MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

       The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present “Deconstructing Theatre for a Panoramic Perspective – Theatre Talk and Workshop Series” from February to March. Focusing on three key theatrical disciplines, namely playwriting, dramaturgy and scenography, the series traces the creative pathway of theatrical production: from the genesis of a story, through the construction of narrative logic, to the imaginative potential of spatial and visual elements on stage. Featuring local industry professionals as speakers, including screenwriter Ivan Kwok, writer-directors Kingston Lo and Vee Leong, stage and costume designer Cindy Ho and spatial designer Jan Wong, the series offers accessible explanations, experience sharing, work appreciation and practical exercises to discover multiple entry points of theatre-making and explore its boundless creative possibilities.
 
       Details of the thematic talks and workshops are as follows:
 
Playwriting Workshop: For Those Who Know How to Tell Stories
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Speaker: Ivan Kwok
Venue: Function Room AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
 
Session 1: Where Stories Begin – The Instinct to Tell
Date: February 25 (Wednesday)
Content: Starting with narrative exercises drawn from dreams, conversations, and memories from daily life, this session examines the distinctions between narrators and audiences in prose and drama, guiding participants to turn a “slice of daily conversation” into an opening scene of a play.
 
Session 2: Let the Characters Speak – The Birth of Dialogue
Date: March 4 (Wednesday)
Content: Introducing the three layers of dialogue (subconscious, rational and emotional), this session examinates how to turn a character’s words into the pulse of a play. Participants will practice adapting a prose passage into a dialogue between two persons.
 
Session 3: The Structure of Drama – From Emotion to Conflict
Date: March 11 (Wednesday)
Content: Introducing the dramatic triangle of drama (desire, obstacle and transformation), this session contrasts a character’s action logic with the emotional impulses of the author. Through exercises, participants will practice devising what a character “wants” and “cannot obtain”.
 
Session 4: Scenes and Rhythm – How Theatre Breathes
Date: March 18 (Wednesday)
Content: Exploring how scripts transform into spatial arrangements on stage and characters’ physical actions, this session analyses rhythm and silent moments in drama, illustrating how silence and action are more powerful than the spoken word. Participants will practice rewriting a phone conversation into a dramatic scene.
 
Session 5: Draw From Life, Write the Play Within You
Date: March 25 (Wednesday)
Content: This session explores how to transform personal experiences into dramatic archetypes and how to “find yourself and go beyond yourself” in a story. It concludes with a group sharing where participants will present script readings.
 
       Ivan Kwok is currently the Manager of the Theatre Literature Department of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRep). His play, “Principle”, in film version, won Best Screenplay at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (Hong Kong Region) in 2022, while another work, “True Lies” won Best Script at the Hong Kong Theatre Libre in 2019.
 
Talks on dramaturgy
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Venue：Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
 
Session 1: Dramaturgy from a Director’s Perspective
Date: February 28 (Saturday)
Speaker: Kingston Lo
Content: Sharing creative collaborative experiences with dramaturgs, this session examines the practical roles and positioning of dramaturgs through case studies of local theatre productions. It further explores how Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem and operational models shapes their possibilities for engagement.
 
Session 2: Interdisciplinary Arts and Dramaturgy
Date: March 1 (Sunday)
Speaker: Vee Leong
Content: This session introduces the rise and evolution of interdisciplinary arts within the contexts of contemporary theatre and contemporary arts. It discusses how different artistic media influence artists’ creative methodology, and explores the frameworks and perspectives through which such works can be appreciated.
 
Session 3: A Dialogue on Dramaturgy
Date: March 8 (Sunday)
Speakers: Kingston Lo and Vee Leong
Content: Exploring diverse dimensions of dramaturgy, this session draws on experience sharing and case studies to examine the multiple roles and ways of participation of dramaturgs. It also reflects on how Hong Kong’s artistic landscape fosters room for the development of dramaturgical thinking.
 
       Kingston Lo is a theatre practitioner who performs the multifunctional roles of playwright, director, drama critic, and lyricist. For directing “The Bucket” at the HKRep, he received multiple local directing awards. His work, “Century Egg & Pork Congee”, was selected as an Outstanding Script (Hong Kong Region) at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Drama Script Writing Competition. Vee Leong is a writer-director in text-based theatre and intermedia art. She is currently the Co-Artistic Director of On & On Theatre Workshop while teaching dramaturgy at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). She has been commissioned by or featured at numerous local and international arts festivals.
 
Scenography workshop
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Speakers: Cindy Ho and Jan Wong
Venue: Function Room AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
 
Session 1: Costume Design
Date: March 5 (Thursday)
Content: Through sharing of selected works, this session examines how costume design functions as a narrative medium to convey characters’ emotions and show the period and background of the drama. A hands-on component will allow participants to experience the process of theatrical prototype-making.
 
Session 2: Spatial Design
Date: March 12 (Thursday)
Content: Using cases studies of diverse works, this session traces the design process and collaboration with other creative leads, and analyses the role of spatial design in performing arts. Participants will gain insights into how spatial and scenographic environments are conceived and realised.
 
Session 3: Costume × Space
Date: March 19 (Thursday)
Content: Integrating the two key elements of design – costume and space, this session investigates how the time, place, people, and narrative of a performance gradually take form through scenographic thinking.
 
       Cindy Ho was Artist-in-Residence and Guest Lecturer in Stage Design at Theatre Design Department of the HKAPA, and continues to work as an independent stage artist. Her innovative design for “Marriage” has won multiple awards. Jan Wong is spatial designer in Hong Kong whose works have received several stage design awards. He was honoured with the Award for Young Artist (Drama) at the 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2025.
 
       The above-mentioned talks and workshops will be conducted in Cantonese and will start at 7.30pm. Each session will run for about one hour and 30 minutes. Tickets priced at $80 (for each session, with free seating) are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package booking discounts will be available for purchasing different sessions under this series. For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/programs_1940.html.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 20) announced the results of a risk assessment study on the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat sauces and like products. All samples were compliant with the microbiological food safety criteria for pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens). The overall result was satisfactory.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, “Ready-to-eat sauces and like products, such as gravies, dressings and dips, are often served to enhance the flavour of food or complement dishes. These products are often made in large batches. If these ready-to-eat products are contaminated by foodborne pathogens and held for extended periods without proper temperature control, the pathogenic bacteria may proliferate in the contaminated sauces to levels capable of causing foodborne illnesses. Additionally, the preparation of ready-to-eat sauces may involve a variety of ingredients, some of which may be fresh and not subjected to further cooking, making them potential sources of contamination.”

     Given the above-mentioned risks, the CFS therefore conducted a study and collected from various food businesses 50 samples of dressings/dips and 50 samples of gravies. The microbiological quality of the samples was assessed against the criteria stipulated in Microbiological Guidelines for Food.

     The study results showed that all samples complied with the microbiological food safety criteria for pathogenic bacteria. Test results of individual samples, including the total bacterial count (aerobic colony count) in a curry sauce sample and the Escherichia coli count in an avocado-based sauce sample indicated that there may be room for improvement in terms of food handling processes as well as personal and environmental hygiene, respectively, but there was no food safety concern. The CFS provided advice on Good Hygiene Practices to the staff concerned. Follow-up samples were taken and the testing results were satisfactory.

     To ensure food safety, the spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure proper time and temperature control when preparing ready-to-eat sauces, especially during storage and cooling. Raw food should be stored and handled separately from cooked and ready-to-eat food to avoid cross-contamination. Food handlers should strictly implement and maintain personal and environmental hygiene, including handwashing with soap regularly.

     The spokesman also advised members of the public to consume ready-to-eat sauces or like products with raw or undercooked ingredients as soon as possible after purchase. High-risk groups, including pregnant women, young children, the elderly, people with weakened immunity, and people taking antibiotics or antacids, are advised not to consume ready-to-eat sauces or like products with raw or undercooked ingredients.

     The study is available on the CFS’s website at www.cfs.gov.hk.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     ​The Labour Department (LD) will participate and set up a booth at the Education & Careers Expo 2026 organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) from January 22 to 25 (Thursday to Sunday) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
      
     The LD booth will be located at A01 in Hall 1D, providing information on its employment services, the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, the Working Holiday Scheme, and the Youth Employment and Training Programme to assist job seekers, in particular young people, to learn more about career opportunities in Hong Kong, the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area, and overseas.
      
     The LD will hold a seminar from 1pm to 1.30pm on January 24 (Saturday) at the venue to introduce the Working Holiday Scheme.
      
     Job seekers can find more employment information on the LD Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk). For details of the expo, please visit the HKTDC website (www.hktdc.com/hkeducationexpo).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (January 20) that Hong Kong citizens can authorise designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong to deposit their radiology reports and images into their personal eHealth accounts through the “Personal Folder” function in the eHealth mobile application (eHealth App) starting from January 27. This will enable citizens to store and utilise electronic health records from healthcare services received outside Hong Kong in a more convenient and secure manner, thereby facilitating greater continuity of care.

     Starting from January 27, citizens can submit an authorisation application through the “Personal Folder” function in the eHealth App before receiving radiology services at three designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong (namely the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital and Zhongshan Chen Xinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine). Citizens will then receive an “Authorisation QR Code” in the mobile application. When seeking medical care at the designated medical institutions, citizens can present the QR code along with their Hong Kong identity card to local healthcare personnel for identity verification and authorisation. The medical institution will then assist the citizens to directly deposit the radiology reports and images of that consultation into their personal eHealth accounts. Moreover, eHealth users can apply for the service on behalf of family members using the “Caregiver” function in the mobile application. 

     Compared to the current arrangement where citizens can self-deposit medical records into their personal eHealth accounts, this upgraded function supports the deposit of high-resolution radiology images, which are often challenging for citizens to upload themselves. In addition to viewing the relevant records through the mobile application, citizens can also authorise healthcare providers in Hong Kong to access them through the eHealth system during follow-up care.

     A spokesperson for the HHB said, “Since July 2024, the HHB has launched the ‘Personal Folder’ function to enable citizens to self-deposit medical records obtained during consultations outside Hong Kong to eHealth, under the principle of ‘bring your own health records’. The introduction of the high-resolution radiology image function upgrade marks a significant step in cross-boundary medical record sharing. This upgrade supports citizens in consolidating medical records obtained from different healthcare processes into their personal eHealth accounts, offering more convenience for future management and usage. Building on the experience gained from implementing the new function, we will continue to optimise the processes and enhance the user experience, and gradually extend the function to cover more types of medical records and institutions, with a view to more effectively supporting citizens using cross-boundary healthcare services.”

     The HHB has set up support stations at the three designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong to assist Hong Kong citizens in registering for eHealth, downloading the eHealth App, and using the relevant function. Citizens can also view tutorial videos on the eHealth App, eHealth’s thematic website and social media platforms to learn about the usage and purpose of the new function.

     For more details, please visit the eHealth thematic website or call the hotline at 3467 6300. The hotline service runs from 9am to 9pm from Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays).

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Development Bureau today invited the market to submit expressions of interest (EOI) within two months for post-secondary student hostel development at three commercial sites in Kai Tak, Siu Lek Yuen (Shatin) and Tung Chung East.

In July 2025, the Development Bureau and the Education Bureau jointly launched the Hostels in the City Scheme. By relaxing some development controls, it has facilitated private developers/operators in converting commercial buildings into student hostels to meet the needs of post-secondary students.

Subsequently, it was announced in the 2025 Policy Address that the scheme would be expanded to also cover new hostel developments.

The scheme has been met with an encouraging response, with 24 applications received involving around 5,000 beds in total, most of which were in urban areas.

Apart from two applications that concern new student hostel development on private land, all applications were for the conversion of existing buildings, the majority of which involved wholesale conversion.

Out of the 24 applications received, 22 have been confirmed to have complied with the eligibility criteria as laid down under the scheme, with the remaining two under processing.

Proponents of these 22 cases are starting to apply for development approvals under relaxed development controls, while the relevant government departments are processing at full steam the planning applications and the building plans received.

The Development Bureau said that the 2025 Policy Address has recommended that suitable sites for student hostel development be put up through land sale, besides facilitating the market in converting existing commercial buildings and building hostels on existing private land. This would be the first time for the bureau to use land disposal in the open market to encourage the development of student hostels.

All three sites included in this EOI exercise are located in urban or extended urban areas with better traffic accessibility and more mature community and commercial facilities in the vicinity. These sites are zoned commercial on the respective outline zoning plans, meaning developing student hostels according to the scheme would not require further planning applications. The relevant land has already been formed with basic infrastructure.

The Development Bureau said that the three sites are all readily developable land where zoning and development parameters are suitable for student hostel developments. Those who are awarded the sites through tender could promptly develop these sites into student hostels and help respond to the demand for post-secondary hostel accommodation.

Subject to the response received from this EOI exercise, the Government can make available one or more of the three sites supporting student hostel development for land sale through open tender in 2026-27 at the earliest.

The Government’s preliminary estimate is that around 4,500 beds can be provided in total on the three sites, but the actual bed numbers will depend on the design of the project proponents.

The invitation documents for EOI have been uploaded onto the Development Bureau’s website. Interested parties should submit a soft copy of their EOI by midnight on March 20.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The independent committee set up in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced today that it will hold a conference on February 5 to give directions on arrangements for subsequent hearings.

At the conference, committee chairman David Lok will give directions on identifying relevant individuals, organisations or legal representatives to attend the hearings; the language to be used; the mode of submission of witness statements, documents, etc; and more.

There will be no presenting of evidence or examination of witnesses at the conference, which will be held from 10am on February 5 in Cantonese at the Multi-purpose Room, 3/F, City Gallery, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central. Simultaneous interpretation into Putonghua and English will be arranged.

The proceedings will be broadcast live in transmission areas set up on the ground floor of the City Gallery and in the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library.

A total of about 400 seats will be available for the public. Interested individuals are required to make an online reservation in advance through the submission of a pre-registration form. Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Details of the online reservations will be announced separately.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.8% in the October to December period of 2025, unchanged from the figures for September to November of the same year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The underemployment rate rose from 1.6% to 1.7% during the same period.

Total employment was 3,667,000, down around 2,900 from September to November, while the labour force declined by around 9,100 to 3,805,200.

Looking ahead, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said the continued growth of the Hong Kong economy and the improvement in local consumption sentiment should stabilise the labour market.

“Nonetheless, the employment situations in some sectors may continue to be affected by their challenging business conditions,” he added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today released the report of the Task Force on Review of Government Procurement Regime as well as the disciplinary investigation regarding the incident in the procurement of bottled drinking water and follow-up actions.

The report on the government procurement regime summarised measures focusing on four directions – institutional change, reshaping work culture, enhancement in cross-departmental information exchange, and application of technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), so as to holistically refine the tendering and procurement procedures.

A financial vetting requirement has been introduced to the tendering of goods contracts with a value exceeding $15 million since January 1, making it on par with the prevailing practice of conducting financial vetting for service contracts with that value.

Additionally, following revisions to the Standard Terms & Conditions of Tenders & Contracts (STC) that empower procurement officers to disqualify a tenderer for not being capable of fulfilling the contract terms, and to terminate a contract immediately if a contractor has made a material misrepresentation during the contract period, the STC has been further updated to stipulate that the Government may terminate a contract immediately on public interest grounds.

On the technology front, the Government Logistics Department (GLD) will adopt an AI tool to assist in information search on tenderers and contractors on a pilot basis in the first quarter this year, and the AI tool will be extended to other procuring departments for adoption subject to the trial outcome.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, who chaired the task force, said the measures have been under implementation, adding that they will be put into practice continuously.

Meanwhile, the disciplinary investigation in relation to the bottled drinking water procurement incident has revealed that the performance of three GLD officers was not up to the standards commensurate with their ranks and experience in the procurement exercise.

According to the investigation, the lack of vigilance and judgement of these officers led to their failure to identify obvious irregularities and report to their seniors in a timely manner, resulting in the department missing the chance to detect false documents and take appropriate action earlier.  

There is prima facie evidence that two of the three officers, including one directorate officer, failed to appreciate the significance of obvious irregularities and report to their seniors in a timely manner. The Government will initiate disciplinary proceedings against them with punishment to be meted out, based on the findings of the disciplinary inquiry.

The deficiencies in the work performance of the two officers will also be reflected in their appraisals and no increment will be granted to the officers who have yet not reached the maximum salary point of their ranks.

The Government will reflect the inadequacy in vigilance, judgement, and analytical power of the remaining GLD officer in the appraisal report and will not grant that officer an increment. Written advice will also be served, requiring the officer to demonstrate significant improvement in these competencies in the future. 

Having identified the officers who failed to report the irregularities to their seniors, the investigation did not find any act of negligence on the part of former Director of Government Logistics Carlson Chan in the incident.

However, the fact that these three GLD officers failed to perform up to the standards commensurate with their ranks reflects some prevalence of such substandard performance in the department, therefore the Government decided to reverse the earlier decision to award Mr Chan the Silver Bauhinia Star.

Noting that the incident has drawn extensive attention from the public and brought serious disrepute to the Government, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said the reversal decision was made after consulting the Honours & Non-official Justices of the Peace Selection Committee.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Health Bureau announced today that from January 27 Hong Kong residents can authorise designated medical institutions outside of Hong Kong to deposit radiology reports and images into their personal eHealth accounts via the “Personal Folder” function in the eHealth mobile application.

The new function will allow residents to store and utilise records from healthcare services received outside of Hong Kong more securely and conveniently, thereby facilitating greater continuity of care.

From January 27, residents can submit an authorisation application via the “Personal Folder” function before receiving radiology services at either of three designated medical institutions outside of Hong Kong, namely the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital and Zhongshan Chen Xinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

They will then receive an Authorisation QR Code in the mobile application. Before receiving care at any of the designated institutions, they can present the QR code along with their Hong Kong identity card to local healthcare personnel for identity verification and authorisation.

The medical institution will subsequently assist users to directly deposit radiology reports and images from their consultations into their personal eHealth accounts.

Moreover, eHealth users can apply for the service on behalf of family members using the “Caregiver” function in the mobile application.

This upgraded function supports the deposit of high-resolution radiology images, which can be challenging for some users to upload themselves.

In addition to viewing the relevant records through the mobile application, residents can also authorise healthcare providers in Hong Kong to access them through the eHealth system during follow-up care.

The bureau has set up support stations at the three designated institutions outside of Hong Kong to assist Hong Kong residents in registering for eHealth, downloading the eHealth App and using the relevant function.

Users can also view tutorial videos on the eHealth App, or on eHealth’s thematic website or social media platforms, to learn about using the new function.

Call 3467 6300 for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan began his five-day itinerary at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland yesterday.

In the afternoon, he met Minister of Economy of the Sultanate of Oman H E Said Mohammed Al-Saqri. The two sides discussed ways to deepen mutually beneficial co-operation in areas such as finance, trade, green transformation and industrial development.

Mr Chan observed that Oman is transitioning towards a more diversified economy, including through efforts to promote green transformation and renewable energy, and to strengthen its economic and investment ties with China. As a super connector, he said, Hong Kong is well positioned to support this process by facilitating investment by Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises to support Oman’s infrastructure and industrial development.

He added that Hong Kong can also render support by leveraging its status as an international financial centre in Asia to offer Omani enterprises a platform for fundraising and financing, as well as offshore renminbi investment and risk management products.

Mr Chan also highlighted that financial market connectivity between the two places can foster mutual development.

He expressed support for the stock exchanges and regulatory authorities of the two places to explore reciprocal co-operation, including opportunities for dual or secondary listings.

In the evening, Mr Chan attended a welcome reception for delegates to the annual meeting, and engaged with participants from around the world.