MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) expressed deep concern over an accident that occurred at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of today (October 20), where a cargo aircraft ditched into the sea. The four crew members on board were rescued and sent to the hospital. The TLB is saddened by the loss of two ground staff members in the accident and extends its deepest condolences to their families.

The spokesman added that flight safety is of utmost importance. The Air Accident Investigation Authority will actively investigate the cause of the accident, while the Civil Aviation Department and the Airport Authority Hong Kong will fully co-operate to ensure the safety of airport operations.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.7% in June to August to 3.9% in July to September, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The underemployment rate remained at 1.6%.

Total employment was 3,674,500, down 6,100 from June to August, while the labour force also decreased by around 1,500 to 3,830,100.

While noting the continued expansion of the Hong Kong economy is expected to support job growth, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said the employment situation in some sectors would continue to face challenges during economic restructuring, adding that the increasing external uncertainties could weigh on corporate hiring sentiment.

“The Government will continue to closely monitor the labour market situation and facilitate job-seeking through enhancing dissemination of employment information.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today spoke at the opening ceremony of the Legal Practice Training Course for Chinese Enterprises Going Overseas, organised by the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy.

Mr Lam said with the high-quality development of the national economy, an increasing number of outstanding Mainland enterprises are actively expanding to overseas markets, while at the same time facing many challenges.

He expressed hope that the training course would enable participants to comprehensively understand current trends in overseas expansion, keep abreast of evolving legal and regulatory challenges, and effectively tackle the complex issues encountered by enterprises when “going overseas”.

Over 30 legal advisers and related professionals from state-owned enterprises will explore the practical and imminent legal issues and challenges faced by Mainland enterprises going global, in the course that officially started today.

The lectures’ speakers include experienced legal professionals from Hong Kong and overseas, as well as members of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee.

The academy also invited more than 10 senior legal practitioners from 12 jurisdictions in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, to share their first-hand experiences and insights in the local markets with participants.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     â€‹The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, today (October 20) led a delegation from the Department of Health (DH) to attend the meeting of the 76th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in Fiji. He engaged in in-depth discussions with representatives from other countries and regions on major health issues of common concern. They explored practical response strategies and ways to strengthen the resilience of health systems. Dr Lam also shared on public health and medical reforms and achievements in Hong Kong, China.
 
     During the opening session today, Dr Lam reported on the latest developments and challenges in public health in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). “The HKSAR has established a resilient public health system. We have enjoyed one of the best indices in terms of life expectancies, maternal and infant mortality rates, etc, as well as quality healthcare services. These achievements are attributed to a solid foundation established across various public health areas, including disease surveillance, disease prevention, and responsive medical services. At the same time, the HKSAR shares many challenges with other member states of the WHO, such as an ageing population, the ongoing strain on the healthcare workforce, the dual threats of non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases, and rising healthcare expenditure,” Dr Lam said.
 
     To address the abovementioned issues, “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” announced that Hong Kong, China is deepening its healthcare reform and enhancing the sustainability of the Hong Kong healthcare system through a series of measures. These include enhancing the public healthcare system, promoting healthcare manpower development, strengthening primary healthcare services, enhancing cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment, promoting the development of Chinese Medicine (CM), promoting mental health, and developing an international health and medical innovation hub.
 
     “Hong Kong, China is pressing ahead with targeted, far-reaching health reforms. We are transforming our primary health care from a treatment focus to a prevention focus and tailoring it to individual health needs; exploring systemic solutions to alleviate healthcare workforce pressures; accelerating the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and smart and digital healthcare systems to enhance the efficiency and coverage of our services; taking forward health promotion and disease prevention initiatives in a life-course approach; and mobilising resources to tackle health issues of vulnerable groups,” Dr Lam added.
 
     He emphasised that the theme of the WHO Western Pacific Region, “Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025-2029)”, closely aligns with the healthcare reform objectives outlined in “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address”. Hong Kong, China will continue to collaborate closely with the WHO to advance global and Western Pacific regional health objectives.
 
     The five-day meeting runs until October 24. During the meeting, participants will also discuss mental and psychological health care, the impact of climate change on health system safety and resilience, oral health, alcohol control, artificial intelligence in healthcare systems, hypertension control, safer surgery and tobacco control, among other topics. The Controller of Regulatory Affairs of the DH, Dr Fung Ying, will introduce the HKSAR’s new phase of tobacco control measures at the meeting. The DH was unanimously elected by all member states and regions of the WHO Western Pacific Region to serve as the official rapporteur for this session, responsible for ensuring that the resolutions adequately reflect the views of member states and regions to promote the effective implementation of the regional programme.
 
     With the support of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the DH has actively collaborated with and supported the WHO in addressing various public health challenges and contributing to global public health over the years. The DH has been designated by the WHO as a Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine and a Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence, assisting the WHO in formulating global strategies for traditional medicine. Furthermore, the DH regularly provides training programmes on tobacco control and training in smoking cessation treatment for healthcare professionals as well as tobacco control and smoking cessation practitioners in the HKSAR, on the Chinese Mainland and throughout the entire Western Pacific Region. The DH also conducts CM Acupuncture Smoking Cessation Training Workshops to help frontline CM practitioners enhance their knowledge and skills in delivering cessation treatment. Regarding training, to date, over 1 000 individuals have participated in these programmes and training. Additionally, the WHO has designated the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH as a reference laboratory for various communicable diseases, including tuberculosis, measles/rubella, influenza A (H5), SARS and COVID-19, making significant contributions to fighting epidemics worldwide.
 
     With the support of the Central Government and under the “one country, two systems” principle, the DH will continue to maintain close liaison with the WHO member states and regions on various public health protection issues. Through multilateral collaboration and consensus-building, the DH will further enhance and safeguard overall public health in the region.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Financial Secretary Paul Chan will depart today for Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers’ Meeting and related events in Incheon, and will proceed to Beijing for a visit on Wednesday.

The theme of the APEC meeting is “Sustainable Growth & Shared Prosperity in the Region”, and will explore topics such as global and regional economic and financial developments, digital finance and fiscal policy.

While in Incheon, Mr Chan will also hold bilateral meetings with officials from other economies to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Upon completion of the visits to Incheon and Beijing, he will return to Hong Kong on Saturday.

During Mr Chan’s absence, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong will be Acting Secretary.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Transport & Logistics Bureau expressed deep concern over an accident at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of today, where a cargo aircraft ditched into the sea.

The four crew members on board were rescued and sent to hospital.

The bureau said it is saddened by the loss of two ground staff members in the accident and extended its deepest condolences to their families.

 

The cargo aircraft concerned, arriving from Al Maktoum International Airport, United Arab Emirates, had deviated from the North Runway after landing and ditched into the sea.

The Civil Aviation Department is following up with the relevant parties at the airport, including the airline.

The department has also reported the incident to the Air Accident Investigation Authority in accordance with the established mechanism, and is sparing no effort to support the investigation.

Source: Government of Singapore

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN SPF, ICA, HDB, LTA, NEA AND URA 

Singapore, 17 October 2025 – More than $619,000 in outstanding summonses were recovered from 241 foreign motorists during a multi-agency operation conducted from 6 to 8 October 2025. During the operation, foreign motorists with outstanding fines were stopped and directed to settle their fines for vehicular and traffic offences when they entered Singapore at the land checkpoints. The operation was led by the Traffic Police (TP) and supported by officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Housing & Development Board, Land Transport Authority, National Environment Agency, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

2                 Singapore takes a serious view of foreign motorists who have committed offences in Singapore, and do not settle their fines. Singapore authorities regularly conduct operations against foreign motorists who commit offences in Singapore and do not settle their fines. Foreign motorists with outstanding fines for traffic, parking, or vehicular emissions offences may be denied entry into Singapore.

3                All motorists are required to abide by Singapore laws and play their part in building a positive road safety culture. This includes the following:

• Adhering to speed limits
• Obeying traffic signals
• Paying ERP and parking charges
• Parking legally
• Driving a vehicle that complies with vehicle emissions limit

4         Foreign motorists are strongly advised to check if they have any outstanding fines at www.axs.com.sg. Payment of the fines can be made via the following channels (a detailed list of payment options applicable to the respective agencies is listed in Annex A):

(a)   AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app;

(b)   Respective agencies’ websites; or

(c)   Respective agencies’ customer service counters

5               Foreign motorists who wish to seek clarifications on their offences may contact the relevant agencies (refer to Annex A). 

~~ End ~~

For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

 

Annex A

Contact Details and Payment Options for Foreign Vehicles with Outstanding Offences

Traffic Police (TP)

• Tel: 6547 0000
• AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app (Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)
• TP’s website:

SPF | Check Outstanding Traffic Offences and Pay Traffic Fines

• TP’s customer service counter (Cashcard, NETS, and Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)

Housing & Development Board (HDB)

• AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app (NETS, e-NETS, DBS Paylah!, Paynow QR and Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)

HDB’s website:

http://go.gov.sg/hdb-parking-fine (NETS, PayNow, and Singapore and foreign-issued credit/debit cards)

• HDB cash payment kiosks at various locations (http://go.gov.sg/hdb-cash-payment-kiosks)

Land Transport Authority (LTA)

• Tel: 1800 225 5582
• AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app (Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)
• OneMotoring website:

https://vrl.lta.gov.sg/lta/vrl/action/pubfunc?ID+=EnquireOffence

National Environment Agency (NEA)

• Tel: 6225 5632
• AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app (Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)
• SingPost Post Offices (Cash, NETS, NETS Flashpay and Singapore-issued credit/debit cards)
• SingPost mobile application and https://mysam.singpost.com
• NEA’s website: https://go.gov.sg/nea-payment

Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

• Tel: 6329 3434
• AXS kiosks, AXS website and AXS mobile app (Singapore-issued credit/debit cards and foreign-issued credit cards)
• URA’s website:

https://go.gov.sg/ura-pf (eNETS, PayNow, Singapore and foreign-issued credit/debit cards)

 

Annex B

A Traffic Police officer engaging two motorists on their outstanding fines.

The enforcement operation was led by the Traffic Police and supported by officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Housing & Development Board, Land Transport Authority, National Environment Agency, and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

A Traffic Police officer engaging a motorist on his outstanding fines.

The Traffic Police officer providing information on payment locations and available payment methods for settling outstanding fines

 

 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
     The Judiciary announced that starting from October 30, the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) will be extended (Note) to cover personal injuries cases (HCPI) in the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
 
     The iCMS provides a series of electronic services, including sending and receiving case-specific court documents to and from the courts (e-filing), inspecting or searching filed documents and other case-related information held by the courts, searching cause books, and making payments for court services. The Judiciary is planning to make it mandatory for all legally represented parties to use e-filing under the iCMS (where available) as from the latter half of 2026.
    
     With the iCMS, there is no need to visit the High Court Building to scan (this function is available to Litigants-in-Person only) and upload the electronic copy of the document to be filed using the self-service kiosks located at the Resource Centre for Unrepresented Litigants or make payments in the Accounts Office for paper filing.
 
     To facilitate law firms’ early migration from conventional paper mode to the iCMS in preparation for mandatory use in 2026, the Judiciary is inviting all law firms to make an appointment with the Judiciary for technical assistance on using the iCMS, either at the High Court Building or their own offices, when they are initiating a new case of an iCMS-enabled case type (including HCPI upon its rollout on October 30) for the first time. Taking into account the law firms’ response and available resources, the Judiciary may require all law firms initiating a new case through paper filing to go through this assisted e-filing process for the purpose of enhancing training on iCMS before mandatory e-filing. To encourage migration to the iCMS, a 20 per cent concession is offered to iCMS users for three years on fee items of the High Court that are primarily or directly related to the electronic handling of court documents.
 
     Eligible users, including parties of ongoing or new e-proceedings and their legal representatives (if any), need to register for a user account to access the full range of services under the iCMS. Unregistered users can only use limited iCMS services, mainly searching for electronic documents that are open to public inspection. Registration is free of charge.
     
     The iCMS can be accessed using personal computers or mobile devices with an Internet connection, commonly used operating systems and browsers. It operates around the clock, except during system maintenance. Any e-filing and e-payment received under the iCMS after the registry and the accounts office are normally closed to the public (i.e. after 5.30pm on a working day) will be deemed to be received at the start of the normal opening hours of the registry and the accounts office on the following working day.
    
     For more details about the iCMS, including its technical requirements, please visit the dedicated webpage on e-Courts of the Judiciary website at www.judiciary.hk/en/e_courts/index.html.
 
     For enquiries, please call the general enquiry hotline at 2477 1002 or the technical helpline at 2886 6474, email enquiry@judiciary.hk, or visit the Help Centre at 5/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.

Note: The iCMS application currently covers personal injury actions, tax claim proceedings, civil action proceedings and employees’ compensation cases in the District Court, summons cases in the Magistrates’ Courts, bulk claims in the Small Claims Tribunal, and selected case types of civil proceedings of the High Court, including civil appeal cases (CACV) in the Court of Appeal and commercial cases (HCCL), construction and arbitration cases (HCCT) and intellectual property cases (HCIP) in the Court of First Instance.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Wu were delighted to be invited by Mayor Trenton Brown to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Granny Smith Festival, together with NSW Premier Chris Minns, Federal MPs Maria Kovacic&Jerome Laxale, NSW MPs Jordan Lane and Monica Tudehope, and all Ryde City Councillors.
This year’s 40th anniversary celebrations were bigger and better than ever — featuring more than 200 market stalls, 500 performers, and over 1,000 Ryde residents taking part in the grand street parade. A special heritage display also showcased the 40-year evolution of the Granny Smith Festival and the legacy of Granny Smith herself, highlighting the City of Ryde’s rich history and vibrant multicultural spirit.
The Taiwanese community was thrilled to take part in the festival. The Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association set up a cultural experience booth where visitors could try traditional calligraphy, and even DG Wu couldn’t resist trying to write some auspicious spring couplets. The Distinguished Citizens Society International of NSW also teamed up with FASCA (Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors) to bring the lively San Tai Zi (Third Prince), lion dance, and Laughing Buddha to the parade, showcasing Taiwan’s vibrant traditional culture — even catching the attention of NSW Premier Chris Minns, who stopped by for a photo.