Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Aristo Sham’s Van Cliburn Piano Competition victory celebrated in New York

The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, Ms Maisie Ho, attended the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition press conference in New York City on June 11 (New York time), where she congratulated Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham on his momentous win at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Aristo Sham, whose remarkable artistry and technical brilliance captivated audiences and judges alike, made history as the first-ever Hong Kong pianist to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most esteemed classical music competitions, which concluded on June 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. Remarking on Aristo Sham’s extraordinary achievement, Ms Ho said, “Aristo’s win at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is not only a personal triumph but also a source of immense pride for Hong Kong, further reinforcing Hong Kong’s reputation as a nurturing home for extraordinary musical talent. This historic milestone also highlights Hong Kong’s vibrant cultural legacy on the global stage and underpins Hong Kong’s positioning as an East-MeetsWest cultural hub.” Ends/Thursday, June 12, 2025

Issued at HKT 11:54

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Hong Kong Housing Authority approves estimated public rental housing allocation for 2025-26 
     The Subsidised Housing Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (June 12) approved the estimated public rental housing (PRH) allocation for 2025-26 and noted the actual allocation in 2024-25.
 
     “For the year 2024-25, the actual allocation was 29 114 flats (i.e. the number of flats taken up by applicants before the end of 2024-25),” a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     “For 2025-26, we estimated that a total of about 29 700 PRH flats, comprising about 8 800 new flats and about 20 900 recovered flats, will be available for allocation to various categories of applicants. Most of the flats (i.e. 23 350 flats (78.6 per cent)) will be allocated to PRH applicants. The annual allocation quota for non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System (QPS) is set at 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants with an upper limit of 2 200 flats, and therefore the allocation quota for QPS applicants in 2025-26 is 2 200 flats,” the spokesman said.
 
     As regards allocation for other categories of applicants, the HA will reserve 1 200 flats for rehousing residents affected by clearance projects planned by various departments and statutory bodies, and residents affected by other Government’s squatter clearances, emergency clearances, unauthorised rooftop structure clearances and so forth; among which 300 flats will be set aside for rehousing residents affected by the Urban Renewal Authority’s redevelopment projects scheduled for 2025-26.
 
     To tie in with the clearance programme of Wah Fu (I) Estate and Choi Hung Estate announced in March and December 2024 respectively, the HA will reserve 100 flats under the category of the HA’s Estate Clearance and Major Repairs for early thinning out exercise.
 
     In addition, 350 flats will be reserved for allocation under the category of Compassionate Rehousing (CR). This figure is not an upper limit and the HA will follow the established policy to handle all the demands for CR as recommended by the Social Welfare Department. Any unused quota under the category of CR will be allocated to PRH applicants.
 
     Under the category of Transfers, 3 700 flats will be used for various transfer purposes in 2025-26, among which 1 100 flats will be used for the transfer of under-occupation households so that more large flats can be recovered for easing the pressing demand of applicants with four or more household members. Moreover, the HA will reserve a quota of around 1 000 for the Transfer Scheme for Improving the Living Environment in 2025-26. The remaining 1 600 flats will be flexibly deployed for other transfer purposes including Special Transfer, the Harmonious Families Transfer Scheme, transfers under the Full Rent Exemption Scheme for Elderly Households and Management Transfer.
 
For the category of Junior Civil Servants, the HA will reserve 1 000 flats under the Civil Service Public Housing Quota Scheme in 2025-26.
 
     “The HA will make projections of the supply of PRH flats that can be allocated in the coming year and how such flats may be allocated to the various categories of demands. We will closely monitor any changes in the circumstances and will maintain flexibility in the allocation of PRH flats to optimise the use of resources,” the spokesman added.
 
     Please refer to the attached table on the breakdown of estimated allocations for various categories in 2025-26.
Issued at HKT 16:30

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HA approves implementation arrangements for Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2024 
     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) Subsidised Housing Committee today (June 12) approved the average selling prices and sales arrangements for the sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2024 (GSH 2024).

     “The HA is going to launch GSH 2024 in the third quarter of 2025 offering a total of 2 576 flats from the new GSH development, Wang Chi Court in Kowloon Bay (See Annex 1). With an aim to increase applicants’ chances of success, GSH 2024 will implement the enhancement measure of allocating an extra ballot number to applicants who had failed to purchase a flat in GSH 2022 and GSH 2023,” a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     “Affected tenants of the HA’s announced Public Rental Housing (PRH) clearance projects (i.e. Pik Hoi House, Kam Pik House and Tan Fung House of Choi Hung Estate; and Wah On House and Wah Lok House of Wah Fu Estate) who would like to purchase subsidised sale flats (SSF) in lieu of PRH will be accorded priority in flat selection over other applicants under GSH 2024. On the other hand, a quota of 1 050 GSH flats will be set for families applying under the Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members and Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme (Priority Newborns Scheme) for GSH 2024. Family applicants with babies born on or after October 25, 2023, will be eligible for the Priority Newborns Scheme if their children are aged 3 or below on the closing day of the application of GSH 2024. Separately, a quota of 250 GSH flats will be set for one-person applicants,” the spokesman said (see Annex 2).
 
     Details of the implementation arrangements for GSH 2024 are as follows: 
     The new GSH development Wang Chi Court provides flats with saleable areas ranging from about 17.9 square metres to about 43.3 sq m (about 193 square feet to about 466 sq ft). Large flats, with saleable areas ranging from about 41.8 sq m to about 43.3 sq m (about 450 sq ft to about 466 sq ft), which are more popular among applicants, will account for more than a quarter of the total number of flats (See Annex 1).
 
Pricing 
“Based on the average flat selling price at about $2.47 million (saleable area of about 34 sq m or about 366 sq ft), the mortgage payment is about $10,500 per month, assuming that he/she takes out a mortgage at 95 per cent of the flat price for a term of 30 years at an interest rate of 3.5 per cent. For one to two-person flats, the average selling price is about $1.28 million and the mortgage payment is about $5,500 per month,” the spokesman said.Issued at HKT 16:30

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Provisional statistics on index of industrial production and producer price index for manufacturing and waste management sectors for first quarter of 2025 
     Indices of industrial production reflect changes in the volume of local industrial output after discounting the effect of price changes. The price changes are measured by the producer price indices compiled from data on producer prices of selected industrial goods/services collected in the same survey.
 
     Comparing the industrial production in respect of major manufacturing industries in the first quarter of 2025 with that a year earlier, increases in output volume were recorded mainly in the paper products, printing and reproduction of recorded media industry (+2.9%), the metal, computer, electronic and optical products, machinery and equipment industry (+2.4%), and the textiles and wearing apparel industry (+0.8%). On the other hand, a decrease in output volume was recorded in the food, beverages and tobacco industry (-0.3%).
 
     On a seasonally adjusted basis, the index of industrial production for manufacturing industries as a whole decreased by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the fourth quarter of 2024.
 
     Producer price indices reflect changes in the prices of local output. They measure changes in the actual prices (net of any discounts or rebates allowed to buyers, plus any surcharges) received by producers for their output. Transportation and other incidental charges are not included.
 
     Comparing the first quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, increases in producer prices were recorded mainly in the metal, computer, electronic and optical products, machinery and equipment industry (+9.7%), the paper products, printing and reproduction of recorded media industry (+3.5%), and the food, beverages and tobacco industry (+0.9%). On the other hand, a decrease in producer price was recorded in the textiles and wearing apparel industry (-0.5%).
 
     Table 1 shows the year-on-year percentage changes in the indices of industrial production for manufacturing and waste management sectors by selected industry grouping. Table 2 shows the year-on-year percentage changes in the producer price indices for manufacturing and waste management sectors by selected industry grouping.
 
     The revised figures on indices of industrial production and producer price indices for manufacturing and waste management sectors for the first quarter of 2025 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/page_8000.html 
     Users can browse and download the reports “Quarterly Index of Industrial Production for Manufacturing and Waste Management Sectors, 1st Quarter 2025” (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1070002&scode=310 
     For enquiries about indices of industrial production and producer price indices for manufacturing and waste management sectors, please contact the Industrial Production Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7247; email: ind-production@censtatd.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:30

Thematic Household Survey Report No. 82 published 
     This publication contains key findings on information technology usage and penetration based on the Thematic Household Survey conducted from April to August 2024.
 
     The survey results showed that the majority of households (96.7%) had Internet access at home in 2024. Among these households, smartphone was the most popular type of device used for Internet connection at home (99.9%), followed by personal computer (74.4%).
 
     Usage of the Internet remained popular. The rate of persons aged 10 and over having used the Internet during the 12 months before enumeration was 95.8% in 2024, while the corresponding rate in 2023 was 96.0%. In addition, the popularity of smartphones remained at a high level. The smartphone penetration rate was 96.3% in 2024, comparable with the corresponding rate in 2023.
 
     The usage of mobile payments was also common in Hong Kong. In 2024, 65.6% of persons aged 15 and over had used mobile payments during the 12 months before enumeration, while the corresponding rate in 2023 was 64.9%. 
 
Other information
 
     The survey successfully enumerated target respondents in some 10 100 households in accordance with a scientific sampling scheme to represent the population of Hong Kong.
 
     Detailed findings of the survey, together with the population coverage and concepts/definitions of key terms, are presented in the publication. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1130201&scode=453Issued at HKT 16:30

Hong Kong Customs special operation combats use of counterfeit devices by beauty parlours to provide beauty and slimming treatments (with photo) 
Customs earlier received information alleging that suspected counterfeit devices were being used by beauty parlours to provide beauty and slimming treatments for customers. After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of the trademark owner, Customs officers took enforcement action and raided three beauty parlours in Lai Chi Kok, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday. Three suspected counterfeit beauty and slimming devices were seized at the beauty parlours.
 
During the operation, four women aged between 27 and 56 were arrested for being suspected of contravening the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. Two of them are shop owners and two are employees. An investigation is ongoing, and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
 
Customs will continue to take stringent law enforcement action and collaborate with relevant trademark owners to closely monitor the market situation with a view to fighting against the use of counterfeit goods for the purpose of trade.
 
Customs reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since possession of counterfeit goods for any purpose of trade is a serious crime, and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions. Consumers are also reminded to make purchases at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.
 
Under the Ordinance, any person who possesses for the purpose of trade any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
 
Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 15:35

Under Secretary for Health chairs third meeting of Steering Committee on Health and Medical Innovation Development Issued at HKT 17:40

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