Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu was pleased to welcome Ms. Tsui-Yi Lu, the new President of the Sydney Chapter of Dharma Drum Mountain, along with Vice President Ms. Wei-Yi Liu and Ms. Ping Lin. They exchanged views on the chapter’s recent activities and community engagement.
Ms. Lu shared this year’s blessing theme, “Harmony, Joy and Abundance,” and presented symbolic gifts conveying peace and well-being. Director General Wu expressed his appreciation for the visit and extended his best wishes for a successful year ahead.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Lands Department today announced that the tender for a site at Shau Kei Wan Main Street East has been awarded on a 50-year land grant at a premium of $1.383899 billion.

Shau Kei Wan Inland Lot No. 860 was awarded to Fine Century Holdings, a subsidiary of Kerry Properties.

It has a site area of about 1,349.2 sq m and is designated for non-industrial purposes, excluding godown, hotel and petrol filling station. 

The site’s maximum gross floor area for private residential purposes is 12,142 sq m. This excludes the gross floor area for government accommodation, specifically a sub-base of a district elderly community centre, which is to be constructed by the purchaser under the Conditions of Sale.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

As the Year of the Horse nears, Hong Kong’s streets and alleyways are pulsing with energy, filled with crowds rushing to stock up on festive essentials in a final festive shopping spree.

In Sheung Wan, a stall tucked beside a traditional grocery store holds firm to tradition, offering handwritten fai chun banners to welcome new year with custom blessings.

 

Further north in Sheung Shui Wai, the pace slows as villagers faithfully carry on the century-old custom of making rice cookies, preserving their rural heritage.

 

In Sham Shui Po’s Pei Ho Street, long-established pastry shops draw steady crowds eager to purchase festive favourites.

 

Victoria Park’s Lunar New Year Fair is a sea of colour as shoppers weave through crowds picking out the perfect blooms to welcome spring and invite good fortune for the new year ahead.

 

Throughout the city, colourful lanterns and bright decorations add a festive sparkle, creating a luminous trail of New Year joy.

 

The News.gov.hk team wishes all our readers enduring success and good health in the prosperous Year of the Horse.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee

Chinese New Year is the festival we eagerly anticipate, a time when every household decorates and prepares to welcome new beginnings.

As the spirited steed gallops forward, leaving the old year behind, we stand united to embark on a new journey.

The horse, symbolising speed and stamina, boldly charges ahead, covering vast distances every day. It embodies the tenacity and resilience of Hong Kong people.

As we step into the Year of the Horse, let us continue to move with agility and steadiness, seizing opportunities, overcoming challenges, and propelling Hong Kong forward.

My wife and I wish for every sector in Hong Kong to lead the way, for every endeavour to meet with swift success, and for the Year of the Horse to bring good fortune and joy to all.

This is a translation of the Chinese New Year message delivered by Chief Executive John Lee on February 16.

Source: Government of Singapore

16 February 2026 – The prevailing Northeast Monsoon conditions are expected to continue in the second fortnight of February 2026, with winds blowing mainly from the northwest or northeast.

2.          Moderate to heavy thundery showers are forecast over most parts of the island in the afternoon and evening during the first few days of the second fortnight of February 2026. Following this period, conditions are expected to turn relatively drier, though brief localised thundery showers may still occur on several afternoons. A few dry days may be expected. Overall, the total rainfall for the second fortnight of February 2026 is expected to be near average across most parts of the island.

3.          The daily maximum temperatures are likely to range between 32 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius on most days, with a high of around 34 degrees Celsius on a few days. 

4.          For updates of the daily weather forecast, please visit the MSS website (www.weather.gov.sg), NEA website (www.nea.gov.sg), or download the myENV app.

7.         During the first fortnight of February 2026, daily maximum temperatures generally ranged from about 32 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius. On several occasions, the maximum temperature exceeded 34 degrees Celsius, with the highest reading of 34.7 degrees Celsius recorded at Jurong Island on 4 February 2026.

CLIMATE STATION STATISTICS

Long-term Statistics for February   (Climatological reference period: 1991-2020)
Average daily maximum temperature:	31.5	°C
Average daily minimum temperature:	24.6	°C
Average monthly temperature:	27.3	°C
Average rainfall:	105.1	mm
Average number of rain days:	9
Historical Extremes for February   (Rainfall since 1869 and temperature since 1929)
Highest monthly mean daily maximum temperature:	33.5	°C (2010)
Lowest monthly mean daily minimum temperature:	21.6	°C (1930, 1934)
Highest monthly rainfall ever recorded:	566.7	mm (1910)
Lowest monthly rainfall ever recorded:	0.2	mm (2014)

—————||————–

 

METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE SINGAPORE

16 Feb 2026

~~ End ~~

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

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Principal officials, accompanied by District Officers, District Council members and District Services & Community Care Team members, paid visits to elderly, grassroots and ethnic minority households in Southern, Tuen Mun, Kwai Tsing, Yuen Long and Wong Tai Sin today.

By distributing gifts in celebration of the Lunar New Year, the officials aimed to extend warmth and blessings from the Government to citizens.

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau shared the festive joy by chatting with an elderly couple and an intergenerational family living in South Horizons in Southern District.

In Tuen Mun, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho visited a grassroots family, an ethnic minority household and an elderly individual living in Sam Shing Estate.

Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak met a middle-class family and elderly couples living in Cheung On Estate, Kwai Ching, to learn more about their daily lives and extend seasonal greetings.

Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan, meanwhile, called on a family with school-age children, and an elderly couple in Tin Yiu Estate, Yuen Long.

In addition, Acting Secretary for Labour & Welfare Ho Kai-ming engaged with a young family and an elderly doubleton in Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

On the night before Lunar New Year’s Eve, President Lai Ching-te wished his fellow citizens a happy Year of the Horse via video. In his recorded remarks, President Lai thanked people in Taiwan working and living earnestly with their feet firmly on the ground, saying that it is their hard work that contributes bit by bit to our strongest power. The president emphasized that the government will continue to strengthen Taiwan’s national defense capabilities and public security efforts, steadily advance economic development initiatives, and bolster social investment and welfare programs. He stated that the government hopes to protect people’s livelihoods, and provide a stage for the driven and hope for the diligent, as we all move forward together, hand in hand, to greet an even better year ahead.
A translation of the president’s full remarks is as follows:
My dear fellow citizens: Good evening.
This is Xiaoxueshan Radar Station. Located on the mountain peak at 3,020 meters above sea level, it is the highest-altitude naval unit in Taiwan. I am here to share a holiday meal with the officers and personnel of our armed forces and offer them some words of encouragement. 
During Lunar New Year, as families gather together to celebrate, many of our citizens are just like the troops stationed here, steadfastly working hard at their posts. I want to thank our troops and our men and women in the coast guard for their around-the-clock efforts to protect our homeland. I also want to thank our dedicated staff in police and firefighting services, healthcare, customs, immigration, environmental protection, public utilities, and public transportation for keeping society running smoothly and enabling our people to enjoy the holiday with peace of mind.
Over the last year, Taiwan faced several challenges; but we grew with every trial, taking each as an opportunity to enable our nation to stand taller, see farther, and become more resilient. Taiwan’s most beautiful scenery is found not just in our mountains and seas, but also in the silhouettes of all the people who stand by one another through adversity.
We have seen rescue teams and superhero volunteers coming from all over to provide aid to disaster areas; we have also seen the engineers braving bad weather to repair roads and water, electric, and communications facilities. Most of all, we will remember the heroes who sacrificed their lives in the disaster response and the brave citizens who risked all to protect strangers. All of this has deeply moved us and filled us with gratitude.  There are also the countless unsung heroes, the micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that hold up half of our economy; these unsung heroes are the people in all sectors and professions in Taiwan working and living earnestly with their feet firmly on the ground. It is their hard work that contributes bit by bit to our strongest power.
In the year ahead, I will lead my administration to continue our hard work without breaking stride.
We must continue to strengthen our national defense capabilities and public security efforts to safeguard national security and maintain social stability.
Even more importantly, we must steadily advance our economic development initiatives, ensuring that Taiwan maintains its leading edge among the global competition in technology and industry.
We must lend a helping hand to our industries as they expand their global presence, and provide more tangible, robust support to MSMEs to create more opportunities for Taiwanese businesses.
At the same time, we must boost development across central and southern Taiwan to achieve our goal of a balanced nation.
Furthermore, we must continue to advance social investment and welfare programs to support disadvantaged groups. Starting this past January, total maternity benefits and birth subsidies have been increased to NT$100,000 per newborn. Low-income households will receive an additional NT$1,000 per person per month, while medium-low-income households will receive an additional NT$750 per person per month.
The Executive Yuan has also approved raising the welfare allowance for elderly farmers from NT$8,110 to NT$10,000 per month, while national old-age pension benefits will rise from NT$4,049 to NT$5,000 per month. These increases will take effect once they are deliberated and passed by the Legislative Yuan.
The government must not only protect people’s livelihoods, but also provide a stage for the driven and hope for the diligent. It must also ensure that those without family support and people with disabilities are cared for.
My dear fellow citizens, in the new year, I pray for our nation’s peace and prosperity. I wish you all a happy Lunar New Year – may everyone stay safe and every family find happiness and joy with the arrival of spring. Let us move forward together, hand in hand, to greet an even better year ahead!

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today held a seminar on the “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems” white paper.

Held at the Central Government Offices, the seminar was attended by Hong Kong SAR Government Principal Officials, members of the Executive Council, the Legislative Council and the Judiciary as well as personnel of various offices of the Central People’s Government (CPG) in Hong Kong.

Chief Executive and Hong Kong SAR Committee for Safeguarding National Security Chairman John Lee delivered a speech at the seminar.

Also speaking at the seminar was Deputy Director of the Hong Kong & Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Deputy Director of Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhou Ji.

Mr Zhou is also Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR as well as National Security Adviser to the Hong Kong SAR Committee for Safeguarding National Security.

Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Dong Jingwei also gave a speech at the event.

Additionally, two keynote speakers were invited to provide an in-depth explanation of the white paper’s essence and key viewpoints.

They are former Director-General of the First Bureau of the Hong Kong & Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Vice President of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies and Tsinghua University School of Law professor Wang Zhenmi; and former Vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Maria Tam.

Addressing the seminar, Mr Lee said the white paper offers guiding significance as an authoritative pronouncement to the Hong Kong SAR. It also offers a cautionary significance grounded in reality as well as an action-oriented significance for practical implementation.

In particular, the white paper details the six principles required in creating high-standard security for the high-quality development of the “one country, two systems” policy. They are: upholding the unity of the central government’s fundamental responsibility and the Hong Kong SAR’s constitutional responsibility, keeping the power of governing the Hong Kong SAR firmly in the hands of patriots, respecting and ensuring human rights, safeguarding security under the rule of law, following a holistic approach to development and security, and safeguarding security with greater openness.

“I will continue to lead the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in safeguarding national security and promoting economic development under the guidance of the holistic approach to national security.

“We will uphold the six principles stipulated in the white paper in safeguarding national security under ‘one country, two systems’. We will do our utmost to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and create high-standard security for the high-quality development of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy,” Mr Lee said.

Mr Zhou supplemented that the white paper is of great and profound significance in clearing up confusion and misunderstandings for building consensus, and consolidating Hong Kong’s sound transition from disorder to stability and prosperity.

He shared his insights in three areas: First, have a profound grasp of the historical logic behind Hong Kong’s safeguarding of national security, and always adhere to the highest principle of “one country, two systems”.  Second, have a profound grasp of the institutional logic behind Hong Kong’s safeguarding of national security, and always effectively safeguard national security under the rule of law. Third, have a profound grasp of the practical logic behind Hong Kong’s safeguarding of national security, and continuously implement the high-standard security for the high-quality development of “one country, two systems”.

Mr Zhou said he strongly believes that the Hong Kong SAR will better co-ordinate development and security, openness and security, as well as traditional and non-traditional security.

It will, he added, proactively align with the 15th Five-Year Plan with a view to continuously cultivating new drivers and advantages for Hong Kong’s development, thereby safeguarding the new development pattern with a new security framework.

Mr Dong said it is of great significance that the CPG issued the white paper at the critical juncture of the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, a pivotal year for Hong Kong to take new strides in its transition from stability to prosperity.

The document’s issuance, he added, also coincides with a pivotal moment in history when the landmark national security case in Hong Kong – the conviction and sentencing of Lai Chee-ying – was concluded according to law.

Mr Dong highlighted that the white paper shows the great achievement where the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with President Xi Jinping at its core has fully, faithfully, and resolutely upheld the policy of “one country, two systems”, showcasing the new bright future of the city entering a new stage of progressing from disorder to stability and prosperity.

With an unrelenting fight for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, the CPG has always prioritised the safeguarding of national security in matters pertaining to Hong Kong. With security as its safeguard, the “one country, two systems” principle is being upheld and improved for its steady and sustained implementation, he noted.

In his keynote speech, Prof Wang explained why the CPG issued the white paper, its main content and underlying principles as well as ways to effectively utilise the white paper to safeguard the high-quality development of the “one country, two systems” policy under high standard of security.

The professor specifically outlined the need for Hong Kong to maintain security while remaining open, and suggested combining the study of the white paper with the study of the Constitution, the Basic Law, and the national security law, in order to deeply grasp the essence and principles of the white paper.

In her keynote address, Ms Tam stated that she agreed with the white paper’s assertion that the Hong Kong National Security Law establishes for the first time a national security mechanism at both the central and Hong Kong SAR levels. It also clearly defines the authority and decision-making powers of the Hong Kong SAR Committee for Safeguarding National Security.

She stressed that Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China and shares a common destiny with the Mainland. The Hong Kong SAR, she added, must be guided by a holistic approach to national security, to ensure that Hong Kong does not become a city that endangers national security.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said it will continue, through various channels, to encourage all sectors of society to organise study and exchange activities to conscientiously learn and grasp the core principles and directives of the white paper, to deepen  public awareness and the correct understanding of safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, to consciously uphold national security, and to make greater contributions to building China into a strong modern country and advancing the great cause of national rejuvenation.