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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government appoints Professor Tsui Lap-chee as expert advisor to Task Group on New Medical School

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Government announced today (February 26) the appointment of Professor Tsui Lap-chee as an expert advisor to the Task Group on New Medical School.

         The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, “Professor Tsui is an internationally renowned expert in the field of molecular human genetics, the incumbent Chair of the College Council of the Hong Kong Chu Hai College and the former President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, with extensive experience in leading both the higher education sector and the area of academic research. The next stage of the work of the Task Group will be to assess the proposals submitted by universities interested in establishing the new medical school according to the devised parameters. I am very confident that Professor Tsui will definitely be able to provide invaluable advice to the Task Group in its new stage of work, particularly in the consideration of the governance and scientific research development strategies of the new medical school.”

         The Chief Executive announced in his 2024 Policy Address that the Government supports the establishment of a third medical school by a local university, with a view to nurturing more talented medical practitioners in support of the local healthcare system to provide quality service, while at the same time driving Hong Kong’s development into an international medical training, research and innovation hub. The Government invited seasoned local, Mainland and overseas academics for medical teaching and university management, professionals, the Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong and the President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, together with relevant Directors of Bureaux and Heads of Departments of the Government, to form the Task Group. The Task Group is responsible for devising the direction and parameters for the new medical school, as well as selecting a suitable university for setting up the new medical school. 
         
         â€‹Since its establishment in October 2024, the Task Group has formulated the directions and parameters for establishing the new medical school, and issued a letter of invitation in December last year to local universities interested in establishing the new medical school for submission of proposals by March 17 this year. In the next stage of the work of the Task Group, concrete criteria for assessing proposals will be formulated to ensure that a qualified and eligible university will be selected in a transparent and fair manner for the establishment of the new medical school. It is anticipated that the Task Group will complete its assessments and make recommendations to the Government within this year.

         The biography of Professor Tsui is as follows:

         Professor Tsui is an expert in the field of molecular human genetics with outstanding achievements in the realms of genetic research and medical innovation. Professor Tsui served as the 14th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong and is the Founding President of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. He is also currently the Chairman of the University of Hong Kong Foundation for Educational Development and Research, and Emeritus University Professor at the University of Toronto.

         The membership of the Task Group with effect from February 26, 2025, is as follows:

    Co-chairmen
    ————
    Secretary for Education
    Secretary for Health

    Alternate Co-chairmen
    ——————
    Permanent Secretary for Education/Under Secretary for Education
    Permanent Secretary for Health/Under Secretary for Health

    Expert advisors
    ————
    Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong
    President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (or representative)
    Professor Nivritti Gajanan Patil
    Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu
    Professor Zhao Yupei
    Professor Tsui Lap-chee *
    Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung

    Official members
    ————
    Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) (or representative)
    Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry (or representative)
    Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee (or representative)
    Director of Health (or representative)
    Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (or representative)
    Deputy Secretary for Education (1)
    Deputy Secretary for Health 3
    Commissioner for Primary Healthcare (or representative)

    * New appointment

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ22: COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ22: COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
    LCQ22: COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
    *************************************

         Following is a question by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):Question:     To safeguard public health, the Government is implementing a territory-wide COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (the Vaccination Programme) free of charge for eligible persons. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) of the respective numbers of received vaccination doses and vaccination rates under the Vaccination Programme in the past two years; among them, the respective numbers of received doses and vaccination rates for initial and booster doses;(2) of the respective numbers of received booster doses and booster vaccination rates in the past two years for various priority groups eligible for free booster vaccination, i.e. (i) older adults aged 50 or above (including those living in residential care homes), (ii) persons aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities, (iii) persons with immunocompromising conditions aged six months and above, (iv) pregnant women, and (v) healthcare workers;(3) of the financial expenditure incurred by the Government in implementing the Vaccination Programme in each of the past two years;(4) whether it knows the number of deaths due to COVID-19 infection in the past two years, and the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses received by the deceased prior to their death; and(5) since the restoration of normalcy after the pandemic, what measures the Government has put in place to promote COVID-19 vaccination among the public, particularly high-risk groups, in order to effectively prevent COVID-19?Reply:President,     With the ever evolvement of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the prevention and treatment capacities of the local healthcare system and society as a whole have been enhanced significantly.  COVID-19 has been managed as an upper respiratory tract illness by the Government since early 2023. Despite this, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that high-risk persons should receive COVID-19 booster doses at appropriate times to lower the risks of serious illness and death. With reference to the recommendations from the WHO as well as the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (JSC) under the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH), the Government is currently providing the JN.1 lineage COVID-19 vaccines for eligible individuals aged six months or above.     As the vast majority of the public had past COVID-19 infection, according to the recommendation of the JSC, the Government has simplified the arrangements for initial vaccination, which replaced the previous three-dose definition for initial vaccination, since August 19, 2024. Under the new arrangement, in general, persons aged five or above (regardless of their history of infection with COVID-19) are considered to have completed initial vaccination by receiving one dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Persons aged six months to four years who have been infected with COVID-19 are considered to have completed initial vaccination by receiving one dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. For those who have not been infected, they should receive two or three doses of vaccines in accordance with the recommendations of the vaccine manufacturers to be considered as having completed initial vaccination.  In addition, the JSC recommended that high-risk priority groups, including individuals aged 50 or above and those with chronic diseases, should receive a booster dose at least six months after the last dose or COVID-19 infection (whichever is later), regardless of the number of doses received previously, in order to enhance protection.     Between 2023 and 2024, the activity level of SARS-CoV-2 virus followed a cyclical pattern, with minor waves occurring every four to six months. For example, the virus became active in early January 2024 with a positive rate of 6.8 per cent among respiratory specimens, peaking at 16.8 per cent in early March before decreasing to lower levels in June. The subsequent wave peaked at 9.06 per cent from late July to early August before subsiding. As of the week ending on February 8, 2025, the positive rate for COVID-19 testing remained at a low level of 0.46 per cent.  Regarding the monitoring of variant strains, the JN.1 and its descendant lineages were the most prevalent variant strains.     The reply, in consultation with the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA), to the question regarding the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme raised by Professor the Hon Chan Wing-kwong is as follows:(1) As at January 31, 2025, a total of more than 21 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered under the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. In 2023 and 2024, about 586 000 and about 222 000 doses were administered respectively. The definition for initial vaccination was updated since August 19, 2024. Starting from August 19, 2024, about 61 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered, including about 1 000 initial doses and about 60 000 booster doses. The estimated proportion of people that completed COVID-19 initial vaccination in Hong Kong is about 94 per cent.(2) According to the recommendation of the JSC, since April 20, 2023, citizens have to declare themselves as priority groups to continue receiving free boosters. Therefore, the DH only maintains records of the actual number of vaccinations for individuals who declared themselves as belonging to a priority group on or after April 20, 2023.     From April 20, 2023 to 2024, around 342 000 booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered for the self-reported priority groups. The vaccination figures broken down by the priority groups are as follows: 

    Self-reported priority group
    Number of booster doses administered

    Persons aged 50 or above and adult residents living in residential care homes
    332 000

    Healthcare workers
    6 000

    Persons aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities
    3 000

    Persons aged six months or above with immunocompromising conditions
    1 000

    Pregnant women
    Less than 400

    Total
    Around 342 000

    Note: Due to the lack of data on the population size of some priority groups, the vaccination rate cannot be calculated.(3) The expenditure figures of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 (as at January 31, 2025) were $230 million and $124 million respectively.(4) According to the data of the Deaths Registries, a total of 2 944 cases died of COVID-19 between January 2023 and December 2024, with over 98 per cent involving adults aged 50 or above, and among them, nearly 80 per cent had not received COVID-19 vaccination within six months prior to death. In addition, among those fatal cases with available information, nearly 90 per cent had history of known chronic diseases. The data showed that timely booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines for high-risk persons help lower the risk of severe illness and death.(5) Since the launch of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, the Government has set up an online booking system which is available around the clock. Members of the public may make a booking through the system for COVID-19 vaccination at Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations, Children Community Vaccination Centre, designated general out-patient clinics under the HA, as well as designated Student Health Service Centres, Maternal and Child Health Centres or Elderly Health Centres under the DH. The Government also provides vaccination for adult residents of residential care homes (RCHs) for the elderly and RCHs for persons with disabilities through outreach services under the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme.     The Centre for Health Protection has been disseminating health messages on prevention of communicable diseases and maintaining personal and environmental hygiene through various channels, such as TV and radio announcements in the public interest, social media, printed media, Health Education Infoline, media and radio interviews, advertisements on public transport, outdoor and digital media. The messages also cover the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. The Centre for Health Protection will continue to strengthen relevant publicity and health education through various channels. The DH has also encouraged and assisted the elderly in the community, especially elderly singletons, to receive necessary vaccines including COVID-19 vaccine via district networks, such as District Services and Community Care Teams. District Elderly Community Centres and Neighbourhood Elderly Centres under the Social Welfare Department, District Health Centres (DHCs) and DHC Expresses under the Health Bureau, as well as Elderly Health Centres under the DH, will also provide assistance to the elderly in need to make online bookings for COVID-19 vaccination.       In addition, the HA provides COVID-19 vaccination services at its 18 designated general out-patient clinics, 13 designated specialist out-patient clinics, the Children Community Vaccination Centre located at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, as well as its staff vaccination depots. The HA also encourages eligible long-stay patients to receive COVID-19 vaccination to reduce the risk of severe cases and fatalities.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2025Issued at HKT 15:20

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: EDB progressively relaxes quota for admission of Mainland students by self-financing institutions

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (February 26) that an agreement by the Ministry of Education (MoE) has been obtained to progressively relax the quota for admission of Mainland students by the six self-financing institutions with the approval to admit Mainland students to degree programmes, and to allow relevant institutions to admit students from all provinces (regions/municipalities) of the country, with a view to further supporting the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector, making more proactive contributions to Hong Kong’s development into an international post-secondary education hub. The six institutions concerned are Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Chu Hai College, Tung Wah College, and the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong under the Vocational Training Council.
     
         The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, “I am very grateful for the support of the MoE towards the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of self-financing post-secondary institutions. Following the doubling of the enrolment ceilings for non-local students of Government-funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent from the 2024/25 academic year, this relaxation arrangement can help harness the advantages of Hong Kong’s self-financing sector in terms of its flexibility and diversity to nurture talent for the country and Hong Kong, supporting the high-quality development of the country, while adding impetus to Hong Kong.”
     
         She said, “The EDB has long been supporting the healthy development and continuous quality enhancement of the self-financing sector by providing targeted support and strengthening regulation, including the plan to introduce a bill to amend the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) into the Legislative Council shortly. The EDB will continue to keep in view institutions’ track record of operating self-financing programmes, performance in student admissions and utilisation of the prevailing quota, and liaise with the MoE to explore feasible further enhancements as and when appropriate. The EDB will also continue to collaborate with institutions to attract more students from around the world to build Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent.”
     
         With effect from the 2025/26 academic year, the quota for Mainland, Macao and Taiwan (MMT) students of full-time locally-accredited self-financing local sub-degree and undergraduate (including top-up degree) programmes of relevant institutions will be increased in phases to 40 per cent, in accordance with an orderly and progressive approach having regard to the utilisation of the prevailing quota by relevant institutions. The EDB will require relevant institutions to submit reports on matters and statistics pertinent to, among others, their admission arrangements and student support services to determine the quota applicable to each institution.
     
         At the same time, the EDB will rationalise the calculation methodology of the relevant quota, with a view to providing self-financing institutions with greater certainty in admission planning and more effectively utilising the educational resources of institutions. The EDB will maintain communication with relevant institutions to facilitate their understanding and implementation of the relevant admission arrangements, while upholding a robust quality assurance mechanism to ensure the quality of self-financing post-secondary programmes and safeguarding students’ interests.
     
         In accordance with the prevailing policy, save for MMT students, there is no quota restriction on the admission of non-local students to full-time locally-accredited self-financing local sub-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Currently, the quota for MMT students enrolling in full-time locally-accredited self-financing local sub-degree and undergraduate (including top-up degree) programmes is 10 to 20 per cent. There is no quota restriction for postgraduate programmes. So far, there are a total of six local self-financing institutions which have been approved by the MoE to admit Mainland students to their degree programmes (including undergraduate and postgraduate programmes). 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ13: After-school care and support services for students

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ13: After-school care and support services for students
    LCQ13: After-school care and support services for students
    **********************************************************

         Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (February 26): Question:      In order to enable students in need to stay at school outside school hours for care and learning support and allow their parents to take up jobs, the Government has proposed in the 2024 Policy Address to extend the School-‍based After-School Care Service Scheme to cover over 110 primary schools in the 18 districts across the territory. In parallel, the Education Bureau has set up the School-based After-school Learning and Support Programmes to support schools in providing after-school learning activities for needy students. Alongside in the community, after-school care services run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provide homework guidance, skill development and social activities for primary school children. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the respective numbers of (i) Primary One to Primary Six students and (ii) primary schools in various districts, as well as (I) ‍participating schools/centres (with the number of their service places) and (II) beneficiaries (with the utilisation rates) of (a) the School-based After-School Care Service Scheme, (b) the School-‍based After-school Learning and Support Programmes and (c) the after-school care services run by NGOs over the past two years (set out by District Council district in the following table);

    District Council district
    (i)
    (ii)
    (a)
    (b)
    (c)

    (I)
    (II)
    (I)
    (II)
    (I)
    (II)

    ……
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Total
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     (2) in respect of the three types of after-school care and support service/scheme/programme mentioned in (1)(a) to (c), of the following information for each of them over the past two years: (i) ‍the overall expenditure, (ii) the average amount of government funding received by each school/centre in respect of the relevant service/scheme/programme and (iii) the amount of subsidy per student; (3) in respect of the three types of after-school care and support service/scheme/programme mentioned in (1)(a) to (c), of the respective numbers of beneficiaries under each of them over the past two years who were from (i) single-parent families, (ii) families receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and (iii) ‍families receiving full grant under the Student Financial Assistance Schemes for primary and secondary school students, as well as the respective percentages of students with special educational needs under each type of service/scheme/programme; (4) of the current number of after-school care service units mentioned in (1)(c) which offer pick-up and drop-off arrangements for students so that students can be sent to such units after school for care services; whether the authorities have provided resources to assist these service units in offering pick-up and drop-off arrangements; if not, of the reasons for that; (5) given that many dual working parents have indicated that one of the difficulties they encounter is bringing their children to and from schools, whether the authorities will, in the long run, consider developing student escort platforms or services in the community using different modes such as innovative technology and neighbourhood support, so as to facilitate dual working parents in picking up and dropping off their children; and (6) as there are views pointing out that while the three types of after-‍school care and support service/scheme/programme mentioned in (1)(a) to (c) are mainly targeted at underprivileged families at present, dual working families in general have a need for such services too, whether the authorities will conduct a comprehensive review and consolidate such service/scheme/programme, so that they can be extended to cover dual working families; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?Reply: President,      The Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have implemented the School-based After School Care Service Scheme since the 2023/24 school year. Under the Scheme, participating schools will provide venues, and the Community Care Fund will provide funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide services for students in need (particularly those from single-parent families) to stay at school after-school hours for care and learning support in a safe and familiar environment, thereby allowing their parents to take up jobs. In addition, the EDB implements the School-based After-school Learning and Support Programmes (SALSP) to support needy students to participate in after-school learning activities with a view to facilitating their whole-person and all-round development. The SWD provides the Fee-waiving Subsidy Scheme (FWSS) under After School Care Programme (ASCP) to support primary students from low-income families to receive the ASCP service operated by NGOs.      After consulting the EDB, our consolidated reply to the Hon Kenneth Leung’s question is as follows: (1) SALSP and ASCP, implemented by the EDB and the SWD respectively, are existing programmes, while the School-based After School Care Service Scheme is a new scheme implemented by the Government in the 2023/24 school year. The information on the utilisation of the aforementioned three types of scheme/programme is set out in Annex 1. The School-based After School Care Service Scheme was implemented at 59 primary schools located at seven districts offering some 3 000 service places in the 2023/24 school year, and expanded to cover more than 120 primary schools in all 18 districts across the territory offering about 6 000 service places in the 2024/25 school year. Subject to actual utilisation and outcome of the Scheme, the Government plans to encourage more schools to participate in the Scheme, without capping the number of places, in the 2025/26 school year.      As regards SALSP, which has been implemented since the 2005/06 school year, its aim is to support needy students to participate in after-school learning activities with a view to facilitating their whole-person and all-round development. All public sector schools (including special schools) and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme can make application and there is no school quota. The main target beneficiaries of SALSP are Primary 1 to Secondary 6 students in receipt of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) or full grant under the Student Financial Assistance Schemes (SFAS). Participating schools could exercise discretion to benefit those students who are not in receipt of CSSA or full grant of SFAS but identified by schools as needy. The discretionary quota is capped at 25 per cent of the number of eligible students of the respective schools. Also under SALSP is the Community-based Projects, activities of which are organised in the respective districts by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and collaborating schools. Eligible students may participate in various activities under the School-based Grant and Community-based Projects at the same time. As such, the actual number of beneficiaries and utilisation rate are not applicable to the School-based After-school Learning and Support Programmes. The EDB encourages schools to flexibly deploy the School-based Grant and other related funding to enhance synergy, thereby organising diversified after-school learning activities for needy students. (2) In respect of the School-based After School Care Service Scheme and ASCP, (i) the overall expenditure, (ii) the average amount of funding allocated to each school/centre under the scheme/programme and (iii) the amount of subsidy for each student, over the past two years (2022-23 and 2023-24) are set out in Annex 2.      As for SALSP, the amount of School-based Grant that a school receives is calculated based on its number of students in receipt of CSSA or full grant under the SFAS as at the end of March of the respective school year, as well as its number of approved classes in the following school year. When calculating the amount of the grant, the rate for each of the above student is $400. Should schools have an 80 per cent or above utilisation rate of the School-based Grant in the previous school year, the rate of $600 per eligible student will be adopted as an incentive. As for the Community-based Projects, the applications submitted by NGOs are assessed on the basis of the content and nature of the activities, as well as the number of students and sessions involved, etc, and therefore the amount of funding for each activity differs. Eligible students may participate in various activities based on their needs and interests. In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 school year, $140 million and $137 million were provided to primary schools and NGOs respectively. (3) In respect of the aforementioned three types of scheme/programme, the respective numbers of beneficiaries that were (i) from single-parent families, (ii) receiving CSSA and (iii) receiving full level of assistance under the Student Financial Assistance Schemes, and the respective percentages of students with special educational needs (SEN) over the past two years (2022-23 and 2023-24) are set out in Annex 3. (4) ASCP aims at providing care services for children whose parents are unable to give proper care to them during after-school hours because of work or other reasons. It is operated by NGOs on a self-financing and fee-charging basis, providing care and support services for primary school children, including homework guidance, parental guidance and education, skill learning and social activities. The SWD provides financial assistance for the low-income families in need through the Fee-waiving Subsidy Scheme. The SWD does not maintain information of the service unit providing escort service for children attending ASCP. (5) and (6) The Government will complete the evaluation of the School-based After School Care Service Scheme in the 2025/26 school year to decide on the way forward. 

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2025Issued at HKT 14:30

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ2: Cases of child maltreatment

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by Dr the Hon Tik Chi-yuen and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):
     
    Question:
     
         The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance (the Ordinance) will take effect on January 20 next year. According to the data of the Child Protection Registry Statistical Report, the number of maltreatment cases involving children with disabilities is rising rapidly. For example, the number of children with disabilities who had been subjected to sexual abuse increased from 125 in 2022 to 175 in 2023. There are views pointing out that this trend attracts little media coverage or attention, and the actual situation of child maltreatment is not well-known. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) as there are views pointing out that some victims of child maltreatment cases choose to cover up the incident and refrain from reporting to the Police or the Social Welfare Department’s Family and Child Protective Services Unit, given the “secondary damage” caused to them by the fact that they have to recall the course of the incident when facing judicial proceedings (e.g. taking statements and giving evidence in court proceedings), how the Government will deal with such situation upon commencement of the Ordinance; whether it will consider amending the legislation to mitigate the secondary damage caused to the victims; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) given the increase in the number of child maltreatment cases (especially sexual abuse), whether the Government has conducted any in-depth investigation into this trend; if so, of the main reasons for such trend according to the findings of the investigation; whether it has formulated preventive measures targeting schools or youth groups;
     
    (3) as it is learnt that children with mental and physical disabilities are the major group of victims of child abuse cases involving children with disabilities, whether the Government has provided additional resources or protective measures to address the special needs of this group of people;

    (4) as the Secretary for Labour and Welfare has pointed out that the anticipated number of reported child abuse cases will increase substantially after the commencement of the Ordinance, whether the Government has sufficient resources to support child victims, such as enhancing the relevant psychological counselling, placement and rehabilitation mechanisms;
     
    (5) whether it will consider setting up a dedicated committee or organization to monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of the Ordinance, coordinate the relevant policies and initiatives, and regularly disclose to the public the data on case reports and the effectiveness of its efforts in handling the cases; and
     
    (6) as it has been reported that the Budget is going to propose a reduction in the funding for social welfare organisations, how the Government will tackle an increasing number of child maltreatment cases in the light of reduced funding and shortage of social workers, and whether it has estimated the average number of relevant cases that each social worker will need to handle after the reduction in funding?

    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance (the Ordinance) mandates specified professionals in the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors to report serious child abuse cases, creating a comprehensive and effective protection web for children and sending a strong deterrent message to potential perpetrators that their abuse behaviours will be easily exposed. The consolidated reply to the Member’s question, in consultation with Education Bureau (EDB) and Security Bureau (SB), is as follows:

    (1) Various government departments and the Judiciary have been protecting child victims and witnesses through administrative procedures, guidelines and measures to encourage and facilitate them to report and give evidence in child harm/abuse cases and to lessen their trauma in the process. The Social Welfare Department (SWD), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Judiciary, has taken a number of measures to protect children. For example, during criminal investigations, the relevant departments may arrange children to give evidence through video-recorded interviews (VRI) in appropriate circumstances. These VRIs are conducted in a comfortable home-like environment by specially trained police officers, social workers, and/or clinical psychologists. The video-recorded evidence can be admitted as valid evidence at the trial, saving the children from recounting the incidents in the courtroom, thereby alleviating their embarrassment and trauma. During trials, the children can enter and exit court rooms through special access. In addition, they can also testify in another room by means of live television link in the company of trained witness-support persons to avoid facing the defendant and the public directly, thereby alleviating their psychological stress. In addition, the HKPF and the Department of Justice jointly established the Vulnerable Witness and Child Protection Task Force in 2022 to speed up and improve the evidence collection, prosecution and follow-up investigation work with collective efforts. The SWD and the HKPF will continue to organise training courses and review the procedures for handling sexual violence cases to enhance the skills and sensitivity of different professionals in order to effectively assist child victims and ensure that they receive appropriate protection and support.

    (2) Through the Child Protection Registry, the SWD has been collecting and compiling statistics on information of registered cases involving children who have been harmed/abused or currently at risk of being harmed/abused. The annual statistics are uploaded onto the SWD’s website for public reference. There were 1 367 newly registered child protection cases in 2021 and 1 457 cases in 2023, representing an increase of about 6.6 per cent in three years. Among them, there were 448 sexual abuse cases in 2021 and 509 sexual abuse cases in 2023, representing an increase of about 13.6 per cent. According to the SWD’s analysis, possible reasons for the increase in registered cases include: growing public awareness on child protection and more proactive reporting of cases as a result of the legislative exercise of the Ordinance as well as publicity and public education on child protection in recent years; more children are using social media, messaging apps, chat applications, or online games in recent years; and children having more opportunities to interact with others in resumption of normalcy after the epidemic.
     
         On publicity and education in the community, the SWD has been launching the publicity campaign on “Strengthening Families and Combating Violence” to raise public awareness on child protection and prevention of domestic violence and encourage those in need to seek help early through large scale publicity events and district-based activities. In 2022, the SWD has produced a series of videos on “Heart and Hut Classroom: Online Sexual Abuse Pitfalls” and broadcasted on social media to remind young people and parents of the risk factors, prevention and handling of online sexual abuse. The HKPF has been organising the “Let’s T.A.L.K. Child Protection Campaign” every year since 2021 to raise public awareness of child protection through a series of publicity and promotional activities. In addition, the HKPF organised a multi-disciplinary seminar on “Child Sexual Abuse in the Cyber World” on March 21, 2024, together with experts and representatives from relevant sectors and discussed with more than 500 parents, principals, teachers, social workers, Police officers and child service workers online and offline on how to effectively protect children from online sexual crimes, thereby enhancing their understanding of children’s online safety and their awareness and response capabilities to protect children from such crimes, and promoting collaboration among different professions.
     
         In respect of preventive work targeting schools or youth groups, the EDB has all along been assisting schools in the prevention, early identification and appropriate intervention of suspected child abuse cases through various measures. These measures include issuance of circulars and guidelines requiring schools to devise relevant mechanisms, procedures and measures to handle such cases; strengthening school social work service to assist schools in the early identification of suspected abused students and potential issues in their families; encouraging schools to implement Comprehensive Student Guidance Service, under which all teachers collaborate with school social workers, other student guidance personnel or specialists to provide comprehensive and extensive guidance service to students in need; as well as supporting schools to adopt a whole school approach, through cross-sector collaboration among professionals from different disciplines in schools (including student guidance personnel, school social workers and school-based educational psychologists), to intervene and follow up as early as possible, and to provide students with appropriate support. At the same time, the EDB actively promotes the “Positive Parent Campaign” to foster parents’ positive attitude and understanding in nurturing their children, so as to enable students grow up healthily and prevent child abuse incidents. In addition, the EDB has been working closely with the SWD and the HKPF to organise various training activities with a view to strengthening school staff’s knowledge, skills and abilities in handling suspected child abuse cases.

    (3), (4) and (6) The Government has allocated an additional provision in 2023-24 for enhancing the Government’s enforcement and support capacity, providing appropriate training to practitioners in the relevant professions and strengthening the promotion and public education work on child protection, with a view to supporting the implementation of the mandatory reporting regime (MRR) for child abuse cases.
     
         The Government has further allocated an additional provision in 2024-25 to increase emergency places for residential child care service and strengthen professional support for child abuse victims and their families to prepare for the potential increase in the reported child abuse cases upon the implementation of the MRR. Among which, two new residential child care centres will commence operation before the Ordinance comes into effect, offering a total of 96 additional service places each year and are expected to provide emergency placement for 384 children in need (in the estimation that each place of residential child care centre can take care of 4 children on average per year).
     
         The SWD will also strengthen the professional support to actual or suspected child abuse victims (including pre-primary children with special needs) and their families. Starting from March 2025, the SWD will subsidise non-governmental organisations to implement various child protection support services, including Home Visitation Support, therapeutic/psycho-social groups, educational and family enrichment activities, to complement the work of social workers of the Family and Child Protective Services Unit of the SWD or related casework service units in providing focused support services for children and families in need.
     
         Child protection (including pre-primary children with special needs) work and cases are being handled and followed up in a multi-disciplinary manner (including social welfare, education, law enforcement, healthcare). Professionals from different service units, including social workers, work together to provide professional support to children and families in need. The SWD does not maintain information on the average number of child protection cases handled by each social worker.

    (5) The Labour and Welfare Bureau, the EDB, the Health Bureau and the SB have formed a Cross-bureaux Working Group to make preparations for the implementation of MRR in January next year. The SWD and the HKPF are jointly developing the internal work flow and mandatory reporting platform to facilitate mandated reporters in making reports and collecting relevant data, ensuring efficient and effective follow-up on reported cases. Relevant bureaux and departments will continue to monitor the operation of MRR and the trend of the number of reports after its implementation. The number of cases reported through the MRR will be incorporated into the statistics of the Child Protection Registry and disseminated to the public.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (11)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Reinforcing Fiscal Consolidation Programme229. To uphold the principles of fiscal prudence, I recommend reinforcing the fiscal consolidation programme as put forward in last year’s Budget. The key is managing expenditure growth, making good use of the Government’s fiscal resources, and identifying new revenue resources. Our principles are:(a) to focus on strictly controlling government expenditure, supplemented by increasing revenue. Regardless of increasing revenue or cutting expenditure, the impact to the general public should be minimised. In particular, the Government will lead by example to demonstrate our commitment in cutting expenditure, whilst ensuring the delivery of high-standard public services. The Government will also continue to press ahead with infrastructure works projects in the NM and those related to the economy and people’s livelihood;(b) to maintain the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s simple and low tax regime, and to avoid considerable increase in tax rates or introducing new taxes; and(c) to uphold the “user pays” and the “affordable users pay” principles as far as practicable whilst increasing revenue. Strictly Containing the Growth of Government ExpenditureOperating Expenditure230. We will step up efforts to contain government operating expenditure. I have instructed all bureaux and departments to further review their resource allocation and work priorities, and provide public services in a more cost effective manner through consolidating internal resources, streamlining procedures and leveraging technology. 231. On the premise of maintaining efficient public services, we will implement the following measures:(a) stepping up the Productivity Enhancement Programme. On the premise that CSSA, Social Security Allowance and statutory expenditure will not be affected, the rate of reduction of recurrent government expenditure will be increased from the original one per cent to two per cent in 2025-26. This arrangement will be extended for two more years to 2027-28. Taking into account the one per cent cut in 2024-25, the cumulative rate of reduction will be seven per cent in total. Using 2023-24 recurrent expenditure as the basis, it will deliver a saving in recurrent government expenditure of around $3.9 billion, $11.7 billion, $19.5 billion and $27.3 billion in the respective financial years; (b) in view of the reduction in expenditure and enhancement in manpower utilisation, the civil service establishment will be reduced by two per cent each in 2026-27 and 2027-28. By 1 April 2027, about 10 000 posts are expected to be deleted within this term of Government; and(c) the Government will provide funding of $68.1 billion to the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities in the coming three years. This funding has reflected a two per cent reduction target each year, which is in line with the magnitude of government’s recurrent expenditure cut. I must stress that this funding level is still higher than the $63.2 billion in the last triennium.232. In last year’s Budget, I have requested the relevant bureaux to review the operation of two transport subsidy schemes that incur relatively high expenditure with a rapid growth rate, namely the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities (i.e. the $2 Scheme) and the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme (PTFSS). In order to enable the continued operation of the schemes in a financially sustainable manner, we propose the following adjustments after review:(a) the $2 Scheme: On the basis that the targeted beneficiaries remain unchanged, the Government will change the concessionary fare to “$2 flat rate cum 80 per cent discount”, which means that beneficiaries will continue to pay $2 for trips with fare below or equal to $10. For trips with fare above $10, the beneficiaries will have to pay the amount of full fare after 80 per cent discount. Furthermore, the number of concessionary trips will also be limited to 240 per month. This fine-tuned proposal preserves our policy intent while striking a balance between enhancing the sustainability of the scheme and minimising the impacts to the beneficiaries; and  (b) PTFSS: From June 2025 onwards, the threshold of monthly public transport expenses incurred for receiving the subsidy under the Scheme will be raised from $400 to $500. The Government will continue to provide a subsidy amounting to one-third of the expenses in excess of $500, and the prevailing subsidy cap at $400 per month will remain unchanged.233. The relevant policy bureaux will announce the details later. Upon implementation of the refined arrangements, the Government is expected to save $6.2 billion in the coming five years.234. To assist bureaux and departments in reducing expenditure and ensure the proper use of public money, I have requested:(a) the Audit Commission to organise workshops for the senior management of Government departments and public bodies. Through sharing experience and case studies on its value for money audits, the Commission seeks to foster the management’s understanding and adoption of principles and best practices in fiscal prudence and optimal use of public money;(b) the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau to review and enhance the Government’s procurement regime. We expect that the new arrangements will be introduced in mid-2025, so as to facilitate departments to procure quality goods and services at a reasonable price through an open and fair framework; and(c) the relevant bureaux to review the expenditures on social welfare, healthcare and education. The recurrent expenditure on each of these three areas amounts to more than $100 billion in this financial year. The Government should, having regard to demographic changes in Hong Kong, optimise resources and review the sustainability of the use of resources.235. In addition, the Government puts forward that for 2025-26, the executive authorities, the legislature, the judiciary and members of the District Councils take a pay freeze. This includes the Chief Executive and politically appointed officials; the Non-official Members of the Executive Council; members of the civil service; the President, all Members and Secretariat of the LegCo; Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, judges of the courts at all levels and other members of the Judiciary; and members of the District Councils.Capital Works Expenditure236. Overall construction costs have risen in recent years. The Government will strive to enhance control on cost effectiveness when pressing ahead with infrastructure works projects. I have requested the Project Strategy and Governance Office (PSGO) under Development Bureau (DEVB) to support various departments in enhancing governance of public works projects on all fronts. PSGO scrutinises project cost estimates upon inception of a project, and optimises project design in accordance with the principle of “fitness-for-purpose and no frills”. PSGO also formulates cost-effective proposals in co-ordination with the relevant policy bureaux and works departments in order to reduce construction costs. Since its establishment, PSGO has reviewed over 540 public works projects, achieving savings in construction costs by over 15 per cent. 237. Meanwhile, PSGO is co-ordinating the relevant work on reducing construction costs. This includes formulating policies for the procurement of construction materials and products, such as MiC modules and steel reinforcement, through direct procurement by relevant works departments and centralised procurement by a single department. PSGO will also study the use of new materials and innovative construction technologies by drawing reference from the Mainland and overseas practices and experience. All these efforts aim to help departments reduce project costs, enhance cost-effectiveness and ensure timely completion of public works projects.238. Furthermore, the Government is reviewing the scale and mode of delivery of district cooling systems in new development areas, such as Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen and San Tin Technopole, to tie in with the development of the area with greater cost-effectiveness. The preliminary estimate of savings in terms of works expenditure is at least $40 billion. The Environment and Ecology Bureau will report the review results in the second quarter this year.Consolidating and Optimising the Use of Government Financial Resources239. Bureaux and departments set up funds outside the Government’s accounts for specific purposes from time to time in the light of their policy needs. Currently, there are a total of 42 such funds with an aggregate balance of nearly $180 billion. Some of these funds only use investment returns to meet their expenditure (i.e. seed capital funds). With different monitoring frameworks and investment strategies, these seed capital funds lock up an enormous amount of public financial resources.240. To enable the Government to make more flexible and effective use of these resources, we have reviewed the financial arrangements of these seed capital funds. We propose bringing back first six funds with relatively large unspent balance, totalling about $62 billion, to the Government’s accounts in 2025-26, after setting aside resources to meet the necessary expenditure of these funds for the next five years so that it will not affect their sustainable operation. This will provide a more comprehensive picture of the Government’s fiscal position and enable better use of its financial resources. We will also require the relevant bureaux to examine the financial arrangements of other seed capital funds.241. We have reviewed the utilisation of the Anti-epidemic Fund. Taking into account the expenditure requirements, the Fund has a remaining balance of about $15 billion, which will be brought back to the Government’s accounts next month. This sum has been reflected in the revised estimate for 2024-25.Enhancing Public Service Efficiency242. The Government has all along endeavoured to deliver more efficient public services to citizens through leveraging technology, streamlining processes and driving the digital transformation of public services.243. We are striving to realise “single portal for online government services”, with a view to providing a one-stop shop for citizens to obtain information, apply for services and settle bills. Since the launch of the “iAM Smart” mobile application, the number of registered users has exceeded 3.2 million. “iAM Smart” connects about 500 services of the Government as well as public and private organisations and provides nearly 600 electronic government forms.244. The DPO is planning to progressively implement a “Digital Corporate Identity” Platform before the end of next year. This will enable Hong Kong enterprises to undergo corporate identity authentication and digital signature process in a secure and convenient manner when using electronic government services or conducting online business transactions. This measure will facilitate digital transformation of enterprises, and help enhance government departments’ efficiency in processing online applications.245. The Transport Department will roll out a number of electronic licensing services, including electronic driving licences, progressively from the middle of this year to early next year. The Department will continue to launch various electronic permits and integrated, user-friendly online services. It also plans to introduce a bill into LegCo on electronic driving licence in the first half of this year to provide the option of displaying driving licences through dedicated applications on smartphones.246. The Housing Bureau has selected 10 public rental housing estates as the pilot sites for smart estate management to adopt more technologies, such as Internet of Things sensors, robots, etc, in daily estate management. It will also launch a centralised estate management platform this year to enhance management efficiency and service quality.247. DEVB is driving digitalisation of public works in full swing, and applying AI technology for big data analysis to reduce the risk of project delay and cost overrun. DEVB is also driving the wider application of highly-effective construction robots in projects with functions including automated processes, remote control, AI, etc, to support construction personnel in various fields to enhance work efficiency, cost-effectiveness, site safety and works quality. 248. The Civil Service College will enhance the content on technology application in civil service leadership training, equipping departmental leaders to optimise their information technology systems, better utilise big data and AI, and arrange appropriate training for their staff.Increasing Revenue249. For some time in the past, some government fees and charges have not been adjusted in accordance with the established mechanisms. As a result, these fees and charges are not pegged to their costs and fail to reflect the “user pays” principle. I am going to introduce the following measures:(a) the rate of air passenger departure tax will be increased from $120 to $200 per passenger starting from the third quarter of 2025-26. It is anticipated that government revenue will increase by about $1.6 billion per year. The impact on air passengers is expected to be minimal;(b) an application fee of $600 will be charged under various talent and capital investor admission schemes with immediate effect. The visa fees, to be charged based on the duration of limit of stay, will be raised to $600 or $1,300. It is estimated that government revenue will increase by about $620 million per annum;(c) the Government has cancelled the tolls of some major tunnels and strategic routes three years ago and the tolls of some Government tunnels have not been adjusted for over 30 years. Considering the fact that the Government has invested heavily in building these infrastructure, the Transport and Logistics Bureau will review the tolls of relevant government tunnels and trunk roads to embody the “user pays” principle. The Government will also review the annual licence fee for electric private cars, parking meter charges, as well as the fixed penalties for traffic offences for better traffic management. Based on preliminary estimation, the relevant adjustments could generate about $2 billion additional revenue per annum;(d) we will explore introducing a boundary facilities fee on private cars departing via land boundary control points. Coaches, goods vehicles, etc, will not be affected. Taking a fee of $200 per private car as an example, the measure will bring in revenue of about $1 billion per annum; and(e) in January 2025, we submitted a bill to LegCo on the implementation of the global minimum tax proposal drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to address base erosion and profit shifting. We aim to apply the global minimum tax rate of 15 per cent on large multinational enterprise groups with an annual consolidated group revenue of at least EUR750 million and impose the Hong Kong minimum top up tax. Subject to the passage of the bill, the proposal will bring in tax revenue of about $15 billion for the Government annually starting from 2027-28.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (8)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Talent Hub

    All-out Efforts to Trawl for Talents

    Attracting Quality Talents and Professionals

    151. The Government makes every effort to trawl for talents, and will shortly invite top and leading talents to come to Hong Kong for development under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme. We will also enhance the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals and the General Employment Policy by allowing young non-degree talents with professional and technical qualifications and experience to come to Hong Kong to join skilled trades facing manpower shortage.

    “Global Talent Summit‧Hong Kong”

    152. The Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) provides comprehensive one stop support to incoming talents, promotes globally Hong Kong’s advantages and attracts talents. The HKTE plans to organise the second “Global Talent Summit‧Hong Kong” early next year to reinforce Hong Kong’s status as an international hub for high-calibre talent.

    Belt and Road Scholarship

    153. The Government will continue to attract more students, especially those from ASEAN and other B&R countries, to study in Hong Kong through various measures, including the B&R Scholarship.

    New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme

    154. Under the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, more than 880 applications have been received cumulatively, with an expected investment of over $26 billion. We will launch a series of enhancement measures shortly to provide greater flexibility under the Scheme. 

    All-out Efforts to Nurture Talents

    155. To stimulate primary and secondary school students’ interest in I&T, I have invited the HKIC, the HKSTPC and Cyberport to co-ordinate the efforts of more than 100 technology enterprises under their purview to engage in interactions and exchanges with students to share frontier exploration and start-up experience in technology through organising product display in schools, site visits, etc, in the coming year. These technology enterprises cover various domains such as AI, robotics, and green technology.

    156. We are also encouraging technology enterprises in Hong Kong to provide resources, technical guidance and practice scenarios for technology education such as coding and AI learning in schools, with a view to further enhancing young people’s interest and capability in I&T application through integrating theoretical learning and practical application.
     
    Enhancing Collaboration with Cities in the Greater Bay Area

    Medical Co-operation

    157. The joint establishment of the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform by Hong Kong and Shenzhen is one of the benchmark collaboration projects in the GBA. We are seeking to establish the Real-World Study and Application Centre by the end of this year. With the data from the “special measure of using Hong Kong registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in GBA”, we aim to accelerate approval for registration of new drugs in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas, fostering R&D, clinical trials and application of advanced biomedical technology in Hong Kong.

    158. The Hospital Authority (HA), through various talent exchange programmes, invites healthcare professionals, including those from the Mainland especially the GBA, for professional and clinical exchange with local healthcare personnel to foster mutual professional enhancement and, in the long run, establish a regional healthcare talent pool.

    Data Flow and Exchange

    159. The facilitation measure on the “Standard Contract for the Cross-boundary Flow of Personal Information Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Mainland, Hong Kong)” helps promote the safe and orderly cross-boundary flow of authorised personal information, and has been well-received by the telecommunications sector since its launch. The measure has already been opened up for participation by other sectors. 

    Financial Co-operation

    160. The HKMA and the PBoC signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cross-Boundary Credit Referencing Pilots last year on a pilot basis between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The initiative has received positive feedback from the industry. We will progressively expand the pilot coverage to further facilitate cross-boundary financing for enterprises.

    Youth Exchange

    161. The Labour Department has since this year relaxed the requirements of joining the GBA Youth Employment Scheme to young people aged 29 or below with sub-degree or higher qualifications, and increased the limit of allowance for enterprises to $12,000 per month per person for up to 18 months.

    Co-operation in Transport and Logistics

    162. At the end of last year, the AA and the Zhuhai Transportation Holdings Group signed the Agreement of Shares Acquisition concerning the equity acquisition of Zhuhai Airport, which provides a reinforced foundation for passenger and cargo connectivity between the airports. Separately, 21 airlines and 125 logistics companies have participated in the sea air intermodal cargo transhipment mode under the co-operation of Hong Kong and Dongguan. It is expected that the first phase construction of the permanent facility for the Phase 1 development of the logistics park in Dongguan will be completed this year and the preliminary study of the Phase 2 development will commence shortly.

    Co-operation Relating to Construction Industry

    163. The Building Technology Research Institute established last year is comparing and complementing the testing and certification requirements between standards in different regions with a view to promoting local application of high-quality and cost-effective construction materials. Moreover, the Institute will closely liaise with the counterparts concerned in Guangdong Province for commencing a strategic study on standards in the GBA soon.

    164. We are actively collaborating with the Guangdong Province to leverage complementary advantages of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) methods and develop MiC as an industry in the GBA. Efforts will be dedicated to R&D, quality accreditation and international marketing of MiC.

    165. We have, in collaboration with Guangdong Province, successfully established the “Professional Title” evaluation mechanism for the first batch of Hong Kong engineering professionals. The mechanism will be gradually extended to other construction-related professions with the right conditions. We will also collaborate with Guangdong Province and Macao SAR to formulate GBA standards on the skill levels for skilled workers and technicians of the construction sector, and take forward the “One Examination, Multiple Certification” arrangement. We will announce the GBA standards for the first pilot trade in due course.

    Legal Co-operation

    166. The Department of Justice (DoJ) is actively taking forward its work in setting up a dedicated platform for GBA lawyers to provide better support to the business development and brand building of lawyers. The DoJ will also actively promote the establishment of a GBA legal information platform to enhance legal information exchange.

    Development of Qianhai

    167. The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone is one of the major co-operation platforms in the GBA. Since the promulgation of the “Overall Development Plan for the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone”, Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation has achieved substantive progress in various policy areas. For example, the turnover of Qianhai Mercantile Exchange, a subsidiary of HKEX, exceeded RMB100 billion over the year. It operates our country’s only offshore spot trading platform for soybeans. 

    168. On the basis of the successful implementation of the measure of “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law” in Qianhai, the DoJ collaborated with the relevant Mainland authorities and achieved the extension of the above measure and the measure of “allowing Hong Kong invested enterprises to choose Hong Kong as the arbitration place” to other pilot cities in the GBA, providing Hong Kong investors with a more facilitative business environment.

    169. Cyberport has been actively collaborating with the Qianhai Management Authority to facilitate the landing of start-up enterprises at respective parks. So far, some 10 Cyberport enterprises are exploring setting up their operations in Qianhai, whilst two enterprises on AI and digital entertainment from Qianhai have established businesses at Cyberport.

    170. Hong Kong will continue to support Qianhai in trying out new policies on a pilot basis and pursuing more policy innovation and breakthroughs, with a view to promoting the successful policies to the rest of the GBA and even the entire country.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (7)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Healthcare IndustryTrain and Pool Healthcare Professionals126. In recent years, the Government has increased the number of medical training places on several occasions. The number of places will increase to 650 in the 2025/26 academic year. The public healthcare sector will leverage the revised legislative framework to admit non-locally trained healthcare professionals.Enhance Regulation for Drugs and Medical Devices127. The Government will, in the first half of this year, put forward the timetable for establishing the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and the roadmap towards adoption of “primary evaluation”. We will also formulate strategies and measures to facilitate R&D of drugs and medical devices.Third Medical School128. The Task Group on New Medical School has invited local universities interested in setting up the third medical school to submit proposals. It expects to complete assessment and formulate recommendations to the Government this year. We will set aside resources to support universities in the development of the new medical school on a matching basis.Cultural and Creative Industries129. The Government is committed to promoting the development of cultural and creative sectors as industries. A cumulative total of over 780 projects, some of which with potential for industrialisation, have been approved under the CreateSmart Initiative, involving a total funding of about $3.4 billion and benefiting more than 30 000 SMEs. To foster the vibrant development of the local creative industry chain, OASES will strategically attract to Hong Kong more cultural and creative enterprises that integrate I&T into their work.Large-scale Art Events130. The inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo concluded in October last year, featuring over 1 600 arts leaders and practitioners from more than 60 countries and regions. We will organise the second edition of the Expo next year, transforming the event into a flagship of our arts and cultural industries.131. The Government will continue to attract and support the staging of international or large scale arts and cultural events in Hong Kong through the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund, with a view to promoting the development of Hong Kong as an East meets West centre for international cultural exchange. We have updated the assessment criteria to require funded events to help promote tourism and bring economic benefits.Development of Film Industry132. The Government has always been a staunch supporter to the development of the film industry. A cumulative total of over $1.3 billion has been approved by the Film Development Fund to support more than 120 film projects. These projects involved more than 110 new directors and producers, and the relevant films have won more than 180 awards. The Fund has also launched the Film Financing Scheme for Mainland Market to encourage Hong Kong film companies and Mainland cultural enterprises to invest in and promote productions by Hong Kong directors.Cultural Intellectual Property133. The Government will support cultural IP creators and producers to propel more than 30 cultural IP projects cumulatively in the coming five years. We are fostering more cross-sectoral collaboration within the cultural and creative sectors so as to enhance the communication power and sales value of cultural IP products.Tourism Industry134. Tourism boosts local economic development and creates employment opportunities. To pursue the concept of “tourism is everywhere” and implement the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, I will allocate $1,235 million to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in the coming year.135. The HKTB will collaborate with more international brands to tell the good stories of Hong Kong’s tourism. For example, the HKTB signed a three-year global strategic partnership agreement with Art Basel to establish immersive experience zones of Hong Kong culture in all four annual Art Basel shows around the world, strengthening Hong Kong’s connection with the global art scene.136. We will step up efforts to promote a series of distinctive tourism products such as eco tourism, panda tourism, horse-racing tourism, etc, to enrich travel experiences in Hong Kong.137. The HKTB will continue to support the staging of more meetings, incentive travels, conventions and exhibitions in Hong Kong, which are expected to bring about 183 000 additional visitor arrivals and spending of about $1.4 billion.138. I have earmarked resources to strengthen support to the cruise industry, encouraging cruise lines to increase their number of ship calls to Hong Kong, make overnight calls and use Hong Kong as the homeport. We will provide cruise lines with more concessions to attract cruise ships to berth at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal during the low season.Mega Event Economy139. We will continue to promote and publicise Hong Kong as a mega events capital globally, attract more tourists to Hong Kong and enhance their tourism experience during their stay.140. Kai Tak Sports Park is the largest ever sports infrastructure in Hong Kong with the 50 000-seat Stadium. Large scale sports and entertainment events will be held in the Park, thereby driving visitation and spending.141. The Government has been supporting the staging of major international sports events in Hong Kong through “M” Mark System. We will adopt a more strategic approach in continuously attracting sports events which can bring significant economic benefits to Hong Kong, and are in discussion with LIV Golf which has been held in Hong Kong for two consecutive years to explore long-term partnership. Announcement will be made shortly.Seize Opportunities Arising from Resumption of Multiple entry Individual Visit Scheme142. The Government of the HKSAR expresses great gratitude to the Central Government for resuming at the end of last year the multiple entry Individual Visit Endorsements for Shenzhen permanent residents and expanding the arrangement to Shenzhen residence permit holders. Since the implementation of the new measure, more than 700 000 visitors have travelled to Hong Kong on multiple entry Individual Visit Endorsements.143. Thanks to the new measure and with an increase in the number of overseas travellers, the city bustles with activities. Retail, catering and other sectors all reported growth in business volume during the recent Christmas and New Year holidays. The Government will make good use of the various measures that benefit Hong Kong to proactively promote the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry.Develop Visitor Sources from the Middle East and ASEAN144. In collaboration with the HKTB, the Government will make extra efforts to develop markets in the Middle East and ASEAN to attract more high end visitors. The Government is encouraging various sectors of the community to enhance tourism support facilities, such as providing worship facilities in hotels and stepping up staff training to strengthen the industry’s understanding of the visitors’ different cultural backgrounds.Smart Tourism145. The HKTB will enhance the one stop travel information platform, Discover Hong Kong to provide a “Live Travel Map” and a “Smart Itinerary Planner” so as to provide visitors with more comprehensive and personalised itinerary suggestions, travel information and offers.Leverage Harbourfront Resources146. We are making every effort to enhance the harbourfront on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The recently opened western section of the East Coast Boardwalk in North Point has been popular among the public. The eastern section of the Boardwalk, the Hung Hom Urban Park (Phase 2) and the open space at Eastern Street North in Sai Ying Pun will also be completed this year. We will set up refreshment stalls at harbourfront locations in Central, Wan Chai, North Point and Tsim Sha Tsui this year to enrich visitor experience.147. The Government has invited the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited to conduct a study to develop the waterfront and former pier sites to the south of Hung Hom Station into a new harbourfront landmark. It will include iconic commercial and residential developments, retail, dining and entertainment facilities, as well as yacht club for promoting yacht tourism. We will put forward land use proposals in the middle of this year.Education Industry148. Hong Kong’s post secondary education sector is highly international and diversified. We boast five of the world’s top 100 universities and a pool of first rate R&D talent. We will launch a new round of Research Matching Grant Scheme totalling $1.5 billion to attract more organisations to support research endeavours of institutions.149. The Government will host more international education conferences and exhibitions to highlight Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub. We will step up promotion of the “Study in Hong Kong” brand to attract more outstanding non-local students. The quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme will be increased to 400 places per year.150. Self-financing post-secondary institutions complement publicly-funded institutions in providing diversified articulation pathways for young people. The Government has launched a new round of the Land Grant Scheme and the Start-up Loan Scheme, under which land sites are granted at nominal premium with interest-free loans, so as to support capacity expansion and quality enhancement of self-financing institutions.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (4)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Northern MetropolisIndustries and Spatial Distribution61. The NM is crucial to the social and economic development of Hong Kong, providing impetus for the development of the I&T industry, enabling more in-depth participation in the development of the GBA, while creating quality career development opportunities and living environment for our people. The Government will continue to accord priority in providing resources to this initiative. Major industries include:(a) I&T: The Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (Hetao Co operation Zone), together with San Tin Technopole, will provide large tracts of I&T land to leverage complementary advantages with the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Co-operation Zone. We will also introduce new policies to facilitate cross-boundary flows of innovative elements; (b) High-end Professional Services and Modern Logistics: With the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link connecting with Qianhai in Shenzhen under planning, Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (HSK/HT NDA) is positioned to become a high-end professional services hub for local, Mainland and overseas enterprises. Under the “East in East out, West in West out” strategy for cross-boundary goods movement between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, we will also plan logistics land strategically in the vicinity of boundary control points;(c) Tertiary Education: To complement the development of Hong Kong’s I&T industry and to promote Hong Kong as an international hub for tertiary education, we have reserved about 90 hectares of land in the NM for developing the Northern Metropolis University Town, including the third medical school; and(d) Culture, Sports and Tourism: Apart from reserving land for cultural and sports facilities, the NM preserves traditional villages and historical and cultural resources. We will develop culture, sports and tourism industries, including promoting eco-tourism, in accordance with the unique characteristics of different localities.Innovative and Diversified Land Development Approach62. To press ahead with the NM development and bring in industries, and to benefit the economy and people’s livelihood sooner, the Government will adopt a more diversified development approach with an innovative mindset, including piloting “large-scale land disposal”. We are inviting the market to submit expressions of interest for three pilot areas under “large-scale land disposal”, with the target of commencing tendering progressively from the second half of this year. We will also continue to identify suitable sites for private landowners to apply for in-situ land exchange for residential and industry developments.Land for Innovation and Technology UseThe Hetao Shenzhen Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co operation Zone63. The Hetao Co-operation Zone is a major co-operation platform for GBA development. It provides unique advantages in areas such as policy innovation, flow of innovation elements and application of R&D projects. We attach great importance to its development.64. The Hong Kong Park will enter into operational phase this year. The first three buildings of Phase 1 are about to complete and the first batch of tenants from life and health technology, AI, data science and other pillar industries will begin to move in this year.65. I have earmarked $3.7 billion to expedite the provision of infrastructure and public facilities of Phase 1 development of the Hong Kong Park. Meanwhile, we will identify suitable land parcels for invitation of private development proposals this year with a view to expediting the development by leveraging market forces. Upon completion of the whole Hong Kong Park, its annual contribution to Hong Kong’s economy is expected to reach $52 billion, and about 52 000 job opportunities will be created.San Tin Technopole66. The San Tin Technopole is an important project for promoting I&T. Twenty hectares of land will be delivered in phases, starting from 2026-27, for development and operation by the HKSTPC. The HKSTPC is carrying out a master planning study, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.Data Facility Cluster at Sandy Ridge67. We commenced the procedures last year to re-zone a 10 hectare site at Sandy Ridge in the North District for use as data centres. The re-zoning procedures are expected to be completed in the middle of this year. We are actively making preparations for land disposal.Pressing Ahead with Land Development68. Last year, we have commenced three major projects on second phase development for the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (NDA), remaining phase development of Kwu Tung North/Fanling North NDA, and the site formation and engineering infrastructure works for the first batch of land in San Tin Technopole. This year, we will start the works of Yuen Long South NDA second phase development, complete the re zoning procedures for a data park site in Sandy Ridge, and finalise land use proposals for Ngau Tam Mei as well as New Territories North New Town and Ma Tso Lung this year for commencing the environmental impact assessments and other statutory procedures. Over the next few years, there will be considerable output in residential units and industrial land in the NM.69. In order to support commercial and innovative development in the NM, we will also identify suitable sites there for constructing facilities to meet various conference and exhibition needs.Railway Development70. The construction works of Phase 1 of the Northern Link (NOL), i.e. Kwu Tung Station, have commenced for target completion in 2027. Advance works for Phase 2 have also commenced to tie in with the target completion of NOL Main Line in 2034.71. In addition, we are working with the Shenzhen authorities to jointly take forward two cross boundary railway projects. The investigation and design study of the Hong Kong Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu-Qianhai) project and the detailed planning and design of the Northern Link Spur Line are expected to commence this year.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PRESS RELEASE – EU Delegation Assesses Progress of Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise (NSSE) Project

    Source: Government of Western Samoa

    Share this:

    On February 11 2025, the delegation from the European Union (EU) led by Mr. Dirk Homann (the head of finance and contract), along with Mr. Geshneel Verma (the financial officer) and Mr. Gianluca Vannini (the programme manager), had a meeting with SVSG in respect to the Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise (NSSE) project to evaluate its progress in the first year.

    The project focuses on sustainable income generation and self-employment for Nofotane women. To continue empowering these women economically, SVSG successfully applied to the European Commission for funding to transition the Nofotane Program into a social enterprise. The NSSE project aims to contribute to six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using an innovative approach to address gender-based violence against Nofotane women in Samoa:

    1. No Poverty – Ensuring steady income and improved living standards for Nofotane women and their families.

    2. Good Health and Wellbeing – Promoting healthier lives and enhanced quality of life for Nofotane women and their families.

    3. Quality Education – Providing access to formal, non-formal, and informal learning opportunities for Nofotane women.

    4. Gender Equality – Ensuring Nofotane women are recognized within their homes, communities, and workplaces.

    5. Decent Work and Economic Growth – Empowering Nofotane women to contribute to the Samoan economy.

    6. Reduced Inequalities – Establishing a national network of Nofotane women with a collective voice against inequality.

    The EU team visited the SVSG Nofotane stores at our main office and in the villages of Luatuanuu, Siumu, and Faleasi’u. The women involved in the project expressed great joy in meeting the EU delegation, expressing their gratitude for the support provided. Many highlighted that the project has been instrumental in helping them support their families, cover children’s school fees, and overcome financial hardships. Additionally, the initiative has encouraged personal development, enabling them to acquire new skills and achieve sustainable income

    The SVSG President and the entire organization would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the EU for their support and continued dedication to our Nofotane community.

    Your generous contribution have been instrumental in empowering women and creating opportunities for self-employment and sustainable income. With your support, we are able to tackle critical social issues like gender-based violence and uplift families in need. We are truly grateful for your ongoing partnership and look forward to working together to build a more resilient community.

    EU Photos.

    END.

    SOURCE – Samoa Victim Support Group

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the request for waiver of the immunity of Adam Bielan – A10-0015/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

    on the request for waiver of the immunity of Adam Bielan

    (2024/2045(IMM))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the request for the waiver of the immunity of Adam Bielan, dated 5 July 2024 and submitted by the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście, Criminal Division V, in connection with criminal proceedings brought against him by way of a private indictment filed by the legal representative of the private accusers, and announced in plenary on 16 September 2024,

    – having heard Adam Bielan on 23 January 2025 in accordance with Rule 9(6) of its Rules of Procedure and having regard to the document submitted by him during the hearing,

    – having regard to Articles 8 and 9 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, and Article 6(2) of the Act of 20 September 1976 concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage,

    – having regard to the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 21 October 2008, 19 March 2010, 6 September 2011, 17 January 2013, 19 December 2019 and of 5 July 2023[1],

    – having regard to Article 105(2) and (5) of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland,

    – having regard to Rule 5(2), Rule 6(1) and Rule 9 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs (A10-0015/2025),

    A. whereas on 5 July 2024, Criminal Division V of the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście in Poland transmitted a request for the waiver of the parliamentary immunity of Adam Bielan, Member of the European Parliament elected in Poland, submitted to it by a private party on the grounds of certain statements made by Adam Bielan during a radio interview broadcast on 10 March 2023; whereas in accordance with Rule 9(1) of the Rules of Procedure, any request for a waiver of immunity must be submitted by ‘a competent authority of a Member State’ and in accordance with Rule 9(12) it should be transmitted by the judicial authorities, the two concepts not being identical; whereas in cases where under Polish law a private indictment is brought in which a public prosecutor is not participating, the authority competent to transmit a request from a private party for the waiver of immunity is the court;

    B. whereas the request for a waiver of immunity was made in connection with criminal proceedings brought against Adam Bielan concerning defamation, an offence under Article 212(1) and (2) of the Polish Criminal Code;

    C. whereas the alleged defamatory statements were made by Adam Bielan during an interview for a programme by the radio station RMF FM, which was broadcast in Poland on 10 March 2023, in connection with the operation and management of the Polish National Centre for Research and Development, which is an executive agency of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education; whereas the agency is overseen by the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy and one of its main tasks is to allocate public funding to projects;

    D. whereas according to the private bill of indictment, Adam Bielan allegedly made the defamatory statements with the intention of damaging the public reputation of two individuals and a company, headquartered in Warsaw, and rendering likely a loss of the necessary trust placed in them to perform their respective roles and carry out their respective activities, slandering them via a means of mass communication, an offence which may be privately prosecuted under Article 212(4) of the Polish Criminal Code;

    E. whereas the purpose of parliamentary immunity is to protect Parliament and its Members from legal proceedings in relation to activities carried out in the performance of parliamentary duties and which cannot be separated from those duties;

    F. whereas Adam Bielan was elected to the European Parliament in the European elections in 2019 and was a Member of the European Parliament at the time of the alleged offence;

    G. whereas Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union stipulates that Members of the European Parliament shall not be subject to any form of inquiry, detention or legal proceedings in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast by them in the performance of their duties;

    H. whereas a statement made by a Member outside the precincts of Parliament may constitute an opinion expressed in the performance of his or her duties within the meaning of Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, where it contains a subjective assessment having a direct and obvious connection with the performance of that Member’s parliamentary duties; whereas whether or not this is the case must therefore be determined by the character and content of the statement;

    I. whereas against this background, having regard to the circumstances described in the request for the waiver of immunity, the context and the content of the alleged defamatory statements made by Adam Bielan, a direct and obvious connection between those statements and his mandate as a Member of the European Parliament does not appear to exist;

    J. whereas the alleged actions therefore do not constitute an opinion expressed or a vote cast by Adam Bielan in the performance of his duties within the meaning of Article 8 of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union;

    K. whereas Article 9, first paragraph, point (a), of Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union provides that Members of the European Parliament enjoy, in the territory of their own State, the immunities accorded to members of their parliament;

    L. whereas according to Article 105(2) and (5) of the Polish Constitution, from the day of the announcement of the results of the elections until the day of the expiry of his or her mandate, a Deputy shall not be subjected to criminal accountability without the consent of the Sejm (lower house of parliament) and he or she shall be neither detained nor arrested without the consent of the Sejm, except for cases when he or she has been apprehended in the commission of an offence and in which his or her detention is necessary for securing the proper course of proceedings;

    M. whereas in this case, Parliament found no evidence of fumus persecutionis, which is to say factual elements indicating that the intention underlying the legal proceedings in question is to undermine the Member’s political activity in his capacity as a Member of the European Parliament;

    N. whereas Parliament cannot assume the role of a court, and whereas in a waiver of immunity procedure, a Member cannot be regarded as a defendant[2];

    1. Decides to waive the immunity of Adam Bielan;

    2. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the report of its committee responsible immediately to the competent authority of Poland and to Adam Bielan.

     

    ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

     

     

    The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

     

     

    INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

    Date adopted

    18.2.2025

     

     

     

    Result of final vote

    +:

    –:

    0:

    15

    6

    0

    Members present for the final vote

    Maravillas Abadía Jover, Tobiasz Bocheński, José Cepeda, Ton Diepeveen, Mario Furore, Mary Khan, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Sergey Lagodinsky, Mario Mantovani, Pascale Piera, René Repasi, Krzysztof Śmiszek, Dominik Tarczyński, Adrián Vázquez Lázara, Axel Voss, Marion Walsmann, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Lara Wolters, Dainius Žalimas

    Substitutes present for the final vote

    Caterina Chinnici, Leire Pajín, Arash Saeidi, Kosma Złotowski

    Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

    Niels Geuking, Lara Wolters

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to disease outbreak of unknown cause in the DRC

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment to an unknown disease breakout in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

    Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, University of East Anglia (UEA), said:

    “This is another cluster of fatalities in one of the poorer African countries. These are not rare. We saw another such cluster in DRC last November/December time. That last one turned out to be malaria and the was likely more severe as a result of increased malnutrition.

    “So far I am not aware of much information about the current problem other than it is in the northwest of the country there are apparently two separate clusters in the area.  The earlier cluster was reported in 21 January 2025 and is centred on Boloko Village in Bolomba Health District. The more recent cluster is in Bomate Village in Basankusu Health Zone and this was reported on the 9th February. No link is known between these two clusters. So far test results are negative foe Ebola and Marburg.

    “The only other bit of information is that in the earlier cluster some of the children who died had apparently consumed bat carcasses. But the relevance of that is not yet known.

    “What is causing these two clusters is not yet known or indeed whether the same thing is responsible for both. It is certainly possible that we have a similar issue to last autumn with malaria and malnutrition. But we need to wait the results of ongoing investigations to know the cause.”

    Declared interests

    Prof Paul Hunter “None”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to new research that found a bat-infecting coronavirus that can enter human cells similarly to COVID-19

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    New research published in Cell found a bat-infecting coronavirus can enter human cells in a similar way to COVID-19. 

    Dr Samuel Ellis, Research Fellow, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (GOS ICH), University College London (UCL), said:

    “Virologists have been studying coronaviruses in bats and mammals for a long time, with the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrating the significant risks if such viruses evolve the ability to infect humans. This latest study has identified a new member of the coronavirus family that is able to infect some cells by targeting the human ACE2 receptor, similar to SARS-CoV-2. This similarity means it should be further studied as part of surveillance for future threats, but the researchers do highlight that this virus is currently suboptimal for human adaptation and not to exaggerate any immediate risk. Furthermore, this research only showed infection of cells in the lab not animals or humans, and promisingly they found that antibody and antiviral drug therapies developed for COVID-19 could also be effective against this new virus. This sort of study is an example of the important work scientists are performing around the world to identify risks early and develop countermeasures to try and prevent future viral pandemic threats.”

     

    Prof Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology, University of Reading, said:

    “The finding of another bat coronavirus that gains entry human and animal cells by unlocking them in the same way as Covid-19 is naturally of concern and will worry people, but it shouldn’t be all that surprising.  This way of accessing cells is probably far more common than we realise, and the more scientists look for these things, the more examples they’re likely to find.  Many viral infections in humans are of animal origin, so it’s important that we keep improving our understanding of possible future threats.

    “We shouldn’t get too hung up on what is just one part of the way the virus interacts with our bodies; things are much more complicated.  This coronavirus is more closely related to the one that caused MERS which was never able to spread as quickly and efficiently as SARS or Covid-19 and so far, there’s no indication that this one would be any different.”

     

    Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, University of East Anglia, said:

    “There are very many different coronaviruses infecting bats worldwide, probably over 3,000 [1] All of these have the potential to develop into a human pathogen.

    “But that does not mean they will cause significant health problems in human populations. I really doubt that covid will be the last pandemic due to an emergent coronavirus from bats. But whether that in in 10, 20, 50 or 100 years from now I would not like to guess.

    “For a bat coronavirus to cause a pandemic in humans there needs to be a number of events.  

    “1, The virus has to infected at least one human either directly from a bat or more likely indirectly through another intermediate mammal like the civet cat in the 2005 SARS pandemic, camels with MERS, or possibly pangolins with covid. The involvement of an intermediate animal probably increases the amount of virus compared to what would be found in bats.

    “2, The virus has to then spread to other people, more likely in crowded cities then in remote rural communities

    “3, The virus needs to evolve to be more transmissible in humans. I suspect most animal to human transmission events do not spread to more than the occasional further cases. But if the virus evolves to be more infectious then we can have a problem.

    “So, is HKU5-CoV-2 something we need to worry about? Not specifically. But we do need to remain vigilant about all coronaviruses. At some point a coronavirus will trigger another pandemic, maybe not in the next few decades. When that does happen will it be  HKU5-CoV-2? Again probably not but it may be.”

    1. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/bats-are-major-reservoir-coronaviruses-worldwide.

     

    Dr Efstathious Giotis, Lecturer in Molecular Virology, University of Essex, said:

    “Scientists have identified a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, in China that can bind to human ACE2 receptors, the same entry point used by SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19. HKU5-CoV-2 belongs to a different group of coronaviruses than SARS-CoV-2 called merbecoviruses, which include the MERS virus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Until now, merbecoviruses were not known to use ACE2 as a receptor, making this discovery scientifically significant.

    Can it cause an epidemic?

    “There is no evidence that HKU5-CoV-2 can cause an epidemic in humans. While it can bind to human ACE2 receptors, its ability to do so appears weaker than SARS-CoV-2, making infection less likely. There are no known human cases, and no proof of human-to-human transmission.”

    Shall we be concerned?

    “There is no cause for concern at this stage. The study was conducted in laboratory conditions,  and there is no evidence that HKU5-CoV-2 is circulating in humans or if it’s able to spread among humans. Its ability to bind to ACE2 appears weaker than SARS-CoV-2, making human infection less likely. Therefore, HKU5-CoV-2 is not an immediate threat, but its ability to use ACE2 means it should be closely monitored.”

      

    Dr Gary R McLean, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, said:

    “The study in Cell is from virology groups in China that study bat coronaviruses that have potential for the jump into humans. They are based in Wuhan and Guangzhou, where previous coronavirus spillovers to human have occurred. Interestingly this newly discovered virus lineage (HKU5-CoV-2), despite evolving in bats, can effectively use human entry receptor protein ACE2 for infection of human cells and tissues. However, these are biochemical studies that show the potential for this new bat virus to infect humans cells and there is no evidence for this occurring in nature. Thus there is the potential for this new virus to spillover to human like previous coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2. Hopefully the Chinese authorities now have good surveillance systems in place and the laboratories work to rigid safety standards that minimise the risk of spillover occurring. This paper does suggest that bat coronaviruses can evolve to use human entry receptors for infection, sidestepping the traditional route of amplification via an intermediate species – yet to be unequivocally found for SARS-CoV-2.”

     

    ‘Bat-infecting merbecovirus HKU5-CoV lineage 2 can use human ACE2 as a cell entry receptor’ by Chen et al. was published in Cell on Tuesday 18th February.

     

    DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.01.042

     

     

    Declared interests

    Dr Samuel Ellis “I have no direct COIs to declare on this news/study, but have been involved in some previous COVID-19 trials of antiviral drugs, such as PANORAMIC (NIHR).”

    Dr Gary R McLean None

    Prof Paul Hunter None

    Dr Efstathious Giotis None

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Defender of the Fatherland Day celebrated at the Polytechnic Military Training Center

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The Military Training Center (MTC) of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University held ceremonial events dedicated to Defender of the Fatherland Day.

    The military training center was visited by the Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of SPbPU Lyudmila Pankova. The Head of the Academic Department – Deputy Head of the Military Training Center, Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Filin reported to the Vice-Rector about the start of training students under the military training program for reserve soldiers in the specialty of “unmanned aerial vehicle operator”. The training is carried out using new models of educational and material base and taking into account the experience of conducting a special military operation.

    Lyudmila Vladimirovna also took part in the award ceremony of the employees of the Military Training Center. For high professionalism, exemplary performance of official and service duties, Stanislav Shidlovsky, a teacher of the communications department, received the medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the second degree. The medals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “Marshal of the Signal Troops Peresypkin” were awarded to the head of the communications department Igor Popok and the head of the training unit – deputy head of the department Andrei Yurov.

    Lyudmila Pankova presented the teachers of the departments of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Aerospace Forces and communications, general military training cycles and unmanned aerial vehicles with jubilee medals “110 years of the Air Defense Forces”.

    Lyudmila Vladimirovna congratulated teachers and students on the holiday and emphasized the importance of their role in the life of the country.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Academician Alexander Sergeev told students about the technologies of the future

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The lecture on the topic “Forecast 2045: Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life and… Physics” for students and postgraduates of SPbPU was given by the famous physicist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific director of the National Center of Physics and Mathematics Alexander Sergeev.

    Introducing the guest to the students, the rector of SPbPU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy noted that the event was organized with the support of the Rosatom State Corporation as part of the Time of Science project and was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry.

    I am confident that this significant meeting will give a special impetus to both students and employees to develop their research activities to ensure Russia’s technological sovereignty, Andrei Ivanovich emphasized.

    ‘

    In his lecture, Alexander Sergeev reviewed the challenges facing modern physics and technologies using artificial intelligence that are changing our present and future. He quoted the famous physicist Vitaly Ginzburg, who identified three problems of all sciences: the irreversibility of time; the problem of interpreting and understanding quantum mechanics; the problem of reductionism – the question of the connection between physics and biology. And today, Alexander Sergeev emphasized, science is looking for answers to the questions of what is life and what is thought. And an important role here is given to physics, which allows us to describe a very complex system in the simplest possible way.

    Alexander Mikhailovich spoke about modern trends in the development of artificial intelligence technologies, describing their pros and cons. The main advantage is the acceleration and optimization of all processes, and the main problem that the academician identified is depriving people of the ability to make decisions and take responsibility.

    It is possible that there will be a very thin layer of people who own and manage information, then a powerful machine layer and 99% of people who will be a crowd living according to the laws and algorithms dictated to them, chosen by artificial intelligence. To prevent this, one must remain a thinking and critical person, and not trust all decisions to artificial intelligence.

    After the lecture, which also presented the latest developments of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and answered questions from students, Alexander Sergeev held a meeting with the scientific community of SPbPU. The scientist spoke about the key areas of the scientific program of the NCPhM and projects for the creation of advanced laboratories and installations of the “midiscience” and “megascience” class, about schools and seminars for students based at the National Center for Physics and Mathematics. Alexander Mikhailovich called on students and scientists of the university to participate more actively in scientific events of the NCPhM and invited them to the XXVI Kharitonov Thematic Scientific Readings “Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Technical, Industrial, Natural and Social Systems”, which will be held on April 14-18 this year in Sarov.

    The busy program of the visit of the scientific director of the NCFM also included a visit to the Peter the Great SPbPU Supercomputer Center, accompanied by the first vice-rector of the university Vitaly Sergeev and a meeting with the vice-rector for digital transformation Alexey Borovkov, where they discussed prospects for cooperation, including in the field of creating digital twins.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of British High Commissioner to Namibia: Neil Bradley

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Change of British High Commissioner to Namibia: Neil Bradley

    Mr Neil Bradley has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia in succession to Mr Charles Moore.

    Neil Bradley

    Mr Neil Bradley has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia in succession to Mr Charles Moore who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Bradley will take up his appointment during April 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Neil Andrew Bradley

    Year Role
    2020 to 2025  Monrovia, His Majesty’s Ambassador
    2017 to 2020 FCO, Head of Human Rights Policy Unit
    2015 to 2016  Brussels, Head of UK-EU Funding Unit, UK Permanent Representation to the EU
    2011 to 2015  Pretoria, Political Counsellor, Secondment to the European External Action Service, EU Delegation South Africa
    2008 to 2011 Pretoria, Political Counsellor
    2006 to 2008  FCO, Deputy Head, Migration Group
    2000 to 2006 Brussels, First Secretary, Justice and Home Affairs Section, UK Permanent Representation to the EU      
    2000  Joined FCO, pre-posting training (including French Language training)
    1998 to 2000  Joint Home Office/Cabinet Office Unit, Head of Voluntary Sector Relations Section
    1993 to 1998  Home Office, Fast Stream Entrant

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Court and tribunal fees: updates from April 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Court and tribunal fees: updates from April 2025

    An update on upcoming increases to selected court and tribunal fees.

    In early April 2025, and subject to parliamentary approval, the Ministry of Justice will increase 171 court and tribunal fees to account for changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The income generated from these uplifts will help to support the efficient and effective running of His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).  

    The department recovers a modest contribution towards the costs of providing HMCTS services from court and tribunal users, where they can afford to do so. The department has a history of increasing court and tribunal fees by inflation to ensure that fees keep pace with increased costs to HMCTS as a result of the general rise in prices, while at the same time minimising the cost to the taxpayer.   

    The majority of the 171 fees in scope will be increased by 3.2% to reflect the change in CPI between March 2023 and March 2024, with a small number of fees increased by 13.5% to reflect backdated inflation to March 2022. These fee increases are all rounded to the nearest pound. These fee changes will produce a significant level of additional funding that will go towards improving service delivery, subsidising the cost of related court and tribunal services for which we do not charge a fee, and reducing the overall cost to the taxpayer. 

    The Help with Fees remissions scheme remains available for those with lower financial means who are unable to afford a court or tribunal fee. More information on the scheme can be found on GOV.UK. 

    As well as increasing fees, the department will be reducing the value of a further 24 fees to ensure they remain aligned with the latest estimate of their underlying cost.  

    A full list of the fee changes, including the 171 to be increased and the 24 to be reduced, can be found in the table below. The government’s intention is for the changes to go live from 1 April for applications received by courts or tribunals on or after that date. Until then, the current fees will continue to apply.  

    Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.4a Recovery of Land (High Court) £528 £545
    1.4b Recovery of Land (County Court) £391 £404
    1.5 Any other remedy (County Court) £365 £377
    1.5 Any other remedy (High Court) £626 £646
    1.6 Filing proceedings against an unnamed party £65 £67
    1.8a Permission to issue proceedings £65 £67
    1.8b Assessment of costs (under Part 3, Solicitors Act 1974) £65 £67
    1.9a For permission to apply for judicial review £169 £174
    1.9b On applying for a request to reconsider at a hearing a decision on permission £424 £438
    1.9ba On an application for judicial review where fee 1.9(b) has been paid and permission is granted at a hearing £385 £436
    1.9c Permission to proceed with judicial review if started with application for permission to apply for JR £847 £874
    1.9d Permission to proceed with judicial review where started other than with permission to apply for JR £169 £174
    2.1a Hearing fee: Multi track case £1,175 £1,334
    2.1b Hearing fee: Fast track case £545 £619
    2.2 Appellant’s/respondent’s notice (High Court) £285 £294
    2.3a Appellant’s/respondent’s notice (County court small claims) £142 £147
    2.3b Appellant’s/respondent’s notice (County court other claims) £166 £171
    2.4(a) General application (on notice) excluding Protection from Harassment Act 1997 & Court Fund Pay Out £303 £313
    2.4(b) General application (on notice) Protection from Harassment Act 1997 & Court Fund Pay Out £184 £190
    2.5(a) General application (by consent/without notice) excluding Protection from Harassment Act 1997 & Court Fund Pay Out £119 £123
    2.5(b) General application (by consent/without notice) Protection from Harassment Act 1997 & Court Fund Pay Out £59 £61
    2.6 Application for summons or order for witness to attend court £21 £4
    2.8 Issue of a certificate of satisfaction £15 £19
    3.1b Petition for bankruptcy (presented by creditor/other person) £332 £343
    3.4(a) Request for a certificate of discharge from bankruptcy £75 £22
    3.7 Voluntary winding up fee £50 £16
    3.9 Submission of nominees report £35 £11
    3.11 Application within proceedings (by consent/without notice) £29 £30
    3.12 Application within insolvency proceedings (with notice, where no other fee is specified) £109 £112
    3.13 Search of bankruptcy and company records (County Court) £45 £11
    3.2 Petition for an administration order £332 £343
    3.3 Any other petition £332 £343
    3.5 Insolvency – other application £308 £318
    3.8 Notice of intention to appoint administrator £55 £57
    5.3 Issue of default costs certificate – Civil £78 £80
    5.4 Appeal (detailed assessment proceedings) – Civil £274 £283
    5.5 Request/application to set aside a default costs certificate £143 £148
    6.1 On the filing of a request for detailed assessment for Court of Protection £96 £99
    6.2 Appeal against a Court of Protection costs assessment decision £77 £79
    6.3 Request to set aside a default Court of Protection costs certificate £72 £74
    7.1 Sealing a writ of control/possession/delivery (High Court) £78 £80
    7.2 Order requiring a judgment debtor or other person to attend court £65 £67
    7.3a Third party debt order or the appointment of a receiver by way of equitable execution £131 £135
    7.3b Application for a charging order £131 £135
    7.4 Application for a judgment summons £131 £135
    7.5 Register a judgment or order, or for permission to enforce an arbitration award, or for a certificate or a certified copy of a judgment or order for use abroad £78 £80
    8.1 Issue warrant of control £91 £94
    8.2 Request for attempt of execution of a warrant at new address £36 £37
    8.3 Order requiring judgment debtor to attend court £65 £67
    8.4a Application for a third party debt order £131 £135
    8.4b Application for a charging order £131 £135
    8.5 Application for a judgment summons £131 £135
    8.6 Issue of a warrant of possession/warrant of delivery £143 £148
    8.7 Application for an attachment of earnings order – Civil £131 £135
    8.9 Application for enforcement of an award of a sum of money or any other decision made by any court, tribunal, body or person £52 £54
    8A.1 Service by a bailiff of an order to attend County Court for questioning £131 £135
    10.1 Bills of sale £33 £34
    10.4 Appointment of a High Court judge as arbitrator or umpire £671 £692
    10.5 Hearing before a High Court judge (per day or part day) as arbitrator or umpire £671 £692
    11.1 On the issue of a warrant for the arrest of a ship or goods £20 £21
    13.1a Filing an appellant’s/respondent’s notice in the Court of Appeal where permission to appeal/extension of time is applied for £626 £646
    13.1b Filing an appellant’s/respondent’s notice in the Court of Appeal where permission to appeal is not required or has been granted £1,421 £1,466
    13.1c Court of Appeal – Appellant/respondent filing an appeal questionnaire £1,421 £1,466
    13.2 Court of Appeal – On filing a respondent’s notice £569 £587
    13.3 Court of Appeal – On filing an application notice £626 £646

    Magistrates’ Court Fees Order 2008

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.1 Application for a justice of the peace to perform function not on court premises £28 £29
    2.1 Application to state a case for the opinion of the High Court £151 £156
    2.2 Appeal (deduction from earnings order) £21 £22
    2.3 Appeal – proceedings under Schedule 5, Licensing Act 2003 £68 £70
    2.4 Appeal (no other fee specified) £68 £70
    3.2 Request for a certificate of satisfaction £18 £19
    3.3 Request for a certified copy of a memorandum of conviction £20 £15
    3.4 Request for certificate/certified document (no fee specified) £22 £23
    4.2 Application for Child Support Liability Order £25 £14
    6.1 Request for licence/consent/authority (no other fee specified) £30 £31
    6.2 Application for renewal/variation of an existing licence £30 £31
    6.3 Application for the revocation of licence (no other fee specified) £30 £31
    7.2 For every oath (etc) where no other fee is specified £30 £31
    8.1 Commencing proceedings where no other fee is specified £249 £284
    8.2a Application for leave/permission to commence proceedings (no other fee specified) £138 £142
    8.2b Commencing proceedings where leave/permission has been granted £138 £142
    8.3 Contested hearing £567 £644
    9.2 Application for any other warrant (no other fee specified) £89 £92
    10.1 Application for a warrant of commitment (council tax proceedings) £264 £212
    10.2 Application for a warrant of commitment (Child Support Act 1991) £45 £46

    Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.1 Originating proceedings where no other fee is specified £270 £279
    1.2 Application for a divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution £593 £612
    1.3 Application for matrimonial or civil partnership order £402 £415
    1.5 Amendment of application for matrimonial/civil partnership order £95 £59
    1.6 Answer to application for matrimonial/civil partnership order £245 £234
    1.7 On application for an order of assessment of costs £55 £57
    1.8 Application for parental order £255 £263
    2.1a Parental responsibility (section 4(1)(c) or (3), 4A(1)(b) or(3) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1b Parental responsibility (section 4ZA(1)(c) or (6) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1c Guardians (section 5(1) or 6(7) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1d Section 8 orders (section 10(1) or (2) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1e Enforcement orders (section 11J(2) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1f Compensation for financial loss (section 11O(2) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1g Change of child’s surname or removal from jurisdiction while residence order in force (section 13(1) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1h Special guardianship orders (section 14A(3) or (6)(a), 14C(3) or 14D(1) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1i Secure accommodation order (section 25 of the Children Act 1989) – England £255 £263
    2.1ia Secure accommodation order (section 25 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014) £255 £263
    2.1j Change of child’s surname or removal from jurisdiction while care order in force (section 33(7) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1k Contact with child in care (section 34(2), (3), (4) or (9) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1l Education supervision order (section 36(1) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1m Variation or discharge etc of care and supervision orders (section 39 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1n Child assessment order (section 43(1) of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1o Emergency protection orders (sections 44, 45 and 46 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1p Warrant to assist person exercising powers under emergency protection order (section 48 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1q Recovery order (section 50 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1s Warrant to assist person exercising powers to search for children or inspect premises (section 102 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1t Applications in respect of enforcement orders (under Schedule A1 of the Children Act 1989) £112 £116
    2.1u Amendment of enforcement order by reason of change of address (under Schedule A1 of the Children Act 1989) £77 £79
    2.1v Financial provision for children (paragraph 1(1) or (4), 2(1) or (5), 5(6), 6(5), (7) or (8), 8(2), 10(2), 11 or 14(1) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1w Approval of court for child in care of local authority to live abroad (paragraph 19(1) of Schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989) – England £255 £263
    2.1wa Approval of court for child in care of local authority to live abroad (Wales) £255 £263
    2.1x Extension of supervision order (paragraph 6 of Schedule 3 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1y Extension or discharge of education supervision order (paragraph 15(2) or 17(1) of Schedule 3 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.1z Appeals concerning foster parents (paragraph 8(1) of Schedule 8 of the Children Act 1989) £255 £263
    2.2 Care and supervision order (Section 31 of the Children Act 1989) £2,437 £2,515
    2.3 Appeal relating to Children Act fees 2.1(a) to 2.1(s) (v) to (y) and 2.2) £237 £245
    2.4 Appeal against a contribution order – England £237 £245
    2.5 Appeal against a contribution order – Wales £237 £245
    2.6(a) Section 72 Cancellation, variation or removal or imposition of condition of registration of child minder or day carer (England) £255 £263
    2.6(b) Section 34 Cancellation of registration of child minder or day carer (Wales) £255 £263
    2.7 Commencing child mind or day carer appeal for application (England or Wales) £237 £245
    3.1 Application/permission to apply for adoption £201 £207
    3.2 Application for a placement order (under Section 22 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002) £539 £556
    3.3 Application to the High Court with regards to inherent jurisdiction with respect to children £201 £207
    4.1 On an application for a warning notice to be attached to a contact order £54 £56
    5.1 Application (without notice) £58 £60
    5.2 Application for decree nisi, conditional order, separation order (no fee if undefended) £59 £61
    5.3 Application (on notice) (unless otherwise listed) £184 £190
    5.4 Application for a financial order (other than consent order) £303 £313
    6.1 Filing an appeal notice from a district judge, one or more lay justices, a justices’ clerk or an assistant to a justices’ clerk £138 £142
    7.2 Search of central index of parental responsibility agreements £45 £17
    9.2(d) On filing a request for detailed assessment where fee 9.1 does not apply £1,345 £1,365
    9.3 Issue of default costs certificate £65 £18
    9.4 Appeal (detailed assessment proceedings) – Family £231 £238
    9.5 Request/application to set aside a default costs certificate £121 £125
    10.2 Application for a maintenance order to be registered under the Maintenance Orders 1950 or 1958 Act £55 £57
    11.1 Application for order for financial provision £237 £245
    12.1 Application to question a judgment debtor or other person £59 £61
    12.2 Application for a third party debt order/appointment of a receiver £85 £88
    12.3 Application for a charging order £42 £43
    12.4 Application for a judgment summons £80 £83
    12.5 Application for an attachment of earnings order – Family £37 £38
    13.1 Application for enforcement of a judgment or order – warrant of control against goods £110 £114
    13.2 On a request for further attempt at execution of a warrant at a new address where the warrant has been returned to the court not executed £30 £6
    13.3 Issue for a warrant of possession or a warrant of delivery £131 £135
    14.1 Sealing a writ of execution/possession/delivery £66 £68
    14.2 On a request or application to register a judgment or order; or for permission to enforce an arbitration award; or for a certified copy of a judgment or order for use abroad £66 £68
    15.1 Request for service by a bailiff of document (see order for exceptions) £45 £46

    Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) Fees Order 2009

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1 Permission to appeal r21 £242 £250
    2 Notice of reference r28 / appeal r24 £303 £313
    3 Absent owner application (Compulsory Purchase Act 1965) £550 £624
    4 Restrictive covenant application r32 re s84 Law of Property Act 1925 £968 £999
    5a Rights of light application r41 to s2 Rights of Light Act 1959 – Definitive certificate £1,320 £775
    5b Rights of light application r41 to s2 Rights of Light Act 1959 – Temporary & Definitive certificate £1,650 £761
    6 Interlocutory application £121 £125
    11a Hearing as to entitlement – s84 Law of Property Act 1925 – discharge/modify restrictive covenant £605 £624
    11b Order without hearing (r46) – s84 Law of Property Act 1925 – discharge/modify restrictive covenant £275 £166
    11c Substantive hearing of originating application – s84 Law of Property Act 1925 – discharge/modify restrictive covenant £1,210 £1,249
    11d Engrossing Minutes of Order – s84 Law of Property Act 1925 – discharge/modify restrictive covenant £220 £41
    12 Hearing or preliminary hearing of reference/appeal (no amount awarded) £605 £624

    Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Judicial Review) (England and Wales) Fees Order 2011

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.1 Permission to apply for Judicial Review £169 £174
    1.1a Judicial Review – Oral renewal £424 £438
    1.2a Proceed with Judicial Review – permission granted at oral hearing £385 £436
    1.2b Proceeding with Judicial Review after permission granted £847 £874
    1.3 Permission for Judicial Review – permission to proceed where proceedings started otherwise than by application for permission £169 £174
    2.1 Judicial Review General Application – On notice (where no other fee is specified) £281 £290
    2.2 Judicial Review General Application – By consent or without notice (where no other fee is specified) £110 £114
    2.3 Judicial Review – Application for a summons or order for a witness to attend the Tribunal £55 £57

    Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    3.1 Duplicate/second grant for same deceased person £20 £21
    6 Deposit of wills £22 £23
    7 Inspection of will/other document retained by the registry £20 £23
    11 Settling documents £4 £5

    First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.1 Commence proceedings (application or appeal) in a leasehold or residential property case, where no other fees applies £110 £114
    1.2 File proceedings for approval of the exercise of a power of entry £110 £114
    1.3 Mobile homes application (pitch fee other than Local Authority sites) £22 £23
    1.4 Mobile Homes – Application for determination to take into account cost of owner improvements – para 1.4 £22 £23
    1.5 Mobile Homes – Determination of Local Authority pitch fee £22 £23
    1.6 Mobile Homes – Application for determination to take into account cost of owner improvements – para 1.6 £22 £23
    2.1 Notice of hearing date for 1.1 or 1.2 application – only one payable if applications joined together £220 £227

    First-tier Tribunal (Gambling) Fees Order 2010

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    1.1* Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – casino operating licence s65(2)(a) £14,000 £4,521
    1.3* Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – general betting operating licence s65(2)(c) £10,000 £4,521
    1.4* Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – pool betting operating licence s65(2)(d) £10,000 £4,521
    1.5* Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – better intermediary operating licence s65(2)(e) £10,000 £4,521
    1.10* Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – lottery operating licence s65(2)(j) £9,400 £4,521
    1.11 Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – personal management office licence s127 £1,760 £1,816
    1.12 Appeal s141 Gambling Act 2005 – personal operational function licence s127 of that Act £880 £908
    2 Appeal s337(1) Gambling Act 2005 – order to void a bet s336(1) £9,400 £4,521

    Court of Protection Fees Order 2007

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    4 Application fee (Article 4) £408 £421
    5 Appeal fee (Article 5) £257 £265
    6 Hearing fee (Article 6) £494 £259

    Gender Recognition (Application Fees) Order 2006

    SI Reference ID Description Current New
    2 Application for a Gender Recognition Certificate £5 £6

    *Please note that fees 1.1 – 1.10 in the First-tier Tribunal (Gambling) Fees Order 2010 will all be consolidated under one fee at £4,521 from 1st April.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Co-operation with GBA cities secured

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan today outlined a series of measures in the Budget concerning Hong Kong’s collaboration with other cities of the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on various fronts, including youth development.

    As from this year, the requirements for joining the GBA Youth Employment Scheme has been relaxed so that youngsters aged 29 or below with sub-degree or higher qualifications can join, while the limit of allowance for enterprises has been increased to $12,000 per month per person for up to 18 months.

    With regard to medical co-operation, the Government is seeking to establish the Real-World Study & Application Centre for the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform by Hong Kong and Shenzhen by the end of this year.

    With the data from the special measure of using Hong Kong registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the GBA, Mr Chan explained that the aim is to accelerate approval for the registration of new drugs in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas, fostering research and development, clinical trials and the application of advanced biomedical technology in Hong Kong.

    On the financial front, following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cross-Boundary Credit Referencing Pilots between the Monetary Authority and the People’s Bank of China, the Government will progressively expand the pilot coverage to further facilitate cross-boundary financing for enterprises.

    Concerning transport and logistics, Mr Chan pointed out that 21 airlines and 125 logistics companies have participated in the sea air intermodal cargo transshipment mode under the co-operation of Hong Kong and Dongguan.

    It is expected that the first phase construction of the permanent facility for the Phase 1 development of the logistics park in Dongguan will be completed within this year and the preliminary study of Phase 2 development will commence shortly.

    The co-operation with GBA cities covers the construction industry as well. Mr Chan pointed out that in collaboration with Guangdong Province, the Government has successfully established the “Professional Title” evaluation mechanism for the first batch of Hong Kong engineering professionals, with the mechanism to be extended to other construction related professions with the right conditions. 

    The Government will collaborate with Guangdong Province and Macau to formulate GBA standards on the skill levels for skilled workers and technicians of the construction sector, and take forward the “One Examination, Multiple Certification” arrangement.

    The Financial Secretary also mentioned the development of Qianhai, saying that the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone is one of the major co-operation platforms in the bay area.

    “For example, the turnover of Qianhai Mercantile Exchange, a subsidiary of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, exceeded RMB100 billion over the year. It operates our country’s only offshore spot trading platform for soybeans.”

    He added that the Department of Justice collaborated with the relevant Mainland authorities and achieved the extension of the measures, including the one of “allowing Hong Kong invested enterprises to choose Hong Kong as the arbitration place” to other pilot cities in the bay area, thereby providing Hong Kong investors with a more facilitative business environment.

    “Hong Kong will continue to support Qianhai in trying out new policies on a pilot basis and pursuing more policy innovation and breakthroughs, with a view to promoting the successful policies to the rest of the GBA and even the entire country.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dubai is closer than it seems: a meeting with a famous architect from the UAE was held at the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On February 25, 2025, as part of the Project Days at the State University of Management, a meeting was held between students and the famous architect Najmus Chowdhry, founder of the ZneraSpaceLab architectural bureau located in Dubai.

    The architect spoke about the projects implemented by his bureau. Thus, in 2018, together with the Znera Space team, the Smog Project was developed – a network of filter towers for air purification in Delhi. Each tower was to be 100 meters high and generate a volume of semi-clean air that would spread over two kilometers.

    Najmus Chowdhry was also involved in the creation of the concept of the Downtown Circle, a spherical megastructure that will surround the Burj Khalifa tower in the center of Dubai. The ring, 550 meters high, located on five pillars, is planned to have a circumference of three kilometers. It will house residential, public, commercial and cultural spaces.

    The meeting was organized by the General Director of the architectural bureau DOITPROJECT and co-founder of the brand PATRIKI_20 Olga Shibkova and the head of the project and educational laboratory of urban development of the State University of Management Irina Milkina. Communication with the famous architect is aimed at transferring practical experience and inspiring students to create sustainable projects.

    Students from GUU and MSTU-MASI who took part in the meeting asked questions about the image of the city of the future, the significance of the bureau’s work, and the necessary skills for a modern architect.

    The guest advised students to develop their observation skills and always analyze what competitors are doing and form their own opinion. In the future, this will help to do something new and innovative. The architect also noted that a professional should have equal qualities such as productivity and creativity so that the idea does not remain unimplemented.

    MSTU-MASI student Stepan Bosalygo asked the guest how he sees his projects in the future. Nadjmus Chowdhry replied that when developing projects, it is necessary to take into account the context of the objects that are nearby – their culture, heritage, in order to fit the object into the culture of the nation.

    As a memento of his visit to the State University of Management, the architect was presented with souvenirs with the university’s symbols and a group photo was taken with all the participants.

    1st year student of the State University of Management Maria Naumocheva shared her impressions of the meeting: “I was very interested in the project called “The Breeze Tower” – Wind Tower. Quite an interesting idea to introduce a vertical garden into part of the building. It was also interesting that instead of windows there is a net, thanks to which the breeze blows into the tower and cools the air.”

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/26/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: More than £100 million in Indian investment creating UK jobs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    More than £100 million in Indian investment creating UK jobs

    New Indian investment deals worth over £100 million demonstrate investors’ confidence in the UK.

    • UK welcomes latest Indian investments, demonstrating investors’ confidence in doing business 

    • New deals will create jobs as the government continues to focus on delivering economic growth under the Plan for Change 

    • Recent Indian budget drives more opportunity for UK insurance companies to expand presence in India 

    Recent investment wins for the UK worth over £100 million from Indian companies are being celebrated as proof the government’s Plan for Change is providing global investors with the confidence they need to do business in the UK. 

    Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been in New Delhi this week, as the UK Government relaunched talks on a trade deal with India to bring more opportunity to UK businesses and deliver on its core mission to grow the economy, as part of the Plan for Change.  

    UK Investment Minister Poppy Gustafsson is in Bangaluru on the second leg of a two-city visit to India to bang the drum for Britain, champion free trade and promote exciting investment opportunities in the UK economy.   

    Recent Indian investments in the UK cover a range of sectors including AI, professional services and textiles and are expected to create hundreds of new jobs over the next three years. 

    This continues the trend of strong Indian investment into the UK in recent years, with the last year-on-year change showing the value of inward FDI stock from India having increased 28% at the end of 2023. India has remained the second largest investor in terms of number of projects into the UK for five consecutive years. 

    The deals come as UK insurance companies gain more potential to expand in India thanks to the recent Indian budget which increased the amount of FDI permitted in the insurance sector from 74% to 100%. 

    Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 

    “These investment deals will deliver more than £100 million for the UK economy, creating jobs, strengthening growth, and helping working people.  

    “They prove that the government’s Plan for Change is giving Indian businesses the confidence they need to continue investing in Britain.  

    “Now the UK will strive to be more ambitious and collaborative than ever before as we show the world why the UK is the best place to invest.” 

    The investment announcements include: 

    • Aaseya Technologies, professional services company specialising in digital transformation through automation, is growing its presence in London and creating up to 250 new jobs over three years with a £25 million investment.  

    • Sastra Robotics is investing £8 million in Manchester over three years, creating 75 new jobs. The investment aims to expand the company’s robotics innovation and development. This is the first time a robotics company from South India has invested in the UK. 

    • AI CyberIntel company Deepcytes has set up its global headquarters in London, investing £5 million and creating 80 jobs in the next three years to combat problems of anti-bullying and cyber frauds.  

    • University Living, a global student housing managed marketplace, plan to open a new UK office, investing £10 million and creating 50 jobs over three years. 

    • One of the largest producers of hand-knotted rugs in India, Jaipur Rugs have opened a store in London and are looking to create 75 jobs through a £5 million investment over the next three years.  

    • Time Cinemas have established their global headquarters in the UK, introducing The Black Box by Time, an innovative, patent applied, cloud platform solution that empowers filmmakers, content creators, producers, and distributors to reach out to a much wider cinema audience across geographies. This expansion will create 75 new jobs in London over the next three years, supported by a capital expenditure of £20 million. 

    • Novigo solutions, a technology-focused organisation specialising in end-to-end IT services, technology consulting, business consulting, analytics, and robotic process automation, has started its operation in Warwick by investing £12 million and creating 75 jobs over three years.  

    • Test Yantra, one of India’s largest testing and training services companies, is investing £10 million and creating 100 jobs over the next three years.  

    • Zoondia software, a leading provider of technology solutions, AI solutions, custom software development, IOT, data analytics and resource augmentation areas, is investing £10 million and creating 60 jobs over three years.   

    Notes to editors 

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sense-sational improvements to Cliffdale Primary Academy

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Children at a special school in Hilsea have had their learning spaces transformed with a sensory room created for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), thanks to work by Portsmouth City Council, and Vale Southern Construction Ltd.

    Students at Cliffdale Primary Academy can now enjoy new and improved learning spaces, benefitting from extra classrooms, outdoor areas and a sensory room, thanks to an extensive programme of works at the school.

    The capital projects service (consisting of architects, engineers, project managers and construction inspectors) from the council worked with Vale Southern Construction Ltd to construct two extensions adding new classrooms and staff facilities as well as smaller teaching spaces and a specialist sensory room. This development will be supporting students with SEND providing suitably specialist places which are also calming and encourage learning.

    The architects kept a close eye on detail, amongst other things creating unique triangle patterns in the brickwork of the new classroom to represent the neurodiversity in the school and wider population. The interior of each triangle is unique to represent the neurodiversity in the school and wider population.

    Outdoor spaces are particularly important at Cliffdale, supporting the development and wellbeing of the pupils.  Small outdoor spaces have been created for each classroom as a calm environment to aid learning.  An improved nature area has been created to support the existing wildlife on the site with trees and hedges planted to encourage further inhabitants.

    To reduce the school’s impact on the environment, the new building has been designed to minimise energy use and has solar panels on the roof to generate electricity and a drainage system designed to reduce its load on the local drainage system in times of heavy rain.  Large crates have been installed below the ground which can hold 30m3 of water or 30,000 litres of water which is about 375 baths and fill up with rainwater releasing it into the sewer network at a reduced rate to ease the pressure on the network.

    Councillor Nick Dorrington, Cabinet Member for Children Families and Education said:

    “It’s wonderful to see the incredible efforts of our in-house capital projects team, along with contractors, in supporting schools that aid and nurture our young people with SEND. This collaborative initiative has resulted in improved spaces for young individuals at Cliffdale Primary Academy, providing essential environments for those who need it most.”

    Sharon Burt, Chief Executive Officer at Solent Academies Trust said:

    “We are absolutely thrilled with the improvements made to Cliffdale Primary Academy. The new classrooms, sensory room, and outdoor spaces provide our pupils with the environment they deserve to thrive in. The sensory room, in particular, offers a calming, inclusive space that caters to the diverse needs of our children. These changes, made possible by the collaboration between Portsmouth City Council and Vale Southern Construction Ltd., will have a lasting, positive impact on the wellbeing and learning of our pupils. We are very grateful for the support in making our school a place where all children can learn in the very best specialist educational environment.”

    The wider Capital Projects Team provide many multi-disciplinary professional services including building project management, architectural & structural design, mechanical & electrical engineering, energy services and property and construction consultancy. If you have an upcoming building project, contact Patrick.legget@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Jewish Council slams Australian universities’ ‘dangerous, politicised’ antisemitism definition

    Asia Pacific Report

    An independent Jewish body has condemned the move by Australia’s 39 universities to endorse a “dangerous and politicised” definition of antisemitism which threatens academic freedom.

    The Jewish Council of Australia, a diverse coalition of Jewish academics, lawyers, writers and teachers, said in a statement that the move would have a “chilling effect” on legitimate criticism of Israel, and risked institutionalising anti-Palestinian racism.

    The council also criticised the fact that the universities had done so “without meaningful consultation” with Palestinian groups or diverse Jewish groups which were critical of Israel.

    The definition was developed by the Group of Eight (Go8) universities and adopted by Universities Australia.

    “By categorising Palestinian political expression as inherently antisemitic, it will be unworkable and unenforceable, and stifle critical political debate, which is at the heart of any democratic society,” the Jewish Council of Australia said.

    “The definition dangerously conflates Jewish identities with support for the state of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism.”

    The council statement said that it highlighted two key concerns:

    Mischaracterisation of criticism of Israel
     The definition states: “Criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel’s actions.”

    The definition’s inclusion of “calls for the elimination of the State of Israel” would mean, for instance, that calls for a single binational democratic state, where Palestinians and Israelis had equal rights, could be labelled antisemitic.

    Moreover, the wording around “harmful tropes” was dangerously vague, failing to distinguish between tropes about Jewish people, which were antisemitic, and criticism of the state of Israel, which was not, the statement said.

    Misrepresentation of Zionism as core to Jewish identity
     The definition states that for most Jewish people “Zionism is a core part of their Jewish identity”.

    The council said it was deeply concerned that by adopting this definition, universities would be taking and promoting a view that a national political ideology was a core part of Judaism.

    “This is not only inaccurate, but is also dangerous,” said the statement.

    “Zionism is a political ideology of Jewish nationalism, not an intrinsic part of Jewish identity.

    “There is a long history of Jewish opposition to Zionism, from the beginning of its emergence in the late-19th century, to the present day. Many, if not the majority, of people who hold Zionist views today are not Jewish.”

    In contrast to Zionism and the state of Israel, said the council, Jewish identities traced back more than 3000 years and spanned different cultures and traditions.

    Jewish identities were a rightly protected category under all racial discrimination laws, whereas political ideologies such as Zionism and support for Israel were not, the council said.

    Growing numbers of dissenting Jews
    “While many Jewish people identify as Zionist, many do not. There are a growing number of Jewish people worldwide, including in Australia, who disagree with the actions of the state of Israel and do not support Zionism.

    “Australian polling in this area is not definitive, but some polls suggest that 30 percent of Australian Jews do not identify as Zionists.

    “A recent Canadian poll found half of Canadian Jews do not identify as Zionist. In the United States, more and more Jewish people are turning away from Zionist beliefs and support for the state of Israel.”

    Sarah Schwartz, a human rights lawyer and the Jewish Council of Australia’s executive officer, said: “It degrades the very real fight against antisemitism for it to be weaponised to silence legitimate criticism of the Israeli state and Palestinian political expressions.

    “It also risks fomenting division between communities and institutionalising anti-Palestinian racism.”

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Govt in all-out effort to attract talent

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced in his Budget speech today that the Government will enhance its talent-related schemes and promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand by holding more global education conferences to trawl for talent.

    Mr Chan said that top talent will be invited to Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme for development and both the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents & Professionals and the General Employment Policy will be enhanced to allow young non-degree talent with professional and technical qualifications and experience to join skilled trades that face manpower shortages in the city.

    The Government will also launch enhancement measures to provide greater flexibility for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, which has so far received more than 880 applications, with an expected investment of over $26 billion.

    In addition to planning the second “Global Talent Summit ˙ Hong Kong” that is scheduled to be held early next year, the Government will attract more students to study in Hong Kong via various measures including the Belt & Road Scholarship.

    To stimulate primary and secondary school students’ interest in innovation and technology, technology-related bodies including Cyberport have been invited to co-ordinate the efforts of more than 100 technology enterprises to engage in exchanges with the students to share frontier exploration and startup experience in technology through product displays and site visits in the coming year.

    On the post-secondary education front, Mr Chan highlighted that the Government will launch a new round of the Research Matching Grant Scheme, totalling $1.5 billion, to attract more organisations to support research endeavours and raise the quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme to 400 places per year.

    As the self-financing post-secondary institutions complement publicly-funded ones in providing diversified articulation pathways, the Government has launched a new round of the Land Grant Scheme and the Start-up Loan Scheme, under which land sites are granted at a nominal premium with interest-free loans to support capacity expansion and quality enhancement of self-financing institutions.

    On the medical front, the Financial Secretary pointed out that the Task Group on New Medical School has invited local universities interested in setting up the third medical school to submit proposals. The task force expects to complete its assessment and formulate recommendations later this year. 

    He added that the Government will set aside resources to support universities in the development of the new medical school on a matching basis.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 100 Chevening and Commonwealth Scholars return to Pakistan after UK studies

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Over 100 Chevening and Commonwealth Scholars return to Pakistan after UK studies

    British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott CMG OBE, welcomed back 43 Chevening and 71 Commonwealth Scholars, celebrating their studies in the UK.

    The 2023-24 cohort include scholars from every part of Pakistan, studying public policy, health sciences, climate change, and business at institutions across the UK.  As they return, these scholars become part of a thriving network of over 3,500 alumni, spanning government, media, business, and civil society.  

    Many Chevening and Commonwealth alumni have become leaders in their fields, shaping policy and driving social change. Notable alumni include the Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan, Yahya Afridi; the Honourable Supreme Court Judge, Justice Athar Minallah; Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory; Zulfiqar Younis, Additional Secretary for Climate Finance; Abia Akram, Founder of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities; and Maha Kamal, Co-Chair of Women in Energy. 

    British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott CMG OBE, said: 

    “Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships are among the UK’s most prestigious opportunities for Pakistanis. These scholars return empowered by a world-class education, global networks, fresh ideas, and the ambition to create real impact in Pakistan. Studying at UK universities is no easy feat, and I offer them my highest congratulations.”  

    Oneir Raza, a scholar from Pakistan’s education sector, said:  

    “Chevening was a remarkable experience. Studying at the University of Cambridge allowed me to gain practical skills, learn from a diverse faculty, and connect with people from different cultures. Beyond academics, Chevening broadened my horizons and helped me build lifelong bonds. I am super grateful for this opportunity.” 

    The British High Commission has launched climate-focused Chevening alumni engagement initiatives, including debates on the impacts and solutions to climate change in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, and a climate mentorship scheme pairing 13 mentees with 8 Chevening alumni mentors. These programmes are helping to grow Pakistani climate leadership, sparking critical dialogue, convening experts to come together to find tangible solutions to Pakistan’s climate challenges. 

    Applications for Commonwealth Scholarships will next open in September 2025. To find out more information, visit the CSC website. Applications for Chevening scholarships will open in August 2025. Interested candidates can register for alerts by visiting Chevening.

    Notes to editors 

    Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships – Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK are highly competitive scholarships provided by the UK government to provide financial assistance to talented international students from across the Commonwealth nations who wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in the UK. In Pakistan, there are over 1,500 Commonwealth alumni to date. The scholarships have been available to Pakistani students since 1960.  

    Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarships programme. Established in 1983, these scholarships support study at UK universities – mostly one-year Masters’ degrees – for students with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers. In Pakistan, there are over 2000 alumni to date.

    For updates on the British High Commission, please follow our social media channels:

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: University of Aberdeen Principal announces his retirement Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, has announced that he will retire in December 2025 after reaching his 70th birthday and completing the seven-year term he began in 2018.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, has announced that he will retire in December 2025 after reaching his 70th birthday and completing the seven-year term he began in 2018.
    Julie Ashworth, Senior Governor (Chair) of the University’s governing body, University Court, expressed her “deepest thanks for outstanding service”.
    Professor Boyne took up the leadership when the University had more modest placings in higher education rankings. Now Aberdeen is ranked 12th by the Guardian – up from 46th in 2018 – and 15th by the Times and Sunday Times – up from 40th in 2018 – in their most recent assessments of over 120 Universities across the UK.
    The University, which has a strong reputation for helping students from every background reach their full potential, is also ranked second in Scotland and 15th in the UK in the prestigious National Student Survey.
    Professor Boyne has led the organisation, which dates back to 1495 and is the 5th oldest in the UK, through challenging times such as the global pandemic, the impact of Brexit on universities, the cost-of-living crisis and unprecedented financial challenges for the higher education sector.

    It has been the honour of my life to be the internal advocate and external ambassador for the extraordinary range of very high-quality work that is carried out in the Schools and Professional Services at the University of Aberdeen.” Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen,

    He said: “It has been the honour of my life to be the internal advocate and external ambassador for the extraordinary range of very high-quality work that is carried out in the Schools and Professional Services at the University of Aberdeen. It has also been a privilege to lead the development of our academic and financial strategies during this eventful time in higher education.
    “We have made very strong progress on a wide range of activities including student recruitment, student employability, research funding, research impact, and regional and global partnerships; and most fundamentally, the creation of new knowledge and scientific discoveries.
    “I will miss the University very much but the time is now right to pave the way for a successor. In December I will be five months beyond the seven-year term of office as Principal that I accepted in 2018, and two months beyond my seventieth birthday. The sevens in my professional and personal life are in close alignment.”
    As is customary when Principals retire, Professor Boyne is offering advance notice so that the University has sufficient time for the recruitment process and the notice period that the new Principal may be required to give their current role.
    The Senior Governor added: “I would like to express my deepest thanks to George for his unwavering commitment to the University. He has achieved an enormous amount in seven years and clearly leaves the University in a very strong position to attract outstanding candidates. Our financial position is stable, our research awards grew by 30% last year, student satisfaction is consistently among the best in the UK, and we have achieved our highest ever UK rankings. I wish him the very best for the rest of his tenure.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Streaming Science: The Film “FKN” Is Now on Kinopoisk

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Documentary about Faculty of Computer Science (FKN) Vyshki has appeared in the online cinema “Kinopoisk”. Now millions of viewers will be able to learn first-hand about the development of one of the country’s flagship IT faculties, which was opened by the Higher School of Economics and Yandex in 2014.

    Film “FKN” presents leading teachers, industry experts and scientists from various fields of computer science, as well as the best students from all over Russia – winners and prize winners of the All-Russian School Olympiad, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMC), and the International Computer Programming Contest (ICPC). In honor of the tenth anniversary of the Faculty of Computer Science, the heroes of the film share their memories of how the faculty and the field of computer science as a whole developed, talk about how they teach and study at the advanced faculty today, how education is changing and science is developing in the context of rapid technological progress.

    Who is driving science and is at its forefront, how close and effective interaction between education, industry and science was built in the field of mathematics, data analysis and machine learning, software engineering and development – you can learn about all this by watching the film.

    The following people worked on the painting:

    director and screenwriter Polina Manturova;

    Director of photography Andrey Krupnov;

    motion graphics director Vladislav Vazhnik;

    editor Vladislav Zaitsev;

    composer Vsevolod Mironov;

    sound engineers Arseniy Tishkin and Sergey Nikolaev;

    project curator Dilyara Nurgayazova.

    The premiere took place on September 24, 2024, at the Karo 11 Oktyabr cinema. On January 24, FKN was shown at the Library of Foreign Literature as part of the IT version of Student’s Day.

    The film “FKN” will be shown on the big screen on April 20 at the Atom Museum at VDNKh.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: MROpenEVO at ECR 2025 with an AI-ready upgrade for further enhanced image quality and faster examinations; new system soon available in Georgia

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GENOA, Italy, Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Unlocking the future of joint and spine imaging with the Latest Evolution of MROpenEvo: the only truly open MRI System at ECR 2025.

    Thanks to the optimization of key technical features, the latest version of the helium-free, MgB2-based MRI scanner delivers exceptional image quality while reducing scan times by up to 50%.

    Discover the innovative features of MROpenEvo, a groundbreaking MRI system specifically designed for joint, neuro, and spine imaging. It offers ample space for children, larger patients, and individuals with claustrophobia, ensuring comfort for all.

    The new image acquisition algorithm, based on the “compressed sensing” technique, combines parallel imaging with sparse data sampling and iterative reconstruction. This combination leads to faster scan times and enhanced resolution. The “compressed sensing” technique is applicable to both 2D and 3D sequences across all anatomies.

    In the meantime, the patient centric design MRI system developed by ASG Superconductors arrives in another new country: MROpenEvo will be shortly available in Georgia @ Tbilisi State Medical University and Ingorokva High Medical Technology University Clinic.

    Prof. Giorgi Ingorokva declared: “I am proud announcing that our hospital will be the first clinic in Georgia to install the groundbreaking Open MRI system. It will enhance diagnostic capabilities and improve patient care in the region.”

    Nowadays MROpen Evo is available in USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Portugal, Kuwait, and the innovative MgB2 superconducting technology – the key element driving the unique and distinctive open design – has reached over 2.5 million hours of operation.

    Join us at ECR2025 in Vienna, Hall X4, Booth 410, to experience MROpen Evo with our experts and discover how this innovative and unparalleled MRI system can enhance your practice.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    Contact:

    Silvia Frigato Bonello
    frigato.silvia@as-g.it 

    Luca Pezzoni
    lpezzoni@hofima.it 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU PISh “Digital Engineering” and TsKBM opened a laboratory to study technologies for producing hydrogen and its derivatives

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    On February 25, the SPbPU PISh “Digital Engineering” ceremonially opened the scientific and technological educational space “Laboratory of integrated development of the main equipment of chemical-technological and energy systems of the new generation”.

    The laboratory was created jointly with the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (part of the mechanical engineering division of the Rosatom State Corporation) as part of the implementation of the SPbPU PISh program.

    This space is focused on studying chemical technologies for hydrogen energy projects using digital solutions. The laboratory occupies 125 square meters and can accommodate up to 15 people at a time.

    The latest Russian-made equipment allows for science-intensive research and development, and also enables undergraduates and postgraduates to conduct research in the field of chemical technology, develop kinetic models of catalytic processes, including the production of hydrogen and derivatives based on it, and collect data to create and validate digital twins of physical, mechanical and chemical processes.

    The only catalytic unit in St. Petersburg, LKU-1, for studying high-temperature processes with a fixed catalyst bed is located here. It will allow studying the processes of catalytic processing of natural gas (steam reforming), testing catalysts and developing promising technologies for producing hydrogen.

    In the 2024-2025 academic year, with the support of the Central Design Bureau of Machine Building, a new master’s program was opened at the SPbPU PISH “Digital Engineering” “Digital engineering of the main technological equipment of hydrogen technologies and energy systems of the new generation”It trains advanced specialists capable of developing, modeling, optimizing and designing high-tech production proprietary equipment for chemical technologies, including hydrogen production, using digital twin technology.

    Let us recall that the agreement on cooperation in educational, scientific and innovative activities for the purpose of implementing joint basic and additional educational training programs for current tasks between the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering and the Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University’s PIS “Digital Engineering” signed On November 21, 2022, at the Atomexpo International Forum, the main event of the global nuclear industry.

    In the new laboratory, master’s students will not only master the methodology of scientific research and gain research experience, but will also be able to conduct important research within the framework of the promising projects implemented by the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering in the field of hydrogen energy.

    The opening ceremony of the space was attended by representatives of the Polytechnic University and the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering, including the Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation of SPbPU, the Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov, the Vice-Rector for Organizational and Economic Work of SPbPU Stanislav Vladimirov, the Deputy Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU Oleg Rozhdestvensky, the Head of the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering Yuri Gordienkov, and the First Deputy Head of the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering Alexey Mikhailov.

    The ceremony’s guests of honor included representatives of the industrial partner of the SPbPU PISh — the Krylov State Research Center. These were Deputy Director General for Scientific and Production Activities Igor Marenich, Deputy Head of the Hydrogen Energy Scientific and Production Complex Aleksandr Karpovich, and Head of the Experimental Production of the Hydrogen Energy Scientific and Production Complex Aleksandr Datskevich.

    “One of the important tasks in the implementation of the federal project “Advanced Engineering Schools” is the development of the infrastructure of the participating universities. The competencies of teachers of advanced engineering schools and representatives of the high-tech industry, the formulation of engineering challenges, as well as modern laboratory equipment – all this gives a synergistic effect, allowing us to train engineers with world-class competencies. Seven scientific and educational spaces have already been opened in the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”.

    The opening of the Laboratory for Complex Development of the Main Equipment for New-Generation Chemical-Engineering and Energy Systems together with the TsKBM company will allow us to carry out R&D in the interests of the key partner of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU — the State Corporation Rosatom — and, within the framework of solving frontier engineering problems, train students in the promising area of chemical-engineering and energy systems,” noted Alexey Borovkov.

    The head of the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering, Yuri Gordienkov, emphasized the long-term and fruitful cooperation with the Polytechnic University and noted that the opening of the laboratory will be an important step in the development of joint projects.

    In the new laboratory, TsKBM plans to focus on the development of chemical technologies, including the production of hydrogen and synthesis gas for use in industrial processes and energy systems. In the next decade, hydrogen energy may become one of the main areas of development for TsKBM, which will lead to diversification of the order portfolio, sustainable development of the enterprise and ensuring the technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation. Training highly qualified specialists in the field of chemical technologies and hydrogen energy is a key factor for the successful development of this promising area, emphasized Yuri Gordienkov.

    The development of a joint scientific and technological infrastructure of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” and the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering will ensure comprehensive interaction with an industrial partner in terms of solving urgent frontier problems in the energy sector.

    After the opening of the laboratory, a working meeting was held to discuss current joint projects and promising areas of cooperation. The high-tech projects of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU in the interests of CBMD represent the “foundation” for creating a new generation of equipment that will allow the industrial partner to become a technology licensor and take a leading position in the new industry.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Polytechnic discussed the use of injection technologies in construction

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The first all-Russian conference on injection technologies in construction, “Injection Days 2025”, is taking place at the Polytechnic University.

    Key construction industry specialists, from leading experts and project developers to companies specializing in the implementation of injection technologies, gathered at the site to exchange practical experience and the latest achievements in this field.

    Injection is the restoration of the integrity of buildings and structures made of stone, concrete, brick, strengthening of soil and rocks by filling cracks and voids with viscous polymeric materials by injection (under pressure). Injection is carried out to increase the bearing capacity of soils during their deformation, foundations and structures during their long-term operation, as well as to protect against the penetration of water or harmful substances.

    The principle of operation of this technology is the point pouring of reinforcing materials into problem areas, which ensures reliable sealing of damage and returns the foundation or structure to its original solidity.

    On the first day of the conference, experts discussed such issues as: structural repair using injection methods in construction, repair of cracks in foundation pylon structures using epoxy resin; sealing of underground parts of buildings and structures; repair of expansion joints of buried structures; deep injection of expansion joints; sealing of expansion joints using the deep injection method; elimination of jet seepage in concrete structures and junctions of metal cladding, stabilization of the soil base and lifting of a nine-story residential building using the polyurethane resin injection method, stabilization of foundation soils at industrial facilities, etc.

    The participants also learned about the experience of their colleagues in using non-destructive methods of monitoring the condition of concrete and soil structures when planning and implementing repair and restoration work; the experience of stabilizing thawed permafrost soils; using the example of the Svetlinskaya hydroelectric power station, they learned about methods for restoring the tightness of a temperature joint, etc.

    On the second day of the conference, reports were presented on the following topics: “Inspection of structures and foundation soils before their strengthening using modern non-destructive testing methods”, “Combined approach to comprehensive inspection of hydraulic structures for the purpose of developing design solutions”, “Experience in implementing projects to stabilize soil foundations in the Middle East”, etc.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: 15 million South Africans don’t get enough to eat every day: 4 solutions

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Devereux, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies

    At least 15 million South Africans suffer from food insecurity. That means they don’t have enough nutritious food to live healthy lives.

    This is due to a combination of factors, including unemployment, poverty, inequality and food system failures.

    More than 1,000 children die from malnutrition each year. This compares unfavourably with 350 child deaths from malnutrition in Brazil, which has more than three times South Africa’s population, and 269 child deaths in Colombia, which has about the same per capita income as South Africa.

    A robust indicator of chronic hunger is child stunting. Stunting in South Africa has flatlined at around 25%, or one in four children, since the early 1990s. Other middle-income countries such as Brazil and Peru have made impressive progress. Peru halved its rate from 28% in 2008 to 13% in 2016, after the president committed to reducing stunting.

    Read more: South Africa’s hunger problem is turning into a major health crisis

    How can South Africa’s government deliver on the right to food and begin the urgent process of eradicating hunger?

    We have worked on food security and food justice for many years. We’ve researched the links between social protection and hunger and between food systems and nutrition, and the cost of hunger.

    Based on this experience, our view is that food shortages are not a cause of hunger in South Africa. The country produces and imports all the food it needs. Instead, the problem is unequal access to food. While some South Africans live in a world of abundance, with no budget constraints, millions more survive below the food poverty line, unable to afford even a basic nutritious diet for their families.

    We believe that the government must deliver on the constitutional right to food and begin the urgent process of eradicating hunger. It can do this by expanding the social grant system, extending the school nutrition programme, reducing food waste, and ensuring access to land for low-income rural and peri-urban households.

    Above all, a coherent and coordinated strategy for tackling hunger is needed, led by a minister of food, following models like Brazil’s Zero Hunger initiative. In December 2024, Brazil handed over the G20 presidency to South Africa, after it launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. South Africa should embrace the embrace the spirit and focus of the alliance to develop its own Zero Hunger strategy.

    Four steps to end hunger

    The South African government pays out 19 million social grants a month, or 26 million if the 9 million recipients of the special social relief of distress grant are included. Without these cash transfers, poverty and malnutrition in the country would be even higher. But they are inadequate, especially in a context of high and rising food prices.

    Read more: South Africa’s fight against extreme poverty needs a new strategy – model shows how social grants could work

    Pregnant women must receive a maternal grant. Shutterstock

    Firstly, the following changes should be made to social grant payments.

    • An immediate increase in the child support grant, followed by further increases. The goal should be to get this grant, which is currently below the food poverty line at R530 a month (US$28), to R1,634 (US$34). This is the minimum amount of money needed to meet basic needs, including nutritious food, clothing and shelter.

    • Pregnant women should receive a maternal support grant from 12 weeks of pregnancy, to reduce the risk of low birth weight.

    • Social grants should increase to match inflation every year.

    Secondly, the National School Nutrition Programme, which provides one nutritious meal to all learners in poorer primary and secondary schools, has limited impact because meals are provided only on weekdays during school terms.

    The programme should be boosted in the following ways:

    • The Department of Basic Education must deliver adequate nutrition to all children in early learning programmes, all year round.

    • Programmes for school-age children should be extended to ensure that they all receive at least one nutritious meal every day, including on weekends and school holidays.

    • Adequate funding should be given to school food gardens and nutrition education. Moreover, the national school nutrition programme starts too late to address under-5 stunting. It only begins when children enter grade R, aged 5.

    Read more: Malnutrition in South Africa: how one community wants resources to be spent

    Thirdly, interventions are needed in the food system.

    • Prices of essential food items should be regulated, to keep them affordable for low-income South Africans and to encourage shifts in consumption choices towards healthier, more nutritious diets.

    • Positive dietary choices can also be promoted through the use of subsidies, discounts or vouchers on “best buy” foods, either for all consumers or for shoppers receiving social grants. They could be given vouchers for nutritious food items along with their cash transfers. Food subsidies or vouchers must include foods that are protein-rich (meat, fish, eggs, dairy), since protein is highly inaccessible to the poor.

    Read more: How do people choose what food to buy? Answers depend on what you ask – so we built a research tool for African countries

    • Government must extend social security protections to seasonal and informal workers during periods of unemployment and underemployment. Seasonal hunger requires specific attention. Seasonal farm workers – most of whom are women – have low incomes, few savings, and limited access to unemployment insurance. They face food insecurity and hunger during the off-season winter months.

    • The government’s land redistribution programme should prioritise securing access to land for poor agrarian or peri-urban households, and providing support (water, inputs, extension advice) to farm that land. This would help vulnerable groups which derive most of their food from production.

    Agrarian households (smallholder farmers, farm workers, farm dwellers) are poorer and more food insecure, especially the female-headed households who survive below the food poverty line. When farm women with food gardens have direct access to fresh vegetables, their dietary diversity improves, and they earn income by selling produce to meet their basic needs.

    Reforms are needed to bolster smallholder farmers. Shutterstock

    Lastly, steps must be take to reduce loss and waste in the food system.

    A third of food produced in South Africa, 10 million of 31 million tons, goes to waste each year. This is equivalent to 30 billion meals, in a context where an estimated 20 billion meals would be enough to end hunger. The government has committed to halving food waste by 2030, in its draft food losses and waste strategy of 2023. It must be finalised and operationalised.

    Next steps

    These interventions would cost money. And the government will argue that it is doing all it can to address hunger with the resources available.

    There are many options for raising additional resources to address the hunger crisis – as seen when the government found R500 billion (US$33 billion) to address the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.

    The government should also consider raising additional revenue by introducing a wealth tax targeting high-net-worth individuals. This could be used to increase social grants or subsidise nutritious foods.

    Read more: Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study

    Finally, government needs to tackle hunger in a coordinated way. Several government departments, including agriculture, social development and health, address issues related to food security. However, no government ministry focuses specifically on hunger.

    The president should appoint a minister of food to address the hunger crisis along the lines of the special minister of electricity position established in 2023 to deal with the country’s energy supply problem.

    Read more: South Africa needs to change direction on maternal health to solve child malnutrition

    At the same time, a national food commission should be established, to monitor and coordinate all initiatives that focus on the goal of eradicating hunger.

    The government should be guided by the priorities set down by a new coalition – the Union Against Hunger – which is due to be launched on 26 February. The initiative is a coalition of civil society organisations and academics (the authors are among the founding members). It has compiled a list of 10 demands that reflect our analysis of the causes of hunger and recommended solutions. They include realising everyone’s constitutional right to food, halving child stunting by 2030 and making nutritious food accessible to all.

    – 15 million South Africans don’t get enough to eat every day: 4 solutions
    – https://theconversation.com/15-million-south-africans-dont-get-enough-to-eat-every-day-4-solutions-250700

    MIL OSI Africa –