Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Tsing Yi in the small hours today (November 4), in which a 72-year-old male taxi driver died.
      
     At 2.18am, a taxi driven by the 72-year-old man was travelling along Cheung Tsing Tunnel towards Yuen Long with two passengers on board. When leaving the tunnel, the taxi driver reportedly collapsed and the taxi lost control and rammed into a kerb.
      
     Sustaining no superficial injury, the driver was rushed to Yan Chai Hospital in unconscious state and certified dead at 7.38am. The two taxi passengers sustained no injuries.
    
     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories South is underway.
      
     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 1348 or 3661 1346. 

     Hong Kong Legal Week 2023, an annual flagship event of the legal sector and the Department of Justice (DoJ), themed "Onward & Forward: Connecting the World", will be held starting from Monday (November 6). The five-day event will bring together prominent legal and dispute resolution experts and academics from around the world, including the Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and UNCITRAL's senior staff members. Through a series of summits, panel discussions, mock court, exhibitions and more, this year's Hong Kong Legal Week will explore important topics including international legal co-operation, mediation, arbitration, and opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Belt and Road Initiative.

     It will be the first time a special session is hosted for the Secretary for Justice to answer questions and clarify misunderstandings about the Hong Kong National Security Law. In addition, the Hong Kong Legal Week this year will continue to conduct interactive sessions for young people, such as the "Understanding the three jurisdictions – Embracing opportunities and realising dreams in the GBA" session where young legal representatives from the three places are invited to discuss the opportunities offered in the GBA.  During the "Youth Empowerment through Rule of Law Education" session, students will also have a chance to chat with a Legislative Council member, a school principal and a teacher on the rule of law topics.

     This year, exhibition booths dedicated to promoting legal services in Hong Kong, Macao and the nine Mainland cities in the GBA will also be set up for the first time during the Hong Kong Legal Week outside the main event venue. Representatives from the cities will introduce the new developments and opportunities of the legal services in the GBA and answer participants' enquiries.

     Fully supported by international legal organisations, the two legal professional bodies in Hong Kong and other law-related and relevant organisations, Hong Kong Legal Week 2023 will feature a series of international and important events in a hybrid mode as below:

November 6
* 5th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit – Judicial Conference

November 7
* 5th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit – Judicial Roundtable (by invitation only)
* Legal Forum on Interconnectivity and Development

November 8
* New Domains in Mediation and Arbitration
AM Session: 6th Shanghai-Hong Kong Commercial Mediation Forum
PM Session: Fireside Chat: The Future of Arbitration – Arbitration Issues Around the Globe
                  Experience Sharing of the Practice of Arbitration Funding in Major Arbitral Jurisdictions
* Hong Kong Mediation Lecture 2023

November 9
* Gateway to the Opportunities in the GBA
AM Session: Advancing the legal practice in the GBA
                  Mock Court: Exchanges on legal practices (Civil case)
PM Session: GBA Young Lawyers Forum
 
November 10
* Rule of Law for the Future
AM Session: Rule of Law: A Core Pillar of Support for the "8 Centres" under the National 14th Five-Year Plan
PM Session: Youth Empowerment through Rule of Law Education
                  National Security Chatroom: You ask, I answer.
 
     For more details of Hong Kong Legal Week 2023, please visit the dedicated website at www.legalweek.hk. Live broadcast will be available on the dedicated website and at webcast.info.gov.hk.

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (November 4) held the Fun Day for Foster Parents and Foster Children at Ocean Park and invited around 400 foster parents and children from 100 families to spend an enjoyable weekend at the theme park to express appreciation to foster parents. Stories on foster families were also shared at the kick-off ceremony of the event to appeal to more people to sign up as foster parents.
 
     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, officiated at the kick-off ceremony. The Director of Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee, also joined the ceremony with representatives from 11 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) subvented by the SWD for operating foster care service.
 
     Addressing the ceremony, Mr Sun said that the Government has all along attached great importance to foster care service and is eager to encourage more people to serve as foster parents so that children who cannot be adequately taken care of by their own families due to different reasons can live in a homelike environment. "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" has announced that the Government will substantially increase the incentive payment for foster families starting from next April. Additional support will also be provided to foster families taking care of children with special learning or care needs, including arranging early assessment and appropriate professional rehabilitation therapy and training.
 
     Mr Sun said that the SWD has, apart from stepping up publicity efforts in promoting foster care service this year, launched a "one-plus-one" recruitment programme to encourage persons interested in joining foster care service to pair up with their family and friends when signing up for the service so that they can take care of the same foster child and support each other. Mr Sun appealed to foster parents to actively introduce foster care service to their families and friends to motivate more people to serve as foster parents.
 
     Participants watched a video (youtu.be/mWm6asNxOUU) about foster care service during the ceremony. The video featured two foster families who shared their background of joining the service as well as their memorable experience and feelings. A few foster children also took the opportunity to express their appreciation to their foster parents.
 
     The SWD co-ordinates and liaises with 11 NGOs to provide foster care service. Currently, there are about 950 foster homes. The SWD holds fun days for foster families every year to show appreciation to foster parents. The Fun Day for Foster Parents and Foster Children at Ocean Park today also echoes the "Happy Hong Kong" Campaign, where Ocean Park admission tickets and meal coupons were distributed to the participating foster families.
 
     Members of the public who are interested in becoming foster parents may contact the SWD's Central Foster Care Unit at 2573 2282 during office hours.

      

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, attended the opening ceremony of the 24th Shenzhen Reading Month in Shenzhen and a seminar on reading for all today (November 4). Themed on "Reading, Progress, Fulfillment", the Shenzhen Reading Month launches a new programme called "SZ&HK Co-Reading" this year.
 
     Mr Yeung said, "In order to encourage reading for all, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will collaborate with different stakeholders around the Hong Kong Reading for All Day on April 23. A series of activities including promotions in local bookstores will be held, while the publishing sector will be sponsored to organise reading promotion activities. Riding on the brand of reading for all, the 'SZ&HK Co-Reading' aims to boost interactions between the Hong Kong Reading for All Day and the Shenzhen Reading Month. We would like to extend an invitation to Shenzhen publishing and reading promotion units to join the Hong Kong Reading for All Day next year. We also look forward to taking part in the Shenzhen Reading Month again in future."
 
     Mr Yeung began his visit in Dongguan yesterday (November 3) and met with the Mayor of the Dongguan Municipal Government, Mr Lyu Chengxi, to explore co-operation opportunities. He also attended the opening ceremony of the 2023 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Public Culture and Tourism Products Sourcing Fair (Dongguan) to support cultural and tourism co-operations between Hong Kong and other GBA cities. Moreover, Mr Yeung joined the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong's trade visit supported by the Government to the headquarters of Huawei in Songshan Lake to know more about the trade's work in exploring the tourism resources within GBA for developing multi-destination itineraries.
 
     Mr Yeung will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon today.

              

     â€‹The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) co-organised a reception with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) in London on November 3 (London Time), to promote engineering career prospects in Hong Kong in relation to its various development projects to the United Kingdom (UK) engineering students, graduates and practitioners.

     During his speech at the seminar, the Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, introduced committed mega projects such as the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands. He said, "Hong Kong invests heavily in infrastructure and other capital works to boost connectivity at all levels, locally, regionally and globally, and to build for our long-term development."

     Mr Law highlighted the Top Talent Pass Scheme and the set-up of the Hong Kong Talent Engage office. He also encouraged participating undergraduate and postgraduate students to consider studying in renowned engineering schools in universities in Hong Kong for further studies or research. He said, "As announced in 'The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address', we will develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education. One of the measures will be increasing the quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme by one-third gradually, from 300 to 400 places per academic year."

     London ETO supported other events organised by HKIE during its President, Dr Barry LEE's visit to the UK in the week of October 30, including a forum for small and medium enterprises in London to promote business opportunities arising from Hong Kong's infrastructure development and a reception in Manchester to promote engineering business opportunities and career prospects in Hong Kong. The Office had also join HKIE's international conference on climate-resilience infrastructure development in London.