Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and the Xiangjiang Nobel Forum 2024 (April 13): å°… read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (April 13) investigating a case of severe paediatric influenza A infection and reminded the community to heighten vigilance against influenza. The CHP appealed to members of the public to receive seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) in a timely manner to better protect themselves during the influenza season.
The case involves an eight-year-old boy. He developed a fever since April 8, and developed cough with sputum, vomiting and convulsion on the following day when he was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of North District Hospital. He was admitted to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital for treatment on the same day. His respiratory specimen was positive for influenza A (H1) virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with meningoencephalitis. He is now in stable condition after treatment.
Initial enquiries by the CHP revealed that the patient had not received SIV for this season and he had been to the Mainland during the incubation period. His home contacts are currently asymptomatic. The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.
A spokesman for the CHP said, “Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications, as well as reducing influenza-related hospitalisation and death. SIV is recommended for all persons aged 6 months or above except those with known contraindications. Persons at higher risk of getting influenza and its complications, including the elderly and children, should receive SIV early. As it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies, members of the public are advised to receive SIV early for protection against seasonal influenza. Please see details of the vaccination schemes on the CHP’s website.”
A person who gets influenza and COVID-19 at the same time may be more seriously ill and would have a higher risk of death. It is important to receive both SIV and COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, in particular for children and elderly persons residing in the community or residential care homes. The public should also maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against influenza and other respiratory illnesses, and note the following:
The Registry of Trade Unions (RTU) of the Labour Department organised the Seminar on National Security for Trade Unions (the Seminar) today (April 13) to enhance the understanding by trade union officers, paid staff and members about their obligation of safeguarding national security when launching trade union activities to protect and improve the employment rights and benefits of employees. The Seminar was co-organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU).
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, remarked that the Seminar was held at an opportune time of particular significance, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government fulfilled the constitutional responsibility and historic mission of legislating for Article 23 of the Basic Law by promulgating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) in the Gazette for implementation three weeks ago. The annual National Security Education Day will fall on the day after tomorrow (April 15), and this year marks the tenth anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s proposal of the holistic view of national security.
Mr Sun pointed out that both the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) and the SNSO uphold the principle that human rights should be respected and protected, and that the rights and freedoms which HKSAR residents enjoy under the Basic Law, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the rights and freedoms of forming and joining trade unions, should be protected in accordance with the law. Nonetheless, the aforementioned international covenants also expressly state that such rights are not absolute, and may be subject to restrictions provided by law which are necessary in the interests of national security, public safety, public order or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. Any institution, organisation and individual in the HKSAR shall abide by the HKNSL and the SNSO. Moreover, the operations of trade unions shall also comply with the Trade Unions Ordinance (TUO) and their constitutions registered with the RTU, etc.
Mr Sun added that according to the experience of the RTU, most trade unions promote the employment rights and benefits of their members in accordance with the TUO and their constitutions. As evidenced by the increase in the number of registered trade unions from nearly 920 as at end-2019 to over 1 400 as at end-2023, Hong Kong residents’ rights and freedoms to form and join trade unions have been fully preserved.
Keynote speakers at the Seminar included the former Vice-chairperson of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Ms Maria Tam; Legislative Council Member and the President of the HKFTU, Mr Stanley Ng; the Chairman of the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, Mr Lee Chong-cheng; and the Registrar of Trade Unions, Miss Christine But. They briefed the participants on the relationships among the Basic Law, the HKNSL, the SNSO, the TUO and trade unions, and shared their views on the development of trade union activities after the implementation of the HKNSL and the SNSO. Moreover, Legislative Council Member and the Chairman of the HKFTU, Mr Kingsley Wong, hosted a panel discussion session for exchanges among speakers; Legislative Council Member and Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, Mr Lam Chun-sing, as well as representatives of civil service organisations. The RTU will continue to publicise messages about safeguarding national security to trade unions through educational activities in future.
The Seminar attracted around 270 participants. read more
The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) co-organised the second edition of the InnoEX at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for four days starting today (April 13). The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) organised a large-scale Smart Hong Kong Pavilion to showcase more than 100 technology solutions, including those developed by different government departments, which benefit citizens’ daily lives. Through interactive experiences and live demonstrations, the Pavilion shows the fruitful achievements in advancing the development of innovation and technology (I&T) and smart city in Hong Kong brought about by the concerted efforts of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and various sectors.
On the first day of the Pavilion’s opening, a number of officials, including the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, visited the Pavilion. They were briefed by the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Tony Wong, on how the OGCIO promotes the active adoption of I&T among government departments, and works in collaboration with the local I&T sector to launch different innovative solutions, with a view to empowering public services with I&T, and fostering the development of “Smart Hong Kong” at full speed, so that the public can benefit from the convenience brought by digital government.
This year’s Smart Hong Kong Pavilion focuses on artificial intelligence applications, and showcases innovative solutions adopted by more than 20 government departments and a series of winning entries of the Hong Kong ICT Awards, Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance Awards, Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest – Hong Kong Chapter and the Open Data Hackathon from local innovators and students. Through the exhibition, the OGCIO hopes to commend exemplary local innovations and promote Hong Kong’s smart city development to local industries, as well as exhibitors and experts from home and abroad.
Following are highlights of the six areas of the Smart Hong Kong Pavilion:
Smart Living: “iAM Smart”, the one-stop personalised digital service platform that provides an electronic identity authentication function for members of the public to log into various online services in a simple and secure manner, providing citizens with access to 340 public and private online services; and the first in the world using photogrammetry to produce three dimensional (3D) images on traceable Chinese materia medica specimens in the Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines developed by the Department of Health.
Smart Mobility: The Transport Department’s Real-time Adaptive Traffic Signal System in Tung Chung that uses sensors to detect and analyse pedestrian and traffic flows in real time, optimising the allocation of green light times; and the industry’s award-winning solution, a navigation tool that offers an indoor and outdoor barrier-free navigation experience for the visually impaired or people in need.
Smart Environment: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s Mobile Hydroponic Cultivation System adopts a multilayered design to increase cultivation yields and enhance the competitiveness of the agriculture industry; the Environmental Protection Department’s 5G Mesh Network Multi-terrain Sampling Robot Squad, in which multiple robots are interconnected through a network to carry out pollution investigation in tough environments for enhancing efficiency and ensuring the safety of investigators; and the industry’s award-winning solution, a smart grower that enables growing fresh food indoors.
Smart People: Introduction of the Braille Learning App, a winning project in an international I&T competition, which is developed by a tertiary student who has also won a gold medal in the Guangzhou/Hong Kong/Macao/Chengdu Youth Skills Competition; and on-site live broadcast by the award-winning elderly persons from the Elderly IT Stars Recognition Scheme of the OGCIO and the Infinite Elder KOL, demonstrating that the elderly can also make use of technology and integrate themselves into the digital society.
Smart Government: The Patrol Robot of the Hong Kong Police Force, which is capable of working around the clock, performing automated navigation patrols and disseminating messages; the Smart K9 Management System of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, which uses the Internet of Things to monitor real-time canine health data; and the proof-of-concept solution “Improving communications through generative sign language” proposed by government personnel that won the Grand Award in the “Innovative Application with AI” Innovation Competition organised by the OGCIO.
Smart Economy: The Smart Government Innovation Lab established by the OGCIO, which connects government departments with the I&T sector to jointly develop innovative solutions for public services; and the krip HK company that won the highest honour: Award of the Year in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2023, providing personalised deal information for the Hong Kong retail industry.
The ITIB organises the Business of Innovation and Technology Week in April, during which various I&T events will be held in Hong Kong, including signature events, the Digital Economy Summit and the InnoEX, as well as the inaugural Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference.
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Themed “Innovations for A Smarter World”, the InnoEX will bring together exhibitors from 13 countries and regions and different technology sectors, including organisations from Hong Kong, 16 Mainland provinces and cities, and countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Canada, India and Thailand. By showcasing cutting-edge technology solutions and promoting dialogue at various seminars and exchanges, the exhibition seeks to promote cross-sectoral and cross-territory I&T development and collaboration. Interested parties from the trade can register free of charge at the HKTDC’s website (www.hktdc.com/event/innoex/en).
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at a media session after attending the Kowloon City Songkran Festival 2024 ceremony today (April 13):
Reporter: Is this permanent that the water fight would no long be available on that side, from now on only be on this side? Do you notice that there is fewer people coming when compare with last year? Do you think it is a departure from tradition for not having gun fight moving from that side?
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: In fact that is the tradition of the Kowloon City District to organise events on Songkran, the first day of the Thai New Year. To enhance the scale of the whole event, we have extended the stalls from not only in this playground but also to South Wall Road. What we are going to do is to enhance the scale, and through the process, I am grateful to Thai CG (Consul-General)’s suggestions and opinions on how to enhance this scale and let more Hong Kong people to enjoy the atmosphere. As you can see, residents here are playing happily so I think this is the goal and aim for us to enhance the scale of the event and this is only part of the events. Thai CG has assisted us in inviting many different performers from Thailand to perform during the event to let us know and experience the Thai culture. I think this is a very good way to see collaboration between Hong Kong and Thailand.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more