Gravis Law Responds to Address Surging Blockchain-Related Litigation with New Digital Assets Dispute

Sep 24, 2023 | Books, Business

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Hong Kong – Government responds to court verdict on conducting death inquest for vessel collision incident near Lamma Island

Jul 26, 2023 | International

Government responds to court verdict on conducting death inquest for vessel collision incident near Lamma Island

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     In relation to the appeal for conducting a death inquest lodged by the deceased’s family members of the vessel collision incident near Lamma Island on October 1, 2012, the Court of Appeal handed down its verdict today (July 26) with an order to conduct a death inquest. 

     A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, “We noted the Court’s verdict and will render full co-operation to the death inquest.”

     As the case is sub judice, it is inappropriate for the Government to comment further on the relevant matters at this stage.

Hong Kong – ACE responds to media report on EIA report on partial development of Fanling Golf Course site

May 6, 2023 | International

ACE responds to media report on EIA report on partial development of Fanling Golf Course site

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The following is issued on behalf of the Advisory Council on the Environment:
 
     In response to the media report today (May 5) on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on Technical Study on Partial Development of Fanling Golf Course Site – Feasibility Study, the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) Secretariat has the following response:
      
     At the ACE meeting on May 3, 2023, the presentation slide of the Environmental Protection Department, showing “The ACE already voted on the acceptance of EIA report”, was meant to point out that the ACE had voted on whether the EIA report should be accepted rather than the ACE had voted to accept the EIA report during the ACE meeting on August 19, 2022. The voting results and details of the ACE meeting have been duly recorded in the confirmed meeting minutes. In addition, ACE Paper No. 9/2023 and the press release issued by the ACE after the meeting on May 3 have clearly set out the background of the subject, including the first round of voting on “endorsing the EIA report with conditions” which was not passed and the second round of voting on “Additional Information would be required from project proponent” which was passed. 
      
     The relevant meeting minutes, press release and discussion paper of the ACE are available on the website:
 
Meeting Minutes: www.epd.gov.hk/epd/sites/default/files/epd/english/boards/advisory_council/files/ACE-254-minutes-web-0819-2.pdf
ACE’s press release: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202305/03/P2023050300759.htm
ACE’s discussion paper: www.eeb.gov.hk/sites/default/files/en/node5840/ACE_P9_2023_BN.pdf

Hong Kong – EPD responds to media enquiries on food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing estates

Apr 20, 2023 | International

EPD responds to media enquiries on food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing estates

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     ​In response to media enquiries on allegations made by a local company in relation to odour problem and exceedance of air quality level caused by the smart recycling bins installed under the food waste collection trial scheme in public rental housing (PRH) estates, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 20) responded as follows:

     The EPD launched the trial scheme last October to install smart recycling bins in the participating PRH estates to collect food waste. Currently, six PRH estates have participated in the trial scheme, including Shek Pai Wan Estate in Aberdeen, Choi Tak Estate in Ngau Tau Kok, Sheung Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O, Lin Tsui Estate in Chai Wan, Kwun Lung Lau in Kennedy Town and Tin Heng Estate in Tin Shui Wai.

     The smart recycling bins used in the trial scheme are equipped with odour abatement devices and adopt an impermeable and enclosed design, so they will not “generate strong odour” when the lids open as claimed by the company concerned. Moreover, odour will be dispersed in the air as the bins are usually installed in outdoor and fully ventilated places. It is therefore inappropriate for the company concerned to use indoor air quality objectives for comparison with the smart recycling bins placed outdoors, and claim that air pollutants generated from the bins “exceed the prescribed threshold by 10 times”. In fact, residents responded positively to the design and operation of smart food waste recycling bins. They actively participated in smart food waste recycling with an increasing quantity of food waste collected.

     To further enhance the trial scheme, the EPD has been working with different local scientific research companies to explore the enhancement of smart food waste recycling technology. Recently, a local technology enterprise claimed to the EPD that it could adopt other methods to improve the performance of smart food waste recycling bins by further reducing the food waste odour. The EPD then lent one of the smart food waste recycling bins located outdoors in Sheung Tak Estate to the enterprise for installing its device to abate odour using physical method for a short-term academic research. The move aims to provide support to local enterprise for environmental research and development. The EPD has not commissioned any enterprise to provide other odour abatement devices installed in the smart food waste recycling bins.

     The EPD understood that the relevant academic research has just been finished in mid-April and it only lasted for a week or so, which may need more data support to come up with a conclusion. The EPD has not received any research details, analytics results or reports provided by the enterprise so far, and there is no information showing that the device concerned can further reduce odour from food waste.

     The EPD has all along been committed to examining various technologies with a view to further enhancing the efficiency of the smart food waste recycling system, and is open to exchange ideas with the trade to promote the local development of scientific environmental researches.

ONE Responds to ODA provisional data for 2022

Apr 17, 2023 | Business

WEBWIRE –

Efforts to fight extreme poverty are being dangerously undermined as record levels of overseas aid is being spent within its country of origin, according to The ONE Campaign.

The warning comes as OECD DACs release of provisional Official Development Assistance (ODA) data for last year shows that ODA often called overseas aid reached record levels of $204 billion in 2022, but this was mostly down to an increase in the amount that donor countries spent within their own borders.

As a result, the data shows that bilateral ODA going to countries in Africa declined last year by more than 7%. This is despite the need from the continent, with countries facing a combination of challenges from climate threats, hunger shocks, and debt distress.

Sara Harcourt, Senior Director for Development Finance, said: Extreme poverty is on the rise for the first time in decades and yet development funding to Africa is actually falling. Reports of record levels of ODA are effectively a mirage as rocketing levels of aid being spent in its country of origin mean more and more is being diverted from its intended purpose.

In the face of escalating global crises such as climate change, conflict, spiralling debt and economic stagnation and the ongoing fallout from the global COVID 19 pandemic it should be unthinkable that less money is going to developing countries to deal with the challenges on their doorstep. Donor countries should commit to ensuring that their ODA budget goes to low income countries and directly addressing poverty, and its root causes.

A significant proportion of the increase in aid that doesnt reach developing countries is because of the increased cost of supporting refugees in donor countries (In-Donor Refugee Costs), which reached a record level of $29.3 billion, 14.4% of total aid in 2022.

Harcourt continued: Its absolutely right to support people fleeing from conflict and instability, and help support those who seek refuge elsewhere, but this should not be coming from ODA budgets. Forcing trade-offs during a crisis is short sighted and bad policy.