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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The “Great Music 2025”, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, returns this year with star-studded performances running from June to November. Renowned musicians and ensembles from all over the world will come to Hong Kong to perform an array of programmes, showcasing the city as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

Details of the June and July programmes are as follows:

“Piano Recital by Mikhail Pletnev”

Date and time: June 17 (Tuesday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket prices: $320 to $920.

The legendary pianist Mikhail Pletnev returns to Hong Kong after a hiatus of 10 years. Universally recognised as one of the finest pianists of our time, Pletnev will be presenting a solo recital, delighting music fans with a curated selection of piano sonatas by Beethoven and short pieces from the “Lyric Pieces Book” by Grieg.

“Concert by the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker”

Date and time: July 9 (Wednesday), 8pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket prices: $350 to $1,150

The 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker will make their first appearance in Hong Kong. This unique ensemble is as renowned for their versatility as for their musical mastery. In this concert, they will perform a diverse repertoire ranging from classical, tango, jazz and spiritual to French chansons and film scores, shining a new light on the classics with an incredible sense of musical unity.

Tickets for “Piano Recital by Mikhail Pletnev” and “Concert by the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker” will be available from April 3 (Thursday) onwards at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/groups_1840.html.
In addition to the above-mentioned programmes, the “Great Music 2025” will feature more notable programmes from September to November, namely the “Piano Recital by Nikolai Lugansky” on September 14 at Hong Kong City Hall, “Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma” concert on November 20 and 21 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, as well as the “Duo Recital by Mischa Maisky (Cello) and Lily Maisky (Piano)” on November 22 at Hong Kong City Hall. Programme details and booking schedules will be announced later. Music fans should stay tuned.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (March 27) that, with effect from March 31 (Monday), the eligible age for Hong Kong permanent residents holding a smart identity card to use the e-Channel service will be adjusted to seven years old or above.
 
     The ImmD has been making good use of technology and adopting various measures to optimise the service quality and enhance the handling capacity of control points. At present, eligible Hong Kong permanent residents aged 11 or above holding a smart identity card can use the e-Channel service. To further enhance the clearance efficiency of control points and allow more Hong Kong residents to use the fast and convenient e-Channel service, starting from March 31, the ImmD will adjust the applicable age for e-Channel service for holders of smart identity cards. Eligible Hong Kong permanent residents aged seven to ten years old, who are at least 1.1 metres tall and hold a smart identity card and a valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport, can use the e-Channels without prior enrolment for self-service immigration clearance via face recognition technology at all control points.
 
     For details of the e-Channel service available to smart identity card holders, please visit the ImmD website (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/mec.html). For enquiries, please call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111, fax 2877 7711, or send an email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Police today (March 27) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tsuen Wan.

     Lam Ka-leung, aged 38, went missing after he left his caring home on Tsuen King Circuit yesterday (March 26) afternoon. Staff of the caring home made a report to Police today.

     He is about 1.7 metres tall, 90 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers, black shoes and carrying a black crossbody bag.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 5239 7701 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Hongkong Post announced today (March 27) that, as advised by the postal administration of Korea, due to the impact of wildfires, mail delivery services to the areas with the postcodes 364xx–367xx and 374xx are subject to delay.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Three men were each sentenced to three to four months’ imprisonment and fined between $500 and $1,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (March 27) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare to Customs Officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted three incoming male passengers, aged 36, 39 and 48, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (March 26). About 37 000, 39 000 and 40 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $484,000 and a duty potential of about $390,000 in total, were seized from their personal baggage. They were subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, tobacco products are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

2026 Taiwan Fellowship is open for application from May 1 to June 30 2025
Taiwan Fellowship is established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for foreign researchers to do research in Taiwan.
※ Eligibility: Recipients shall be foreign professors, associate professors, assistant professors, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, or doctoral program students at related departments of overseas universities, or are research fellows at an equivalent level in academic institutions abroad, of Canadian Citizenship, with researches related to Taiwan, Cross-strait Relations, Asia-Pacific Region, Regional Security, Sinology, Cyber Security, Countering Misinformation or Disinformation, Tech-Diplomacy or Global Supply Chain Resilience etc.
※ The Fellowship Includes:
(1) Professors, associate professors, research fellows, or associate research fellows: NT$60,000/monthly; assistant professors, assistant research fellows, or doctoral candidates: NT$50,000/monthly
(2) One round-trip, economy-class ticket for the most direct route to Taiwan (The subsidy will be decided by MOFA in accordance with the relevant regulations; Oceania: Up to NT$65,000).
(3) The terms of fellowship are 3 to 12 months.
(4) Casualty insurance (plus a medical insurance for accidental injuries) coverage of NT$1 million.
※ More information：https://taiwanfellowship.ncl.edu.tw/eng/index.aspx
If any questions should arise, please contact Bruce Chou via cychou01@mofa.gov.tw

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today attended the 2025 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF) in Macau and officiated at its opening ceremony with Macau officials.

The Environment & Ecology Bureau’s booth at the exhibition presents a number of innovative initiatives adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and Hong Kong industries.

The booth comprises information boards on carbon reduction strategies such as carbon neutrality, energy saving and environmentally friendly buildings, green transportation, community waste reduction and smart technology. It also features videos demonstrating the use of innovative green technologies promoted by the Hong Kong SAR Government. 

The environment chief then paid a courtesy call on Secretary for Transport & Public Works of the Macao SAR Government Tam Vai-man to discuss various environmental subjects and collaboration opportunities. 

Mr Tse noted that to seize the opportunities brought by the country’s dual carbon strategies, the bureau and the Environmental Protection Department are exploring growth opportunities with neighbouring regions while supporting Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development.

These efforts include strengthening collaboration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s cities in building low-carbon communities, developing decarbonisation technologies, promoting low-carbon products and nurturing talent, Mr Tse said.

The goal is to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and reduce carbon emissions by half before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level, he added.

After touring the exhibition and exchanging views with Hong Kong exhibitors, Mr Tse returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon. 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Lands Department today launched a 3D Visualisation Map of Hong Kong Island, New Territories Southwest and New Territories East, along with a 3D Indoor Map with coverage extended to the whole city and selected MTR stations, providing more comprehensive spatial data to the public.

Released in phases since 2022, 3D Digital Maps has now achieved full coverage of the city.

The 3D Visualisation Map of Hong Kong Island, New Territories Southwest and New Territories East covers around 122,000 buildings and about 3,300 infrastructure facilities including flyovers, footbridges and subways.

Additionally, around 30 selected MTR stations are covered in the 3D Indoor Map, offering information on points of interest and a supporting indoor point-to-point pedestrian routing service within the stations.

In combination with some 200 buildings included in the 3D Indoor Map of Kowloon East, Kowloon Central and Kowloon West released last year, the citywide 3D Indoor Map now covers around 600 buildings, including government and private buildings, community facilities and hospitals, providing information on their interior spaces and points of interest.

The data facilitates the development of innovative indoor data applications, such as location-based services, tourism and indoor navigation.

The “Streetscape 360” feature of the 3D Visualisation Map offers 360-degree street-level panoramic images and a measurement function, with coverage now extended from Kowloon, Lantau and New Territories Northwest to include Hong Kong Island and the entire New Territories.

The datasets of the 3D maps, relevant application programming interface and sample codes have been uploaded to the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal and the online application platform Open3Dhk and can be downloaded for free.