Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
    Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-lowering ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 6pm today (April 12) will be cancelled.
    If the thunderstorm warning is cancelled and weather conditions permit by then, the flag-lowering ceremony may be resumed without further notice.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Museum of History’s exhibition on Qin and Han Dynasties to launch next week Issued at HKT 17:18
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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Speech by SCMA at Equal Opportunities Commission’s 15th Anniversary Celebration on Implementation of Race Discrimination Ordinance cum Celebration of International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Appreciation Event with Community Stakeholders (English only)
To effectively perform our roles and functions as “super connector” and “super value-adder”, we always seek to ensure people of all ethnicities enjoy equal opportunities in different aspects of life. First and foremost, the Government leads by example. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, the civil service has strived to enhance employment opportunities for ethnic minorities; over fifty civil service grades have reviewed and adjusted their Chinese-language proficiency requirements to give more opportunities to non-ethnic Chinese applicants to join the civil service.
The Government also strives to promote equal opportunities in the private sectors and the community. To name a few, the Labour Department’s Racial Diversity Employment Programme provide customised employment support services to ethnic minority job seekers. The Education Bureau works with educational establishments at all levels to step up learning support for non-Chinese speaking students, to enhance their proficiency in Chinese, to provide them with a better learning experience, and to smoothen their transition from school to the workplace.??? In addition, ten Ethnic Minority Care Teams and two new support service centres were set up under the Home Affairs Department’s new Care Teams programme. They enhance support and provide holistic services to ethnic minorities, including language tutorials and community integration workshops. All these underline the Government’s commitment to building an equal, inclusive, and harmonious society.Issued at HKT 17:13
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Source: Government of India
A great investment opportunity ahead in Hydro PSP as so far identified potential crosses 200 GW
Posted On: 12 APR 2025 2:18PM by PIB Delhi
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has concurred Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of following 6 Hydro Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) of about 7.5 GW in record time during 2024-25, marking a key milestone in India’s ongoing commitment to developing advanced long term energy storage solutions:
This is the outcome of the collaborative efforts of the PSP developers, appraising organisations (CWC, GSI and CSMRS).
A number of steps were taken to resolve the issues and fast track the appraisal process. This is a big achievement since inception of new concept of Off-Stream, close loop PSPs. CEA has made the appraisal process transparent through the Portal “Jalvi Store”. The DPR for appraisal has been made shorter, check list has been provided for ease of submission of chapters to appraising agency and many more such initiatives.
Further, CEA has made ambitious plan to concur minimum 13 PSPs of about 22 GW during 2025-26. Most of these PSPs are targeted to be commissioned in 4 years and latest by 2030. Development of these projects shall boost energy storage capacity drastically in the country, making a major contribution to grid reliability and supporting India’s ambitious renewable energy goals. This further underscores the CEA’s ongoing commitment for facilitating the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient power system.
The participation of private sector in this segment is quite encouraging and with the help of self-identified PSP, the PSP potential in the country has crossed 200 GW and it is further increasing almost every month. Thus, from a meagre 3.5 GW of operational hydro PSP capacity in the country, the development needs to be taken up in an accelerated mission mode to harness this potential. This year two PSPs around 3000 MW will get commissioned and by 2032 we expect around 50 GW. At present 8 projects of 10 GW is under construction and DPR has been concurred for 3 projects of around 3 GW. In addition to this, 49 projects of 66 GW are under Survey and investigation. All these DPRs are expected to be finalised by the developers in 2 years.
Hydro PSPs are vital for the energy transition, as they allow excess electricity generated during off-peak hours to be stored in the form of water in elevated reservoirs. This stored energy can then be used back during non-solar hours peak demand periods, ensuring a reliable, consistent, and flexible power supply.
For developers and investors, it is a great investment opportunity to develop and invest in a long term assets of more than 70- 80 years.
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SK
(Release ID: 2121181) Visitor Counter : 70
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
JPC Innovation and Technology Competition 2024-25 Award Presentation Ceremony cum Carnival held today
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai; the General Manager of Information Technology Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong), Mr Yung Fai; and the Director of Operations of Police, Mr Chan Tung, officiated at the ceremony.
In his welcome remarks, Mr Chow said that since its establishment in 1974, the JPC has been committed to training young people to become youth leaders and crime-fighting partners through diversified activities, striving to nurture a new generation of law-abiding young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, and equipped with positive thinking and an aspiring mindset. He noted that as the Police step up enforcement against “space oil drugs”, the competition introduced the theme of youth drug prevention, encouraging participants to raise anti-drug awareness among young people through creative solutions.
Mr Chow also highlighted the quality of entries received, underscoring the pivotal role of experiential learning in STEAM education, which fosters students’ curiosity while developing their teamwork and problem-solving skills. He added that the JPC will launch more innovative activities to nurture I&T talents for Hong Kong and our country.
The competition aims to encourage primary and secondary school students to utilise their knowledge and skills in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) to construct innovative and feasible “Smart City” solutions. Two “Best Smart City Awards” were introduced to recognise the most innovative entries in artificial intelligence and gerontechnology, while the “Best Safe City Awards” were also presented to acknowledge innovative solutions for fraud prevention and crime fighting, youth drug prevention, and community safety enhancement, ensuring that citizens can continue to thrive in a safe living environment. The competition was divided into four categories, namely junior primary school, senior primary school, junior secondary school and senior secondary school. Over 1700 students from nearly 160 schools participated, and over 1 300 submissions were received. The list of winning teams has been uploaded onto the JPC website.
To further encourage the younger generation to engage with innovation and technology, some winners introduced the creative ideas and stories behind their works at the award presentation ceremony. An I&T carnival was also held and featured a workshop on simulated evidence collection at crime scenes and a number of virtual reality games, allowing participants to learn about the work of the Police, while experiencing the fun of technology.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the JPC has organised the competition which combines experiential learning and policing elements to nurture future young leaders to join hands in preventing and combating crime. The competition was supported by the Education Bureau, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Digital Policy Office, the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Hong Kong Computer Society, the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Hong Kong Extra-curricular Activities Masters’ Association, the Hong Kong New Emerging Technology Education Association, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.
Issued at HKT 16:45
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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
In support of National Security Education Day, the Civil Aid Service (CAS) held the National Security Education Day and Civil Aid Service Headquarters Open Day at its headquarters today (April 12) to raise public awareness of national security and showcase CAS achievements.
The Permanent Secretary for Security, Mr Patrick Li, officiated at the kick-off ceremony of the open day. In his speech, Mr Li said that April 15 this year marks the 10th National Security Education Day. He said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government not only promotes national security in a broader and deeper manner but also strengthens citizens’ awareness and sense of responsibility in upholding national security. He said that society should shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national security, making every citizen a guardian of it.
He expressed his gratitude to the CAS for its contributions to social security. He said the CAS spares no effort in disaster rescue, public order, public safety promotion and national security education, and its achievements are evident to all.
The Chief Staff Officer of the CAS, Mr Leung Kwun-hong, said the CAS had organised visits by Cadet Corps to various cities on the Mainland and exchanges with local youths to understand the importance of national security and the latest developments on the Mainland. He said over 200 cadets participated in five exchange visits in Mainland China and Macao during the summer holiday last year. Mr Leung noted that during each tour, the cadets realised they share the same mission and responsibility as the Chinese people, fostering a sense of identity that will unite them.
Over 3 000 visitors joined the open day, which featured an exciting programme of activities, adding to the lively atmosphere.
Apart from viewing the national security exhibition and a display of award-winning entries from the Love for China Chinese essay competition, visitors also enjoyed the emergency and mountain search-and-rescue demonstration, foot drill performance, music performance, and a bicycle show by CAS members. In addition, the Deputy Commissioner (Development and Youth) of the CAS, Dr Wong Kong-tin gave talk to explain the importance of national security for Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
The CAS will continue to uphold the principle of “one country, two systems” and safeguard national security while adhering to the spirit of “Serving the Community with Passion, Courage and Commitment” to build a better home for Hong Kong people.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Attention TV/Radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (April 12) that as lifeguards are unable to go to Hap Mun Bay Beach in Sai Kung District by ferries due to rough sea conditions, lifesaving services at the beach has been suspended. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at this beach until further notice.
Source: Government of India
Rs. 515.31 crore was attached by ED in the years 2015-17 by investigating money trail and tracing 2,987 different bank accounts
Posted On: 12 APR 2025 1:20PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary handed over a Demand Draft of Rs. 515.31 crore today to Justice D.K. Seth (Retd.), Chairman of the Asset Disposal Committee formed for the purpose of restitution of properties to legitimate investors in Rose Valley Ponzi scam.
Shri Rahul Navin, Director, ED and other senior officials of the government were also present on the occasion.
It is estimated that this amount will be used to restitute money to approximately 7.5 lakh victims out of the total claims of 31 lakh lodged so far with Asset Disposal Committee. Earlier, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had handed over an amount of Rs. 22 crore to the ADC which was used to restitute money to 32,319 lawful investors.
The amount of Rs. 515.31 crore was attached by ED in the years 2015-17 by investigating money trail and tracing 2,987 different bank accounts where the money collected from innocent victims had traversed. The said bank accounts were then seized/ attached following due process of law and converted into more than 700 Fixed Deposits (FDs) after confirmation of attachment by the Adjudicating Authority. It may be mentioned that ED has also attached other movable and immovable assets of Rs. 1,172 crore (present market value of the assets is estimated to be more than Rs. 2,000 crore), which is also in process of liquidation and refund to the victims.
ED is investigating five (5) Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases against the Rose Valley Group in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura. ED has filed prosecution complaints in all these cases before the Special Courts under PMLA.
Investigation under PMLA revealed that Rose Valley Group companies, had collected funds of Rs. 17,520 crore by luring people mostly from the lowest strata of society with promises of providing land parcels or time sharing in hotels and in the event of inability to deliver the land/time sharing, refund with high rate of interest was promised on maturity of investments. Investigation has revealed that out of the above, an amount of Rs. 6,666 crore, which constitutes the proceeds of crime, remained unpaid to the investors.
This is one of the single largest investigation of this type undertaken by the ED, and an order passed by the Special court (PMLA) at Khurda, Bhubaneswar, on 29.03.2025 has paved the way for the return of investors’ money all over the country through the Asset Disposal Committee (ADC).
It is pertinent to mention that on the direction of the Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta, an Asset Disposal Committee (ADC) was constituted under the Chairmanship of Justice Dillip Kr. Seth (Retd.), High Court of Calcutta with ED and others as members for restitution of properties to the lawful investors of Rose Valley Group Ponzi Scam.
ED has played a crucial role in attachment, possession and disbursement of assets of the Rose Valley Group thereby smoothening and expediting the restitution of properties to the lakhs of victims of the States of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura etc. Till now, around 31 Lakh investors of Rose Valley Group have registered their claim on the website www.rosevalleyadc.com. ED is also providing assistance to the ADC in conducting survey and valuation of confirmed attached properties and facilitating expeditious monetisation of the assets for timely disbursal of the same to the investors/victims of Rose Valley Group of Companies.
Further, the restitution process is expected to continue in full swing over the coming months as more claims are being scrutinised and validated by the ADC.
The instant restitution is in line with the commitment of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, to return the money looted from poor people. The Prime Minister of India has consistently emphasised the urgent need to recover and return funds misappropriated from the poor and innocent citizens of the country, and has repeatedly stressed that money siphoned off through fraudulent means must be rightfully restored to those who have been cheated in Ponzi schemes.
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs has also reiterated that the Government’s commitment for restitution of assets attached by ED to the victims/ rightful owners and made a statement in Parliament to this effect.
The ED is actively pursuing investigations in cases of financial fraud, with a firm commitment to ensure that the proceeds of crime are not only traced and confiscated but also put immediately to productive use for the economy by being restored to the victims who have suffered financial loss. The ED continues to act decisively in such matters, reinforcing public trust and contributing to the larger goal of a corruption-free and transparent financial system.
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NB/KMN
(Release ID: 2121170) Visitor Counter : 77
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 12 APR 2025 1:09PM by PIB Delhi
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the passing of Shri Daripalli Ramaiah. He hailed him as a champion of sustainability, who devoted his life to planting and protecting lakhs of trees.
He wrote in a post on X:
“Daripalli Ramaiah Garu will be remembered as a champion of sustainability. He devoted his life to planting and protecting lakhs of trees. His tireless efforts reflected a deep love for nature and care for future generations. His work will keep motivating our youth in their quest to build a greener planet. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti.”
Daripalli Ramaiah Garu will be remembered as a champion of sustainability. He devoted his life to planting and protecting lakhs of trees. His tireless efforts reflected a deep love for nature and care for future generations. His work will keep motivating our youth in their quest…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 12, 2025
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MJPS/SR
(Release ID: 2121169) Visitor Counter : 62
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, at the Symposium of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Talent Development Showcase in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (April 12):
Datuk Ng (President of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, Mr Ng Yih-pyng), Datuk Yap (Vice President of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, Mr Yap Heng-or), Professor Dr Andriyana (Director of International Relations Centre of Universiti Malaya, Professor Dr Andri Andriyana), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning to you all, 早晨 (good morning in Cantonese), 早上好 (good morning in Mandarin). I am really pleased to join you today at this Symposium as we celebrate our enduring friendship between Hong Kong and Malaysia. Clearly this is a relationship built on family ties, cultural bonds, and I am sure, a shared prosperity. And by shared prosperity, I am coming today not just with my own Government team, I am also coming together with hosts of companies, many of them are household names.
Let me just cite some of them, including the HSBC, Bank of China, Huawei, China Lights and Power, Manulife, MTR, PCCW, the Sino Group, the Sun Hung Kai Properties, the Chow Tai Fook Life, and also together with me the accompanies of Governemnt officials from Guangdong and Macao. We are coming here together as a big team to Malyasia.
Clearly, as I can experience in the past two days, when I am in this great city, our special bond is all around us, be it through cultural language, as I keep on hearing Cantonese, Mandarin, English and other languages that I could not comprehend but I know is very prevalent here in Malaysia. Everyday, your professionalism across all sectors helped build to what you are today.
Let me give you a few figures of the very close ties between Hong Kong and Malaysia. In 2024, Malaysia was Hong Kong’s eighth largest trading partner, and ranked third in terms of trade in goods with Hong Kong among the ten ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Member States.
Clearly, this synergy between us extends further through broader co-operation, and that co-operation is between our mother country China, and Malaysia. The trade linked between China and Malyasia totals US$200 billion. This is a hugely successful trade partnership that brings both benefits to China and Malaysia. And of course, Malaysia is a very important key supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative, demonstrating clearly the lasting friendship, the support and also the vote of confidence Malaysia has given us over the Belt and Road.
Together, we are building stronger co-operation that transforms businesses, industries, and lives of people. Through the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China-ASEAN co-operation, we have created thousands of jobs, pioneered groundbreaking technologies, and delivered transformative infrastructure projects like the 665-kilometre East Coast Rail Link uniting the Peninsular Malaysia, and the future-facing Malacca Gateway Port set to become Asia’s next great maritime hub.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as the world’s largest trade bloc, provides new platforms for Malaysian entrepreneurs and Chinese innovators to grow together. Now we stand at the dawn of an exciting new chapter, as we just saw from the video, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, well-known in abbreviation, the GBA.
The GBA has a population of nearly 90 million. Hong Kong is uniquely situated and positioned in this exciting area to serve dual roles. First of all, as China’s gateway to Southeast Asia, and also as Malaysia’s springboard to the vast opportunities within China’s domestic markets.
As a “super connector” between Mainland China and Malaysia, Hong Kong leverages its unique geographic position, institutional strengths, and cultural advantages.
Like Malaysia, Hong Kong is multilingual, fluent in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, this ensures a very smooth integration of Malaysian talent coming to Hong Kong. With world-class universities in both Hong Kong and Malaysia, we are intensifying our joint research efforts in transformative fields like AI (artificial intelligence) and biotechnology.
To further strengthen this ecosystem, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has recently established a high level Committee, which is chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents last year. I am the one providing full support to the Chief Secretary.
The Committee’s aim is to align with Hong Kong’s strategic positioning in “eight centres” developments. We are accelerating our transformation into a global innovation and technology hub while reinforcing our well-established pillars in finance, shipping and trade.
The vision of the Committee is clear: to build Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent, while supporting the Greater Bay Area’s high-quality development.
In the following session, our partners will showcase how businesses and professionals can succeed throughout Hong Kong and the entire GBA cities.
As a last remark, as the rules-based global trade order we have known and taken for granted for decades, is being shattered by the global force of the tariff war that is still unfolding before our eyes. It seems that the only certainty of the future is uncertainty. At this moment of great turmoil and uncertainties, I think it’s all the more important for us to rely more on the trust and friendship between good friends, and this is what Hong Kong and Malaysia are. I am certain if we hold and join hands together, we are going to weather the storm, grow and strive together, in that process we will create wealth and forge new ground, this is certain.
With all these remarks, I wish the Symposium a great success, and I hope for all the young people here, if you are looking for development opportunities in Hong Kong and the GBA, there is nothing more important than going to the Career Fair concurrently held at the showcase, where there are hundreds of jobs awaiting you.
Thank you very much.