Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (April 1) released the sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in March, covering 18 survey areas, as follows:
 

     Among the sixth batch of First Phase Gravidtrap Indexes covering five survey areas and Area Gravidtrap Indexes covering 13 survey areas in March, most of the areas recorded 0 per cent, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes was not extensive.

     The FEHD has so far released six batches of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in March 2026, covering 62 survey areas. Among these 62 survey areas, 47 recorded a decrease or remained unchanged as compared to the Area Gravidtrap Index last month (i.e. February 2026), representing that the areas’ mosquito infestation improved or maintained a low level. Fifteen other areas recorded a slight increase, but the indexes were lower than 10 per cent.

     The warm and humid weather of spring is favourable for mosquito breeding. Members of the public should strengthen prevention work against mosquito breeding before the rainy season, and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites in advance, with a view to avoiding the nuisances caused by rapid mosquito breeding during the rainy season and reducing the risk of transmitting mosquito-borne diseases.

     Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including:

• tidy up their premises and check for any accumulation of water inside their premises;
• remove all unnecessary water collections and eliminate the sources;
• check household items (those placed in outdoor and open areas in particular), such as refuse containers, vases, air conditioner drip trays, and laundry racks to prevent stagnant water;
• change water in flower vases and scrub their inner surfaces thoroughly, and remove water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week;
• properly cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquitoes from accessing the water;
• properly dispose of articles that can contain water, such as disposable meal boxes and empty cans; and
• scrub drains and surface sewers with alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

     Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of chikungunya fever (CF) transmission.

     Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department’s webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai (SHETO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), in collaboration with the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province, jointly hosted the “Hong Kong: The Preferred Platform for Shandong Enterprises to Go Global” seminar today (April 1) in Jinan, Shandong Province.

     The event was supported by the Finance Office of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province, and was co-organised by the Shandong Liaison Unit of the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Jinan Municipal Committee. It explored how Mainland enterprises, including those from Shandong Province, can leverage Hong Kong’s business advantages and opportunities to expand overseas, as well as to strengthen collaboration between the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force) and Mainland authorities to better support Mainland enterprises with their overseas expansion plans via Hong Kong.
          
     The seminar began with welcoming remarks by the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, and the Vice Governor of the Shandong Provincial People’s Government, Mr Sun Ximin.
           
     Dr Chan said that Shandong has a strong industrial foundation and solid manufacturing capabilities, providing a robust base for enterprises to go global. Hong Kong has long been an important economic and trade partner for Shandong and a key platform for Shandong enterprises to go global. The National 15th Five-Year Plan gives explicit support to Hong Kong in better integrating into and serving the overall national development, consolidating and enhancing its status as “four centres and one hub”. Hong Kong can help Shandong enterprises address various challenges, such as expanding international markets, managing cross-border capital and exchange rate risks, meeting overseas compliance requirements and protecting intellectual property, cultivating international talent and connecting with professional services, making it the best partner for enterprises to expand to overseas markets. He noted that the GoGlobal Task Force aims to provide one-stop solutions to issues faced by enterprises during their overseas expansion process, ranging from financing planning to market development. It will organise overseas delegations for Mainland enterprises to gain first-hand insights into overseas business environments.

     He also said that this year marks the beginning of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Hong Kong will actively integrate into and serve the national development strategy, deepening co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in economic and trade fields. In February, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Ministry of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening co-operation and exchange in the provision of comprehensive overseas services, fostering closer collaboration between Mainland enterprises seeking to go global. In addition, the GoGlobal Task Force’s dedicated website (www.goglobal.gov.hk) has been officially launched, including the cross-sector professional services platform established by the HKTDC that aims to provide Mainland enterprises planning to expand overseas via Hong Kong with comprehensive information about the GoGlobal Task Force’s services, and to match them with Hong Kong’s professional services.

     Mr Sun said, Shandong has a comprehensive and robust industrial system, a vast and diversified market, and strong growth momentum, providing Hong Kong with abundant application scenarios and co-operation opportunities in finance, trade, and professional services. It has become an important partner for Hong Kong in expanding into the Mainland market and integrating into the national development strategy. Shandong is ready to work hand in hand with Hong Kong to leverage their respective advantages, share development opportunities, cultivate new drivers of industrial collaboration, enhance the level of technological co-operation, and expand new capital co-operation. Shandong enterprises are encouraged to actively seize the opportunities arising from high-level opening up, make good use of Hong Kong as the preferred platform for going global, align with international standards, connect with global resources, and continuously strengthen their core competitiveness and international influence.

     As core members of the GoGlobal Task Force, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK Ms Loretta Lee and the Regional Director, Northern China, of the HKTDC, Mr Kevin Chan, encouraged Mainland enterprises to choose Hong Kong as their preferred base for going global. They also delivered keynote speeches on how Hong Kong can assist Mainland enterprises in expanding into global markets.      

     Ms Lee said, Hong Kong, with its unique advantages of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, provides strong support for Mainland enterprises for their global expansion. As the overseas expansion strategies of Mainland enterprises continue to upgrade, businesses across different industries at various stages can find their own “value-added leverage point” in Hong Kong. From financial capital to innovation ecosystems, from intellectual property protection to high-end talent, and from a well-established legal system to the Northern Metropolis, Hong Kong has everything that Mainland enterprises need to go global. InvestHK offers Mainland enterprises one-stop,  support for overseas expansion, ranging from consultations and business set-up assistance to further business expansion.

     Mr Chan said that the HKTDC, as another core member of the GoGlobal Task Force, has 51 global offices and an extensive business network. Each year, it organises over 40 international exhibitions and conferences, providing customised solutions for Mainland enterprises to go global across various areas, such as innovation and technology, food and agricultural products, gifts and cultural creativity, logistics and shipping, finance, life and health, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative. The HKTDC actively shares successful cases of Mainland enterprises using Hong Kong as a platform to go global and leverage on Hong Kong’s strengths as a global services hub and resource allocation centre. The HKTDC is committed to supporting Shandong enterprises in using Hong Kong as a springboard to steadily pursue globalisation and explore overseas markets.

     The seminar also featured a panel discussion moderated by the Deputy Director of SHETO Mr Arthur Lam. Representatives from Hong Kong’s professional services sectors and Mainland enterprises that have successfully expanded overseas through Hong Kong shared their experiences and insights on how Hong Kong’s advantages can empower Shandong enterprises to better expand overseas markets.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Fan and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):

Question:

     In recent years, the Government has promoted national education and national security education (NSE) continuously, and the Education Bureau has launched the National Education One-Stop Portal website to provide relevant teaching resources. However, some teachers have expressed the hope that the authorities can provide precise and timely teaching resources and sample teaching materials for teachers’ reference, so that they can more accurately convey the content of national education and NSE to students in class. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of teaching materials, teaching resources, and suggested activities relating to national education and NSE currently provided by the Education Bureau on the National Education One-Stop Portal and other relevant platforms; whether these resources cover the curricula and needs of primary and secondary schools at all grade levels; and the number of downloads of relevant teaching resources from the National Education One-Stop Portal over the past three years;

(2) whether the authorities have regularly collected information on (i) how the education sector makes use of the national education and NSE resources provided by the authorities, and (ii) feedback and views from teachers and students on the relevant teaching materials and teaching activities; if so, of the details and the content of such feedback; if not, whether they will conduct relevant opinion surveys;

(3) of the existing mechanism put in place by the authorities to regularly review and update the teaching materials and suggested activities on national education and NSE, so as to facilitate teachers in applying these materials in class in a timely manner; it is learnt that the authorities will develop thematic teaching materials on the National 15th Five-Year Plan and other latest developments; whether there are plans to organise teacher training to assist teachers in applying these materials in class; if so, of the details and timetable; and

(4) whether the Government will consider entrusting the Working Group on Patriotic Education to take up dedicated coordination work, with a view to developing more precise sample teaching materials on national education and NSE tailored to the characteristics of students at different age groups for use by the education sector, thereby enhancing the precision, systematic structure and emotional impact of the teaching materials?

Reply:

President,

     The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to the implementation of national education and national security education, and continues to adopt diversified and specific measures, including providing curriculum guides, developing learning and teaching resources, offering training for teachers, and organising life-wide learning activities for students, to fully support schools in planning and implementing national education and national security education in a systematic manner and nurturing students into talent with an affection for our country and Hong Kong, global perspectives and readiness to shoulder great responsibilities through the approaches of “organic integration”, “natural connection”, “diversified strategies”, “mutual coordination”, “learning within and beyond the classroom”, and “whole-school participation”. The progress and outcomes achieved in this regard are widely recognised. 

     The consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Fan is as follows:

(1) to (4) Continued provision of quality learning and teaching resources on national education and national security education

     The EDB continues to provide primary and secondary schools with learning and teaching resources relating to national education and national security education which cater for the learning and teaching needs at different year levels. These resources help students understand properly the constitutional relationship between our country and Hong Kong, as well as enhance their knowledge of national affairs and the importance of national security to our country and Hong Kong. Examples of learning and teaching resources for different learning stages at the primary and secondary levels uploaded to the EDB website include:

• updated Curriculum Framework of National Security Education in Hong Kong
• national security education curriculum frameworks for 27 subjects
• National Security Education Online Learning Platform
• sample lesson plan design for national security education
• Constitution and Basic Law Online Course for Secondary School Students’ Self-directed Learning
• teaching resources on the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China
• video on the origin and development of the Belt and Road Initiative
• card games on National History and Chinese Culture and National Geography
• learning and teaching resources on the 60th Anniversary of Dongjiang Water Supply to Hong Kong – “Sense of Gratitude for the Source”
• learning and teaching resources on Chinese Classic Sayings

     In addition, the EDB continues to optimise and enrich the web-based resource platform National Education One-stop Portal (the platform), which covers themes in relation to the Constitution, the Basic Law and national security education, national symbols and signs (including the national flag, the national emblem and the national anthem), Chinese history and culture, and museum learning, to facilitate reference and learning by teachers and students. The platform also provides examples of learning activities and learning and teaching resources relating to the key dates, including speaking points, presentation slides, short videos, e-books and so on, in tandem with the recommendations set out in “National Education – Event Planning Calendar” to support primary and secondary schools in planning holistically school-based national education and national security education learning activities.  From the 2022/23 to 2025/26 school years (as at mid-March 2026), the platform recorded 2.47 million hits.  

     The EDB has in recent years distributed to schools a number of quality books on national education and national security education for teachers’ reference and as supplementary learning and teaching materials, including the picture book “Our Country, Our Security”, 《香港特別行政區維護國家安全法讀本》 (Chinese version only), the “National Security Education” book series (a total of four books for Primary 1 to 3, Primary 4 to 6, Secondary 1 to 3, and Secondary 4 to 6 respectively), and “Chronicle of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade (Revised Edition)”.

Provision of teacher professional development programmes and development of learning and teaching resources to align with the latest national development

     The existing curricula of Primary Humanities, Citizenship, Economics and Society at the junior secondary level, as well as Citizenship and Social Development (CS) cover learning contents related to the latest development of our country and Hong Kong’s integration into the overall national development. To enable students to understand, at an early stage, the main directions of our country’s development over the next five years and how Hong Kong can better integrate into and serve the overall national development, the EDB has produced presentation slides on the “Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development” for CS for enrichment of learning and teaching contents. The EDB will update the presentation slides following the National People’s Congress’ approval of the “Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China” (the 15th Five-Year Plan), and develop learning and teaching resources for related subjects to be uploaded to the EDB website for teachers’ reference and use with a view to facilitating students’ learning of the main spirit and key contents of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Furthermore, the EDB will organise knowledge enrichment seminars and online courses for teachers to deepen their understanding of the previous national Five-Year Plans and the 15th Five-Year Plan. Teacher learning circles and workshops will also be launched to support teachers in designing and optimising learning and teaching strategies as well as resources with the aim of enhancing students’ understanding of the contents of the 15th Five-Year Plan through sharing of learning and teaching experiences among schools.

     The State Council released the white paper titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems” (the white paper) in February this year. The EDB has consolidated related materials and developed learning and teaching resources on the key contents of the white paper, and issued a circular memorandum to schools in March this year to provide timely and appropriate learning and teaching resources for schools and teachers. Teachers are also supported in using these resources through related teacher professional development programmes. In addition, the EDB has made good use of key dates such as the National Security Education Day, the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance, and the 15th National Games to develop various learning and teaching resources and organise diversified activities, thereby cultivating students’ sense of national identity, sense of belonging and responsibility to our country, and patriotic spirit.

Continued collection of stakeholders’ views to optimise support for learning and teaching

     The EDB has been seeking to understand and monitor the quality of learning and teaching in schools as well as collect their views on learning and teaching resources through various channels such as inspections, school visits, curriculum implementation surveys, school surveys, daily communications with schools and meetings of the Curriculum Development Council and its Committees, which serve as a source of reference in continuously optimising support for learning and teaching.

     Overall speaking, teachers in general are able to make good use of the learning and teaching resources on national education and national security education provided by the EDB, and to appropriately adapt and select the resources having regard to the curriculum aims, students’ learning needs and progress as well as other school-based contexts for enhancing learning effectiveness. The EDB regularly reviews and updates learning and teaching resources to cater for students’ needs and align with national and social development to keep up with the times. We also optimise the contents of the resources and recommendations on related activities in a timely manner through collecting schools’ feedback, making reference to the latest trends in curriculum development and so on to support schools in promoting national education and national security education.

Continued follow-up on the recommendations of the Working Group on Patriotic Education to optimise learning and teaching resources

     The EDB will continue to report the development of learning and teaching resources on national education and national security education to the Working Group on Patriotic Education (the Working Group) and its Education Sub-group under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee. We will solicit views from the Working Group and proactively follow up on its recommendations to develop and optimise the design of learning and teaching resources which cater for the needs of students at different learning stages as well as support teachers in mastering the related contents more accurately in the classroom for enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that so far this year, there have been three fatal industrial accidents relating to lifting operations in the construction industry, including the collapse of a tower crane (commonly known as a sky crane) at a construction site in Kwai Chung on the 19th of last month, which resulted in the death of a worker. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of prosecutions instituted by the Government in each of the past two years and so far this year against owners of lifting appliances or lifting gear for contravening the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Lifting Appliances and Lifting Gear) Regulations, and the number of successful convictions among such cases and the average amount of fines imposed; 

(2) as Hong Kong has recorded two serious fatal incidents involving the collapse of sky cranes at construction sites in less than four years, whether the Government will comprehensively review and enhance the inspection and regulatory mechanisms to ensure the structural and operational safety of sky cranes, so as to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and 

(3) whether it will consider requiring that personnel engaged as “slingers” and “signallers” in lifting appliances operations must undergo professional training and possess recognised qualifications; if so, of the details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that? 

Reply:
 
President,

     The Government is highly concerned about an accident that happened at a construction site in Kwai Chung on March 19 this year, in which a tower crane collapsed suddenly during its operation. The Government is saddened by the death of the crane operator and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family. 
 
     The Labour Department (LD) is conducting the investigation at full speed to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. The LD will take strict actions pursuant to the law if any breach of legislation is identified during the investigation.
 
     Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Lam Chun-sing is as follows:

(1) The LD initiated 388 and 281 prosecutions against owners of lifting appliances or lifting gear for breaches of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Lifting Appliances and Lifting Gear) Regulations in 2024 and 2025 respectively. As at February this year, a total of 28 prosecutions have been initiated. The numbers of convicted summonses and the average fines for the same period are set out in Annex.

(2) The Government attaches great importance to workers’ occupational safety and health (OSH). The construction industry has the highest number of fatal industrial accidents and the highest accident rate per 1 000 workers. The LD pays particular attention to the safety level of the construction industry and the changes in the OSH risk of construction workers. Pursuant to the risk-based principle, the LD formulates and adjusts relevant strategies on the inspection and enforcement, education and training as well as technology application, etc, to enhance the effectiveness.

     As far as inspection and enforcement are concerned, territory-wide special inspection exercises have been launched from March 30 (Monday), targeting construction sites involving tower crane lifting operations. The LD is also making use of technologies to enhance the enforcement efficiency of frontline officers, including the use of small unmanned aircraft for aerial photography and videography to remotely monitor tower crane operations, and assist frontline officers in inspecting the high‑up positions of tower cranes that are normally difficult to reach, thereby curbing unsafe lifting operations and strengthening the monitoring of the structural safety of tower cranes.

     Besides, the LD will continue to conduct special enforcement operations on the construction sites using lifting appliances, including the erection, inspection, and lifting operations of tower cranes, and will also carry out comprehensive and in‑depth surprise inspections on the construction sites involving unsafe lifting operation or poor safety performance. If breaches of the requirements under the OSH legislation, including the use of unsafe machinery in workplace, are identified during inspection, actions will be taken pursuant to the law.

     The “Code of Practice for Safe Use of Tower Cranes” (CoP) has been issued by the LD on the safe and correct use of tower cranes, providing practical guidance on the safe use and operation of tower cranes to ensure the safety of personnel working on and near the cranes. The LD is revising the said CoP, the main revisions of which include enhancing the requirements and inspections for tower crane installation, welding processes, anchorages and foundations safety.  The industry will also be required to install video devices and install and use the Tower Crane Alert System. Inspection checklist templates for inspection, testing and thorough examination of tower cranes will also be included in the CoP for reference by relevant inspection personnel so as to further enhance the safety level of tower crane operations.

     On the other hand, the LD is working with the Development Bureau and the Building Technology Research Institute to provide advice on the relevant OSH legislation for the newly developed Remote-Control Tower Crane System. This remote-control system enables tower crane operators to operate the crane in a cabin on the ground, and identify safety risks with the use of artificial intelligence technology, thereby enhancing lifting safety and improving the working environment for crane operators.

(3) The existing CoP of the LD provides practical guidance on the safe and correct use of tower cranes, specifying the requirements for riggers and signallers as well as the knowledge required for their duties. 

     The LD, in revising the CoP, will consider enhancing the safety training requirements for riggers and signallers, e.g. requiring them to hold a valid certificate of the Safety Training Course for Construction Workers (Silver Card Course) – Rigger and Signaller issued by the Hong Kong Institute of Construction before they are allowed to perform the related work.  

     The LD strives to publish the newly revised CoP within this year to further enhance the safety level of tower cranes. In the subsequent inspections at the construction sites equipped with tower cranes, the LD will pay particular attention to whether the relevant riggers and signallers meet the training and technical requirements set out in the new CoP.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (April 1) that, starting from today, it will collaborate with relevant departments to implement a new “joint-vetting” mechanism and streamline procedures for processing applications for outside seating accommodation (OSA) of restaurants, with the aim of facilitating business operations.

A spokesman for the FEHD said, “Previously, the median processing time for OSA applications was 12 months from receipt of application to approval. Under the new arrangements, applications which are simple and straightforward are expected to be approved in principle within about one month, with applicants informed of the detailed licensing requirements.”

The spokesman added, “Application requirements have also been suitably relaxed. For example, eligible restaurants will not be required to increase food room areas and sanitary fitments for the OSA. Applications involving walkways with a remaining width of 3 metres or more after the provision of OSA will generally be considered as meeting the traffic requirements. Each relevant department will also assign a dedicated case manager to handle applicant’s enquiries.”

Under the new arrangements, the application form has been enhanced to ensure that each relevant department receives necessary information upfront, expediting the approval process. District Offices will conduct local consultations in parallel. If no objections are raised, applications will be approved in principle; formal approval will be granted once applicants comply with licensing requirements and inspections are completed by the FEHD and relevant departments. For complex cases arising during the “joint-vetting”, the relevant Permanent Secretaries and even the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration will step in to resolve issues. After approval of OSA, the departments will conduct audit checking as necessary to ensure that there are no violations.

​The Chief Executive announced in the 2025 Policy Address that the FEHD and relevant departments would expedite OSA applications of restaurants and streamline procedures. Under the leadership of the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, the FEHD and relevant departments had earlier streamlined procedures, formulated internal guidelines, and briefed the trade on the new arrangements. Details of the new application arrangements and forms are available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/guide.html#OutsideSeatingAccommodation). The application forms also provide enquiry hotlines for each relevant department.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (April 1).

     The value of total retail sales in February 2026, provisionally estimated at $35.0 billion, increased by 19.3% compared with the same month in 2025. The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in January 2026 increased by 5.5% compared with a year earlier. For the first two months of 2026 taken together, it was provisionally estimated that the value of total retail sales increased by 11.8% compared with the same period in 2025.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Government announced today (April 1) that the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs had respectively appointed 1 918 persons, 553 persons and 530 persons as members of the Area Committees, the District Fight Crime Committees and the District Fire Safety Committees (collectively referred to as “the three committees”) for a new term of office of two years starting from April 1, 2026.

The Government identifies suitable persons who aspire to serve the community via various channels to join “the three committees” on the basis of the merit of the individuals concerned, taking into account various factors, including a candidate’s ability, expertise, experience, integrity, commitment to serving the community, as well as with due regard to the functions of “the three committees”.

The membership lists of “the three committees” in 18 districts have been uploaded to the Home Affairs Department’s website (www.had.gov.hk/en/18_districts/my_map.htm).