MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

ROC (Taiwan) government congratulates Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on successful completion of parliamentary elections

Date：2025-11-28
Data Source：Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs

November 28, 2025  
No. 508  
 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a diplomatic ally of the Republic of China (Taiwan), held parliamentary elections on November 27. The New Democratic Party (NDP) emerged victorious and Godwin Friday, its leader, will serve as prime minister and form a new government. Following the election, ROC (Taiwan) Ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fiona Huei-chun Fan promptly conveyed sincere congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan to Prime Minister Friday and the newly elected members of parliament.
 
The electoral process was peaceful and smooth. The people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines completed voting through an open, transparent, and peaceful democratic mechanism, demonstrating their staunch belief in safeguarding democracy as well as their mature and stable political culture.
 
Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines share the common values  of democracy, freedom, and human rights. Since establishing diplomatic relations 44 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed a steadfast friendship. They have achieved remarkable results in a variety of bilateral cooperation projects—covering such domains as agriculture, food security, infrastructure, health care, ICT, and women’s empowerment—which have been highly recognized by all sectors of society. 
 
The Taiwan government will continue to work hand in hand with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on the basis of the existing solid foundation and in line with the policy of integrated diplomacy to deepen collaboration under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project as well as to advance coprosperity, mutually beneficial ties, public well-being, and sustainable development. (E)

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today launched a public consultation on locally implementing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development’s (OECD) new Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and amendments to the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Since 2018, Hong Kong has exchanged financial account information with partner jurisdictions automatically on annual basis, in accordance with the CRS, enabling tax authorities to use the information for tax assessments, and to detect and combat cross-border tax evasion.

In light of the rapid development of digital asset markets, the OECD published CARF in 2023. It provides for the automatic exchange of tax information on crypto-asset transactions with partner jurisdictions on an annual basis, and incorporated into the CRS new digital financial products and enhanced requirements regarding reporting and due diligence.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said: “To demonstrate our commitment to promoting international tax co-operation and combating cross-border tax evasion, as well as to fulfil our international obligations, Hong Kong will make amendments to the Inland Revenue Ordinance for implementing CARF and the newly amended CRS.

“This is also of paramount importance in maintaining Hong Kong’s reputation as an international financial and commercial centre.”

The Government plans to complete the necessary legislative amendments in 2026, so as to commence the automatic exchange of tax information on crypto-asset transactions with partner jurisdictions from 2028, and to implement the newly amended CRS from 2029.

Additionally, since last year, the OECD has been conducting the second round of a peer review on the effectiveness of Hong Kong’s administrative framework for implementing the CRS.

Having taken into consideration the OECD’s views, the Government proposes to introduce mandatory registration for financial institutions to enhance identification. It will also raise penalty levels and enhance enforcement by amending the relevant legislation.

This is being done to maintain a favourable rating in the OECD’s peer reviews and maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as an international financial and commercial centre, the Government said.

Views on the proposals can be posted to 24/F, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, or emailed, by February 6, 2026.

Source: Government of Singapore

CAAS and NEA set up joint national programme and regional partnership

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NEA AND CAAS

Singapore, 9 December 2025 – Singapore will strengthen aviation meteorological capabilities and regional collaboration to better tackle the effects of weather on aviation, as changes in weather patterns result in more flight delays and diversions, disruptions to airport operations and turbulence and other aviation safety concerns around the world.

National Aviation Meteorological Programme

2               The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore have jointly set up a new multidisciplinary Aviation Meteorological Programme. The programme brings together aviation and meteorology experts as well as aviation companies and unions to build research and development (R&D) and operations capabilities to better predict, mitigate and manage the effects of weather on air traffic control, airlines and airport operations.

3               The programme focuses on five priority areas, each addressing a critical weather phenomenon that affects aviation operations in Singapore and the region:

a) Lightning. Singapore, located near the Equator, is amongst the world’s most lightning-prone countries. The Changi Climate Station observes lightning on nearly one in two days each year. Lightning poses safety risks to airside workers, disrupts airport operations and delays flights and baggage handling. Lightning risk notifications are currently issued based on a six-kilometre safety radius around Changi Airport. This poses operational challenges especially with the completion of Terminal 5, which will double Changi Airport’s footprint to 1,080 hectares. CAAS and NEA will aim to minimise the impact of cloud-to-ground lightning by improving lightning forecast precision, through initiatives including a more precise density map of lightning strikes at Changi Airport based on historical data, electromagnetic modelling of lightning interaction with aircraft, airport infrastructure and human beings and algorithms to enhance nowcasting of lightning events and zone-based lightning risk assessment. These will enhance worker safety, reduce downtime and enable more targeted zone-based approach to managing lightning risk.

b) Turbulence. Severe turbulence incidents have risen globally, posing safety risks to passengers and crew. In September 2025, Singapore became the first State in the world to classify severe turbulence as a major in-flight risk, through CAAS’ National Aviation Safety Plan (2025-2027). Both agencies will seek to strengthen in-flight turbulence prediction and provide airlines with more timely, reliable and actionable weather information.

c) Convective Weather. Weather-related flight delays and diversions have increased. Between January and November 2025, 55 flights were diverted from Changi due to bad weather, a sharp increase from the nine flight diversions in the same period a year ago. Convective weather in our region means that thunderstorms causing wind shear can occur and dissipate abruptly, making them hard to predict. CAAS and NEA will work towards improving convective weather forecasting to support real-time decision-making and optimise airport operations.

d) Surface Winds. For safety reasons, CAAS air traffic controllers need to determine runway direction for aircraft to fly into the wind for take-off and landing. Rapidly shifting winds can result in multiple runway changes, reducing runway capacity and pose challenges to air traffic controllers and pilots. CAAS and NEA will improve the accuracy and timeliness of surface wind forecasts to better plan for runway changes and optimise runway use.

 e) Contrails. There is growing global attention on condensation trails (contrails) and their effects on global warming. CAAS and NEA will work on strengthening scientific knowledge on contrails particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where the atmospheric conditions differ from that in Europe and North America and data is limited. This will help inform future mitigation strategies and contribute to global policy development.

4               An Aviation Meteorological Programme Steering Committee has been set up to direct the work of the programme. The Committee is co-chaired by Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS and Mr Wong Kang Jet, Chief Executive Officer of NEA. Other members of the Committee include senior representatives from Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA), SIA Engineering Company, SATS, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and International Centre for Aviation Innovation (ICAI). The Committee will initiate projects to develop new concepts of operation and tools, and review policies to support their adoption if needed.

Regional Collaboration

5               As weather patterns and the effects of weather on aviation operations cross geographical boundaries, regional collaboration is needed for effective mitigation strategies. CAAS and NEA have initiated and signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate with six other air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and meteorological service providers (MET), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) and ICAI in R&D, capability development and data sharing.

6               Under the Letter of Intent, the parties agree to:

a) Strengthen regional integration between MET and Air Traffic Management (ATM) communities, including MET-MET and MET-ATM cooperation, to support more coordinated and resilient operations.

b) Identify and pursue joint research and development priorities including:

(i)    Weather phenomena that significantly affect ATM such as turbulence, low visibility, lightning, convection and wind shear

(ii)   Sustainability, including emissions reduction and contrail assessment; and

(iii) Worker protection, including safety measures against adverse weather phenomena such as snow, extreme heat and lightning

c) Enhance sharing and integration of weather data for better situational awareness and decision making.

d) Build capability within MET and ATM communities to more effectively tackle the challenges posed by adverse weather and manage its operational impacts.

7               The Letter of Intent was signed on 8 December 2025 in Hong Kong China at the CANSO Asia-Pacific Conference on “Seamless APAC Airspace – Aviation and Meteorology Integration”. This is the world’s first such conference, gathering aviation and meteorology professionals to foster collaboration and jointly address weather effects on aviation.

8               Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, CAAS and Chair of the Asia-Pacific CANSO CEO Committee, said: “Changes in weather patterns are affecting aviation operations all over the world, including in Singapore. We take this seriously and are taking concrete steps to address it through better leveraging technology, including AI, integrating national aviation and meteorology expertise and regional partnership.”  

9               Ms Koh Li-Na, Director-General of the Meteorological Service Singapore, NEA said: “We welcome this initiative, which provides opportunities for MET service providers to improve the predictability of weather systems in the region and tailor solutions to support our aviation stakeholders.”

~~ End ~~

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Annex A

Quotes from Letter of Intent Signatories

Mr Raul Media, Director-General, EUROCONTROL said: “Changing weather patterns impact aviation, creating more volatility, more uncertainty and greater operational challenges for all of us. At EUROCONTROL, we are implementing significant operational and technical improvements to help the network better anticipate and manage these impacts – but no organisation, and no region, can tackle this alone. This Letter of Intent is an important step in strengthening global collaboration between ANSPs and meteorological partners. By working together, sharing data and expertise and aligning our efforts, we can build a more resilient, safer and more sustainable aviation network capable of meeting the climate challenges ahead.”

Mr Miao Xuan, Director-General, Air Traffic Management Bureau of Civil Aviation Administration of China said: “The APAC region is characterised by its territorial vastness, airspace complexity and weather volatility, and we are witnessing more extreme weather events which pose greater challenges to flight safety and operational efficiency. Therefore, we call for enhanced collaboration between meteorological and air traffic management departments which aims to deliver problem-oriented information-sharing, comprehensive situational awareness and efficient collaboration at the regional level.”

Mr Nguyen Cong Long, Director-General, Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) said: “For VATM, the safety and efficiency of Vietnamese airspace is our absolute priority. Climate change presents increasingly unpredictable weather challenges that directly impact air traffic operations and management. We recognise that high-quality meteorological services are not just a support function, but an essential pillar enabling Air Traffic Controllers to make accurate and timely decisions. By strengthening collaboration with meteorological partners, applying advanced forecasting technology, we are committed to building a robust, efficient and reliable aviation safety network, better prepared for all weather challenges, ensuring our vigilance is the foundation of air transport resilience.”

Mr Patrick Ky, Chief Executive Officer, ICAI said: “Weather phenomena continue to cause significant disruptions across the aviation system, affecting Air Traffic Management, airport and airline operations. ICAI and the Meteorological Service Singapore have started joint research to explore innovative solutions to enhance operational resilience against adverse weather. We are very pleased to extend this collaboration to other regional stakeholders.”

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Department of Health (DH) today (December 8) said that, with the concerted efforts of the government, the healthcare sector and non-governmental organisations, the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among the adult population in Hong Kong remains at 0.1 per cent, well below the global average, and the number of new HIV cases recorded also continues to decline for nine consecutive years since 2015, demonstrating the effectiveness of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention and control in Hong Kong. Like last year, the DH launches “HIV Testing Month 2025” in December to raise public awareness and knowledge on prevention of HIV infection, and to promote normalisation of HIV testing.

The Government has attached great importance to HIV infection control and prevention. Since the first case of HIV infection reported in Hong Kong in 1984, the Government has adopted a multipronged approach to prevent and control AIDS, including the provision of free, anonymous and confidential HIV testing services to the public, and comprehensive risk assessment, counselling and support services to individuals undergoing testing. Although the prevalence of HIV infection in Hong Kong remains at a low level, the proportion of late presenters has been as high as 40 to 60 per cent in recent years. There was an even higher proportion of late presenters, up to 60 to 70 per cent, among those who do not belong to the high-risk populations. Those who do not belong to the high-risk populations may have overlooked that they still have the risk of HIV infection even though they do not have frequent high-risk sexual practices, leading to delayed testing and treatment.

The DH launched the inaugural “HIV Testing Month” last year in December. Around 40 per cent of the participants who received testing through various activities during the “HIV Testing Month” last year did not belong to the high-risk populations, and about 40 per cent were tested for the first time. Eight persons were confirmed to have HIV infection, including two late presenters. The campaign not only successfully links people who are unaware of their infection status to receive timely diagnosis and treatment, but also promotes normalisation of HIV testing that helps remove the stigma associated with HIV infection and testing. The DH encourages people who have had sex to undergo HIV testing at least once, especially individuals who do not belong to the high-risk populations. The DH emphasised that early testing allows individuals with HIV to promptly receive specialist care, and through antiretroviral therapy to achieve viral suppression and immune recovery, thereby preventing health deterioration.

“The DH, in collaboration with 26 collaborating and supporting organisations, continue to organise ‘HIV Testing Month’ in December this year, with a view to promoting the message ‘For your health, Get tested for HIV’ to more stakeholders and bodies in the community, as well as providing an enabling environment for members of the public to undergo HIV testing easily and conveniently through a variety of channels and testing modalities. Members of the public could order HIV self-test kits on the HIV Testing Service website with free shipping during the ‘HIV Testing Month’,” said the Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the Public Health Services Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH, Dr Bonnie Wong.

She added that the AIDS hotline (2780 2211) under the DH was operated by professionally trained nurses, offering behavioural risk assessment, counselling and arrangement of HIV antibody test. Members of the public who received HIV testing from non-government channels could also call the hotline for enquiries about follow-up or counselling services. Operating for 40 years, the AIDS hotline has received over 1 500 000 calls, provided over 500 000 counselling services, and conducted nearly 70 000 HIV antibody tests. It also features pre-recorded information in multiple languages on HIV/AIDS and sexual health for diverse ethnic groups.

Members of the public can browse the HIV Testing Service website (www.hivtest.gov.hk) to access the HIV testing calendar to learn more about and select testing resources in the community.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) announced today (December 8) that the boccia and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy wheelchair fencing competition of the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) will be held from tomorrow (December 9) to December 14 at Kai Tak Arena and Ma On Shan Sports Centre respectively.
​
Hong Kong will stage all boccia events including men’s and women’s individual, double and team events, and 14 gold medals will be awarded. The boccia competition will comprise nearly 100 athletes joining from 13 teams from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao competing for honours, and Hong Kong will field 11 men and eight women athletes to compete. The competition schedule is as follows: 
 

Date	Time	Competition details
December 9 (Tuesday)	10am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 6pm	Men’s and women’s individual events: group stage
December 10 (Wednesday)
December 11 (Thursday)	10am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 4.30pm	Men’s and women’s individual events: group stage and knockout rounds
December 12 (Friday)	10am to noon and 2pm to 4.30pm	Men’s and women’s individual events: semifinals and finals
December 13 (Saturday)	10am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm	Men’s and women’s double and group events: group stage and round-robin matches
December 14 (Sunday)	10 am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 4.30pm	Men’s and women’s double and group events: round-robin matches, semifinals and finals

​As for the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy wheelchair fencing competition, Hong Kong will also stage all events including men’s and women’s individual and team foil, épée, and sabre competitions, and 24 gold medals will be awarded. Over 80 athletes joining from 10 teams from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao will compete for medals, with Hong Kong sending seven male and six female athletes. The competition schedule is as follows: 
 

Date	Time	Competition details
December 9 (Tuesday)	9am to 5pm	Men’s sabre individual (Category A and B) and Women’s foil individual (Category A and B)
December 10 (Wednesday)		Men’s sabre team, Women’s épée individual (Category C), Women’s foil team and Men’s épée individual (Category C)
December 11 (Thursday)		Men’s foil individual (Category A and B) and Women’s épée team (Category A and B)
December 12 (Friday)		Men’s foil team, Women’s sabre individual (Category C),Women’s épée team and Men’s sabre individual (Category C)
December 13 (Saturday)		Women’s sabre individual (Category A and B) and Men’s épée individual (Category A and B)
December 14 (Sunday)		Men’s épée team, Women’s foil individual (Category C), Women’s sabre team and Men’s foil individual (Category C)

Note: Wheelchair fencers are classified into three categories based on their level of impairment: A, B and C, with A representing the mildest impairment and C the most severe.

Members of the public can purchase tickets through various channels, including the 12th NGD and 9th NSOG official ticketing website (ticket.baygamespara.cn) or by searching for the official mini programme on WeChat, after completing a real-name account registration. Members of the public can also visit 11 designated sales outlets (ww2.ctshk.com/articleDetail?id=4&channelId=-1) of the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited to buy paper tickets for events in the Hong Kong competition region. Furthermore, services are also available for physical ticket purchases for the events held at the relevant venues at the ticket office of the competition area. Tickets for boccia competition are available now, while limited tickets for wheelchair users and their carers for the wheelchair fencing competition are also available.

The ticket offices at Kai Tak Station Square and Ma On Shan Sports Centre have come into operation. The ticket offices will run from 10am to 4pm on non-competition days and will operate one hour before the event starts on event days until ticket verification ceases for that day’s event (i.e. 30 minutes before the scheduled finish time). Tickets are sold at Hong Kong dollar prices and accept various electronic payment methods. Real-name registration for ticket sales is adopted and please prepare an identity document for ticket purchase and before entering the venue. Spectators who purchased tickets for their family members or friends using their own accounts via the official ticketing platform should transfer the tickets to their family members or friends 24 hours prior to the start of the relevant session. Each person should carry their own e-tickets to facilitate verification and multiple entries/exits.

Official franchised merchandise stores will be set up on-site at the two competition venues, selling a variety of franchised products with Hong Kong characteristics incorporated and related to the competition events. Members of the public are welcome to visit and make purchases.

Outside the competition venue, there will also be competition villages with various game booths, including digital interactive games, booth games and art workshops themed around the competition events hosted by Hong Kong competition region. The competition villages for both boccia and wheelchair fencing events will be open on December 13 and 14 from 10am to 5pm. Members of the public are welcome to try the games and purchase tickets to watch the competitions, and cheer for athletes in person.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In response to an order from the Buildings Department (BD), as of 5pm today scaffold nets had been removed from external walls at 227 private buildings.

 

Work on three remaining cases, in which the BD has allowed an extension of time, is underway. It is expected that the work will be finished this week.

 

Meanwhile, emergency maintenance contractors, under co-ordinaton by the Housing Department, completed the clearance of miscellaneous items from the surroundings of the Wang Fuk Court buildings today.

 

In addition, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) continued to extract concrete core samples from affected buildings. So far, the exercise has covered five buildings.

 

The ICU has also conducted inspections of scaffoldings at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po and Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan. Miscellaneous items were found on some scaffoldings, and the contractor is removing them. The ICU will closely monitor its work.

 

Financial support

As of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3 billion. Combined with $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.3 billion.

 

The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,357 cases had been processed.

 

The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 95 cases had been processed.

 

In addition, the Government has so far disbursed emergency subsidies of $10,000 to 1,932 households. The disbursement is largely complete.

 

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1,970 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service.

 

SWD staff also visited affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Yuen Long today and gave them Octopus cards with a value of $2,000 to facilitate their daily travel.

 

Accommodation arrangements

As of this morning, a total of 1,422 residents had been accommodated, under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,522 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society.

 

Relief supplies

On the Government’s online platform for donated supplies, about 1,600 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 5,700 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed.

 

Regulation work  

As of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 351 construction sites, issued a total of 180 written warnings and 96 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Pursuant to the Legislative Council Ordinance, the Chief Executive in Council today specified January 1, 2026, as the commencement date of the eighth-term Legislative Council.

The Chief Executive also specified that the 2026 legislative session will begin on the first Wednesday after the LegCo President is elected. Moreover, the first meeting of the eighth-term LegCo will begin at 11am on the first Wednesday after the LegCo President is elected.

Relevant notices were published in the Government Gazette today.

Source: Government of Western Samoa

[PRESS RELEASE, Central Bank of Samoa]- A growing number of scams have been reported by commercial banks and money transfer operators in 2025, which is a serious concern for the Central Bank of Samoa.

These scams come in many forms and are primarily through the establishment of contact through online platforms. These include Parcels scams, Investment scams, Romance scams, and Schemes involving third-party deposits and Online Gaming Scams.

Scammers may approach victims through social media platforms such as WhatsApp or Facebook, pretending to offer prizes, investment opportunities, or fast-money deals. They often use emotional manipulation, urgency, and false promises to gain the victim’s trust.

Scammers often trick victims into acting as middlemen for their scheme by promising a high commission or fast money. Victims are convinced to hand over their bank account details, after which scammers use these accounts as mule accounts.

They then instruct third-party depositors separate individuals who are also being misled to deposit money into the victim’s account. Once the funds arrive, the money is then transferred to the scammer’s accounts, which are usually overseas. This creates a complex web of accounts, transfers, and manipulated victims all designed to hide the scammer’s tracks.

In fiscal year 2024/2025, 70 percent of all suspicious reports filed by Financial Institutions with the Central Bank were related to scams. So far for this fiscal year (FY2025/2026), already 60 percent of the reports filed by financial institution are scam-related, showing that the problem has surged.

The Central Bank has advised all financial Institutions to remain alert and to keep reporting any suspicious activity. Suspicious reports that have been sent to the Central Bank have been analyzed and referred to the Samoa Police Service and other relevant authorities for investigation.

The Central Bank kindly reminds the public that anyone who knowingly assists scammers for example, by accepting deposits and transferring money for them may be committing a money-laundering offence under the Crimes Act 2013.

The Central Bank strongly urges everyone to:

1. Stay alert and vigilant

2. Be cautious when dealing with unknown people online, most of whom are professional perpetrators; and

3. Always protect their personal and banking information.

In that regard, the Central Bank and Money Laundering Prevention Authority strongly reminds members of the public to consult their financial Institution first, before making any transactions or sharing their account details with potential scammers.

December 8, 2025