Category: MIL-OSI

Spanish award-winning multimedia theatre “Laika” to grace LCSD’s “Cheers!” Series in January next year Each performance will be followed by a meet-the-artist session (conducted in Spanish with Cantonese and English interpretation). Members of the audience are welcome to stay behind to join.Issued at HKT 11:00

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Around 1 900 quality job vacancies to be offered at Career New Page Job Fair      
     Over 40 organisations will participate in the two-day job fair, offering around 1 900 quality job vacancies from various industries, among which over 1 400 are from the catering, retail, transport and property management industries. Over 20 organisations will set up booths and conduct recruitment on the spot each day. A wide variety of positions will be offered at the job fair, including duty engineer, restaurant manager, barista, retail sales executive, technician, project co-ordinator, turnaround co-ordinator, nursing home care worker, physiotherapy assistant, baggage and cargo handler, cashier, sales associate, waiter/waitress, chef, assistant human resources officer, customer service officer, property officer, general office clerk, cleaner, taxi driver, security guard, etc. Job seekers can visit the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk      
     Around 86 per cent of the vacancies offered at the job fair are full-time jobs. Most vacancies offer monthly salaries ranging from $12,000 to $24,000. About 95 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Six education level or below. Around 54 per cent are open to job seekers without relevant work experience.
      
     Job seekers can submit job applications during the event and may be selected for on-the-spot interviews. They can also make enquiries on the employment services provided by the LD at its counter inside the venue.
      
     The job fair will be held from 11am to 5.30pm at Lohas Park Community Hall, The Capitol, Lohas Park, Tseung Kwan O. Admission is free, with final admission time at 5pm each day.
Issued at HKT 11:00

Judiciary reaching out to law firms for registration and use of iCMS upon its extension to civil action cases in High Court 
     The Judiciary announced that starting this Friday (December 19), the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) will be extended to cover civil action cases (HCA) in the Court of First Instance of the High Court. The Judiciary is reaching out to law firms to assist with registration and use of iCMS.
      
     The iCMS provides a series of electronic services, including sending and receiving case-specific court documents to and from the courts, inspecting or searching filed documents and other case-related information held by the courts, searching cause books, and making payments for court services.  
       
     The Judiciary encourages case parties, particularly law firms, to register and utilise e-filing for iCMS-enabled case types (Note). This offers a convenient, all-in-one and all-weather solution for the handling of court-related documents and payments anytime, anywhere. A 20 per cent concession is offered to iCMS users for three years on fee items of the High Court that are primarily or directly related to electronic handling of court documents.

     With the iCMS, there is no need to visit the High Court Building to scan (this function is available to litigants-in-person only) and upload the electronic copy of the document to be filed using the self-service kiosks at the Resource Centre for Unrepresented Litigants or to make payments in the Accounts Office for paper filing.       Taking into account law firms’ responses and available resources, the Judiciary may require all law firms initiating a new case through paper filing to go through an assisted e-filing process to enhance training on iCMS. The Judiciary may also consider imposing a deadline for registration as a prerequisite for mandatory use of iCMS in 2026.
         
     For more details about the iCMS, including its technical requirements, please visit the dedicated webpage on e-Courts of the Judiciary website at www.judiciary.hk/en/e_courts/index.html     
Note: The iCMS currently covers personal injury actions, tax claim proceedings, civil action proceedings and employees’ compensation cases in the District Court; summons cases in the Magistrates’ Courts; bulk claims in the Small Claims Tribunal; and selected case types of civil proceedings in the High Court, including civil appeal cases in the Court of Appeal, commercial cases, construction and arbitration cases, intellectual property cases and personal injury cases, as well as civil action cases upon its rollout on December 19, in the Court of First Instance. 
Issued at HKT 11:00

EDB launches AI for Empowering Learning and Teaching Funding Programme      
     The Chief Executive proposed in the 2025 Policy Address to step up efforts to promote digital education in primary and secondary schools, and announced that the EDB has set aside $2 billion in the Quality Education Fund (QEF) to advance the relevant support measures proposed by the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education (SCSDDE). This will help Hong Kong’s education embrace the opportunities of the AI era and achieve the goal of “AI for ALL subjects”, where teachers utilise AI effectively to support teaching across subjects.
      
     The Chairperson of the SCSDDE and Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, said, “The EDB is determined to make AI the core driving force behind digital transformation in schools, and support primary and secondary schools in utilising AI to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness. In this connection, within the $2 billion earmarked under the QEF, the EDB allocates approximately $500 million to launch the three-year programme starting from this school year. Schools can flexibly utilise the funding to initiate and promote school-based programmes that use AI to empower education, catering for their specific circumstances and developmental needs.”
      
     He continued, “Successful school applicants will receive one-off funding of $500,000. Schools can utilise the funding according to the guidelines to purchase/ subscribe to/ lease AI-powered devices/ services that facilitate AI-assisted teaching, and to subsidise students’ participation in activities that enhance their AI literacy and skills. Generally, schools will receive the block funding of $500,000 on or before June 30, 2026. Schools can use the funding from the 2025/26 school year to the 2027/28 school year, until August 31, 2028.”
      
     The EDB encourages publicly funded schools to submit their applications for the said programme and have comprehensive planning of digital education (especially AI education) in schools, thereby empowering education through technology to enhance the quality of learning and teaching. For details of the programme and the related briefing sessions, please refer to EDB Circular No. 221/2025 (applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBCM/EDBCM25221E.pdfIssued at HKT 11:08

CSD fully launches Video Visit e-Booking Service     ​
     In order to enjoy the Video Visit e-Booking Service, visitors must be declared visitors of PICs and register for the e-Services Platform in advance. Visitors can also make bookings for physical visits and use the Approved Hand-in Articles e-Ordering Service through the e-Services Platform. Detailed information about the e-Services Platform is available on the CSD’s website (www.csd.gov.hk/english/socialvisit/ins_vis_guide.htmlIssued at HKT 12:00

CSSA caseload for November 2025              
     The total CSSA caseload at the end of November stood at 193 962 (see attached table), with a total of 256 425 recipients.
      
     Analysed by case nature, unemployment cases registered a month-to-month decrease of 2.2 per cent to 15 345 cases. Single parent cases dropped by 0.7 per cent to 18 113 cases.
      
     Ill-health cases registered an increase of 0.6 per cent to 28 011 cases. Both old age cases and low-earnings cases increased by 0.2 per cent to 110 891 cases and 1 281 cases respectively. Permanent disability cases remained steady at 16 406 cases.
Issued at HKT 17:00

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Auction of personalised vehicle registration marks to be held on January 4, 2026 
     “A total of 221 approved PVRMs will be put up for public auction. A list of the marks has been uploaded to the department’s website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html 
     The reserve price of each of these marks is $5,000. Applicants who have paid a deposit of $5,000 should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price). Otherwise, the PVRM concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.
 
     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following points:
 
(1) Bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after a successful bidding:
 
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser (if the purchaser and the successful bidder are different persons);
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation (if the purchaser is a body corporate); and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” or “The Government of the HKSAR”. For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed. Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount in the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.
 
(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the Memorandum will not be permitted.
 
(3) A PVRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(4) The display of a PVRM on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.
 
(5) Any change to the arrangement of letters, numerals and blank spaces of a PVRM, i.e. single and two rows as auctioned, will not be allowed.
 
(6) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the PVRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the PVRM within 12 months, allocation of the PVRM will be cancelled and arranged for reallocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     “Upon completion of the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM, the purchaser will be issued a receipt and a Certificate of Allocation of Personalised Registration Mark. The Certificate of Allocation will serve to prove the holdership of the PVRM. Potential buyers of vehicles bearing a PVRM should check the Certificate of Allocation with the sellers and pay attention to the details therein. For transfer of vehicle ownership, this certificate together with other required documents should be sent to the TD for processing,” the spokesman added.
 
     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRM, which is available at the department’s licensing offices or can be downloaded from its website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/pvrm_auction/index.htmlIssued at HKT 14:34

Hong Kong and Norway enter into tax pact       
     Mr Hui said, “Norway is an important trading partner of Hong Kong in Northern Europe. This June, I travelled to Norway specifically to discuss with their Ministry of Finance the early conclusion of the CDTA between our two jurisdictions. The Norwegian authorities responded positively, which led to the formal signing of the agreement today, just six months after the trip. The CDTA sets out the allocation of taxing rights between Hong Kong and Norway, which will enable investors to better assess their potential tax liabilities from cross-border economic activities and enjoy avoidance of double taxation. It is envisaged that this CDTA will create a more attractive business environment for the two places.
      
     “The HKSAR Government has been committed to promoting international tax co-operation and has achieved significant results. Just this year, we signed a total of four CDTAs with Jordan, Maldives, Norway and Rwanda. The agreement signed today with Norway marks Hong Kong’s 55th CDTA, fully reflecting Hong Kong’s ongoing efforts in expanding its CDTA network.”
      
     In accordance with this CDTA, any tax paid by Hong Kong residents in Norway will be allowed as a credit against the tax payable in Hong Kong in respect of the same income, subject to the provisions of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (IRO). Moreover, Norway’s withholding tax rate for Hong Kong residents on dividends, currently at up to 25 per cent, will be reduced to 5 per cent or 15 per cent, depending on the percentage of their shareholdings.
      
     The CDTA will come into force after completion of ratification procedures by both sides. In Hong Kong, the Chief Executive in Council will make an order under the IRO, which will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting. Details of the CDTA are available on the Inland Revenue Department’s website      
     Mr Hui added, “During my visits to Slovenia and Poland this year, I also reached consensus with senior financial officials of both countries on CDTA negotiations. The HKSAR Government will continue to deepen tax co-operation with other countries and regions, thereby further enhancing Hong Kong’s attractiveness as an international business and investment hub. We plan to commence CDTA negotiations with Slovenia and Oman early next year. In addition, Hong Kong’s active participation in international efforts to enhance tax transparency and combat tax evasion has been well-recognised. Earlier this year, Hong Kong was successfully removed from the respective ‘tax blacklists’ of Chile, Colombia and Portugal.”
      
     At today’s bilateral meeting, Mr Hui highlighted to Mr Dysvik the strengths of Hong Kong as an international financial and commercial centre, and explored co-operation opportunities between the two sides in the financial sector, including maritime finance, green finance and wealth management.
      
     During his stay in Beijing, Mr Hui also called on the Ministry of Finance to discuss the preparatory work for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) 2026 to be held in Hong Kong in October next year. Hosted by the Ministry of Finance, the FMM will be held in Hong Kong under the arrangements and organisation of the HKSAR Government. A dedicated task force led by Mr Hui is responsible for co-ordinating relevant planning and preparatory work.
      
     Mr Hui will return to Hong Kong this evening.
Issued at HKT 15:42