Month: April 2025

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The inaugural Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards, co-organised by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau and the Family Council, are open for entries from today until June 27. Families living in Hong Kong are welcome to join.

The awards aim to recognise families that cultivate a positive and supportive family relationship built on love and respect as well as care and support, and to pass on good family traditions and virtues.

There are 15 awards in this event, including 10 Excellent Families Awards and five Passage of Good Family Values & Virtues Awards. Winning families will receive trophies, theme park tickets, complimentary hotel accommodation, family photography services, and gift coupons.

Participating families are required to submit a written narrative in either Chinese or English, sharing their family’s real-life experience. They also need to include up to five family photos in an entry.

The narrative should demonstrate strong family bonds, the family’s ability to cope with challenges in life together, and the passing on of good family traditions and virtues.

Participants can submit entries online. Alternatively, they can download the entry form from the thematic webpage and pass the completed form along with the narrative and photos to the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau Family Council Secretariat, 13/F West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, by post or in person.

Shortlisted families will be invited to attend a meeting in early August.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Hong Kong’s Comprehensive Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (CDTA) with Bahrain signed in March 2024 has come into force and will be applicable to Hong Kong tax for any year of assessment beginning April 1, 2026.

Under the agreement, companies and residents of both places will not have to pay tax twice on a single source of income.

The agreement will also allow them to have certainty on tax liabilities and save tax when they engage in cross-border business activities, thereby helping to promote bilateral trade and investment.

Hong Kong has signed CDTAs with 51 tax jurisdictions so far.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Bun Scrambling Final, the finale to the 2025 Bun Carnival, will be held on May 5 at the Pak Tai Temple Playground soccer pitch on Cheung Chau.

Following an opening ceremony at 11.30pm, the competition will start at midnight according to tradition.

Trophies will be awarded to the champion, first runner-up and second runner-up in the men’s division and the champion in the women’s division. The Full Pockets of Lucky Buns award will again be presented to the participant who gathers the most buns.

Four spectator zones will bet up at the soccer pitch to accommodate around 1,650 people. Admission is expected to start from 10.30pm.

From 10pm on May 5, free tickets will be available at Pak She First Lane, next to Cheung Chau Fire Station as well as along Ping Chong Road. Each person can obtain one ticket on a first come, first served basis while tickets last.

Special transport arrangements will be made to cater to spectators leaving Cheung Chau after the event.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Electrical & Mechanical Services Department is looking into a fault on an engineering train that caused disruption to services on the MTR’s East Rail Line yesterday.

The train, used for inspecting overhead cables, malfunctioned near Fo Tan Station yesterday morning. Train services on the East Rail Line remained operational, but travel times were extended by 10 to 15 minutes.

Upon receiving notification from the MTR Corporation (MTRC), the department immediately sent staff to the site to assess the situation and launch an investigation.

Preliminary findings indicate that the incident was caused by a fault on the engineering train that prevented a lifting platform from descending. As the platform was close to the overhead cables, precautionary measures were taken before the train could be moved away.

The department said it is now conducting an investigation into the engineering train’s design, maintenance and operational procedures. It has also requested that the MTRC conduct a comprehensive review of the incident, submit a report to explain its cause, and make proposals for improvement measures to prevent recurrence.

A similar engineering train broke down near Tai Wo Station on the East Rail Line, also causing service disruptions, on February 5.

Expressing grave concern over the occurrence of two such incidents affecting services within three months, the department said it will initiate a special audit to holistically review the MTRC’s emergency preparedness in relation to engineering trains.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The 15th National Games Basketball (Men’s U22) test event held at the Hong Kong Coliseum today and yesterday concluded successfully, the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) said.

The test event was organised by the NGCO and co-organised by the Basketball Association of Hong Kong, China and the Eastern Sports Club, with the Chinese Basketball Association as advisor.

The test event featured four basketball teams – Hong Kong A1 Division Championship basketball teams Hong Kong Eastern, Winling and Tycoon, as well as the Hong Kong Men’s U22 representative team. The four teams played in the group stage and then vied for first place, with the Hong Kong representative team ultimately claiming the championship title.

The test event covered a wide array of areas, including event operations and procedures, competition organisation, venue setup, sports and prize presentations, information systems, security, medical services, volunteer services and broadcast arrangements.

NGCO Head Yeung Tak-keung said that to ensure full preparation for the eight competition events to be staged in the city in November, Hong Kong has completed test events for seven sports, with the final test event of fencing scheduled for the end of May at Kai Tak Arena in Kai Tak Sports Park.

Click here for information on the 15^th National Games.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) today held an open day event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its establishment, with activities aimed at enhancing the public’s awareness of national security and deepening their understanding of its services.
 
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said at the event that the AMS provides a wide range of services to the public, such as participation in anti-epidemic operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and deployment to hospitals to assist healthcare professionals during the influenza seasons.
 
The other regular duties of the AMS consists of giving first aid coverage during large-scale public events, in country parks and cycling tracks during weekends and public holidays.
 
He added that training of the AMS has well-equipped its members to respond to challenges involving national security risks and emergencies such as “biosecurity” and “nuclear security” at any time.
 
The open day activities included game booths, medical seminars, health screenings, healthcare professional symposiums and display of emergency vehicles, giving the visitors access to health information and insights into developments in healthcare professions.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The results of the Central Allocation for Primary One Admission (POA) 2024 will be mailed to parents from Wednesday to Thursday (June 5 to 6).

Parents who completed the Choice of Schools Form for the Central Allocation on or before January 28 this year will receive the Primary One Registration Form delivered from June 5 to 6 through the Local CourierPost service provided by Hongkong Post. If door delivery by Hongkong Post fails, a Mail Collection Notification Card will be left for parents to collect it from the designated post office starting from the afternoon of the following working day. If parents have not received the Primary One Registration Form or the Mail Collection Notification Card issued by Hongkong Post by June 7, they could collect the Primary One Registration Form at the designated collection centre from June 8 to 9 (please refer to the EDB’s POA System webpage for details then).Parents are required to register their child with the school allocated from June 11 to 13 (Tuesday to Thursday) during school hours.Should parents decide to give up the place allocated because of special circumstances, such as moving to another district far from the school allocated, they should not register their child with the school allocated. Under such circumstances, they are advised to go to the EDB’s School Places Allocation Section, Podium Floor, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, to make necessary arrangements for transfer. They should bring along the Primary One Registration Form, the original and copies of documents showing proof of the new address (such as a rental contract, rates demand notes, or water or electricity bills bearing the name of the parent or the guardian of the child).

Any parent who finds it necessary to transfer his/her child to another school after registration is strongly advised to obtain an assurance of acceptance from that school before retrieving the Primary One Registration Form from the original school because retrieval of the registration form means cancellation of the allocated school place.

In case of inclement weather or other special circumstances during the period for the announcement of results or on any day(s) designated for registration, parents should pay attention to announcements on radio and television for special arrangements for Central Allocation or registration.

Enquiries

Parents wishing to obtain general information regarding POA procedures can call the EDB’s 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088. Further enquiries can be made to the School Places Allocation Section at 2832 7610 (for Hong Kong Island and Islands), 2832 7620 (for Kowloon), 2832 7635 (for New Territories West), 2832 7659 (for New Territories East) and 2832 7700/2832 7740 (for general enquiries) during office hours, as well as from 9am to 4.30pm on June 8 (Saturday) and June 9 (Sunday).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 26 APR 2025 7:19PM by PIB Delhi

In a first and a unique milestone for the Armed Forces, the Department of Ophthalmology in Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi has performed the minimally invasive glaucoma surgery using 3D Microscope. This three-dimensional visualisation system is very useful for eye surgeries, including treatment for squint, cataract, corneal, glaucoma and retinal issues.

This system utilises special 3D polarisation glasses, and a 55-inch 4K ultra-HD display. Potential advantages include significantly lesser surgical time/complication rate compared to conventional microscope, decreased power of endoilluminator, reduced photo-toxicity, ease of use in uncommon and complicated situations and high surgeon and nurse satisfaction scores.

This initiative is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Indian Army in ensuring top-tier medical services reach to our clientele at the apex institutes. This facility aims to offer cutting-edge eye care services, enhancing the hospital’s capabilities in treating a wide range of ocular conditions.

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SR/Savvy

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