Category: MIL-OSI

Subsidiary legislation relating to implementation of new arrangement on mutual service of judicial documents in civil and commercial proceedings gazetted 
     The existing Arrangement for Mutual Service of Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Proceedings between the Mainland and Hong Kong Courts (Existing Arrangement) has been implemented for over 27 years. The volume of requests for mutual service of judicial documents between the courts of the two places has surged in recent years. To enhance the efficiency of the courts of the two places in mutual service of judicial documents, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) signed the New Arrangement on April 20 this year with a view to enhancing the mechanism for mutual service of judicial documents in civil and commercial matters between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The New Arrangement aims to further promote the alignment of mechanisms and rules between the legal systems of the two places. The above subsidiary legislation seeks to implement the New Arrangement in Hong Kong, while the SPC will promulgate judicial interpretation on the implementation of the New Arrangement in the Mainland. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and SPC have agreed that the New Arrangement will come into force on March 30, 2027, replacing the Existing Arrangement.
 
     In order to implement the New Arrangement, the High Court Rules Committee made the Rules of the High Court (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026 under section 54 of the High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4) on October 12, 2026; the District Court Rules Committee made the Rules of the District Court (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026 under section 72 of the District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336) on October 12, 2026; and the Chief Judge made the Matrimonial Causes (Amendment) Rules 2026 under section 54 of the Matrimonial Causes Ordinance (Cap. 179) on October 12, 2026.
 
     A spokesman for the DoJ said, “The relevant subsidiary legislation implements the New Arrangement to add manners of service of judicial documents for civil proceedings (including matrimonial proceedings) on persons in the Mainland, thereby promoting timely and efficient handling of cross-boundary civil and commercial cases, strengthening the protection of the rights and interest of parties in the two places and better accommodating the increasingly close-knit ties and judicial needs between the Mainland and Hong Kong.”
 
     The Government briefed the Legislative Council Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services on the signing and implementation work of the New Arrangement on April 27, 2026. The Panel and the representatives of the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association generally welcomed the signing and supported the implementation of the New Arrangement. The Government also consulted the relevant stakeholders including the two legal professional bodies on the draft amendment rules of the courts and has suitably incorporated their comments.
 
     The above subsidiary legislation will be tabled at the Legislative Council next Wednesday (October 21) for negative vetting.
Issued at HKT 11:15

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Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Deductions for Intellectual Property Expenditure) Bill 2026 gazetted      
     A spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said, “The Bill puts into effect the measure announced in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Budgets to further enhance the tax deduction arrangements for local IP, lowering the costs of IP transactions to facilitate more IP trading activities and support the development of knowledge‑intensive industries in Hong Kong.”
      
     The Bill proposes to relax the IP-related tax deduction arrangements by allowing tax deductions for relevant capital expenditure incurred by enterprises in respect of the following:
      
     (1) Purchase of eligible IP rights from associates: allowing tax deduction for capital expenditure incurred by enterprises for the purchase of eligible IP rights from associates, such as group affiliates, to encourage multinational enterprises to centralise their IP management in Hong Kong, and to facilitate domestic intra-group transfer and business activities; 

     (2) Purchase of eligible IP rights which are used by a licensee outside Hong Kong: where the licensing income from the eligible IP rights is regarded as arising in or derived from Hong Kong under the foreign-sourced income exemption regime and is chargeable to profits tax in Hong Kong, the capital expenditure incurred for the purchase of the IP rights may also be allowed for tax deduction on a proportionate basis; and      ​
     The amendments proposed in the Bill will apply to contracts entered into on or after April 1, 2026, for the purchase of eligible IP rights or for the licence to use eligible IP rights.
      
     To safeguard Hong Kong’s tax base and prevent abuse of the tax deduction arrangements, the Bill provides for a series of rigorous safeguard measures. These include introducing a main purpose test for the purchase of IP rights from associates, providing for the calculation of the deduction amount for the capital expenditure incurred for the purchase of IP rights from Hong Kong associates, and where the capital expenditure incurred for purchasing eligible IP rights from non-Hong Kong business associates or acquiring a licence from associates for the use of eligible IP rights exceeds a specified threshold, a third-party independent valuation report is required to substantiate the tax deduction claim, so as to prevent excessive tax deduction.
      
     The spokesman continued, “The Government has been actively promoting the development of IP trading and financing in Hong Kong. Following the implementation of the concessionary tax rate under the ‘patent box’ initiative, the Bill will further enhance Hong Kong’s IP tax ecosystem. The introduction of more flexible tax deduction arrangements, whilst upholding our tax principles, will incentivise more local and overseas enterprises to select Hong Kong as their preferred platform for cross-border technology transfer and IP financing, thereby bolstering Hong Kong’s development into an international innovation and technology centre and a regional IP trading centre, in alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan.”
      
     The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for First Reading and Second Reading on October 28.
Issued at HKT 11:30

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Over 200 school bands and orchestras to perform at Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows     
     About 80 orchestras will participate in the Chinese Orchestra Interflow in six classes at the Auditorium of the Tuen Mun Town Hall from November 16 to 19.
 
     For the Symphony Orchestra Interflow, about 60 orchestras in four classes will perform at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from November 23 to 25. 
 
     About 50 orchestras will participate in the String Orchestra Interflow in four classes at the Auditorium of the Yuen Long Theatre from December 8 to 10.
 
     About 90 bands will take part in six classes in the Symphonic Band Interflow at the Arena of Queen Elizabeth Stadium from December 1 to 4. The top two Gold Award winners of each class (if awarded) will be invited to participate in the Symphonic Band Extravaganza on December 5 and compete for the Tom Lee Cup in the primary and secondary school categories.
 
     Tickets for the Chinese Orchestra Interflow are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk 
     The Chinese Orchestra Interflow is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.ccpo.gov.hk/enIssued at HKT 12:00

CHP continues to implement multipronged strategy to curb spread of Mpox 
Strengthening prevention
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     Mpox vaccine can prevent infection and severe disease. Since late September, the CHP has set up an additional Mpox vaccination centre at the CHP Building, in addition to regular vaccination venues      
     The DH’s Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre (YMTITC) will also arrange an additional vaccination session (10am to 1pm) next Saturday (October 24). People with high-risk contact may call the YMTITC at 2195 6588 from Monday through Friday from 8.30am to 5pm to schedule an appointment. The vaccination venue is located on 7/F, Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Polyclinic, 145 Battery Street, Yau Ma Tei.
      
     Vaccination provides a highly effective protective barrier. Studies show that receiving two doses of the Mpox vaccine reduces the risk of infection by 82 per cent, which significantly lowers the risk of transmission to sexual partners, and protects both the vaccinated individual and others. Local data also show that vaccinated patients are 87 per cent less likely to experience viral spread to other parts of the body. The CHP will continue to actively expand the number of Mpox vaccination venues and time slots to further reduce the risk of infection and transmission in the community.
      
     At the same time, the CHP’s Mpox hotline (2125 2373) continues to provide health assessments and advice to high-risk individuals. The hotline will arrange individuals in need to get vaccinated inside the CHP. The hotline operates daily from 9am to 6pm.
 
Case details
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     The newly reported imported case involves a 36-year-old man who developed a fever, sore throat and rash over various parts of his body (including genital area, trunk, hands and legs) on October 10. As his symptoms continued to worsen, he called the CHP’s Mpox hotline on October 13 and was arranged to receive isolation treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital on the same day. His condition is now stable. Upon laboratory testing by the CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB), his clinical specimen tested positive for the Monkeypox virus. According to the information provided by the patient, he had high-risk sexual exposure outside Hong Kong during the incubation period. The CHP is continuing its epidemiological investigation of the case, and will report it to the World Health Organization.
      
     Since 2022, Hong Kong has recorded 116 Mpox cases (91 local cases and 25 imported cases). All patients are males. Epidemiological investigations revealed that among the 23 cases recorded since August, all patients reported having engaged in high-risk sexual activities during the incubation period, including having sex with male strangers or multiple partners, and having sex without a condom. Most of them have not received the Mpox vaccinations. The CHP’s PHLSB conducted genetic analysis of the virus and found that some cases had identical genetic sequences, suggesting the existence of multiple transmission chains among men who have sex with men (MSM) population.
      
     Among the cases recorded since August, patients commonly used specific dating apps to find casual male sexual partners. After testing positive, some patients were unable to contact their newly met sexual partners, which hindered the CHP’s ability to conduct effective contact tracing and implement corresponding prevention and control measures. In view of this, the CHP has increased its outreach on social media platforms to promote Mpox prevention and vaccination, and has collaborated with the operators of relevant dating apps to regularly push information about Mpox prevention and vaccination to all users in Hong Kong.
      
     The CHP urges individuals who have engaged in high-risk sexual contact, particularly with male strangers, to remain vigilant and take appropriate personal protective measures, including receiving the Mpox vaccination and avoiding high-risk sexual contact, so as to lower the risk of infection. Members of the public should retain their sexual partners’ contact information to facilitate contact tracing when necessary.
      
     The CHP consistently conducts comprehensive and in-depth epidemiological investigations into every Mpox case, striving to contact individuals who have had high-risk contact with the patients to break the transmission chains within specific population. If the CHP identifies a specific venue as posing a transmission risk, it advises the premises to close temporarily to safeguard public health. CHP staff have also visited various entertainment venues frequented by MSM, including saunas, to promote Mpox prevention. Recently, “Hutong” 
More information on Mpox
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     Mpox is not transmitted through respiratory droplets or aerosols in general, and transmission would not occur through social contact. The CHP reminds the public, especially those at higher risk of exposure, to take precautions and avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of being infected. They should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience relevant symptoms, including rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches. They should not engage in activities with others that may involve contact with skin rash or body fluids.

     The DH has been providing Mpox vaccination services for high-risk groups, including individuals with high-risk sexual practices (such as having multiple sexual partners), sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months. 
      
     For more details, please visit the CHP’s webpages on MpoxIssued at HKT 13:08

Parent-child Quiz Competition in Commemoration of 160th Anniversary of Birth of Dr Sun Yat-sen opens for application 
     To commemorate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr Sun Yat-sen, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) will organise a parent-child quiz competition. The entry round of the competition opens from today (October 16) for application. Members of the public are welcome to join the competition.
      
     The competition features the life of Dr Sun, and the relationship between his vision and current national developments. Participants shall join the competition on a family basis and each team shall consist of two family members. The competition comprises a Child Category and a Youth Category. Participants shall answer 20 quiz questions and submit their applications via the competition website. The deadline to enter is November 6, 2026.
      
     Upon the closing of the entry round, those with the best performance in each category will be selected by ballot to attend the quiz semi-final and quiz final and prize presentation ceremony tentatively scheduled for December 2026. Attendees may have a chance to compete in the quiz final for prizes. Winning parent-child pairs will be awarded with a three-day, two-night trip to the Mainland.  
      
     The CPCE is a non-statutory committee that promotes civic and national education outside schools and in the community through various and diverse means, with a view to helping the general public develop positive values, civic awareness and sense of patriotism.
      
     For details, please call 2880 2885 or visit the Competition website at www.cpce.gov.hk/parentchildquiz/enIssued at HKT 15:00