The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has reminded restaurant applicants that they must confirm their venues permit the entry of dogs, following media enquiries regarding the eligibility and operational status of dog-friendly eateries.
The department stated that application forms explicitly require applicants to confirm that their premises permit dogs, and to declare that all submitted information is true. Applicants found providing false information may face legal liability.
As rules governing the use of various premises are subject to tenancy agreements, property titles and deeds of mutual covenant, the department stressed that restaurant operators are responsible for clarifying these facts with property stakeholders. A consensus must be reached before submitting an application.
The department added that it respects the legal rights and decisions of all property stakeholders.
If an applicant is found to have provided incorrect information – and the venue does not actually permit dogs – the department will suspend the application or revoke any permission already granted. This applies both during the application process and after approval.
Responding to media reports claiming that several establishments on the “List of Food Premises Permitted for Dog Entry” had closed down or did not exist, the department clarified that these claims do not align with its records. It emphasised that the licences of all participating premises were valid at the time of the open ballot.
Furthermore, a dedicated team visited every approved establishment. For restaurants not open for business during the visits, the team proactively contacted licence holders to confirm they still required the permission before issuing permits.
If an approved restaurant decides to permanently cease operations, withdraw its permit application, or revoke its permission, the department will reallocate the quota to applicants on the waiting list based on the original ballot results. Updated venue details will be uploaded to the dedicated webpage once all procedures are complete.
April 26, 2026 No.162 On the morning of April 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung, acting as President Lai Ching-te’s special envoy, visited the planned site for the first phase of the Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park (TIIP) project in Eswatini. Minister Lin and Eswatini cabinet members Prince Lonkhokhela, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy; Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade; and Savannah Maziya, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, received progress reports on a strategic oil reserve facility and the TIIP. They also witnessed Tex-Ray Chairman Ray Lin, representing Taiwanese businesses, and Eswatini sign a letter of intent to set up operations and invest in the TIIP. The LOI further deepened the economic and trade partnership between the countries.
In his remarks, Minister Lin recalled his trip to Eswatini as presidential envoy in April 2025, during which King Mswati III used the Swazi word nkwe (accelerated progress) to convey high hopes for bilateral cooperation. Minister Lin said that the king’s expectations had translated into tangible results, with construction of the strategic oil reserve facility staying on schedule and some 60 Taiwanese companies visiting Eswatini to explore investment opportunities since the launch of the TIIP last April. He added that several Taiwanese firms in key sectors such as textiles, packaging, pharmaceuticals, and solar power had signed LOIs during this trip to move into the TIIP. Minister Lin stressed that the investments showed how the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project could successfully align the need for Taiwanese businesses to expand globally with Eswatini’s need for industrial upgrading. It had also achieved the aim of creating mutual benefits for both countries, Minister Lin added.
Explaining the core idea behind the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, Minister Lin said the policy promoted public-private partnerships and encouraged large enterprises to support smaller ones. He added that this would expand government-to-government diplomatic ties to include closer business-to-business partnerships. Minister Lin underlined that this model would serve as a benchmark for other African states and create a combined fleet and team of teams to strengthen strategic links between Taiwan and countries in Africa.
Speaking on behalf of Eswatini, Minister Khumalo conveyed sincere gratitude to Taiwan for its long-standing support of infrastructure projects and emphasized the deep and enduring ties between the two countries. He said the oil reserve facility and the TIIP were of immense strategic importance to Eswatini in promoting economic transformation and energy security. Minister Khumalo stressed that the initiatives were highly representative of bilateral cooperation. He said that the LOI, which he signed on behalf of Eswatini with the Taiwanese business representative, had brought bilateral cooperation to new heights and injected momentum into Eswatini’s industrial upgrading.
Under the framework of the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will further deepen comprehensive cooperation with Eswatini in economics, trade, energy, technology, and other spheres. Taiwan will continue to work with Eswatini to achieve prosperity and steadily enhance strategic partnerships in Africa. (E)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
In response to media enquiries regarding the application eligibility and operational status of permitted food premises allowing dogs to enter, a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) gave the following response on July 10:
Applicants have sole responsibility to confirm that the premises permits the entry of dogs
The FEHD has clearly required in the application forms that applicants must confirm that the premises in which their food premises operates permits the entry of dogs and declare the information submitted is true. The FEHD solemnly points out that if applicants are found to have provided false information, they may bear legal liability.
The FEHD reiterated that, as the rules governing the use of various premises (including permission for dogs entry) are subject to relevant provisions in tenancy agreement, property titles and deeds of mutual covenant, restaurant operators have responsibility to, and must clarify the fact with property stakeholders, and reach a consensus on whether to permit the entry of dogs before submitting applications to the FEHD.
The FEHD respects the legal rights and decisions of property stakeholders. Should the FEHD discover, after an application has been submitted or approved, that the applicant has provided incorrect information and that the premises where the food premises is located do not in fact permit the entry of dogs, the FEHD will take decisive action to suspend processing of the relevant application or revoke the permission granted. To assist the industry in accurately understanding the relevant requirements, the FEHD has previously organised a number of briefing sessions. The department will also maintain communication with restaurant operators and property stakeholders, and provide appropriate assistance whilst ensuring compliance.
Operational status of the permitted food premises
As for the enquiries from the media regarding a few of food premises on the “List of Food Premises Permitted for Dog Entry” were found to have closed down or did not even exist, the FEHD clarified that the information was not align with the information obtained by the department. The FEHD verified the operational status of the applying food premises from two perspectives:
1. The licences of all the participating food premises were valid at the event of the open ballot.
2. A dedicated team from the FEHD visited each approved establishment. Even where a restaurant was not open for business at the time, the team proactively contacted the licence holders to confirm that they still required such permission before issuing the permits.
The FEHD pointed out that, it is a normal market occurrence for individual restaurants to find themselves in different operational situations due to business considerations; for example, they may be closed for renovation works, whilst licence transfer procedures are underway, or because staff are on leave, or they may even have ceased operations for any reason. Should an approved restaurant decide to cease operation permanently, withdraw the application for the relevant permit, or apply to revoke the permission, the FEHD respects the operator’s commercial decision. Their quotas will be allocated to the applicants on the waiting list in the order determined by the earlier ballot results. Once all procedures have been completed, the details of the newly added food premises will be promptly updated and uploaded to the dedicated webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/dog_restaurants/index.html) to facilitate public search and selection.
Ballot applications will open on July 16 for free use of leisure facilities on Sport For All Day 2026.
Sport For All Day 2026 will be held on August 2, and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department will for the first time open leisure facilities for free public use on August 1 and 2.
The free-of-charge facilities are both indoor and outdoor, and include badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, golf facilities, bowling greens and batting cages.
Those who possess the requisite qualification certificates can also use crafts at water sports centres.
For use of free facilities on August 1, applications will run from July 16 to 19; for August 2, they will run from July 17 to 20.
Members of the public can apply via the SmartPLAY system as individual users. Each user can only make one application for each date, with each application covering a maximum of three choices. Each application will be processed independently.
Successful applicants will only be allocated one free session per day. They will be notified via the SmartPLAY system.
Public swimming pools, excluding Wan Chai Swimming Pool, will also be open for free, with no prior application required. Members of the public can line up at the entrances of swimming pools before the start of each session. Free admission is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, until capacity is full.
In addition, a series of free leisure activities will be launched on August 2 at designated sports centres across the city. The arrangements for distributing activity coupons will be announced this month.
A number of supporting organisations will also open their facilities or roll out leisure programmes for the public free of charge on August 1 and 2.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Remarks by SDEV on quarterly land sale programme for July to September 2026 (with video) Reporter: The home price went up 10 per cent this year, and it is faster than a lot of market expectation. You just said that the Government will only consider rolling out one small residential site for this quarter. Is there any consideration behind it? Are you worried if there is a limited supply, the house will become quite unaffordable?
Secretary for Development: Basically, we are rolling out one residential site from our land sale list. It is a decision having regard also to the supply from other sources. Because for this second quarter in the financial year, we have another project contributing around 5 000 flats from the Mass Transit Railway Corporation. It’s a railway-plus-property development project. We also have a project from the Urban Renewal Authority contributing over 1 000 flats, and this is already under tender for this quarter. So we believe taking all sources together, for this quarter, we already have quite a substantial turnout. So we believe rolling out one small site, and that is in the Kowloon urban area, should be something welcomed by the market.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Issued at HKT 18:39
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FEHD releases first batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in July
District The FEHD continues to carry out a series of measures, including: During the follow-up actions and following the discovery of stagnant water or stagnant water containers at a public housing estate in Kowloon City District, the FEHD has issued a statutory notice to the responsible person-in-charge, requiring the clearance of such items within a specified timeframe.
Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including: Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of chikungunya fever (CF) transmission.
Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department’s webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#Issued at HKT 17:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
29 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations (with photo) An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”
The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged identity card or an identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Two incoming air passengers were each sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment by the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (July 10) for dealing with duty-not-paid cigarettes, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) (Cap. 109).
Hong Kong Customs has been mounting a special enforcement operation to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers. Two Mainland male passengers aged 30 and 33, arriving in Hong Kong from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were arrested at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (July 9). A total of about 130 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $590,000 and a duty potential of about $433,000, were seized from their personal baggage.
Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.
Customs reminds members of the public and travellers that under the DCO, anyone involved in importing, dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080, its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Housing Bureau (HB) today (July 10) awarded the operation and management contract of the Light Public Housing (LPH) at Tsing Fat Street, Tuen Mun (Contract No. LPH20250010), to China Overseas Property Services Limited – Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Joint Venture, at tender sums of about $180.67 million.
Located at Tsing Fat Street, Tuen Mun, the LPH project will provide about 4 200 units with tenant intake anticipated in the third quarter of this year. In order to ensure that the facilities and services of LPH meet the needs of residents and the community, this project provides a wide range of social services and retail facilities, including a supermarket, convenience stores, catering facilities, launderettes, a fresh provision shop, a hair salon and an activity room. Notably, in addition to a public transport terminus which can serve residents in the neighbourhood by providing public transport services to/from Tuen Mun town centre, Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange and other destinations, there is also a promenade for public use within the project. Under the steer and supervision of the HB, the operating organisation will work at full capacity to carry out the pre-management works effectively in the coming months to ensure the smooth handling of LPH applications and intake matters, and to provide various services and ancillary facilities for the residents and local community immediately upon intake.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Tenders invited for site formation and engineering infrastructure works for establishment of Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park Phase 1 Stage 1A The works mainly include:
• site formation (including site clearance and ground investigation works) and pond reprofiling works; • construction of internal access roads; • construction of approximately 30 hectares of gei wai, ecologically enhanced fishponds and an associated management system; • creation of an enhanced freshwater wetland habitat at an existing water channel; • construction of underground utilities with associated structures and utilities system; and • implementation of environmental mitigation measures and environmental monitoring works for the works mentioned above.
The works are scheduled to commence in December 2026 and will take about 30 months to complete.
The CEDD has commissioned AECOM Asia Company Limited to design and supervise the works. Interested contractors can download the tender forms and other particulars from the e-Tendering System (e-TS). Tenderers must submit tenders in electronic format via the e-TS.Issued at HKT 12:30