Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened a meeting today (September 9) to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland from October 1 to 8. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, with representatives from government departments including Hong Kong Customs, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, the Transport Department, and various District Offices. Representatives from various tourism-related organisations, including the Travel Industry Authority, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions and the hotel industry, also attended.

Miss Law said, “We are approaching the eight-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, which also overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Various activities will take place in Hong Kong simultaneously, bringing a rich and vibrant tourism experience to visitors. Relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade with a view to making good preparation, ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects of receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience.”

Relevant parties will maintain close communication before the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland to plan and take forward various preparations in various areas for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Ma Liu Shui New Ferry Pier is open for public use today (September 9), providing two berths to divert vessel and passenger traffic from the existing Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier and the nearby landing steps, thereby alleviating congestion, especially during holidays.
 
The new pier, a project under the Pier Improvement Programme (PIP), is located next to Ma Liu Shui Landing No. 3 on Science Park Road in Sha Tin (see location map). It provides berths for local sightseeing vessels and kaito ferries for passenger boarding and alighting. Two regular kaito ferry service routes, namely Ma Liu Shui – Lai Chi Wo and Ma Liu Shui – Kat O/Ap Chau, currently using Landing No. 3 for boarding and alighting, will switch to the new pier starting this Saturday (September 13). The other two regular kaito ferry service routes, Ma Liu Shui – Tap Mun and Ma Liu Shui – Tung Ping Chau, will continue to use Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier.
 
The new pier features a design with a floating platform and a gangway. As the floating platform rises and falls with the sea level, it remains at the same level as the vessels, making it easier for them to berth and for passengers to board and alight safely and conveniently. The floating platform is connected to the shore by a gangway for passengers in need. In addition, facilities including charging stations, a Wi-Fi hotspot and an information display panel are installed on the shore to enhance user convenience and experience.
 
Launched in 2017, the PIP aims to improve marine traffic to and from remote areas in the New Territories and outlying islands, facilitating access for residents and visitors while meeting the needs of fishermen’s operations through reconstruction or construction of public piers and upgrading of pier facilities. The PIP currently involves 23 public piers. In addition to Ma Liu Shui New Ferry Pier, which is open today, Pak Kok Pier on Lamma Island and Kau Sai Village Pier in Sai Kung are already open for public use. Ten piers are under construction, seven of which will open progressively by the end of 2025. These include Lai Chi Chong Pier, Sham Chung Pier and Sam Mun Tsai Village Pier in Tai Po District; Leung Shuen Wan Pier in Sai Kung District; Yi O Pier and Ma Wan Chung Pier on Lantau; and Shek Tsai Wan Pier at Ma Wan. Improvement works for Yung Shue Wan Public Pier on Lamma Island, Sai Wan Jetty on Cheung Chau and Tai O Public Pier on Lantau are expected to be completed in 2026. The remaining piers are at the planning and design stages, and the projects will be taken forward in an orderly manner.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Hadsel of Nordland County in Norway and Huelva Province of Andalucía in Spain, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong currently has established a protocol with Norway for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 40 kilograms of frozen poultry meat from Norway in the first six months of this year. Moreover, Hong Kong imported about 50 tonnes of frozen poultry meat, and about 50 000 poultry eggs from Spain in the first six months of this year.

“The CFS has contacted the Norwegian and Spanish authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 9) that Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach in Islands District is temporarily closed until further notice for maintenance of the shark prevention nets. The red flag has been hoisted at the beach. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (September 9) that the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) will subsidise a total of 4 781 places in 57 undergraduate programmes, covering 3 425 places in 57 first-year-first-degree (FYFD) programmes and 1 356 places in 45 top-up degree (TUD) programmes of eight post-secondary institutions for the cohort to be admitted in the 2026/27 academic year. 
 
The programmes of the SSSDP fall under 10 disciplines that have been identified as having keen manpower demand, namely architecture and engineering, computer science, creative industries, financial technology, healthcare, insurance, logistics, sports and recreation, testing and certification, and tourism and hospitality. The programmes include 16 applied degree programmes, which will receive additional subsidies, with a view to further strengthening the vocational and professional education and training progression pathway at the post-secondary level. 
 
The programmes and numbers of subsidised places under the SSSDP are determined by the EDB in consultation with relevant policy bureaux and departments. Details of the participating institutions, the programmes and the numbers of subsidised places are listed in the Annex. The EDB will continue to work with relevant policy bureaux and departments to explore covering more suitable programmes in the SSSDP.
 
The annual subsidy amounts for the 2026/27 academic year will remain unchanged at $81,450 for laboratory-based programmes and $46,780 for non-laboratory-based programmes. For applied degree programmes, including the additional annual subsidies, the total annual subsidy amounts will also remain unchanged at $89,620 for laboratory-based programmes and $51,880 for non-laboratory-based programmes.
 
The subsidy amounts are applicable to both new and continuing eligible students. The subsidy is tenable for the normal duration of the programmes concerned. Subsidised students will pay a tuition fee with the subsidy applied. Students in need may still apply for student financial assistance from the Student Finance Office of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency in respect of the actual amount of tuition fee payable.
 
The subsidised FYFD intake places are allocated mainly through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System to ensure that eligible students are selected on a merit basis, whereas the subsidised places of the TUD programmes are allocated in accordance with the existing admission arrangements of the self-financing TUD programmes, i.e. through direct admission by institutions. Students can apply for admission to the programmes directly through the institutions concerned.
 
The SSSDP was launched in the 2015/16 academic year to subsidise students to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines. The objectives are as follows:
 
(1) to increase the supply of subsidised undergraduate places by leveraging the supply of the self-financing post-secondary education sector;
 
(2) to nurture talent in support of specific industries with keen demand for human resources;
 
(3) to encourage the self-financing post-secondary education sector to offer programmes in selected disciplines that meet Hong Kong’s social and economic needs by providing targeted financial support; and
 
(4) to support the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector to complement the University Grants Committee-funded sector in broadening and diversifying study opportunities.
 
The SSSDP has been expanded to include TUD programmes with effect from the 2023/24 academic year. As for the designated sub-degree programmes, the relevant details for the 2026/27 cohort, including the participating institutions, the sub-degree programmes, the numbers of subsidised places and the subsidy amounts, will be announced in due course. 
 
Details of the SSSDP are available on the EDB website (www.cspe.edu.hk/sssdp).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, today (September 9) attended the signing ceremony of the collaboration agreements between The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and three local universities with schools of Chinese medicine, namely Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He witnessed CMHHK, as the Chinese medicine (CM) teaching hospital for the respective universities, establish a close partnership with the universities to promote the high-quality and high-standard development of CM in Hong Kong on all fronts. 
 
Professor Lo said, “Today, CMHHK becomes the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, which marks a significant milestone in the development of CM services, training and education, and scientific research in Hong Kong. I expect CMHHK and the three universities to create synergy in providing better CM services for members of the public, as well as fostering training and education, and scientific research and innovation in CM. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to give full support to the CMHHK in collaborating with various stakeholders to make good use of the development platform of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and fully leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of enjoying strong support from the motherland and being closely connected to the world, with a view to contributing to the national development of CM.”

The clinical services of CMHHK cover six specialised CM services, namely Internal Medicine in CM, External Medicine in CM, Gynaecology in CM, Paediatrics in CM, Orthopaedics and Traumatology in CM and Acupuncture and Moxibustion in CM. CM experts from the three universities will participate in these services and jointly formulate clinical standards and guidelines, enabling CMHHK to provide quality and safe services for members of the public. Meanwhile, as the CM teaching hospital for the three universities, CMHHK will provide local clinical placements and advanced training opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates, serving as an important base for nurturing CM talent. In addition, the hospital’s diverse clinical cases, coupled with the top-tier research capabilities of the universities, will foster CM scientific research development, including proprietary Chinese medicines development and clinical research. CMHHK will also strengthen co-operation with counterparts on the Mainland and overseas through the international academic networks of the three universities, thereby facilitating CM’s going global with concerted effort. 
  
At the signing ceremony, Professor Lo; the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Professor Alexander Wai (representative of CMHHK); and representatives of the three universities, namely the Vice-President (Research and Development) of HKBU, Professor Lyu Aiping; the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Philip Chiu; and the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the HKU, Professor Lau Chak-sing, jointly witnessed the signing of agreements by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CMHHK Operator, Mr Huen Wong, with the Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine of HKBU, Professor Li Min; the Director of the School of Chinese Medicine of the CUHK, Professor Lin Zhixiu; and the Associate Dean (Clinical Affairs) of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU and Director of HKU Health System, Professor Victoria Wong, respectively. The Hospital Chief Executive of CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also attended the media briefing held after the signing ceremony.
 
Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. The Government commissioned HKBU as the Contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. HKBU subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital. CMHHK will commence services in phases starting from December this year. 

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Foreign Minister Lin meets with Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group delegation led by Cochair Paroli

Date：2025-09-05
Data Source：Department of European Affairs

September 5, 2025No. 319A delegation from the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group arrived in Taiwan on September 4. The delegation was led by Cochair Adriano Paroli and included Senator Gianpietro Maffoni, Senator Alberto Losacco, Deputy Andrea Orsini, Deputy Luca Squeri, Deputy Raffaele Nevi, Senator Dario Damiani, and Senator Cinzia Pellegrino.Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung warmly welcomed the delegation, noting that it was the largest group of cross-party parliamentarians from Italy to visit Taiwan in recent years. He thanked the Italian Parliament for advancing a number of resolutions friendly to Taiwan, such as those supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and refuting China’s misrepresentation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. On behalf of the government of Taiwan, Minister Lin extended appreciation to the government of Italy for reiterating the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and for sending naval vessels to patrol the Indo-Pacific last year, when Italy held the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven. He also conveyed hope that Italy would transit naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait to defend freedom of navigation and jointly uphold democracy.During a luncheon hosted for the delegation by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chihchung Wu, he stated that Italy was an important partner of Taiwan and that the two countries shared the values of democracy and freedom. He expressed optimism that the visit would enhance the delegation’s understanding of Taiwan and deepen bilateral ties. Deputy Minister Wu also observed that Taiwan’s key role in global semiconductor supply chains was founded on cooperation with European industries and said that he looked forward to the continued expansion of Taiwan-Italy exchanges and collaboration in science, technology, and other domains.Cochair Paroli thanked the Taiwan government for inviting the delegation. He noted that Taiwan was an important democratic member of the Indo-Pacific and expressed admiration for Taiwan’s scientific research and economic strengths. He remarked that he hoped that Taiwan would continue exerting its influence worldwide. He added that the entire delegation would remain committed to promoting legislation supporting Taiwan and endorsing its international participation so as to jointly bolster bilateral relations.   During their stay in Taiwan, the members of the delegation will meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim; Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Johnny Chiang; Vice Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei; Political Deputy Minister of Finance Juan Ching-hwa; and Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council Shen Yu-chung. The delegation will also attend the opening ceremony of SEMICON Taiwan and experience firsthand the vitality of Taiwan’s technology industry. (E)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak has given Tuen Mun District Council (DC) member Kenneth Yip written notification that, in light of his dangerous driving conviction which constituted misconduct, his functions and duties as a DC member shall be suspended from tomorrow to next Tuesday.

 

The Home & Youth Affairs Bureau made the announcement today, noting that the home affairs chief earlier appointed a committee pursuant to the District Councils Ordinance to investigate the alleged misconduct of Mr Yip.

 

After considering the evidence related to the misconduct, the negative impact of the incident on DC members, DCs and the Government’s reputation and credibility as well as Mr Yip’s written representation, the committee concluded that his dangerous driving conviction constituted misconduct and recommended suspending his functions and duties as a DC member for one week.

 

Pursuant to the relevant section of the ordinance and the performance monitoring guidelines for district council members, and after considering the committee’s report, the home affairs chief made the decision to suspend Mr Yip’s functions and duties as a DC member.

 

For the period of suspension, he shall not be entitled to any remuneration or allowances including end-of-service gratuity, but shall be entitled to the reimbursement for the operating expenses incurred during the period, such as office rentals and staff salaries.

 

Miss Mak said: “This is the first time the Government has investigated and imposed sanctions on a DC member for misconduct in accordance with the performance monitoring mechanism for DC members under the improved district governance.”

 

DC members should conduct themselves in line with public expectations and commensurate with the reputation of the District Council and its members, she added, emphasising that the Government will monitor their performance to ensure every one of them upholds their duties to serve the people.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Education Bureau announced today that the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors will subsidise a total of 4,781 places in 57 undergraduate programmes, covering 3,425 places in 57 first-year-first-degree programmes and 1,356 places in 45 top-up degree programmes of eight post-secondary institutions for the 2026-27 academic year.

 

The subsidised programmes fall under 10 disciplines that have been identified as having keen manpower demand, ie architecture and engineering, computer science, creative industries, financial technology, healthcare, insurance, logistics, sports and recreation, testing and certification, as well as tourism and hospitality.

 

The bureau said they involve 16 applied degree programmes, which will receive additional subsidies, with a view to strengthening the vocational and professional education and training progression pathway at the post-secondary level.

 

The annual subsidy amounts for the 2026-27 academic year will remain at $81,450 for laboratory-based programmes and $46,780 for non-laboratory-based programmes. For applied degree programmes, including the additional annual subsidies, the total annual subsidy amounts will also be unchanged, at $89,620 for laboratory-based programmes and $51,880 for non-laboratory-based programmes.

 

The subsidy is applicable to both new and continuing eligible students, and is tenable for the normal duration of the programmes concerned.

 

Students in need may still apply for student financial assistance from the Student Finance Office in respect of the actual amount of tuition fee payable, the bureau added.