Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Delicious pineapple buns, sausage buns and wife cakes. These classic Hong Kong-style breads and pastries are typically made with lard to enhance their aroma and texture. Since pork and its derivatives are prohibited for Muslims, one local businessman worked out a creative solution.

Creative adaptations

Cafe owner Swadiq Khan is a Muslim. After spending years in the food and beverage industry, he had long hoped to bridge the culinary gap faced by his community.

A decade ago, Mr Khan took the bold step of setting up a central kitchen dedicated to producing halal Hong Kong-style buns free from lard and preservatives. The baked goods were supplied to his group’s own cafés.

His central kitchen was successfully certified halal by the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, which is also known as the Board of Trustees (BOT).

“Back then, I handed out pineapple buns to ethnic minorities so they could discover what a real pineapple bun tastes like,” he recalled.

Earlier this year, Mr Khan went a step further by opening a new cafe branch in Tsim Sha Tsui where he established a dedicated bakery room, which has also been certified by the BOT.

By ensuring that every item made there complies with halal dietary guidelines, Muslims can enjoy these buns with peace of mind.

Halal certification

“We do not use lard in our bread. We use vegetable oil instead,” the baker said proudly as he kneaded the dough.

Mr Khan explained that all ingredients used in the bakery room must be approved by the BOT. From flour to chicken sausages, all are halal-certified.

“My goal is to promote authentic halal food, not just to religious communities, but to everyone in Hong Kong. Thanks to the cooking methods we use, halal food is generally very healthy.”

Mr Khan said that since earning halal certification, his bakery has received orders from the nearby Kowloon Mosque & Islamic Centre.

It has also attracted tourist groups from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and other countries.

Mr Khan thanked the Tourism Board for assisting with the certification process and promotion, making local delicacies known to more people.

“Genuinely, I want to promote the pineapple bun. Its craftsmanship is recognised as part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage.”

Multicultural considerations

The Tourism Board has adopted a diversified approach of accreditation, education, and promotion to establish Hong Kong as a Muslim-friendly travel destination.

As part of its educational efforts, the board launched an online training resource in late June, titled Tips for Welcoming Muslim Travellers.

Presented through short videos and infographics, the material offers clear and accessible explanations of Muslim customs, dietary rules, prayer rituals, dress codes and religious festivals.

The aim is to deepen the tourism industry’s understanding of Muslim culture and help businesses better cater to this growing visitor segment.

Mr Khan shared that he has already guided his staff on how to welcome Muslim diners, and now recommends that they go through the new training material.

“For instance, Muslims pray five times a day, observe Ramadan and give zakat. And do not assume anyone with a headscarf is a Muslim, as some may be Indians or Sikhs. Therefore, I think deeper understanding is essential.”

Tourism Board Deputy Executive Director Becky Ip stated that the knowledge covered in the training material is vital for frontline tourism staff.

“This enables frontline practitioners to provide Muslim visitors with thoughtful services so as to make them feel at home and welcome.”

Wide recognition

In the Global Muslim Travel Index 2025, released last month by CrescentRating, an internationally recognised halal travel authority, Hong Kong ranked in the top three among non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation destinations for the first time ever.

Hong Kong was also named the Most Promising Muslim-friendly Destination of the Year.

Ms Ip highlighted that the Tourism Board has been working with the BOT to encourage more businesses to obtain halal certification.

As of mid-June, 190 eateries have been certified. In addition, 60 hotels have been rated by CrescentRating as Muslim-friendly.

Unlimited opportunities

In recent years, Hong Kong has actively expanded its reach into Muslim visitor source markets, including countries in the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the Middle East, along with Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia, consist of significant Muslim populations. In the first five months of this year alone, visitor arrivals from these markets exceeded 360,000.

Ms Ip noted that the board has organised several seminars for trade partners to help them better understand the potential of the Muslim travel market.

It has also invited numerous overseas key opinion leaders, media representatives and trade partners to visit Hong Kong and explore its Muslim-friendly facilities and services, which they can then promote upon returning to their home countries.

“We have made some good progress in terms of Muslim segment development. But I am sure that we can work even more closer with our partners from different industry sectors, to make Hong Kong a top-of-mind destination for Muslim travellers,” she added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA) held a prize presentation ceremony today (July 5) for the “Healthy Student Video Contest 2025”, the “‘Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance’ Slogan and Colouring Competition 2024-25” and the “Healthy Mobile App Sticker Design Competition” in commendation of the winning students and teams for assisting in promoting the message of staying away from obscene and indecent articles online through creative works.
 
     A total of around 20 000 primary and secondary students participated in the three competitions which offered 60 major awards altogether. The adjudication panel comprised OFNAA representatives and industry professionals. Winners from 25 primary schools and 20 secondary schools (the list is set out in Annex) will have their works uploaded to OFNAA’s website for public viewing.
 
     Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, the Assistant Director of Film, Newspaper and Article Administration, Mr Chris Fung, said that with the prevalence of various video streaming or video sharing platforms and social media in recent years given rise by the fascinating cyber world, children and young people may be exposed to obscene and indecent materials as well as distorted values while using the Internet, affecting their physical and mental wellbeing. Sharing of harmful materials on the Internet, or even producing and uploading such content on the Internet, may be in breach of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (Cap. 390) (COIAO). To protect children and young people from the influence of obscene and indecent materials online, OFNAA has been adopting a multi-pronged approach by enhancing publicity and public education in tandem with proper regulation, so as to enhance the understanding of the public, especially children and young people, of the COIAO and to encourage them to stay away from harmful materials and to develop the concept of the proper use of the Internet. 
 
     OFNAA has continued to enhance its publicity and education efforts over the past year. In addition to organising the abovementioned competitions, OFNAA arranged nearly 100 roving drama performances for schools in this academic year, attracting nearly 15 000 primary and secondary students. Roving exhibitions were also held in Lam Tin, Lok Fu, Tin Shui Wai and Tseung Kwan O to promote more widely the message of healthy Internet use, attracting over 12 000 visitors.  
 
     OFNAA will continue to take forward these efforts and organise various activities including the “Healthy Information Student Ambassadors Scheme”, the “Healthy Chinese Public Speaking Competition” and the “Healthy Student Drama Contest” to further enhance the public’s understanding of the COIAO and promote the concept of healthy Internet use. 
 
     In addition, OFNAA has strengthened inter-departmental and inter-organisational collaboration to organise diverse and targeted activities for different stakeholders, including children and young people, parents, teaching staff members and the public. These included working with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau to promote activities and information concerning the COIAO to children and young people through various channels and platforms including the Family Council, the “HKYouth+” youth mobile application, and the Government Youth Portal (Youth.gov.hk), as well as partnering with the Hong Kong Police Force to organise “Wise Use of Internet” talks at various districts to share common online pitfalls with members of the Junior Police Call and students in an interesting and interactive manner, with a view to helping them develop proper values and deepening their understanding of the COIAO.  
 
     OFNNA also organised various activities to help teaching staff members strengthen their relevant work in schools, including organising more than 250 school talks and three online briefing sessions for about 100 principals of primary and secondary schools or their representatives in 2024, as well as taking part in the seminars of professional development programme for teachers organised by the Education Bureau this year to introduce the COIAO and relevant activities and resources to over 200 primary school teachers. Additionally, OFNAA organises various activities for parents including talks, workshops, and webinars from time to time, working jointly with parents and schools to help children and young people establish proper values and strengthen their ability to reject harmful materials. 
 
     OFNAA will continue to take forward diverse publicity and public education work and work with various stakeholders to enhance public awareness of the COIAO and promote the message of staying away from obscene and indecent content online.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Correctional officers at Lo Wu Correctional Institution stopped a female person in custody attacking a staff member yesterday (July 4).

At 5.52pm yesterday, a 63-year-old female person in custody suddenly became emotional and attacked a correctional officer outside a cell. Officers at the scene immediately ordered the assailant to stop.

During the incident, the officer sustained an injury to her mouth. She did not need to be sent to a public hospital after receiving medical examination and treatment by the institution Medical Officer. The assailant did not sustain any injuries.
 
The case has been reported to the Police for investigation.

The assailant was sentenced to imprisonment for the offence of theft in July 2025.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, continued her visit to Paris, France.

On July 4 (Paris time), Miss Law met with the Deputy General Manager of the French National Centre of Cinema (CNC) Mr Olivier Henrard. The CNC oversees France’s policies related to cinema, audiovisual arts, digital creations, and video games. Mr Henrard highlighted the platforms provided by Hong Kong that have facilitated connections between film professionals from the two places. Miss Law underlined the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s commitment to supporting the creative industries and strengthening global partnerships in filmmaking, noting the significant potential for deeper collaboration between Hong Kong and France in this field.

Miss Law also met with the Deputy Mayor of Paris Mr Arnaud Ngatcha to explore opportunities for enhancing cultural and tourism ties between Hong Kong and France. During their inspiring discussions, Miss Law expressed her gratitude for the collaborative efforts between museums in both regions. She also introduced the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, a signature annual event organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and shared her mission during her upcoming stop in Bordeaux to reconnect with the wine industry and community for potential collaborations. Mr Ngatcha expressed openness to strengthening partnerships in culture and tourism and shared insights on how to engage local communities in hosting large-scale events, drawing from Paris’s experience with the Olympic Games.

Earlier that morning, Miss Law toured Notre-Dame de Paris, where she learnt about the cathedral’s ongoing restoration efforts and its significance as a global tourist attraction.

Miss Law also met with the President of the Grand Palais, Mr Didier Fusillier, where discussions centred on the versatility of the Grand Palais as a venue for cultural, sports, and major events. Inspired by the Grand Palais innovative use of space for events and exhibitions, Miss Law remarked the potential for incorporating similar techniques in Hong Kong’s venues, particularly the new state-of-the-art Kai Tak Sports Park. She emphasised her vision of enhancing Hong Kong’s global profile through multi-disciplinary events of varying scales.

On July 5 (Paris time), Miss Law visited two of Paris’s most renowned museums: the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques – Guimet and the Musée d’Orsay. She recognised the distinctive cultural and artistic importance of each institution. With the mission of reinforcing Hong Kong as a premier cultural hub, Miss Law gained some thoughts to explore opportunities for strengthening cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and France through exhibitions, partnerships, and knowledge sharing.

Miss Law will continue her visit to France and head for Bordeaux on July 6 (Paris time).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​The Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta, Miss Libera Cheng, today (July 5) attended a dinner organised by the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc in Manila, the Philippines, to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Addressing the dinner, Miss Cheng said that with the staunch support of the motherland and the advantages in connecting the Mainland and the world under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has continued to consolidate its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre. Hong Kong has performed remarkably in international rankings. It was named the world’s freest economy in the Economic Freedom of the World 2024 Annual Report, and ranked third globally in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, the World Investment Report 2025 and the Global Financial Centres Index. Hong Kong’s success in attracting top-tier international companies and talent is also widely acknowledged. The number of companies in Hong Kong with overseas or Mainland parent companies has risen to 9 960, while the number of start-ups in the city increased to around 4 700, both reaching record highs.

Miss Cheng added that Hong Kong has a close relationship with the Philippines. Hong Kong is the Philippines’ fifth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in goods amounting to US$13.9 billion last year. In tourism, Hong Kong has continued to attract Filipino visitors, welcoming around 1.2 million arrivals from the Philippines last year, representing a 55 per cent increase compared with 2023. In the first five months of this year alone, more than 550 000 Filipino visitors travelled to Hong Kong, marking a 27 per cent year-on-year increase and reflecting strong people-to-people ties between the two places.

Miss Cheng also shared the latest developments in Hong Kong with the guests, highlighting the emerging opportunities under the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as strategic responses to future challenges. She said that as a global financial and trade centre, Hong Kong is well positioned to serve as a vital bridge connecting Mainland China and the Philippines. She thanked the chamber for fostering connections, and hoped that more outstanding Philippine enterprises would expand their business networks in Hong Kong to create synergy. On the other hand, Hong Kong has been actively seeking early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, with a view to making greater contributions to regional development.

Around 250 representatives from the local government and business sectors, including the Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Ms Wang Yulei, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Consultant in Manila, Ms Maribeth Barros, attended the event.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today officiated at an award ceremony to commend schools, students and families for their outstanding performance in waste reduction and recycling during the 2024-25 school year.

Speaking at the SGREEN x We-recycle@School Competitions Award Ceremony, co-organised by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and Ocean Park Hong Kong, Mr Tse highlighted that the current-term Government has successfully reversed the long-term trend of rising waste disposal quantities over the years through promoting waste reduction at source and expanding the recycling network.

He remarked that the disposal quantity of municipal solid waste decreased by a total of 7.5% from 2021 to 2024, while the waste recovery rate increased from 28% in 2020 to 33% in 2023.

Mr Tse congratulated all the awardees and thanked them for their support of Hong Kong’s waste reduction and recycling efforts.

He also emphasised that it is crucial to educate the next generation to achieve waste reduction at source.

“In 2024, the EPD launched the We-recycle@School Activity, providing a variety of teaching materials and promotional support to primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to assist schools and teachers in integrating waste reduction and recycling knowledge into daily teaching, encourage students to make good use of recycling facilities in schools and the community, and inspire their family members to practise resource separation and recycling together.”

The EPD said the We-recycle@School Activity has received an overwhelming response since its launch. Currently, around 550 primary and secondary schools have participated in the scheme, encompassing about 350,000 students.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Justice today launched the third phase of the foundation course of its Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Stars Train-the-Leaders Programme.

 

The two-day course is being taken by about 120 trainees from district youth committees in the 18 districts and from the Education University of Hong Kong.

 

It covers topics relevant to the rule of law and daily life in a way that is diversified, interactive, and easy-to-understand, encouraging participants to become ROLE ambassadors and actively promote the rule of law in their daily lives and work.

 

In his opening remarks at the event, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said he hoped the programme would enhance trainees’ understanding of the legal system and the rule of law in Hong Kong, as well as their capabilities in promoting the rule of law as youth leaders and educators in the future, thereby consolidating their role as leaders in rule of law education.

 

As part of the course, Mr Lam also gave a lecture on the topic “Rule of law and our legal system”.

 

He elaborated to the trainees on the essence of the rule of law as a concept, presented an overview of Hong Kong’s legal and judicial systems, and explained the relationship between the rule of law and the Constitution, the Basic Law, the Hong Kong National Security Law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and “one country, two systems”.

 

Also taking part in the programme as a speaker was 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee member and Legislative Council member Starry Lee. She spoke about the Mainland’s legal system, as well as the functions of the NPC and state institutions.

 

The second day of the programme, along with its graduation ceremony, will be held next Saturday. Trainees who have completed the course will receive certificates.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho met Deputy Mayor of Barcelona Jordi Valls Riera to discuss matters including housing policy and construction technologies as she began a two-day visit to the Spanish city yesterday.

 

Ms Ho met the deputy mayor, who oversees housing policy, economic affairs and tourism yesterday morning. She briefed him on the implementation of government-led Light Public Housing (LPH) projects in Hong Kong that use Modular Integrated Construction.

 

She highlighted that the first LPH project – at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long – took only about one year to complete, and that the first phase of the project at Choi Hing Road in Ngau Tau Kok was completed in less than 18 months, a record for the construction of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong.

 

Ms Ho also outlined that the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Authority are engaged in continuously optimising the city’s housing ladder to encourage more young people and families to ascend it.

 

She mentioned that in November the bureau will organise an international symposium in Hong Kong to showcase developments in construction technologies in Mainland China and Hong Kong to the world.

 

Later on, Ms Ho visited a social housing project, Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing, where timber frames were used to reduce carbon emissions and a modular design was adopted to shorten construction time.

 

Ms Ho then toured another social housing project, APROP-Glòries, in which converted containers are used to provide temporary accommodation to people in need.

 

Ms Ho highlighted that governments of both Hong Kong and Barcelona are dedicated to increasing their housing supply through swift and pragmatic measures, and to providing accommodation to families with urgent housing needs.

 

She added that she hoped the two places will continue to share experiences on relevant initiatives.

 

Ms Ho then paid a courtesy call on Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Barcelona Meng Yuhong, and briefed her on the various housing initiatives being implemented by the bureau.

 

These include leveraging the strengths of the Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area to promote the development of housing construction technologies.

 

Today, the housing chief visited another social housing project, 72 Social Housing Units, to learn about its design characteristics and energy-efficient living environment.

 

In concluding her trip, Ms Ho observed that Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantage of having the strong support of the motherland while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world, as well as the strategic geographical benefit of being connected to the bay area.

 

She added that the visit had demonstrated how Hong Kong is giving full play to its roles as a super connector and super value-adder.

 

“I look forward to maintaining close exchanges with Portugal and Spain in areas including innovative construction technologies, people-oriented ‘Well-being design’ concepts and sustainable smart city development, and exploring further collaboration to create more opportunities for the industries and enterprises of the three places.”

 

Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said today that a database on carers will be rolled out in the coming weeks, allowing the Government to use data to identify families at risk at an earlier stage.

 

At a media session following an appearance on a radio programme this morning, Mr Sun said the pilot scheme will start with beneficiaries of the “Scheme on Living Allowance for Low-income Carers of Persons with Disabilities”, which assists thousands of families at higher risk.

 

“An example is if the carer has been admitted into hospital. Under our new pilot scheme, a message would be given from the Hospital Authority to the Social Welfare Department signaling that the said family is now at risk, so that we can reach out to it to provide necessary respite service or home service to make sure those being taken care of (are) receiving proper care.”

 

Separately, the labour chief iterated that the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme is designed to ensure that local workers are given priority for employment.

 

Employers are required to prove that they are unable to recruit enough workers locally before the Government will consider applications for the importation of labour, he added.

 

“Once an employer put up an application, first of all they have to recruit locally for four weeks. That is a very vigorous process.

 

“They have to interview every local worker (who) applies for the job. Even if he or she is not employed, the Labour Department will give them a call to make sure that they have not been mistreated. If we found out during that process that the local workers have the willingness to work and somehow the employer has not been treating him or her in a fair manner, this would possibly result in the rejection of the application for importation of labour for that employer.”