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Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A ceremony for the maiden voyage of southbound yachts from Guangdong was held today, marking the scheme’s official implementation.

Attending the cereomony were Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan, Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat, and Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Xu Weigang.

In a speech, Michael Wong stressed that Hong Kong is developing into a regional yachting hub. He remarked that the global yacht market has continued to grow in recent years, with the luxury yacht market in particular experiencing significant expansion.

He added that the market value of the superyacht industry is projected to reach approximately $350 billion by 2032, and that Hong Kong has the capability to secure a share of this market.

Outlining that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is implementing various measures to promote the yacht economy, he also mentioned that The Festival of Connoisseurs, an international exhibition focusing on superyachts and premium lifestyles, will be held in the city in early November.

He stated that the Government is fully committed to promoting the construction of four new yacht clubs at the airport, Lamma Island, Aberdeen, and Hung Hom. These projects will provide more than 1,100 berths and four highly attractive new clubhouse facilities, significantly enhancing Hong Kong’s yachting infrastructure and ecosystem.

Following the launch of northbound travel for Hong Kong yachts in June, and the signing of work arrangements between Guangdong and Hong Kong in September to establish an institutionalised mechanism for cross-boundary individual yacht travel, southbound travel from Guangdong is the latest building block to be put in place by the two governments. It allows yacht owners in Guangdong to handle cross-boundary procedures more conveniently, thereby promoting greater connectivity in cross-boundary navigation networks and the marine leisure industry.

Under the framework for southbound travel, all Guangdong-registered yachts that have an offshore navigation range of up to 20 nautical miles and a wave resistance capability of not less than 2 metres can apply to visit Hong Kong. Yacht owners and masters intending to travel southbound can complete procedures online, in advance, provided that they have undertaken Chinese Mainland departure inspection formalities at any of six designated control points.

The facilitation measures launched by the Marine Department in June also apply to overseas yachts. These include enhancing the Electronic Business System to allow one-stop online completion of arrival and port formalities; setting up designated anchorage areas and relaxing the requirements for booking yacht club berths prior to arrival in Hong Kong; and authorising Mainland China institutions to conduct the Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examination and provide training for yacht masters before arrival.

Owners and masters of visiting yachts can apply through the Electronic Business System for “Permission to Navigate in Hong Kong Waters”, and book an anchoring location, as early as 30 days before arrival.

The Marine Department has authorised two Mainland examination centres to conduct the Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examination and approved seven Mainland training institutions to offer recognised training courses. The department has received an enthusiastic response, with nearly 300 people already obtaining the relevant qualification.

The department will also recognise online short-term training courses organised by local professional training and examination institutions to allow visiting yacht masters to obtain the qualification to navigate in Hong Kong waters while overseas.

Source: Government of Singapore

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Development Bureau today published in the Government Gazette eight items of subsidiary legislation setting out implementation details for the new property title registration system, due to be launched in the first half of 2027. 

The legislation also aligns certain practices under the existing deeds registration system with the new title registration system, which will apply to new land. 

The bureau has proposed four new items of subsidiary legislation under the Land Titles Ordinance (LTO), and amendments to four existing items of subsidiary legislation under the Land Registration Ordinance, the High Court Ordinance and the District Court Ordinance.

The bureau explained that “new land” refers to land held under a government lease granted on or after the date on which the amended LTO comes into operation. Generally speaking, land granted on or after the date concerned by way of land sale, private treaty grant or land exchange, will be included.

The implementation of the title registration system for new land will provide certainty in land ownership and simplify property transfer procedures. This includes eliminating the need to verify documents to confirm titles during property transactions and the requirement to keep title deeds for many years.

This will benefit the public and the business community, while bringing Hong Kong’s land registration system in line with other jurisdictions, the bureau said.

The eight items of subsidiary legislation will be tabled at the Legislative Council on October 21 for negative vetting.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Bureau today announced that all 13 Light Public Housing (LPH) projects are open for application, providing a total of 30,000 units.

The final two LPH projects, converted from school premises at Shun Lee Tsuen Road in Kwun Tong and Chuk Yuen Road in Wong Tai Sin, will provide around 210 units, and are set for completion in the first quarter of next year, marking the full completion of the entire LPH programme.

Eligible applicants will receive application forms by post in batches starting today. Applications submitted on or before November 6 will be given priority handling, while those who have already applied do not need to reapply. The Government will continue to accept applications from eligible individuals after the initial November 6 deadline.

The Housing Bureau stated that under its direction, all 30,000 LPH units will be completed by the end of March next year. This achievement takes just over four years, beating the original five-year construction target outlined in the 2022 Policy Address.

The Bureau noted that public response has been overwhelming, with over 44,900 applications received by late September. A number of projects have already achieved full intake. As some residents have successfully moved into traditional public rental housing, their vacated LPH units are being reallocated to other families with urgent housing needs.

The LPH projects span Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, each varying in scale and offering unique advantages. With all sites now accepting applications, the Government believes the projects are well-suited to meet the diverse needs of applicants.

Members of the public can visit the website for further details, call 3464 0700, or send an email for enquiries.  

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today attended the 2026 Hainan Free Trade Port Legal Week in Hainan.

Mr Lam promoted Hong Kong’s strengths in professional services and sought to deepen co-operation in legal and dispute resolution between Hong Kong and Hainan, focusing on the idea of leveraging “connection of the two ports” as a means of contributing to the country’s high-quality development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, he remarked that Hong Kong and Hainan maintain close relations, supported by strong personal ties and business connections. During the period of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hainan will aim to strengthen its foreign-related rule of law and position the Hainan Free Trade Port as a preferred destination for resolving international commercial disputes.

Mr Lam outlined that for its part Hong Kong will deepen its development as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre, leverage its strengths in professional services to assist Mainland enterprises in “going global”, and develop as an international hub for pooling high-calibre talent. He stressed that Hong Kong’s talent pool can help to serve Hainan’s needs and support the province in optimising its rule of law-governed business environment.

The justice chief also highlighted that Hainan has a key role to play in developing commercial aerospace as a strategic emerging industry, adding that Hong Kong can provide tailored legal and professional services to support the commercialisation of aerospace development. He urged aerospace enterprises from Hainan and across the country to adopt Hong Kong law in their contracts and choose the city as a venue for diversified dispute resolution.

At the ceremony, Mr Lam and Director-General of Hainan’s Department of Justice Qiu Lijun signed a co-operation arrangement to strengthen ties between the two places. The agreement covers legal services co-operation, foreign-related legal talent training, and mutual exchanges between Hong Kong and Hainan.

Mr Lam subsequently attended an exchange session focused on advancing the arrangement’s implementation and met other leaders from the Hainan Department of Justice and representatives of the Hainan Lawyers Association.

Source: Government of Singapore

Source: Government of Singapore

16 October 2026 – Southwest Monsoon conditions are prevailing over Singapore and the surrounding region and are expected to continue through the coming fortnight, with winds blowing mainly from the southeast or southwest. On a few days, winds may become light and variable in direction.

 2            In the second fortnight of October 2026, localised short-duration thundery showers are expected over parts of the island in the afternoon on most days. The total rainfall for the second fortnight of October 2026 is forecast to be below average over most parts of the island.

3            Daily maximum temperatures are likely to range between 33 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius on most days, and could slightly exceed 35 degrees Celsius on a few days. Warm and humid conditions can still be expected on some nights, with minimum temperatures remaining above 27 degrees Celsius.

4            For updates of the daily weather forecast, please visit the MSS website (www.weather.gov.sg) or download the myENV app. For updates on the latest haze situation, please refer to the Daily Haze Advisories.

 REVIEW OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (1 – 15 October 2026)

5            Southwest Monsoon conditions prevailed over Singapore and the surrounding region in the first fortnight of October 2026, with winds blowing mostly from the southeast or southwest.

6            The first fortnight of October 2026 was largely dry with fair weather prevailing on most days. Localised short-duration thundery showers fell over parts of the island on some days. On 1 October 2026, regional wind convergence brought heavy thundery showers across many areas of Singapore during the afternoon. The highest daily total rainfall for the first fortnight of October 2026 was recorded at Nanyang Avenue on that day, at 60.4mm.

7         Daily maximum temperatures exceeded 34 degrees Celsius on most days. The highest daily maximum temperature of 34.9 degrees Celsius was recorded at Pulau Ubin on 6 October 2026. Most nights were warm, with minimum temperatures remaining above 27 degrees Celsius across several parts of the island.

8         Singapore recorded well below average rainfall in the first fortnight of October 2026. The area around Punggol registered rainfall of about 94 per cent below average.

CLIMATE STATION STATISTICS

METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE SINGAPORE

16 Oct 2026

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A total of 1,850 owners of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po have signed the Agreement for Sale and Purchase (ASP) ahead of the deadline, accounting for 93.2% of the total number of units across the estate’s eight blocks, the Housing Bureau announced today.

The deadline for executing the ASP expired yesterday.

The Bureau said that some owners were unable to sign the agreement in time due to exceptional circumstances. These included requiring more time to clarify or resolve flat titles involving probate, bankruptcy, title disputes or cases involving mentally incapacitated persons, as well as instances where owners are currently outside Hong Kong.

It was noted that similar special circumstances are also commonly encountered in private market transactions.

The Government stated that it may consider making appropriate arrangements on a case-by-case basis at its discretion. While balancing empathy, reason and law, with priority given to empathy, the Government will continue to follow up on the assignment procedures at full speed to complete the transfer of titles.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Launch Ceremony of the HKUST RAISe+ (Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus) Project Fund today (October 16):

Chairperson Shih (Vice-Chairperson of the University Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Ms Edith Shih), Professor Cheng (Vice-President for Research and Development of the HKUST, Professor Tim Cheng), distinguished guests, faculty members and researchers.

Good morning. It is my honour to be here today at the Launch Ceremony of the HKUST RASIe+ Project Fund.

Universities play an important role in Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology centre. They advance knowledge, nurture talent, and develop innovative technologies to address real-world challenges. Yet, promising research must be validated to meet market needs before it can be transformed into viable products and services. This requires close collaboration among the Government, industry, academia, and research and investment sectors.

This is why we initiated the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme in 2023. Since then, the $10 billion Scheme has paved the way to connect universities’ R&D (research and development) outcomes with industry capital and real market demand. To date, 73 projects have been approved under the Scheme, with Government funding commitment of over $3 billion.

I am pleased to see the HKUST’s active participation in this Scheme, with 19 projects supported so far. They cover a range of technology areas, including medical applications, artificial intelligence and environmental solutions, demonstrating the potential for university research outcomes to address practical needs across different sectors.

I am delighted that the HKUST has taken one step further to launch the RAISe+ Project Fund that complements the Government’s efforts. By providing additional institutional support for research teams, the Fund helps promising projects progress from research and development towards practical applications. This also aligns with the direction set out in Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan announced last month, which emphasises our basic scientific research capabilities in original innovation and the role of institutions in attracting and cultivating talent for technological innovation.

As announced in the 2026 Policy Address, the Government is exploring the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Application Scenario Promotion Centre. By matching excellent innovative technologies with the practical needs of public and private organisations, the Centre aims to provide more opportunities for promising local research outcomes to be tested, validated and finally commercialised. At the same time, the Government will continue to support university knowledge transfer through our annual funding provided to the Technology Transfer Offices of local universities.

Ladies and gentlemen, RAISe+ is meant to be a bridge between Hong Kong’s research excellence and real market needs. The launch of the HKUST’s RAISe+ Project Fund today is an example of how universities can complement the Government’s initiative and contribute to this common objective.

I look forward to seeing more research teams work closely with industry partners to bring promising technologies into practical use, creating value for our economy and society. My congratulations go to the HKUST once again on the launch of the Fund, and I wish the initiative every success. Thank you very much.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Three items of subsidiary legislation relating to the implementation of the “Arrangement on Mutual Service of Judicial Documents in Civil & Commercial Proceedings between the Mainland & the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” were published in the Government Gazette today.

The three items are as follows: Rules of the High Court (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026; Rules of the District Court (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026; and Matrimonial Causes (Amendment) Rules 2026.

All three will come into operation on March 30.

The Department of Justice and the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) signed the new arrangement on April 20 this year, with a view to enhancing the mechanism for mutual use of judicial documents in civil and commercial matters between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

The new arrangement also aims to further promote the alignment of mechanisms and rules between the legal systems of the two places.

The subsidiary legislation seeks to implement the new arrangement in Hong Kong, while the SPC will promulgate a judicial interpretation of the new arrangement in the Mainland.

The Hong Kong SAR Government and SPC have agreed that the arrangement will come into force on March 30, replacing an existing arrangement that has been in place for over 27 years.

The subsidiary legislation will be tabled at the Legislative Council on October 21 for negative vetting.