The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the President of the Xinhua News Agency, Mr Cai Mingzhao, at Government House today (October 28).
      
     Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Cai's visit to Hong Kong and briefed him on the latest development of the city. She said that Hong Kong is integrating into the overall development of the nation with the support of the Central People's Government, and is participating proactively in the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with a view to leveraging its strengths to meet the country's needs. She said that the recent commissioning of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge as well as the upcoming opening of the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point enhance enormously connectivity between Hong Kong and the Mainland and lay a solid foundation for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
      
     She said that the Xinhua News Agency has a long history and has been responsible for reporting the country's latest developments to readers. She said she hopes that through its diversified coverage, the agency would continue to report news on various aspects of the developments in Hong Kong for readers at home and abroad, and provide Hong Kong people with information about the Mainland, the countries along the Belt and Road and the world as a whole.

  

     The Correctional Services Department (CSD) Sports Association will hold the CSD's 66th Autumn Fair at the football field adjacent to Stanley Prison on November 3 (Saturday). Members of the public are welcome to attend. Admission is free.

     The theme of this year's fair is "We Promote Inclusiveness in Full Vigour". The venue, the stalls and some handicrafts made by persons in custody will be themed around sports to reflect the creativity and vitality of the correctional officers and persons in custody. Elderly persons and ethnic minority members are invited to participate in the fair to promote social inclusion.

     A café called "Harmony Café" will be set up in the Theme Corner of the fair, where milk tea and pastries made by persons in custody of Cape Collinson Correctional Institution will be served to the public. The café enables the persons in custody to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have gained from vocational training in food and beverages at the institution. There will also be booths selling items made by persons in custody including furniture, wooden decorations, stationery, rattan products, plants and handicrafts.

     Miss Hong Kong 2018 will also attend and tour the booths to promote charity and rehabilitation work.

     Various organisations have been invited to perform at the fair, including a military band performance by the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, a motorcycling performance by the Civil Aid Service, a Chinese martial arts performance, a cheerleading performance by an award-winning school cheering team and a marching band performance. In addition, the dragon and lion dance team of the CSD Sports Association and the CSD Dog Unit will perform at the fair.

     The Autumn Fair, a large-scale and popular public event organised by the CSD Sports Association since 1953, is now in its 66th year. After deducting costs, the funds raised from sales and donations through various channels at the Fair will go to voluntary agencies. The Fair also provides opportunities for persons in custody to contribute to the community.

     The Fair will be held at the football field adjacent to Stanley Prison (99 Tung Tau Wan Road) from 10.45am to 5pm on November 3. Please visit the website www.csdsa.com/autumnfair2018 or the Rehabilitation Pioneer Project Facebook page www.facebook.com/1643253549271454/posts/2126637774266360/ or scan the attached QR code to obtain more information (Chinese only).

     The venue can be reached via bus routes 6, 6X, 63, 73, 260 and 973 and green minibus routes 40 and 52 to the main entrance of the CSD Staff Training Institute, and from there by walking to the venue.

        

     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, will depart Hong Kong tomorrow evening (October 29) to attend the 2018 World Cities Day Forum in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province.

     Mr Wong will join the cultural exchange and welcome dinner on October 30, and will attend the opening ceremony and give a keynote speech at the forum the following day (October 31).

     The 2018 World Cities Day Forum is organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China, and the People's Government of Jiangsu Province. This year’s theme is "Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities".

     The United Nations has designated every October 31 as World Cities Day with a general theme of "Better City, Better Life". It aims to promote co-operation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing the challenges of urbanisation, as well as contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.

     Mr Wong will return to Hong Kong on October 31.

Attention TV/radio announcers:
 
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
 
     The car park at Hong Kong Wetland Park is full. Motorists going to the Park can use the nearby public car parks at Tin Heng Estate, Tin Yat Estate, Grandeur Terrace or Tin Yip Road.
 
     Members of the public are encouraged to take public transport to the Park.

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will invite application from tomorrow (October 29) until December 7 from eligible individuals and organisations for the Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment (27th Round) and the Central Fund for Personal Computers (39th Round).
 
     The objectives of the Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment are to support non-governmental and non-profit-making organisations providing services or schooling for persons with visual impairment (PVIs) to acquire advanced Chinese screen readers, Braille displays and accessories to help PVIs to surf on the Internet, and to subsidise individual PVIs in need to purchase these devices for the purpose of studying or employment. Previous beneficiaries of the Scheme may re-apply if there are proven genuine financial difficulties or study needs or requirements for employment purposes.
 
     The items supported under the scheme are advanced Chinese screen readers, Braille displays of 40 cells and accessories/portable devices.
      
     Successful organisation applicants will be supported in full for purchasing  high-performance Chinese screen readers (capped at $9,800) and/or Braille displays (capped at $36,000) and/or accessories (capped at $66,300) on the reference list under the Scheme. Successful individual applicants will be sponsored to purchase a high-performance Chinese screen reader with an amount not more than $9,800 and/or accessories/portable devices not more than $49,600 in value and/or Braille display on the same reference list not more than $32,400 in value.
      
     Eligible organisations may lodge their applications by completing the designated forms. For individual applications, nomination from subvented non-governmental rehabilitation organisations, the student affairs offices of local tertiary institutions, principals of local secondary/primary schools, or the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department (LD) is required, and application should be submitted through the nominating organisation on the designated form together with the quotations for the items concerned. Invitation letters have been sent to the relevant organisations to invite nominations.
      
     As for the Central Fund for Personal Computers, the Fund aims to assisting eligible persons with disabilities in acquiring the required computer facilities for self-employment or receiving supported employment services at home with guidance and follow-up services to be provided by the referral rehabilitation organisations or the Selective Placement Division of the LD. Applicants must:
 
(a) be users of rehabilitation services of and nominated by rehabilitation service organisations or the Selective Placement Division of the LD;
(b) have difficulty in engaging in open employment;
(c) provide a viable business plan which has to use computer facilities;
(d) have financial difficulty in acquiring the required computer facilities;
(e) be capable of using a computer to carry out the business plan; and
(f) have the consent of the nominating organisations or the LD to provide guidance and follow-up services after the applicants’ acquisition of the computer facilities.
 
     For enquiries, please contact the Rehabilitation and Medical Social Services Branch of the SWD at 3586 3594, through email to eoimc@swd.gov.hk or by fax to 2834 7046.
      
     Details of the above schemes are available on the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk) and CyberAble.net (www.CyberAble.net). Information notes and application forms can be downloaded from the websites.