Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will start accepting applications from restaurants tomorrow (May 18) for allowing dogs to enter their premises. It is expected that the permitted food premises could welcome their customers with dogs within July. The application process is simple. Restaurants interested in applying for the dog-admission permission may submit their applications, starting from 10am tomorrow, electronically through the FEHD’s dedicated webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/dog_restaurants/index.html). The application period will be ended on June 8. 

A quota of not more than 1 000 restaurants is set for the first phase of application. If more than 1 000 applications are received, allocation will be made by balloting. For safety considerations, applications from hotpot restaurants and barbecue restaurants (including teppanyaki and Korean barbecue) will not be accepted, and only applications from restaurants with an area larger than 20 square metres will be considered. Apart from the above restrictions, all restaurants with a full licence may apply for the dog-admission permission.

The first batch of permission is expected to be granted in mid-June. To allow sufficient time for operational preparation by the trade, the FEHD will specify a date in July from which dogs will be allowed to enter permitted food premises. The exact date will be announced in due course. No person shall bring any dog onto any food premises prior to that date (except for guide dogs and working dogs).

To assist the catering trade in understanding the application requirements in advance, and get prepared for the upcoming implementation of the new measures, the FEHD held three briefing sessions for the trade from May 11 to 13. Representatives of the FEHD have set out relevant application procedures, eligibility criteria, licensing conditions and matters that require restaurant operators’ attention. In addition, representatives of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Institute of Shopping Centre Management, and the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, were invited to share with trade members knowledge on interacting with animals, experience in managing pet-friendly malls and matters requiring attention in relation to insurance.

More than 360 members from the catering sector attended the three briefing sessions, and over 4 600 viewers watched the live broadcasts via the FEHD’s Facebook page. The briefings received an enthusiastic response. Representatives of the FEHD also answered questions from attendees at the question-and-answer sessions. The department will hold the fourth briefing session for the trade on May 28. Restaurant operators who are unable to attend in person and other interested parties may watch the live broadcast via the FEHD’s Facebook page from 2.30pm to 5pm on the day of the briefing session, which will later be uploaded to the FEHD’s dedicated webpage.

​Information on allowing dogs to enter permitted restaurants, including licence conditions and frequently asked questions has been uploaded to the FEHD’s dedicated webpage. The FEHD will also release a set of Guidelines of Good Practice and Behaviour later, for reference by restaurant operators and members of the public. The FEHD has set up two dedicated hotlines (2867 5912 and 2867 2836), through which enquiries about the applications can be made from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     In support of the World Family Doctor Day, the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) under the Health Bureau (HHB) and the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP) jointly organised the World Family Doctor Day Carnival 2026 event for two consecutive days (May 16 and 17) at the Central Atrium, Olympian City 2, Kowloon, with an aim to promote the concept of “Family Doctor for All” and services under the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network to members of the public. The PHC Commission also held a commendation ceremony today to acknowledge the contributions of 30 family doctors who have actively participated in the Co-care Network to advance primary healthcare development.

     Officiating at the commendation ceremony today, the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan, said, “This year’s World Family Doctor Day is themed ‘Compassionate Care in a Digital World’. Leveraging the opportunities brought by the rapid advancement of technology, we hope family doctors, members of the public and community stakeholders can jointly make good use of digital technology and AI, driving technology to serve as a key force in strengthening the doctor-patient relationship and building a healthy life together.”

     Dr Fan also remarked that the Government has launched the Co-care Network. Citizens can use the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) across all 18 districts in Hong Kong as the service entry point, and pair with a family doctor of their own choice. Determined by citizens’ personal health conditions and risks, they can receive a series of preventive services, as well as screening and management services for high-risk diseases. Under the Co-care Network, family doctors, alongside cross-disciplinary primary healthcare service providers, will deliver continuous and comprehensive healthcare services to the citizens at different stages of their life. 

     At the commendation ceremony, Dr Fan presented certificates of appreciation to family doctors who have actively participated in the services under the Co-care Network, in recognition of their efforts and valuable contributions in assisting citizens to prevent and manage chronic diseases, advancing primary healthcare development in Hong Kong, and promoting community health. 

     This year’s World Family Doctor Day event in Hong Kong was moved to the community and held in the form of a carnival. Through participating in relaxed and interesting activities, members of the public could further understand the role of family doctors, the latest developments in primary healthcare in Hong Kong, and the services provided under the Co-care Network and by the DHCs. Activities of the carnival also included free health check services (such as body composition analysis) and health talks on chronic diseases (including diabetes, hypertension and hepatitis B). Interactive projection installations were also featured at the venue, allowing citizens to experience first-hand the application of digital technology in physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

     The Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the HHB, Dr Pang Fei-chau; Vice-President of the HKCFP Dr Lau Ho-lim; Assistant Director of Health Dr Jackie Leung; and the Chief Manager (Primary and Community Services) of the Hospital Authority, Dr Maria Leung, also attended the carnival event and commendation ceremony today.

     The DHCs across all 18 districts in Hong Kong will continue to organise a series of community activities focusing on family doctors this month, aiming to encourage more citizens to enrol as DHC members, pair with family doctors to establish a long-term doctor-patient relationship with mutual trust, and participate in services under the Co-care Network, with a view to achieving the goals of prevention-oriented and “early identification and early treatment”.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Hong Kong Film Development Council (FDC) led the industry to participate in the 79th Cannes Film Festival in France, which is being held from May 12 to 23. Members of the delegation included Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries and Secretary-General of the FDC, Mr Gary Mak; the Chairman of the FDC, Dr Wilfred Wong; new-generation actors, emerging Hong Kong film producers as well as representatives of the winning teams of a funding scheme under the Film Development Fund. The lineup introduced Hong Kong cinema’s rising talent and innovative strength to the international film community.

CCIDA and the FDC collaborated with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to set up the Hong Kong Pavilion themed “Hong Kong Cinema @ Cannes 2026” at the festival’s film market, and supported Hong Kong filmmakers in exploring overseas film markets and expanding their global networks through a series of activities. One of the highlights, the “Hong Kong Night” reception, was held on May 16 (Cannes time), attracting around 600 industry representatives and filmmakers from around the world, who engaged with the Hong Kong delegates (including new-generation actors Carlos Chan and Natalie Hsu) to foster market development and creative collaboration. CCIDA and the FDC also organised seminars on artificial intelligence and Asian film financing collaboration with a focus on the creative technology applications and diverse development of film production in Asia, aiming to drive cultural exchange and foster new technology and cross-border collaborations between the East and the West.

To assist Hong Kong’s film industry to identify potential partners for international collaborations, CCIDA held a Hong Kong project pitching session during the festival for the filmmakers to introduce their original projects to overseas industry players, and arranged business matching sessions with filmmakers from Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Korea, and Spain. Attending Hong Kong delegates included five producers (Wong Hoi; Charlie Fung; Oliver Chan; Lung Kwok-yiu; and Terence Choi) who were nominated by CCIDA to participate in the festival’s official programme (namely, “Producers Network”), and three representatives of the winning projects (director Tsang Tsui-shan of “Kowloon Grand Hotel”; producer Cho King-man of “Spirited Away”; and scriptwriter Li Ling-long of “Bus Lightyear”) of the Content Development Scheme for Streaming Platforms by the FDC.

In addition, Mr Mak and Dr Wong met with representatives of various international film institutions, festival organisers, and overseas distributors, including the French National Centre of Cinema, the Series Mania of France, the British Film Institute, as well as representatives of international film festivals of Busan, Locarno, Toronto and Venice, to strengthen ties between Hong Kong and overseas film industries.
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CCIDA will continue to work closely with the industry to proactively expand into overseas markets and bring more outstanding Hong Kong films and creative talent to the international stage.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

President Charles Lin of the Distinguished Citizens Society International of NSW, Australia, together with his team, paid a courtesy call on Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu. Director May Chiang, Thomas Lee, and Fu-Ku Hsiao also attended the meeting.
President Lin and his team briefed the delegation on the planning and progress of four major events this year, including a premium singles social event, the 30th Anniversary Celebration & 3rd Biennial Convention of the Distinguished Citizens Society International of Australia, City2Surf TW Runners, and the 8th Double Tenth National Day Basketball Championship.
DG Wu expressed appreciation for the association’s active engagement in the community and wished all upcoming events great success with strong participation and support.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

President Lai addresses Taiwan Global Health Forum Series via video as World Health Assembly convenes
On the afternoon of May 18, President Lai Ching-te addressed the Taiwan Global Health Forum Series via video. The event was organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s World Health Assembly (WHA) action team and held concurrently with the 79th WHA. In his remarks, President Lai explained that the goal of the event is to share the country’s vision for the Healthy Taiwan initiative and open dialogue on three key issues: digital health and AI governance, cancer policy and innovation, and the global effort to eliminate hepatitis C. The president also indicated that Taiwan has been an active part of global health for many years and is committed to sharing its experiences as a responsible and reliable partner. President Lai emphasized that by joining the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwan could do even more to support the world.
A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows:
Welcome to this forum series hosted by Taiwan during the World Health Assembly. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, thank you for attending. With your expertise, I’m confident we can work together to make even greater contributions to health.
Our world is seeing many profound changes. Technology is developing fast, populations are aging, and new infectious diseases continue to emerge. Therefore, we bear greater responsibilities than ever before.
As Taiwan’s first president with a medical background, I’m eager to join forces to build a Healthy Taiwan. 
At this event, we will share our vision and engage in dialogue on three key issues: digital health and AI governance, cancer policy and innovation, and the global effort to eliminate hepatitis C.
To start, digital health and AI are reshaping the future of healthcare. Taiwan is building a solid framework to promote responsible AI governance. This will help ensure that medical AI is safe, effective, and trustworthy.
At the same time, Taiwan’s booming digital health industry will keep driving innovation. With tools like medical AI and robotics, and even the medical metaverse, we can enhance precision health and quality of care in every way.
Another critical area is cancer – one of the most serious health challenges of our time. To better prevent and treat cancer, Taiwan is promoting early screening, precision medicine, and better access to innovative treatments. We also launched a fund for new cancer drugs, and are updating our National Health Insurance. Our goal is to make sure that every patient receives timely, affordable, high-quality care.
Taiwan is also a leader in the global effort to eliminate hepatitis C. While the WHO set a target for 2030, Taiwan eliminated hepatitis C five years early. This success was no accident. It was built on sound governance and our National Health Insurance. Because of this, we were able to combine screening, treatment, and prevention into one plan.
However, this milestone is not the finish line. To maintain our progress, and close the remaining gaps, global cooperation is vital. We want to share what Taiwan has learned, and learn from our partners around the world. Together, we can work toward a future where hepatitis C is gone for good.
Successful health policy depends on collaboration. With the health challenges we face today, no country can act alone. We need to build stronger ties among the government, academia, industry, and the public. Only then can we boost innovation, promote equity, and build more resilient health systems.
For many years, Taiwan has been an active part of global health. As a responsible and reliable partner, we are committed to sharing our experiences and working closely with the international community. By joining the WHO, Taiwan could better ensure the right to health for all our people, and do even more to support the rest of the world.
To close, I want to thank the organizers, speakers, and participants for your hard work. Let’s continue building a healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient world together. Thank you.