Hong Kong students win medals at International Biology Olympiad
A team of four students representing Hong Kong achieved excellent results at the 35th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), winning two gold medals and two bronze medals.
The IBO is an international competition for secondary students with emphasis on both theory and practice. Students are required to apply analytical skills and conduct experiments to tackle challenging problems in biology. The 35th IBO was held from July 7 to 14 in Astana, Kazakhstan, with 290 contestants from 75 countries/regions participating in the competition.
Winning gold medals were Hui Sze-man from La Salle College and Zhang Yixuan from Hong Kong International School. Earning bronze were Sham Pui-yan from Harrow International School Hong Kong and Chan Yik-cheung from St. Joseph's College.
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, congratulated the Hong Kong team today (July 15) on their tremendous performance. "The excellent results achieved by the Hong Kong team in this international competition are testimony to Hong Kong students' analytical ability and creativity in tackling complex problems in biology. I believe that these challenging learning activities could broaden the horizons of students with special potential, and their talent could be further developed.
"The Education Bureau (EDB) is committed to promoting the setting up of school-based talent pools to identify and nurture gifted students in primary and secondary schools. The EDB has continued to strengthen collaboration with the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE), to conduct more training and competitions at the territory-wide, cross-territory, national and international levels, with an aim to offer more quality and challenging off-school learning activities, specific to areas related to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), for those who are exceptionally gifted to develop their potential," Dr Choi said.
Members of the Hong Kong team also achieved excellent results in the IBO Hong Kong Contest last year. They subsequently completed the biology enhancement programme provided by the HKAGE. The outstanding students in the programme were then selected as contestants representing Hong Kong to participate in the 35th IBO. The Hong Kong team was fully funded by the EDB to join this competition.
Hong Kong students win medals at International Biology Olympiad Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
HKETO, Brussels promotes Hong Kong film industry and business opportunities in southern Italy
With support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) and the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, Hong Kong movies are in the spotlight at the Salento International Film Festival (SIFF) taking place in Tricase in the Salento peninsula of southern Italy from September 10 to 15 (Tricase time).
SIFF is a major international film festival in southern Italy.For years, it has featured many Hong Kong and Asian productions.In this current edition, the Hong Kong films screened by SlFF included the works of emerging filmmakers, "Dust to Dust" by Jonathan Li (2023) and "In Broad Daylight" by Lawrence Kan (2024), as well as retrospectives from well-established director, "As Tears Go By" by Wong Kar-wai (1988).
Speaking before the screening of the investigativedrama "In Broad Daylight" during the Hong Kong Film Night on the evening of September 12, Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels Miss Fiona Li highlighted that Hong Kong is a creative hub with a long history in cinematography."We also see an increasing number of emerging actors and young filmmakers whose productions cover a diversity of genres", she said.
To further elevate Hong Kong cinema to the global stage and display the talents of Hong Kong filmmakers globally, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has invested significant budgets in fostering the film and creative industries.Miss Li added, "One of the recent measures is the launch of Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme under the Film Development Fund.It provides funding support to eligible film projects co-produced by filmmakers from European and Asian countries to make films featuring Hong Kong, European and Asian cultures."
Seizing the opportunity to gain more exposure in southern Italy, HKETO, Brussels held a business event in the margin of the SIFF on September 12, jointly with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong, to reach out to local entrepreneurs. Miss Li spoke during the event to promote Hong Kong's strong fundamentals and unique advantages to act as the gateway for Italian companies to enter the Mainland and Asian markets.
HKETO, Brussels promotes Hong Kong film industry and business opportunities in southern Italy Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
HKETO, Brussels promotes Hong Kong film industry and business opportunities in southern Italy Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
