Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) today released the proposed guidelines on election-related activities regarding the Rural Representative Election (RRE).

A public consultation on the guidelines will be held from now until August 18.

EAC Chairman David Lok stated that the guidelines explain electoral laws in simple terms to remind candidates and stakeholders of all statutory requirements. He added that the guidelines also provide a code of conduct based on the principles of fairness and equality for activities not explicitly stipulated by law.

Mr Lok emphasised that formulating these guidelines is crucial to ensuring all public elections are conducted in an open, honest and fair manner.

The 2027 Rural Ordinary Election will take place early next year. In accordance with established practice, the EAC updates its election guidelines ahead of each rural ordinary election cycle.

The newly proposed guidelines are built upon the October 2022 guidelines for the RRE, incorporating supplementary updates introduced for the May 2026 Rural By-election.

The latest amendments fall into four main categories:

(1) Legal updates to reflect recent legislative changes, including revised penalties for the unlawful display of election advertisements.

(2) Modernised arrangements that introduce new digital options, such as allowing candidates to submit election forms electronically.

(3) Enhanced clarity elaborating on key sections to help candidates easily understand crucial compliance areas.

(4) Structural reorganisation to consolidate chapters and use lists or flowcharts to make the proposed guidelines more concise and reader-friendly.

The proposed guidelines can be downloaded online or viewed at designated Registration & Electoral Offices, Home Affairs Enquiry Centres, and major and district public libraries.

Written representations must be submitted to the EAC Secretariat by email, by post to 8/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, or by fax to 2511 1682 on or before August 18.

Call 2891 1001 for enquiries.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

The Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) today (July 16) unveiled 10 cutting-edge biomedical innovations at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2026, leading a Technology Program Pavilion jointly organized by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), and the Food Industry Research and Development Institute (FIRDI). The featured technologies span three strategic application areas-regenerative medicine, precision medicine, and high-value food technologies-demonstrating Taiwan’s latest achievements in technology commercialization and industrial innovation.

On the opening day of the exhibition, ITRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BenQ Dialysis Technology Corporation to jointly promote the localization of critical consumables and automation system for extracellular vesicle (EV) purification. The collaboration aims to strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of Taiwan’s precision medicine supply chain while accelerating the commercialization of next-generation regenerative medicine technologies.

According to Chou Chung-Pin, Deputy Director General of DoIT, the rapid evolution of biotechnology, together with the transformative impact of artificial intelligence, is reshaping the global healthcare industry. Leveraging its strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), and healthcare, Taiwan is well positioned to drive biotechnology upgrading and cross-disciplinary innovation.

Through continuous support for forward-looking R&D under the Technology Development Program, DoIT bridges scientific research and industrial applications. The 10 technologies showcased this year highlight Taiwan’s growing capabilities across regenerative medicine, precision medicine, and high-value food innovation.

Among them, ITRI introduced its pioneering Automated EV Concentration and Purification System, developed jointly with BenQ Dialysis. The collaboration successfully upgrades medical-grade filtration columns into high-performance consumables for EV purification, boosting production of critical tangential flow filtration (TFF) columns. Equipped with real-time pressure monitoring and automated process control, the system shortens the EV concentration process from 12 hours to just two hours while maintaining high purity and stable product quality. The technology significantly improves manufacturing efficiency and supports the development and commercialization of EV-based therapeutics and regenerative medicine applications.

DCB presented its LYSward-Advanced Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Platform, which incorporates the upgraded LYSward technology to enhance targeted cancer therapy. By responding to changes in the intracellular pH environment of cancer cells, the platform enables highly selective drug delivery to lysosomes, where therapeutic payloads are released with greater precision. Animal studies have demonstrated tumor inhibition rates exceeding 90%, underscoring the platform’s strong potential for next-generation antibody-drug conjugates and reinforcing Taiwan’s competitiveness in precision medicine and oncology drug development.

FIRDI showcased its pioneering Smart Tea Aroma Extraction and Profile Modeling Technology, integrating artificial intelligence with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to establish comprehensive aroma profiles for Taiwan’s specialty teas. The technology identifies key aroma compounds responsible for flavor characteristics while developing quantitative standards and predictive models that enable precise aroma analysis and quality control. Successfully adopted by Yuanyou Food Enterprise Co.,Ltd., the technology has increased aroma recovery by more than 30%, helping traditional tea manufacturers enhance product consistency, improve production efficiency, and accelerate the digital transformation and value-added development of Taiwan’s tea industry.

Together, the 10 technologies presented at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2026 demonstrate Taiwan’s ability to translate research excellence into practical industrial solutions. By integrating AI, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing, MOEA continues to strengthen Taiwan’s innovation ecosystem and foster greater international collaboration, creating new opportunities for sustainable growth in the global biomedical and health industries.

Source: Government of Singapore

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN MSE, NEA, PUB AND SFA 

Singapore, 20 July 2026 – 16 young individuals received the Singapore Sustainability (SS) Scholarship from Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, at an award ceremony today. The SS Scholarship is jointly offered by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), the National Environment Agency (NEA), PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). NEA, PUB and SFA offer both full-term and mid-term undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships, while SFA also offers scholarships for polytechnic diploma studies. A total of 309 scholarships have been awarded since the inception of the SS Scholarship in 2008.

2         This year’s ceremony was held against the backdrop of Singapore’s Year of Climate Adaptation, a national effort to strengthen Singapore’s preparedness and resilience to cope with the growing impacts of climate change. Through the Scholarship, we identify and nurture public service leaders who are committed to environmental stewardship, and prepared to tackle emerging challenges in climate change, environmental sustainability, water resilience, and food safety and security. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients will embark on meaningful careers with MSE, NEA, PUB, AND SFA.  

3         Certificates were also presented to 14 in-service scholarships recipients. The list of Singapore Sustainability and in-service scholars are in Annex A and B respectively.

Singapore Sustainability Scholarship Recipients

4         Inspired by her father, who studied Civil Engineering, Victoria Chua developed a keen interest in water sustainability and environmental stewardship from a young age. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental and Sustainability Engineering at the National University of Singapore, Victoria hopes to contribute to Singapore’s coastal protection efforts while continuing her passion for track and field, which she nurtured as a student athlete at the Singapore Sports School. Victoria looks forward to engaging stakeholders to develop effective approaches that will strengthen Singapore’s long-term coastal resilience.

5          Joel Kwok’s interest in sustainable food science was sparked during his internship as a fermentation assistant at Biocreations Asia, where he witnessed first-hand how microbiological technologies can create sustainable food alternatives. Motivated by this experience, Joel hopes to help advance food microbiology in two key areas: enhancing food safety through improved detection and prevention of foodborne pathogens, and progressing fermentation and other microbiological techniques to address future food challenges. Joel will pursue a degree in Food Science and Technology at the National University of Singapore.

In-service Scholarship Recipients 

6         Kumaran S/O Tamilselvam, a Senior Scientific Officer at the Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Group (RPNSG) of NEA, is an important member of the team working towards  strengthening Singapore’s preparedness for nuclear and radiological incidents. His work spans emergency preparedness, strategic planning, and international engagement to safeguard Singapore’s interests amid evolving regional energy developments. To deepen his expertise in this field, Kumaran will pursue a Master’s Degree in International Nuclear and Radiation Safety through a joint programme offered by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

 

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For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated today that it is making every effort to provide empathetic support to affected residents, on an ongoing basis, following November’s fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

 

It highlighted that it is assisting residents to overcome difficulties and establish long-term homes.

 

The Government also assured residents that they do not need to worry about losing any belongings left in their flats upon transferring their property titles to the Government.

 

Deputy Chief Secretary is working with relevant departments to decide on next steps following two rounds of retrieval operations. The aim is to provide residents with opportunities to return to their flats to retrieve outstanding belongings that they will need in their new homes.

 

In response to residents’ desire to return and collect more belongings, the Government will make concrete arrangements, taking into account the overall condition of the buildings, the safety of residents and staff, and the manpower and logistical support required.

 

On Friday, the Government announced a two-year standard rental grant for owners of units at Wang Fuk Court. Effective until December 21, 2027, it is designed to help them rebuild long-term homes with greater flexibility.

 

Regardless of which long-term housing arrangement option the owners have chosen, they will receive a rental grant totalling $300,000. This will cover the two years from December 22 last year to December 21 next year.

 

If owners choose to join the Special Sales Exercise, their eligibility for the rental grant will only cease three months after the date of the assignment of their new flat. They will not be required to refund any rental grants already disbursed.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hospital Authority (HA) said today that reforms to public healthcare fees and charges, introduced at the beginning of the year, have significantly strengthened protections for poor, acute, serious and critical patients, while enhancing efficiency and reducing waste.

It added that the performance of Accident and Emergency Departments (A&Es) has also improved.

In the first half of this year, a total of 913,248 attendances were recorded across the 18 A&Es under the HA, representing a 3.9% decrease compared with the same period last year. Relevant targets were met for Triage Category I (Critical) and Category II (Emergency) cases, which together accounted for 44,522 attendances. These were fully exempted from A&E fees under the new fees and charges mechanism.

The proportion of Triage Category III (Urgent) cases treated within 30 minutes, a service pledge, increased from 81.4% to 88.5%, with the average waiting time falling from 23 to 20 minutes.

Triage Category IV (Semi-urgent) and Category V (Non-urgent) cases decreased by about 10%, with non-urgent cases dropping by approximately 20%.

The number of beneficiaries of medical fee waivers has surged. As of June 30, the HA had received 289,799 applications for waivers, of which 264,087 were approved. This means the approval rate exceeded 90%, which is nearly 19 times the number of patients (approximately 14,000) who received medical fee waivers in the full year prior to the reforms.

In addition, the HA has introduced an annual cap of $10,000 on spending by patients. This provides members of the public with more comprehensive protection from impoverishment due to illness. As of June 30, the 10,595 patients whose applications have been approved will have all further eligible medical fees for the remainder of this financial year fully waived.

The reforms also increased subsidies for the application of innovative drugs and medical devices for critical patients.

Over the past six months, the HA has incorporated 16 new drugs into the HA Drug Formulary, including seven targeted therapy drugs for cancer treatment. Among these, six were included in the Special Drugs category, meaning patients only need to pay the standard drug fee of $20 every four weeks under specific clinical scenarios.

Moreover, the reforms relaxed the financial assessment criteria for Samaritan Fund (SF) subsidies, aiming to strengthen drug and medical device support for critical patients, including those from middle-income families.

Compared with the first half of last year, the approved subsidy amounts for drug and non-drug items under the SF increased by about 22% and 10% to $1.28 billion and $220 million respectively.

The HA said the data clearly reflects the reforms are working as intended and have yielded initial results. It said it had shared its update in order to prepare for the next phase of the reforms.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Tech executive Fan Yi-chen commutes from his home in Shenzhen for his job at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park (HSITP) each day. His cross-boundary trip takes only about half an hour, yet it bridges two complementary business landscapes.

Mr Fan heads the Hong Kong operation of a Mainland technology firm specialising in artificial intelligence-driven chemical experimentation.

By leveraging big data and algorithms to design experiments, and deploying robots to run them and gather feedback, the firm’s technology is drastically speeding up research and development (R&D), in fields such as pharmaceuticals, new materials and new energy.

Strategic expansion

With its Mainland business increasing by three to four times over the past year, Mr Fan’s company is now eyeing the global stage. The decision to set up a base at HSITP was a strategic move to utilise Hong Kong’s edge in internationalisation and its research capabilities.

“Clients have their own requirements for data compliance and patents,” Mr Fan reflected. “We believe setting up an office here helps us to expand overseas. Moreover, Hong Kong’s major universities are among the top-tier institutions in China, possessing world-class research capabilities that can help us upgrade our algorithms.”

The company’s global ambitions received a major boost after it was selected for the HSITP Incubation Programme last year. The initiative unlocks up to $3 million in funding over three years, alongside specialised acceleration services.

“It provides excellent support in technology matching, refinement and internationalisation,” Mr Fan said.

Rather than just providing capital, the programme pairs startups with key industry partners. Mr Fan’s firm was matched with a leading incubation platform to assist in its ambitions to “go global”.

“The incubation platform has spent many years cultivating international markets,” he said. “With consulting centres across the Middle East, Europe, the US and Japan, they can connect us with internationally renowned investors and potential clients.”

 

Global launchpad

The inaugural HSITP Incubation Programme has struck a chord with the global tech community. It received more than 750 applications, from which 108 startups were selected.

While the majority hails from Hong Kong, Macao and the Mainland, about 16% consist of overseas enterprises from countries such as Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.

In terms of the cohort’s industry distribution, life and health technology represents about 60%, while artificial intelligence and data science account for about 40%.

Targeted assistance

The programme is designed to offer customised coaching and funding spanning one to four years, depending on a firm’s developmental stage.

According to HSITP Chief Executive Officer Vincent Ma, the park’s goal is to build a competitive base for transforming R&D results into commercially viable products. The selection process, he noted, values both technical strength and business viability.

To address the startups’ diverse needs, the park has structured its support into three distinct tracks.

“At SPIN@HSITP, which is an ideation type of programme, the technology plus a preliminary business plan will be sufficient,” Mr Ma explained. “IGNITE@HSITP will be at the stage roughly around three to five years after the company’s R&D work. And then your technology is more ready to get a prototype.

“GAS@HSITP is the more advanced stage that you possibly have a more robust R&D outcome that you will start to think about, like applying for go-to-the-market commercialisation.”

Of the current cohort, 61% are enrolled in the early-stage SPIN@HSITP track, while 20% are receiving incubation assistance through IGNITE@HSITP and the remaining 19% are under the advanced GAS@HSITP track, aiming at market expansion.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Since the implementation of the measure allowing dogs to enter permitted food premises, the dedicated team from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been proactively conducting inspections over the past few days, and has launched a one-week targeted enforcement operation since July 14 to combat non-permitted food premises in breach of the regulation for allowing dogs to enter. A spokesman for the FEHD said today (July 17) that the department has initiated the first prosecution against a non-permitted restaurant in Tsuen Wan District.

During an inspection of a non-permitted restaurant in Tsuen Wan yesterday (July 16), the dedicated team found that dogs were allowed on the premises and immediately initiated a prosecution against the licensee of the non-complying restaurant.

The spokesman said, “The FEHD will continue to step up inspections and enforcement over the next few days. If dogs are found to be allowed into non-permitted food premises, dedicated officers will initiate prosecution immediately. As of July 16, dedicated officers have conducted over 780 inspections of non-permitted food premises in various districts and issued ten verbal warnings in total.”

According to the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X), no person shall bring any dog into food premises unless permitted by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, and no person engaged in the food business shall knowingly suffer or permit the presence of any dog on his/her food premises. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $10,000, three months’ imprisonment, and an additional daily fine of $300.

     The spokesman reminded that both food premises operators and dog owners have the responsibility to comply with the relevant regulations. Non-permitted food premises should abide by the law and must not allow customers to bring dogs into their premises. Members of the public who bring dogs into non-permitted food premises also commit an offence and will face the same legal penalty. The department will continue to carry out targeted enforcement actions.

Moreover, to assist operators in adapting to the new measure and complying with the relevant requirements, the FEHD has been conducting continuous inspections to permitted food premises and stepping up publicity efforts, while taking enforcement actions against relevant irregularities. As of July 16, dedicated officers have conducted about 7 500 inspections of permitted food premises across various districts, and issued warning letters to the licensees of two permitted food premises for persistent non-compliance – namely a permitted Chinese restaurant in Kowloon City District as previously announced, and another permitted Thai restaurant in Tsuen Wan District – requiring immediate rectification of the non-compliance of cooking or heating food on dining tables.

The spokesman emphasised that permitted food premises are subject to a set of rigorous regulations, the purpose of which is to ensure the safety of persons and dogs within the food premises as well as to maintain environmental hygiene. Non-permitted food premises lacking such regulatory oversight cannot provide the necessary safeguards. In the interests of customers and staff, strict enforcement action must be taken. In addition, customers’ right to choose should also be respected. Food premises allowing dogs to enter without permission not only commit an offence, but also deprive customers of their right to choose.

The spokesman added that, while the department regards the first month of implementation as an adaptation period for the measure, it does not mean a relaxation of regulatory oversight. Should serious cases of non-compliance or situations affecting environmental hygiene or food safety be detected, the FEHD will not hesitate to take decisive enforcement action to ensure public safety and fairness of the policy. The department appeals to the persons-in-charge and frontline staff of permitted food premises to earnestly fulfil the licensing conditions and legal requirements, and to supervise and remind customers with dogs, so as to safeguard diners’ safety and public hygiene.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region