MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 6:34PM by PIB Delhi

The Government of India (GoI) has announced the sale (issue/ re-issue) of (i) “6.64% Government Security 2027” for a notified amount of ₹6,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction using multiple price method and (ii) “New Government Security 2035” for a notified amount of ₹30,000 crore (nominal) through yield based auction using multiple price method. GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to ₹2,000 crore against each security mentioned above. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on May 02, 2025 (Friday).

Up to 5% of the notified amount of the sale of the securities will be allotted to eligible individuals and institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.

Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber system) on May 02, 2025. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

The result of the auctions will be announced on May 02, 2025 (Friday) and payment by successful bidders will be on May 05, 2025 (Monday).    

The Securities will be eligible for “When Issued” trading in accordance with the guidelines on ‘When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI/2018-19/25 dated July 24, 2018 as amended from time to time.

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NB/KMN

(Release ID: 2124932) Visitor Counter : 8

Source: Government of India

National Supercomputing Mission

Powering India’s Future with Indigenous High-Performance Computing

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 6:00PM by PIB Delhi

 

 

Introduction

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a flagship initiative by the Government of India to empower the country with high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities. Launched in 2015, the mission aims to enhance India’s technological prowess in supercomputing, foster research and development (R&D), and support scientific advancements across academia, industry, and government sectors.

The Mission envisages empowering our national academic and R&D institutions spread over the country by installing supercomputers of various capacities. Access to these supercomputers is provided through the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN is another program of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high-speed network.

Academic and R&D institutions as well as key user departments/ministries would participate by using these facilities and develop applications of national relevance. The Mission also includes development of highly professional High-Performance Computing (HPC) aware human resource for meeting challenges of development of these applications. HRD activities in this area are steered through five training centres at Pune, Kharagpur, Chennai, Palakkad, and Goa to expand the awareness and familiarization of supercomputing with college students and researchers.

 

Current Status & Achievements

 

Under NSM, as of March 2025, a total of 34 supercomputers with a combined compute capacity of 35 Petaflops, have been deployed across various academic institutions, research organizations, and R&D labs, including prominent institutions like IISc, IITs, C-DAC, and other institutions from Tier-II and Tier III cities of the country under NSM. The supercomputing systems commissioned under NSM have achieved an overall utilization rate of over 85%, with many systems exceeding 95%, demonstrating a high level of usage and efficiency in their computational capacity

The contribution of these supercomputing systems to the Research and Development (R&D) sector has been highly impactful, facilitating over 10,000 researchers, including more than 1,700 PhD scholars from over 200 academic institutions and R&D labs across the country. These supercomputing systems have supported research in critical domains such as Drug Discovery, Disaster Management, Energy Security, Climate Modeling, Astronomical Research, Computational Chemistry, Fluid Dynamics, and Material Research. NSM has created opportunities for researchers from Tier II and Tier III cities to conduct research by providing access to state-of-the-art supercomputing facilities. These researchers have completed over 1 crore compute jobs and published more than 1,500 papers in leading national and international journals. Additionally, more than 22,000 individuals have been trained in HPC and AI skills. Start-ups and MSMEs are leveraging these supercomputing resources to advance their HPC-driven projects.

 

 

In parallel, under the NSM, C-DAC has developed the indigenous high-speed communication network, “Trinetra,” to enhance data transfer and communication between computing nodes, strengthening India’s supercomputing capabilities. Trinetra is being implemented in three phases: Trinetra-POC, a proof-of-concept system to validate key concepts; Trinetra-A (100 Gigabits per second), a network with advanced connections, successfully deployed and tested in the 1PF PARAM Rudra at C-DAC Pune; and Trinetra-B (200 Gigabits per second), an upgraded version with improved capabilities, set to be deployed in the upcoming 20PF PARAM Rudra supercomputer at C-DAC Bangalore.

In 2024, the Prime Minister dedicated three PARAM Rudra supercomputers to the young researchers, scientists and engineers of nation facilitating advanced studies in physics, earth sciences, and cosmology. These supercomputers have been deployed in Pune, Delhi and Kolkata to facilitate pioneering scientific research. PARAM Rudra supercomputers are built using indigenously designed and manufactured HPC servers, known as “Rudra”, along with an indigenously developed system software stack. “Rudra” Server is the first of its kind in India which is at par with globally available other HPC class Servers.

The Government has initiated a project AIRAWAT for providing a common compute platform for AI research and knowledge assimilation. This AI computing infrastructure will be used by all Technology Innovation Hubs, research labs, scientific community, industry, start-ups and institutions under the NKN. The Proof of Concept (PoC) for AIRAWAT will be developed with 200 petaflops mixed precision AI machine which will be scalable to a peak compute of 790 AI petaflops. The AIRAWAT has secured 75^th position in Top 500 Global Supercomputing List declared at International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023), Germany putting India on top of AI Supercomputing nations worldwide.

In 2022, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has installed Param Pravega, one of the most powerful Indian supercomputers. Param Pravega having a supercomputing power of 3.3 petaflops, is the largest supercomputer that has been installed in an Indian academic institution.

In 2019, the Prime Minister inaugurated National Supercomputing Mission’s first indigenously build supercomputer ‘Param Shivay’ at Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi.

In 2024-25, additional ~45 PF of computing infrastructure creation is envisaged using indigenously developed server and technologies.

 

NSM Infrastructure

The National Supercomputing Mission aims at achieving the goals of attaining self-reliance in supercomputing, building the culture of using supercomputing for carrying out R&D and problem-solving in various domains of scientific and technological endeavours, and designing solutions for various societal applications, and positioning the supercomputing ecosystem in the country at a globally competitive level. The systems and facilities created as part of the infrastructure under this mission are divided into three phases: Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III.

Phase 1: This phase focused on creating a basic supercomputing infrastructure by installing six supercomputers across various institutions, with a significant portion of the components being assembled domestically. The aim was to build an ecosystem for the assembly of system components within the country.

Phase 2: Building on Phase 1, this phase aimed to move towards indigenous manufacturing of supercomputers, including developing a local software stack. This phase also saw an increase in the value addition from India to 40%.

Phase 3: This phase focuses on complete indigenization of supercomputing, including the design, development, and manufacturing of key components within India. The plan includes installing supercomputers at various academic and research institutions, as well as establishing a national facility with a high-performance computing capability.

The Mission is being steered jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The Mission implementation would bring supercomputing within the reach of the large scientific & technology community in the country and enable the country with a capacity of solving multi-disciplinary grand challenge problems.

NSM has planned to expand the number of supercomputers to select institutions including IITs with more compute power including 20 Peta Flop systems. An amount of Rs. 1874 crore has been allocated / utilized to develop and provide the super-computing facility for research and other allied areas. This includes funds for infrastructure creation, undertaking R&D in applied areas, applications, HRD and for mission management.

 

Strengthening NSM through India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)

 

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) is set to give a big boost to the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). Supercomputers need powerful parts like processors, memory chips, and special accelerators — all of which are made using advanced semiconductor technology. Until now, India had to rely heavily on imports for these components.

With ISM, India is focusing on making these high-tech parts right here at home. This will make supercomputers faster, more energy-efficient, and much more affordable. It will also allow India to build supercomputers that are customized for our own scientific and industrial needs. By developing these technologies within the country, ISM will help NSM move closer to its dream of making India self-reliant and a global leader in supercomputing.

 

Conclusion

 

The National Supercomputing Mission is a transformative initiative that strengthens India’s position in global supercomputing. By fostering indigenous development, research, and innovation, NSM supports critical sectors and prepares the nation for future technological challenges. With continued investment and strategic deployment, India is poised to become a global leader in High-Performance Computing.

 

References

https://nsmindia.in/

https://ism.gov.in/

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1666447

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2081061

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1800356

https://dst.gov.in/pm-launches-country-1st-indigenously-build-supercomputer

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2087506

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2088268

https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/184/AU2084_k8K63G.pdf?source=pqals

https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/267/AU3905_rZLY5P.pdf?source=pqars

National Supercomputing Mission

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Santosh Kumar | Sarla Meena | Rishita Aggarwal

(Release ID: 2124920) Visitor Counter : 42

Source: Government of India

Aadhaar authentication surges past 2,707 crore in 2024-25; UIDAI’s face authentication gains momentum

UIDAI wins Prime Minister’s Award for innovation as Aadhaar face authentication sees record adoption

Aadhaar e-KYC transactions cross 44.63 crore in March 2025, boosting ease of business across sectors

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 5:51PM by PIB Delhi

In a clear sign of its growing adoption and utility, Aadhaar number holders carried out more than 2,707 crore authentication transactions in 2024-25 including 247 crore such transactions in March alone.

Aadhaar has been an enabler of digital economy and the increasing adoption shows its growing role across sector including banking, finance, telecom, and for the smooth delivery of benefits under various government schemes and services.

The total number of authentication transactions in March 2025 (246.75 Cr) is higher than the transactions clocked during the same period last year as well as in February 2025.  Since inception, the cumulative number of authentication transactions have crossed over 14,800 crore.

The AI/ML based Aadhaar Face Authentication solutions developed in house by UIDAI has been witnessing significant growth. In March more than 15 crore such transactions took place, indicative of the growing usage, adoption of this authentication modality and how it is benefiting Aadhaar number holders seamlessly. More than 100 entities both in government and private sector are using face authentication for smooth delivery of benefits and services.

On 21 April, UIDAI received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration. This was presented under the Innovation category for UIDAI’s Face Authentication modality.

Aadhaar e-KYC service continues to play a crucial role in improving customer experience and adding ease of doing business in sectors including banking and non-banking financial services.

The total number of eKYC transactions (44.63 Cr) carried out during March 2025 is over 6% more than the numbers during the same period last year. The cumulative number of e-KYC transactions has touched 2356 crore as on 31 March 2025.

Similarly, 20 lakh new Aadhaar numbers were generated in March 2025 and over 1.91 crore Aadhaars were updated successfully following submissions from Aadhaar number holders.  

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Dharmendra Tewari/ Navin sreejith

(Release ID: 2124910) Visitor Counter : 92

Source: Government of India

Promotion of Hindi in government work is not just the task of a few departments but a shared responsibility of the society, says Dr. Jitendra Singh

Over the last decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government’s commitment to promoting Hindi had helped bridge many longstanding gaps;

Sustained efforts from all stakeholders essential to achieve the broader vision

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 5:25PM by PIB Delhi

In a strong call for collective responsibility, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh today emphasized that the promotion of Hindi in government work is not just the task of a few departments but a shared responsibility of the society.

Speaking at the “Hindi Salahkar Samiti” meeting organized by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that while notable progress has been made in expanding the use of Hindi, sustained efforts from all stakeholders are essential to achieve the broader vision.

Reflecting on the progress made over the last decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Dr. Jitendra Singh noted that the government’s commitment to promoting Hindi had helped bridge many longstanding gaps. He pointed out that historically, despite being the mother tongue for many, Hindi did not enjoy the formal acceptance in official communication it deserved. “Earlier, receiving or sending letters

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 5:21PM by PIB Mumbai

Mumbai, 28 April 2025

 

World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025 – will bring together the world’s leading media, entertainment, and technology innovators at Jio Convention Centre, Mumbai from 1st to 4th May. Spanning an extraordinary 15,000 Sqms, WAVES 2025 will serve as the ultimate platform for industry giants, creators, investors, and cutting-edge technology pioneers to converge, collaborate, and explore the future of global entertainment. With over 100 leading exhibitors — including Netflix, Amazon, Google, Meta, Sony, Reliance, Adobe, Tata, Balaji Telefilms, Dharma Productions, Saregama, and Yash Raj Films — along with next-generation innovators such as JetSynthesys, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), Free Stream Technologies, Neural Garage, and Fractal Picture —WAVES will be the definitive meeting point for innovation, creativity, and cross-border collaboration in the entertainment sector.

At the heart of this extraordinary summit is the Bharat Pavilion, spanning a magnificent 1,470 Sqms, celebrating India’s dynamic legacy under the theme “Kala to Code.” Visitors will embark on an immersive journey through the evolution of Indian storytelling — from ancient oral traditions and visual arts to cutting-edge technological advancements — across four experiential zones: Shruti, Kriti, Drishti, and Creator’s Leap.

In addition to the Bharat Pavilion, WAVES 2025 will feature exclusive State Pavilions, where Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and several other states will proudly showcase their cultural and creative strengths.

Furthermore, the MSME Pavilion and Start-Up Booths will provide emerging businesses and innovators in the M&E Sector with unparalleled opportunities to connect with industry leaders, investors, and key stakeholders from the global entertainment and technology sectors.

A key attraction at WAVES 2025 will be the expansive Gaming Arena, highlighting the rapid growth of the gaming and esports industries. Featuring prominent brands such as Microsoft  &Xbox, Dream11, Krafton, Nazara, MPL, and JioGames. The arena will offer a glimpse into the future of interactive entertainment and demonstrate gaming’s growing influence within the global digital ecosystem.

Open for Business Days from 1st to 4th May 2025, with Public Days on 3rd and 4th May 2025, WAVES 2025 will offer exclusive networking opportunities and unparalleled insights into the entertainment, media, and technology landscapes. The exhibition will be open from 10 AM to 6 PM from 1st to 3rd May, and from 10 AM to 5 PM on 4th May 2025. With its extraordinary scale, influential exhibitors, and forward-looking vision, WAVES 2025 is set to emerge as the premier hub for global media convergence — a place where tradition and innovation come together to shape the future of storytelling, technology, and entertainment.

 

About WAVES

The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.

Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.

WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).

Have questions? Find answers here  

Stay updated with the latest announcements from PIB Team WAVES

Come, Sail with us! Register for WAVES now. 

 

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PIB TEAM WAVES 2025 | Sriyanka/ Darshana | 112

Follow us on social media: @PIBMumbai    /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai   pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com  /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai

(Release ID: 2124892) Visitor Counter : 53

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 28 APR 2025 5:09PM by PIB Delhi

Researcher have developed fresh insights into proton adsorption behaviour at the surface of catalysts, which can help construct electrocatalysts useful for producing green hydrogen.

Plethora of heterostructures have been studied for green hydrogen generation with the effect of built-in electric field (BIEF). However, the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) based p-n heterojunction can be considered as a promising material to have robust BIEF due to asymmetric electronic environment.

Recent research is focused on leveraging BIEFs at the interface of different electronic environments to improve hydrogen production. Therefore, analysing and correlating parameters such as the work function, BIEF, and Gibbs free energy (a thermodynamic potential that can be used to calculate the maximum amount of work) is crucial for understanding the reaction mechanism. The difference in work functions between two materials is what drives the initial charge redistribution, which in turn sets up the built-in potential across the junction. BIEF directly affects the dynamics of proton adsorption/desorption, which was evaluated by Gibbs free energy of adsorption.

Scientists of Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, grew CuWO₄ (Copper tungsten oxide) nano-particles precursor over Cu (OH)2 (Copper hydroxide) and fabricated CuWO₄-CuO hetero-structure and studied its physical and electrochemical properties. They examined the Gibbs free energy profile for proton adsorption of different regiones and found that near the depletion region and along the interface, the proton adsorption energy shows contrasting behaviour as compared with bulk area. This induces a gradient in Gibbs free energy across and near the depletion region, thereby promoting an improved hydrogen adsorption and desorption.

Fig:  Mechanism revealing an interplay of BIEF and Gibbs Free Energy in CuO-CuWO₄ p-n heterojunction for proton adsorption/desorption in HER.

Interestingly, Scientists from INST, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), demonstrated that the interplay between the built-in electric field (BIEF) and Gibbs free energy in the proposed catalyst gives rise to a favourable regime, where hydrogen bonding to the catalyst is optimized, facilitating efficient hydrogen evolution. They also found that along the heterojunction interface, the ∆G indicates high adsorption affinity of protons toward the CuO phase and significant desorption at the CuWO₄ phase. The CuO-CuWO₄ catalyst unveils an excellent example of ‘negative cooperativity,’ in which the binding of one molecule decreases the affinity of other binding sites for additional molecules. With more and more proton coverage, the affinity of the catalyst’s surface towards the proton adsorption decreases, and promotes alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction by enhancing desorption.

This research published in Adv. Energy Mater. 2025 helped understand the typical proton adsorption behaviour at the surface of the catalyst, which can help others to design and construct similar electrocatalyst which can give robust activity to produce green hydrogen. Improving in electrocatalytic hydrogen production can lead to sustainable environment with advance green technologies.

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NKR/PSM

(Release ID: 2124882) Visitor Counter : 63

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the dinner reception today (April 28):
 
Thank you, Glenn (Emcee of the dinner reception). I hope that you agree with me that the best part of Hong Kong is about the people. And we brought quite a number of people from Hong Kong tonight so that we will be in for a joyful and enjoyable evening. And again, I would like to really express our sincere gratitude. As Glenn has said, we personally were at the ATM (Arabian Travel Market) this afternoon. We saw how busy and how vibrant it was. We understand fully that each and everyone of you here at this dinner have a lot of important initiatives tonight but you choose to honour us with your presence and that makes it even more important and special for us all. From the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of the hearts of our delegation, a big, big thank you very much. Here comes the official opening statement but again it is also from the bottom of my heart.
 
Good evening, distinguished guests, friends from the trade, ladies and gentlemen,
 
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this special evening where I could meet key partners from the Middle East’s tourism industry, alongside distinguished travel trade leaders, industry representatives from Hong Kong, and of course, the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board and their team.
 
I am the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. And I took office about five months ago. This visit marks my debut overseas visit outside of China and I am glad to have picked the Middle East as the first destination of this tour. I am truly honoured to be able to play an important role in forging stronger tourism ties between the Middle East and Hong Kong, and I indeed look forward to exchanging views with you on how we can collaborate to bring more visitors to Hong Kong. 
 
Let me start by saying how keen we are to receive friends from the Middle East. Last year, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region outlined the vision in his Policy Address to establish Hong Kong as a welcoming destination for the Middle East travellers. Following this, my Bureau promulgated the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 which sets out the roadmap for the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry from 2025 to 2030. A key focus in this Blueprint is expanding our visitor base with the Middle East at the forefront. The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing markets globally. By 2028, it is estimated that there will be 250 million Muslim visitors worldwide, generating US$225 billion in tourism revenues. That’s why I am here to share with you that Hong Kong, as the Pearl of the Orient, and a unique fusion of the East and the West, is more than ready and happy to welcome you from the Middle East to enjoy the all-in-one experiences in the city. 
 
But that is not all. It is not about business. It is not just about business. It is about establishing friendship between us in Hong Kong and you all in the Middle East and for those who come from Dubai locally, I enjoy the city very much and I hope that in the rest of my journey, I will be enjoying the other cities that I will be visiting as much as I do here.
 
Hong Kong also has its unique appeal in a wide spectrum, offering multifaceted tourism products and experiences that fit for visitors of all ages and with different interests. First, we offer a myriad of possibilities and experiences by presenting world-class tourist attractions such as the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Ocean Park which is home for six adorable pandas, among others, the very iconic Peak Tram which brings you to the Victoria Peak to enjoy the magnificent panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the heart of Hong Kong, or the Ngong Ping 360 cable car that takes you to the tranquil Po Lin Monastery and the famous Big Buddha. For arts and culture lovers, we have unmissable experiences at world-class landmarks like the M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which carry an exciting array of exhibitions on East and West cultural themes. Apart from attractions, we are also promoting mega events tourism, island tourism and horse-racing tourism which offer tourists unforgettable and unique experiences. Last month, we commissioned the largest state-of-the-art sports infrastructure in Hong Kong, the Kai Tak Sports Park, which marked a thrilling new era and would see lots of great sports and entertainment events being held in Hong Kong. In addition to staging our signature Hong Kong Sevens rugby matches for the first time in end March this year, the new venue, the Kai Tak Sports Park, will play host to the Hong Kong Football Festival featuring four world-renowned football clubs, including Liverpool which just secured its champion on the English Premier League for the 20th time. And also we will have Arsenal, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur this July. Horse racing has a history of 140 years in Hong Kong and our racecourses are well-known tourist hotspots. The new racing season of Hong Kong usually starts in September, climaxing on the Hong Kong International Races in early December with world-class jockeys and horses competing fiercely for the world championships. The magnificent green and blue from our green landscape, the beautiful beaches and outlying islands are also the hidden gems of the city awaiting you to explore.
 
We are indeed dedicated to making Hong Kong a welcoming home for Middle East visitors. Our 60 hotels and 170 restaurants in Hong Kong are halal-certified, and many attractions and venues provide prayer facilities and cultural training for their staff. Not only do we have strong and keen enthusiasm in joining the Arabian Travel Market and setting up a Hong Kong pavilion again to showcase the city’s novel experiences like what we did this afternoon and the coming days, we have also arranged familiarisation visits for trade partners from the Middle East to go to Hong Kong to experience our various offerings, and we also partnered with major Middle East airline and online travel agents to promote Hong Kong as an ideal tourism destination across the region.  
 
Looking ahead, we are eager to build even closer ties with the Middle East – not just welcoming you as visitors to Hong Kong but also inspiring more Hong Kong people to explore the incredible destinations for both business and leisure in the Middle East.
 
So, thank you all once again for joining us tonight. May I take this opportunity to wish you all good health and many good returns. Have an enjoyable evening. And thank you again.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee today met Slovak Republic Deputy Prime Minister for the European Union Recovery Plan & the Knowledge Economy Peter Kmec and the governments of the two places signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Science, Research & Innovation.

Mr Kmec and Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong signed the MOU on behalf of the Slovak Republic Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government respectively.

Mr Lee noted that the MOU is an important milestone in strengthening the ties between Hong Kong and the Slovak Republic on the innovation and technology (I&T) front, encouraging exchanges among scientific research organisations, scientific and technological talent and enterprises of the two places, and promotes co-operation in scientific research and innovation as well as the transfer of technology and innovation outcomes, contributing to the high-quality development of the two economies.

While Hong Kong is striving to become an international I&T centre and the Slovak Republic has announced various long-term digital transformation development strategies in recent years, Mr Lee said he believes that there is ample room for future co-operation between Hong Kong and the Slovak Republic in the application of I&T.

In terms of economic and trade development, Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong SAR Government will maintain close ties with the Slovak business community, and will organise promotion activities of various natures to keep them abreast of the latest developments and opportunities in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will also promote Hong Kong’s strengths and development potential, including the city’s close connections with international and Mainland markets, as well as the tremendous development opportunities brought by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt & Road Initiative.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region