In Brief
Flight from HK to be first arrival at new Heathrow terminal
British Airways flight 26 from Hong Kong will be the inaugural flight into London's Heathrow Terminal 5 when it opens on March 27 next year. The flight is scheduled to leave Hong Kong at 11.15 pm on March 26, arriving at 4.45am the next day. The airline said there would be no ticket price adjustments for the flight. The new five-storey terminal, covering 260 hectares, is five times the size of Terminal 4, currently used by the airline for long-haul flights. Terminal 5, which will be used exclusively by British Airways, cost GBP4.3 billion (HK$67.6 billion) to build and will be able to handle 30 million passengers a year. When the new terminal opens, its baggage system will be the biggest, single-terminal baggage handling system in Europe. It is estimated the system will be capable of handling up to 12,000 bags an hour, with its baggage belts having a total length of 18km. The system will comprise two operations, a main baggage sorter and a fast-tracking capability.
Imports of ducks, geese, eggs to resume from Guangdong
Imports of chilled and frozen ducks and geese from Guangdong, and their eggs, will resume today. The week-long ban was prompted after a bird flu outbreak in a village in Panyu township, Guangdong. A government spokesman said yesterday that the administration was satisfied with preventive measures taken by Guangdong authorities, and there had been no reports of further outbreaks in the area. But a ban remains in force on all imports of live poultry and chilled and frozen poultry meat from farms within a 24km radius of Xinzao village in Panyu.
MTR retracts objection to Tamar 'door' design after talks
The MTR Corporation has retracted its objection against the winning design of the new government headquarters at Tamar. A spokeswoman said it had opposed 'the door' project late last month, suspecting that it would encroach on an area designated for open space and also set aside to accommodate the Tamar station on the MTR's North Island Line. But the MTR Corp retracted its objection after Gammon Hip-Hing explained its design in detail, and pledged to communicate with the rail company on future planning stages. Five objections were received during a three-week public consultation that ended last month.
Review group to study way forward for Institute of Education
The University Grants Committee has set up a review group to study the development blueprint put forward by the Institute of Education. John Niland, an overseas member of the committee since 2003 and a former vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales in Australia, will serve as the convenor of the six-member review group. The HKIEd submitted its application for university status in June to the government as part of the development draft outlining a 10-year plan for a new University of Education. The government has asked for advice from the committee before the end of 2008.
100 mainland firms look to HK as regional base
More than 100 mainland enterprises in the west of the country have shown an interest in establishing offices in the region over the next 18 months and Hong Kong is one of their options. They are among more than 230 enterprises in Sichuan , Yunnan , Shaanxi , Guizhou and Chongqing that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Chengdu has spoken to in the past year in a drive to promote the city's business environment. Three of them, involved in the electronics, retail and restaurant industries, have set up offices or shops in Hong Kong, while another 12 firms said they intended to establish businesses in the city.
Frederick Ma heads to Moscow
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang left for Russia on a five-day visit to promote business and investment opportunities in Hong Kong. He will officiate at the opening of a Hong Kong trade expo in Moscow, and is expected to attend a business seminar in St Petersburg.
Education chief to visit Beijing
Secretary for Education Michael Suen Ming-yeung will fly to Beijing on Thursday with a delegation of 150 members from the education sector. He will attend briefings on education development, and will visit the Ministry of Education.
