non-governmental organisations may submit an electronic or paper application.

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Government reminds Hong Kong residents to attend to personal safety when travelling to United States

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     In view of the rcently ongoing protests and riots across the United States, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government reminds Hong Kong residents who are already there or intend to visit the United States to attend to personal safety.

A Government spokesman said, “The Government reminds residents who intend to visit the United Stated or are already there to monitor the local situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid large gatherings of people, and pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation.”

In view of the latest developments, the Security Bureau has already updated the Outbound Travel Alerts (OTA) webpage regarding supplementary information for the United States and will continue to closely monitor the situation there. Any updates will be issued through the media, the bureau’s mobile app, and the OTA webpage (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota).
    
     Hong Kong residents in the United States who need assistance may call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department (ImmD) at (852) 1868, call the 1868 hotline using network data or use the 1868 Chatbot via the Immigration Department Mobile Application, send a message to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline or 1868 WeChat assistance hotline, or submit the Online Assistance Request Form, or contact the Chinese Embassy/Consulate-General in the United States of America at the consular protection hotline: (Embassy – (1) 2024952216, Consulate-General in New York – (1) 2126953125, Consulate-General in San Francisco – (1) 4159296998, Consulate-General in Los Angeles – (1) 2138078052, Consulate-General in Chicago – (1) 3123973015).
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Hong Kong residents are encouraged to use the online Registration of Outbound Travel Information service (www.gov.hk/roti) of the ImmD to register their contact details and itinerary when outside Hong Kong. The information provided allows the ImmD to disseminate practical information to them through appropriate means, including SMS on mobile phones, on a timely basis when necessary.

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AI Self-Learning Fabric Inspecting System

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The AI Self-Learning Fabric Inspecting System is a groundbreaking solution designed to modernize and automate the global textile inspection process. Traditionally, fabric inspection has relied heavily on manual labor, with a speed of just 10 yards per minute and only about 70% defect detection accuracy. It also demands experienced operators with at least three years of hands-on expertise and causes significant visual fatigue. Our system transforms this outdated method by offering a fully automated, 24/7 operation capable of inspecting fabric at 120 yards per minute-12 times faster than current market standards-while achieving up to 99% detection accuracy.

At its core, the system utilizes dual AI algorithms: one for automatic color temperature adjustment (ranging from 1000K to 11000K), and another for precise fabric tension control. These intelligent features allow it to outperform the human eye in detecting subtle defects. The system’s user-centric design enables a single operator to install fabric within five minutes (compared to at least 20 minutes in traditional setups) and to manage multiple machines simultaneously. Operator training requires only two days after AI engineers configure the system.

The system went through 30 rounds of prototyping and AI optimization to reach its current performance. It drastically reduces human error and reliance on skilled labor, and it minimizes workplace injuries due to its ergonomic, automated process.
In terms of business impact, the system offers clear advantages: over 50% labor cost savings per unit, more than 30% material waste reduction, and increased production efficiency. It marks defect locations with 99% accuracy and is capable of future updates that include automated defect pattern analysis, helping fabric suppliers improve quality control and manufacturing processes.

Environmentally, it reduces resource waste and improves logistics efficiency by lowering the rate of rejected or returned shipments. Socially, it lightens labor intensity by 40%, enhancing worker health and safety. From a strategic standpoint, it helps bridge the gap between fabric suppliers and global fashion brands by responding to digital transformation needs. This positions the system as a vital component of next-generation smart manufacturing.

By introducing automation, precision, and intelligence into fabric inspection, this system reshapes the textile industry’s production line, offering high-speed performance, scalable deployment, and sustainable benefits.