Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, today (May 8) welcomed the acceptance by the Chief Executive of the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission on the appointment of the Honourable Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. The Chief Justice noted that the Government would be seeking the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment.
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484) provides for a list of non-permanent Hong Kong judges and a list of judges from other common law jurisdictions. Currently, there are four non-permanent Hong Kong judges and five non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions. The maximum number of non-permanent judges is 30. In hearing and determining an appeal, the Court of Final Appeal is constituted by five judges, i.e. the Chief Justice, three permanent judges and one non-permanent Hong Kong judge or one non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction.
The recommended appointment of Sir William Young to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal will increase the number of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions from five to six. This will provide greater flexibility in dealing with the caseload of the Court of Final Appeal.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, has accepted the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission (JORC) on the appointment of the Honourable Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Subject to the endorsement of the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive will make the appointment under Article 88 of the Basic Law and section 9 of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484).
Mr Lee said, “I am pleased to accept the JORC’s recommendation on the appointment of Sir William Young as a non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal. Sir William Young retired from the judicial office of Permanent Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, New Zealand’s final court of appeal, in April 2022. He is a judge of eminent standing and reputation. I am confident that he will contribute substantively to the Court of Final Appeal.
“With the appointment of Sir William Young, the list of non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions will consist of six eminent judges from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The presence of these esteemed overseas jurists as non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal is a manifestation of the independence of the Judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as protected by the Basic Law. Their participation demonstrates a high degree of confidence in the HKSAR’s judicial system, and enables Hong Kong to maintain strong links with other common law jurisdictions. I am fully confident that these distinguished jurists from overseas with profound judicial experience will remain as a unique strength of the HKSAR’s judicial system.”
Article 90 of the Basic Law and section 7A of the Ordinance provide that the Chief Executive shall obtain the endorsement of the Legislative Council on the appointment of judges of the Court of Final Appeal. The Government will seek the endorsement of the Legislative Council of the recommended appointment in due course.
The curriculum vitae of Sir William Young is at the Annex.
During the Press Briefing on Operation SINDOOR on 07 May 2025, India had called its response as focused, measured and non-escalatory. It was specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. It was also reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response.
On the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks.
Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.
Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt.
Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military.
The Prime Minister today chaired a high-level meeting with Secretaries of various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination in light of recent developments concerning national security.
PM Modi stressed the need for seamless coordination among ministries and agencies to uphold operational continuity and institutional resilience.
PM reviewed the planning and preparation by ministries to deal with the current situation.
Secretaries have been directed to undertake a comprehensive review of their respective ministry’s operations and to ensure fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with special focus on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols.
Secretaries detailed their planning with a Whole of Government approach in the current situation.
All ministries have identified their actionables in relation to the conflict and are strengthening processes. Ministries are ready to deal with all kinds of emerging situations.
A range of issues were discussed during the meeting. These included, among others, strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. Ministries were also advised to maintain close coordination with state authorities and ground-level institutions.
The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, and Secretaries from key ministries including Defence, Home Affairs, External Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Power, Health, and Telecommunications.
The Prime Minister called for continued alertness, institutional synergy, and clear communication as the nation navigates a sensitive period. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to national security, operational preparedness, and citizen safety.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Hafele India Pvt. Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 07 May 2025 in New Delhi, to strengthen India’s manufacturing and innovation ecosystem by empowering product startups, MSMEs, and entrepreneurs. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to building resilient local supply chains and accelerating India’s vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub.
Under this strategic collaboration, Hafele will drive initiatives that support product innovation, local sourcing, and entrepreneurship through targeted investments, mentorship, and integration into global value chains.
Hafele will expand its support to startups and MSMEs by offering access to infrastructure, supplier development opportunities, technical collaboration, and market access. Hafele has already committed over USD 2.5 million in an Indian appliance manufacturing startup and has extended purchase orders to Indian MSME manufacturers of architectural hardware and furniture fittings. DPIIT will facilitate ecosystem access through Startup India, enabling startup connections, program participation, and co-branding.
Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, stated, “The partnership with Häfele India exemplifies our approach of fostering collaborative industrial ecosystems. It brings together global best practices and local entrepreneurial energy to drive sustainable manufacturing growth aligned with the Make in India vision.”
Frank Schloeder, Managing Director – South Asia, Häfele, added, “At Häfele, we believe that India’s innovation and manufacturing potential is unmatched. Through this MoU, we are excited to deepen our engagement with Indian entrepreneurs and startups and work together toward the vision of ‘India for India’ today and ‘India for the World’ tomorrow.”
The MoU was signed by Dr. Sumeet Jarangal, Director, DPIIT and Mr. Frank Schloeder, Managing Director – South Asia, Hafele India, in the presence of senior officials from both organizations. It will remain in effect for a period of two years from the date of signing, with scope for extension based on mutual agreement.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website and an internet banking login screen, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or login screen concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Appeal for information on missing man in Lantau North (with photo) LAW Siu-hang, aged 70, went missing after he left his residence in Yat Tung Estate on May 2 morning. His family made a report to Police yesterday (May 7).
He is about 1.5 metres tall, 60 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a pointed face with yellow complexion and long white hair, and with tattoos on his abdomen and arms. He was last seen wearing a blue vest jacket, apricot trousers and white flip flops.
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 9689 6212 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station. Issued at HKT 16:15
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Lands Department today (May 8) posted a notice in accordance with section 4 of the Land Acquisition (Possessory Title) Ordinance (Chapter 130) for the acquisition of land for a public housing development near Chai Wan Swimming Pool, Chai Wan.
The land with an area of about 23 square metres will be acquired. The said land will vest in the Government upon the expiry of a period of three months from the date of affixing the notice (i.e. August 9).
The Government will closely liaise with the affected parties and handle compensation matters.
The public housing development near Chai Wan Swimming Pool, Chai Wan, will provide about 2 700 public housing units with the earliest population intake anticipated in 2034.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in the meeting held on 07.05.2025, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has accorded its approval for the Revised SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) Policy for Coal Allocation to Power Sector. The Revised SHAKTI Policy adds to the series of coal sector reforms being undertaken by the Government.
With the introduction of SHAKTI Policy in 2017, there was a paradigm shift of coal allocation mechanism from a nomination-based regime to a more transparent way of allocation of coal linkages through auction / tariff-based bidding. Now, the multiple paras of the SHAKTI Policy, for coal linkage, have been mapped to only two Windows in the Revised SHAKTI Policy, aligning with the spirit of ease of doing business, encouraging competition, efficiency, better use of capacity, seamless pit head thermal capacity addition and affordable power to the country.
The current revision with innovative features will further enhance the scope and impact of the SHAKTI policy and support the power sector through
Greater flexibility
Wider eligibility and
Better accessibility to coal
The new policy will ensure coal linkage to all power producers leading to generation of more power, cheaper tariffs and an overall positive impact on the economy, thereby leading to increased employment generation potential. The reliable and affordable power supply to various sectors would catalyze economic activities and support the Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative. The increased availability of domestic coal, in a simplified manner would also facilitate the revival of remaining stressed power assets. The linkage coal can now be used for generating power from Un-requisitioned Surplus (URS) capacity, for sale in power markets, which will not only deepen power markets by increasing availability of power in power exchanges but will also ensure optimum utilization of generating stations.
Further, the new linkages offered to the power sector would increase the coal availability for the power sector and increase the mining activities in the coal bearing regions resulting in generation of higher revenue to the State Governments which can be utilized for development of these regions and local population in general. The policy would encourage pit head thermal capacity addition and facilitate imported coal substitution in the Imported Coal Based (ICB) plants that can secure domestic coal thereby reducing their import coal dependency.
Following are the provisions of the Revised SHAKTI Policy.
For grant of fresh coal linkages to Thermal Power Plants of Central Sector/State Sector/ Independent Power Producers (IPPs), following two windows have been approved under the Revised SHAKTI policy:
Coal Linkage to Central Gencos/States at Notified price: Window–I
Coal Linkage to all Gencos at a Premium above Notified price: Window–II
Window-I (coal at notified price):
Existing mechanism for grant of coal linkage to Central Sector Thermal Power Projects (TPPs) including Joint Ventures (JVs) & their subsidiaries would continue.
Coal linkages to be earmarked to States and to an agency authorized by group of States as per existing mechanism, on the recommendation of Ministry of Power. Coal linkage earmarked to States may be utilized by States in its own Genco, IPPs to be identified through TBCB or existing IPPs having PPA under Section 62 of the Electricity Act, 2003 for setting up of a new expansion unit having PPA under Section 62.
Window-II (premium over notified price):
Any domestic coal-based power producer having PPAor untied and also Imported coal-based power plants (if they so require) can secure coal on auction basis for a period upto 12 months or for the period of more than 12 months upto 25 years by paying premium above the notified price and providing the power plants the flexibility to sell the electricity as per their choice.
This Revised SHAKTI Policy would maximize domestic coal utilization, ensure seamless thermal capacity addition, reduce dependence for coal on global markets, reinforce nation’s energy independence aligning with Government’s push for Energy Security for All.
The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), in collaboration with Aerospace Services India (ASI) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), successfully hosted the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) India Eco-System Summit 2.0 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on May 07, 2025. The day-long summit brought together key stakeholders from India’s defence eco-system, highlighting collaborative achievements and future possibilities in enhancing the country’s air & missile defence capabilities under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India initiatives.
The event witnessed participation from senior representatives of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Armed Forces, DRDO, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, and leading Indian defence manufacturers. The participants voiced a shared commitment to elevate India’s position as a global hub for advanced defence systems, with ASI reaffirming its vision to become India’s premier defence service provider.
The inaugural session was presided over by senior MoD officials and addressed by key industry leaders, focusing on the growing synergy between Indian and Israeli defence sectors. Key sessions of the summit included:
Panel discussions on operational readiness and self-reliance in missile systems.
Technology showcases featuring AI-powered service management systems like STORMS developed by ASI.
Industry interactions on building India’s long-term capability in indigenous defence manufacturing.
The summit emphasised the achievements of ASI-IAI’s wholly-owned Indian subsidiary, which plays a critical role in providing technical representation, life-cycle support, and local manufacturing for the MRSAM system and its associated subsystems such as the BARAK 8 missile and Air Defence Fire Control Radar. It underscored the importance of establishing a resilient and future-ready air defence infrastructure through sustained collaboration, capability development, and localised innovation.