The Transport Department today launched a bus parade and exhibition in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The event features buses from the past and present and is one of the highlights of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s National Day celebrations this year.
Speaking at the kick-off ceremony this morning, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Lam Sai-hung noted that bus services have long been an indispensable and important part of Hong Kong’s economy and people’s livelihoods.
“Buses have not only met the travel needs of Hong Kong people every day, but have also witnessed the city’s developments.”
The event marks the evolution of franchised buses in the city from the past to the present, engaging with the public to experience the crucial role of bus services in the public transport system, he added.
The transport chief also highlighted that China’s rapid development of new energy technologies in recent years has enriched Hong Kong’s choices of new energy public transport.
“Numerous electric double-decker buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses introduced into Hong Kong in the past few years were China-made models. Our country has been forging ahead steadfastly in the last 75 years and continuous innovations in such areas as energy and transport technology not only reflect our country’s leading role in this field, but also bring the convenience of technology into the lives of the general public.”
After the ceremony, the officiating guests boarded an open-top bus to lead a parade of eight retired and in-service buses from Victoria Park to Man Kwong Street via Gordon Road, King’s Road, Causeway Road, Hennessy Road, Fleming Road and Lung Wo Road.
The general public enjoyed the parade along the 6km-long route across various districts and took photos.
The convoy also engaged with citizens and tourists at locations such as Hennessy Road near Jardine’s Bazaar in Causeway Bay, Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and the destination at Central Pier.
In addition, the four-day bus exhibition at the Victoria Park football pitches is open to registered members of the public free of charge from this afternoon.
The department reminded those who have registered to queue up and enter the exhibition via its entrance at Soccer Pitch No. 4 (near the jogging track) with a QR code at the selected time slot.
The exhibition features a total of 10 retired and in-service buses, including the first-generation double-decker bus introduced 75 years ago and the newly introduced China-made new energy double-decker buses.
Bus model exhibits, photo-taking spots simulating a bus driver and passengers, a neon light installation as well as bus service-related memorabilia including bus captain uniforms of different generations and vintage bus tickets are also on display, the department said.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and to tie in with the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival as well as the “Cultured Bay Area, Brilliant ICH-2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Intangible Cultural Heritage Show”, the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Office under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is staging the “Celebrating National Day – Auspicious Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Greater Bay Area” Exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from today (October 19) to March 31 next year. Admission to the exhibition is free. It is the first roving exhibition with the theme of ICH items in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Hong Kong is the first stop and the exhibition will be staged in Shenzhen and Macao later. Featuring auspicious animals that symbolise good fortune as the main theme, the exhibition showcases performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, festive events and other ICH items of the 11 GBA cities to visitors through interactive exhibits, graphic panels, video screenings and experiential activities. Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition today, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that President Xi Jinping has emphasised the importance of promoting cultural confidence and strength by enhancing the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage on the report to the 20th National Congress to promote the fine traditional Chinese culture. The GBA cities, which are mainly of Lingnan culture, have rich regional characteristics and form their own unique culture. They own ICH items such as Cantonese opera and Canton music, which are important representatives of Chinese culture, giving a significant meaning in demonstrating and preserving the diversity and uniqueness of the fine traditional culture of the nation. Hong Kong, with its attributes of diversity, openness and a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, will develop into an East-meets-West platform for international cultural exchange as advocated in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA for promoting traditional Chinese culture. Hong Kong will also collaborate with other GBA cities to jointly shape and enrich the sense of humanity and enhance the cultural identity and cohesion of the region. Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Secretary for Party Leadership Group and Director General of the Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Ms Liu Lei; the Head of Department for Promoting Cultural and Creative Industries of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Ho Hong-pan; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Li Shuguang; the Chairperson of the ICH Advisory Committee, Professor Ricardo Mak; the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Eve Tam; the Director of the Division of ICH from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Ms Wu Chen; the Functional Head of the Macao Museum, Ms Sio Kit-meng; and the Head of the ICH Office, Ms Joyce Ho. The exhibition is divided into three parts. The “Bringing Fortune and Auspiciousness” exhibition area showcases paper crafting exhibits and interactive art installations with images of auspicious animals. It will also introduce the Representative Items of the National ICH such as the Hakka Unicorn Dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung (Hong Kong), Lion Head Crafting (Foshan), Festival of the Drunken Dragon (Macao), Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance (Shenzhen) and Sanzao Crane Dance (Zhuhai) and other ICH items including the Conghua Cat-headed Lion Dance (Guangzhou), Rooster Dance (Zhaoqing), Huidong Lid-headed Lion Dance (Huizhou), Shengshi Phoenix Dance (Zhongshan), Qingxi Unicorn Dance (Dongguan) and Waihai Shenggong Carp (Jiangmen). The “Assemble of Craftsmanship” area showcases ICH items of traditional craftsmanship in the GBA which are closely related to everyday life. They include the Cantonese Embroidery, Guangcai Making Technique and Paper Crafting Technique of Lanterns. These ICH items not only embody the craftsmanship of the bearers but also incorporate auspicious meanings and good wishes, manifesting the mutual promotion and transmission of craftsmanship and Chinese culture. The “Congregation of Art” area offers creative installations with ICH elements and a variety of demonstrations introducing the public to the diversity of ICH.?????? The exhibition is presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administration Region; organised by the LCSD, the Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Macao Museum; curated by the ICH Office and the Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality. It is also supported by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR. During the exhibition period, the ICH Office will organise an array of education and public programmes, including a variety of demonstrations and experiential activities, to introduce the diversity of ICH to members of public. Programmes are free of charge with on-site enrolment. For details of the exhibition and activities, please visit http://www.icho.hk/en/web/icho/auspicious_ich_of_the_greater_bay_area.html or call 2851 6134 for enquiries. Hong Kong is the host city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival for the first time this year. It is organising and co-ordinating over 260 performances and exchange activities to be held across the “9+2” cities of the GBA. The festival aims to showcase the vibrant and diverse cultural richness of the region, and foster cultural exchanges and co-operation among the cities. For detailed information about the rich programme line up of the festival, please visit http://www.gbacxlo.gov.hk. The exhibition is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.
The exhibition is being hosted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and to tie in with the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival as well as the “Cultured Bay Area, Brilliant ICH-2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Intangible Cultural Heritage Show”, the department said.
This is the first roving exhibition with the theme of ICH items in the bay area, with Hong Kong as the first stop, followed by Shenzhen and Macau.
Featuring auspicious animals that symbolise good fortune as the main theme, the exhibition showcases performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, festive events and other ICH items of the 11 bay area cities to visitors through interactive exhibits, graphic panels, video screenings and experiential activities.
Addressing the exhibition’s opening ceremony today, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung said that President Xi Jinping has emphasised the importance of promoting cultural confidence and strength by enhancing the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage on the report to the 20th National Congress to promote the fine traditional Chinese culture.
He also noted that the bay area cities, which are mainly of Lingnan culture, have rich regional characteristics and form their own unique culture.
They own ICH items such as Cantonese opera and Canton music, which are important representatives of Chinese culture, giving a significant meaning in demonstrating and preserving the diversity and uniqueness of the fine traditional culture of the nation.
Mr Yeung pointed out that Hong Kong, with its attributes of diversity, openness and a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, will develop into an East-meets-West platform for international cultural exchange as advocated in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for promoting traditional Chinese culture.
Hong Kong will also collaborate with other bay area cities to jointly shape and enrich the sense of humanity and enhance the cultural identity and cohesion of the region, he said.
The exhibition is presented by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administration Region; organised by the LCSD, the Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Macao Museum; curated by the ICH Office and the Culture, Media, Tourism & Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, with the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival opened today (October 19) at the Hong Kong Coliseum, kicking off over 260 events to be held in the “9+2” cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) from today until November 24. The Festival is presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region.
In a video speech addressing the opening ceremony, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival is an annual mega event for the arts and culture industry in the GBA. This year also marks the first time for Hong Kong to be the host city of the Festival, presenting audiences with the rich arts and cultural essence of GBA cities. He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its ongoing support to the arts and cultural exchanges and collaborations in the GBA, enriching the cultural soft power of the region. He is confident that this year’s Festival can further promote cultural integration and talent exchanges among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and inject new creativity and vitality into arts and cultural development, while showcasing to the world the new landscape of a bay area for culture.
Mr Lee noted that with the support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is dedicated to developing into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, and has been steadfastly presenting rich and diverse arts and cultural mega events. Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages of enjoying strong national support while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world under the principle of “one country, two systems”, thereby driving its cultural exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland and overseas countries, promoting Chinese culture, and telling the good stories of China on the global stage.
The Deputy Director General of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Ms Zhao Hong, gave her video speech at the ceremony. Officiating guests at today’s opening ceremony included the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Li Shuguang; and the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Cheang Kai-Meng.
The opening programme of the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival, “Sound River”, featured a new work of the same name written by contemporary renowned Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun. This concert is also one of the highlight events in celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Under Tan’s baton, the concert tonight featured the newly formed Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Orchestra, comprising over 100 members from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Macao Orchestra, to perform the world premiere of “Sound River”. Sixteen meticulously crafted short videos capturing the vanishing sounds, instruments and culture of the ancient cities along Tan’s journey from Europe, through the Arab world to Central Asia, then to the GBA in the past 12 years, were screened during the performance. Through interweaving light, shadow and music, audience members were able to explore the past and future of the “Silk Road of sound”. In addition, the concert featured the indigenous singer Wuyuntana and Mainland singer Zhou Shen, who delivered the concert’s theme song, bringing the concert to a final climax. The brilliant performance won warm applause from the audiences at the end of the performance.
The concert was broadcast live on various radio, television and online platforms, including RTHK Radio 4 (FM97.6-98.9), RTHK TV32, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel (Channel 85), the Festival website (www.gbacxlo.gov.hk), the RTHK website (www.rthk.hk), Ifeng (www.ifeng.com) and Feng Show APP, allowing audiences around the world to enjoy the evening live performance online and offline at the same time.
This year’s Festival, with the theme of “Integration in Diversity – Power and Possibilities”, aims to showcase the vibrant and diverse cultural richness of the region and foster cultural exchanges and co-operation among the GBA cities. For detailed information about the rich programme line-up of the Festival, please visit http://www.gbacxlo.gov.hk.
The 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival opened today at the Hong Kong Coliseum, kicking off over 260 events to be held in the “9+2” cities in the Greater Bay Area from today to November 24, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department said.
In a video speech addressing the opening ceremony, Chief Executive John Lee said the festival is an annual mega event for the arts and culture industry in the bay area, adding that this year also marks the first time for Hong Kong to be the event’s host city, presenting audiences with the rich arts and cultural essence of bay area cities.
The event is presented by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region Government.
Mr Lee thanked the Ministry of Culture & Tourism for its ongoing support to the arts and cultural exchanges and collaborations in the bay area, enriching the cultural soft power of the region.
He expressed confidence that this year’s festival could further promote cultural integration and talent exchanges among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and inject new creativity and vitality into arts and cultural development, while showcasing to the world the new landscape of a bay area for culture.
The Chief Executive also noted that with the support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is dedicated to developing into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, and has been steadfastly presenting rich and diverse arts and cultural mega events.
Hong Kong will continue to leverage its unique advantages of enjoying strong national support while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world under the principle of “one country, two systems”, thereby driving its cultural exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland and overseas countries, promoting Chinese culture, and telling the good stories of China on the global stage, he added.
Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province Deputy Director General Zhao Hong also gave a video speech at the ceremony.
Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, Department of Publicity, Cultural & Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Deputy Director General Li Shuguang and Cultural Affairs Bureau Macao Special Administrative Region Vice President Cheang Kai-Meng officiated at the opening ceremony tonight.
The festival’s opening programme, “Sound River”, featured a new work of the same name written by contemporary renowned Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun.
Under Mr Tan’s baton, the concert featured the newly formed Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival Orchestra, comprising over 100 members from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Macao Orchestra, to perform the world premiere of “Sound River”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Appointments to Museum Advisory Committee Appointments to Museum Advisory Committee *******************************************
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau announced today (October 20) appointments to the Museum Advisory Committee (MAC) and its three standing sub-committees, namely the Art Sub-committee (ASC), the History Sub-committee (HSC) and the Science Sub-committee (SSC), with the appointment of Professor Douglas So Cheung-tak as Chairperson of the MAC, Professor Desmond Hui Cheuk-kuen as Chairperson of the ASC, Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho as Chairperson of the HSC and Professor Alexander Wai Ping-kong as the Chairperson of the SSC. All appointments are for a two-year term up to October 19, 2026. The MAC and its three standing sub-committees, established on October 20, 2016, comprise members of different backgrounds with a great wealth of professional expertise and experience relevant to the work of the museums, including professionals, academics, museum experts, collectors, art promoters, entrepreneurs, marketing and public relations experts, and community leaders. The MAC and its three standing sub-committees advise the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) on strategies for development, promotion and management of the public museums. A spokesman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau thanked all the Chairperson and members of the MAC and its standing sub-committees for their ardent support and invaluable contributions in the past years, including Professor Ching Pak-chung, the outgoing SSC Chairperson; nine outgoing MAC members (Mr Aaron Raj Chandrasakaran, Ms Liza Cheung Lai-sang, Dr Allen Fung Yuk-lun, Ms Elaine Kwok, Dr Kwong Chi-man, Mr Lau Hang-on, Mr Alan Lau Ka-ming, Ms Helen So Hiu-ming and Mr Eliott Hancock Suen), and six outgoing co-opted members (Ir Thomas Chan Kwok-cheung, Mr Chan Sing, Ms Fanny Iu Kai-fan, Mr Freeman Lau Siu-hong, Ms Lo Ning and Mr James Mok Hon-fai), and looked forward to receiving the valuable advice of the new MAC and its standing sub-committees on the development of the public museums. The membership list and terms of reference of the MAC are as follows: ChairpersonProfessor Douglas So Cheung-tak MembersProfessor Karen Chan Ka-yin*Mr Michael Chan Sze-wahMs Rowena Cheung Po-manMs Amanda Cheung Zee-yin*Mr Chiu Tsang-heiMr Stanley Choi Tak-shing*Dr Crystal Fok Lo-mingMs Elizabeth Fung Hoi-yung*Mr Andy Hei Kao-chiangProfessor Desmond Hui Cheuk-kuenMr Christopher Kwok Kai-wang*Mr Edmund Lai Man-kitMs Tendy Lam Pui-tung*Mr Lam Shu-kam*Ms Josephine Lee Yuk-chiMr James Li Tsz-shu*Mr Warren Luk HuaMs Erica Ma YunProfessor Joshua Mok Ka-hoMs Joyce Ng Sheung-ching*Ms Provides Ng Tsing-yin*Dr Ng Tsz-yanDr Chloe Suen Yin-wahMr James Tong Wai-pongProfessor Alexander Wai Ping-kong*Dr Jimmy Wong Kam-yiuMs Anna Yau Wai-yu Official MembersRepresentative of Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau*Representative of Tourism Commission*Representative of Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency*Representative of Education Bureau*Representative of Leisure and Cultural Services Department* *Newly appointed Members Terms of Reference To advise the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services on a wide range of subject matters concerning the public museums and related offices managed by the LCSD:
positioning, image-building and branding; business development strategies including but not limited to acquisition and use of museum collections, organisation of exhibitions and education programmes, identification of research projects, sponsorship and partnership initiatives; marketing and publicity strategies on the promotion of the museums both locally, in the Mainland and overseas; development of community engagement strategies to reach out to a wider community and stakeholders (e.g. local artists, collectors, local and overseas museums, cultural organisations, and educational institutions); measures to strengthen the operational efficiency and accountability of public museums; and any other matters as proposed by the LCSD.
The membership lists and terms of reference of the three standing sub-committees are attached in Annexes 1 to 3.
The opening ceremony of the 13th Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival was held in Dengfeng of Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Saturday.
With 2,560 kung fu practitioners from 56 countries and regions participating in the competition, the festival provides an opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich heritage and culture of Shaolin kung fu.
Sven Husmann, 50, expressed his enthusiasm for attending the opening ceremony, emphasizing the event’s role as cross-cultural exchange and mutual learning.
“We aim to get the spirit of this festival and carry it back to Germany upon our return to Europe,” he remarked,
The festival showcased a diverse range of activities, including traditional Shaolin Wushu competitions, an international fight competition, and US-China youth training camp.
People also witnessed Khmer Boxing, a traditional Cambodian martial art, at the Shaolin Temple.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Civil Aid Service (CAS) held the Mountaineering Safety Promotion Day 2024 and the 55th Anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company with various government departments and mountaineering organisations today (October 20) at the Free Space, Kwun Tong Town Centre with a view to enhancing public awareness of hiking safety and reducing accidents arising from mountaineering activities amid celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, said that the mountaineering safety promotion day can help members of the public acquire essential safety knowledge and skills, and enhance their awareness of potential dangers. He praised the CAS for its outstanding contribution to protecting the lives of hikers as an indispensable member of Hong Kong’s emergency rescue system. At the opening ceremony, Mr Siu also presented certificates to those who had successfully completed the Mountain Casualty Handling Course and awarded a trophy to the winning team of the 55th Anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company Competition.
Other attending guests included the Director of Fire Services, Mr Andy Yeung, as well as representatives from the Government Flying Service; the Auxiliary Medical Service; the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; the Office of the Communications Authority; the Hong Kong Observatory; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department; the Lands Department and various mountaineering organisations.
Game booths were set up to promote mountaineering safety, whereas a wide range of mountaineering equipment, such as digital maps, watches for recording rescuer locations, high-resolution live broadcasting cameras and the Unmanned Aircraft System, were showcased. In addition, to enhance public understanding of mountain rescue work, CAS members also demonstrated techniques of mountain search and rescue missions and handling procedures of injured persons. To mark the 55th anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company this year, a designated booth was also set up to introduce the Mountain Search and Rescue Company as well as showcase the equipment used over the years.
Other highlights included a rescue demonstration by the Fire Services Department rescue dogs and a performance by police dogs. A recruitment exercise of CAS adult members and cadets was also conducted at the event.
Jessica Campbell has made history as the first full-time female coach in the National Hockey League, marking a significant milestone in professional hockey.
Campbell was hired by the Seattle Kraken in July, and during the team’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8, the crowd erupted into cheers when she was introduced as part of the team’s coaching staff.
While the Kraken went on to lose to the Blues 3-2, the game was a pivotal turning point for gender equality and coaching in the NHL. Campbell’s appointment as a full-time assistant coach shows there’s a path forward for women who aim to coach at the men’s professional level.
Campbell’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges women coaches face. However, it also demonstrates how achieving a coaching role in a professional league, though difficult, is not impossible.
Her coaching career began as an assistant with the U18 Canadian women’s national team, and from there she coached in Sweden with the Malmö Redhawks. She then served as an assistant coach for the men’s national team in Germany and the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Campbell later became the first female coach in the American Hockey League when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach.
“I didn’t imagine this path for me. I didn’t see it,” Campbell said in a 2023 interview. “Quite frankly there was no visibility and there weren’t other females doing this work, and so I didn’t know it was possible.”
It was not until more and more NHL players sought out her skating and skill development program that she began to consider coaching in the NHL as a potential career path.
Women coaches in the major leagues
The NHL has been slow on the uptake when it comes to full-time women coaches. The other three major leagues — the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association — have had women in coaching roles for years.
Yet, these numbers still reflect an alarming gender disparity. Like Campbell, many women may struggle to envision themselves in coaching positions. This moment encourages us to consider both the importance of women in coaching, and why there continues to be an under-representation of women coaching men’s sports.
To combat these barriers, the NHL has implemented various supports to ensure Campbell will not remain in a league of her own.
The NHL Coaches Association launched a Female Coaches Development Program in 2021 to support the development of women coaching hockey. By providing leadership strategies, skill development, networking and career opportunities, the program aims to normalize women coaching men and expand the pool of available candidates.
Paving the way
While Campbell is the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL, others have had opportunities to guest coach at NHL camps or to be on the bench for pre-season games.
For instance, Kim Weiss, the first woman to coach NCAA Division III men’s hockey, served as a guest coach for the Colorado Avalanche.
Similarly, Kori Cheverie, the first woman to coach a Canadian university men’s hockey team, was a guest coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and became the first female coach on the bench during an NHL pre-season game.
Along with Campbell, the visibility that each of these women provides can spark meaningful change in the NHL. While Campbell’s coaching debut with the Kraken is breaking down barriers, sustained effort and dedication is required to create a more inclusive sport culture.
Continued emphasis on initiatives like the NHL’s Female Coaches Development program are necessary for both current and aspiring women coaches so girls and women can envision themselves in leadership roles in the future.
As a scholar who has studied the under-representation of women coaches, my hope is that Campbell will not remain an anomaly in the NHL, and eventually we see more women in both assistant and head coaching roles.
Campbell’s new position with the Kraken could spur this change, with her and others enriching the NHL through the abilities, contributions and diverse perspectives that women bring to coaching.
Hayley Baker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
There’s a saying in sports journalism: “The answer to all your questions is money.” But in the case of Saudi Arabia’s massive sports investment programs during the reign of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, money is not the whole story.
In a simple sense, there is a clear profit motive. With US$925 billion in assets in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund exists to convert oil revenues into even greater national income.
Last year, the country’s Public Investment Fund reported $36.8 billion in profits. Since 2016, it has spent $51 billion on sports properties.
The point is not to turn bin Salman into the world’s greatest sports impresario. Rather, it’s that he’s seeking to improve the economic and geopolitical situation of Saudi Arabia through sports investments while ensuring the long-term survival of the Saudi regime.
Beyond Newcastle United, LIV Golf
Investing in sports is a common way for developing countries to announce their arrival on the global stage. Instead of one-and-done mega events, Saudi Arabia is pursuing a more dispersed and diverse approach.
The Public Investment Fund’s highest profile investments are well known, especially the 2021 purchase of Newcastle United of the English Premier League and the LIV golf tour that challenged the PGA’s decades-long dominance of the sport.
Beyond golf and soccer, Saudi Arabia has also spent dizzying sums on lower profile investments in esports, wrestling and motorsports. In other games, like chess and snooker, the profit motive is less clear.
The logical conclusion is that Saudi Arabia treats its sports investments as a loss leader — an unprofitable activity meant to stimulate more profitable activity somewhere else. In the words of Public Investment Fund’s 2022 annual report, international investment pools “allow Saudi Arabia to extend its global reach and influence.”
But that explanation doesn’t go far enough. For bin Salman, the suite of sports investments and properties is only a small part of a larger strategy to prepare Saudi Arabia for a 21st century when global oil demand is expected to fall by mid-century and geopolitics will become more complicated.
This is no secret: Saudi Arabia’s official grand strategy — Vision 2030 — envisions the complete modernization of the country’s economy and foreign policy. Saudi Arabia’s sports diplomacy is therefore part of a broader geopolitical strategy to prepare Saudi Arabia for an era of multipolarity, when power is distributed among several states.
Sports diplomacy also normalizes western financial and political engagement with the Saudi regime. Internationally, bin Salman wants to cultivate economic and security relationships with entities whose interests align with those of the Saudi royal family and the Saudi state, thereby ensuring the long-term health of both.
Regular interactions between Saudi Arabia and the West create an understanding that Riyadh is a “normal” place to do business — and if it’s good business, there is no reason to risk the relationship with too much rancour over its authoritarianism and abysmal human rights record. Sports investing, in short, is a Saudi hedge against western abandonment.
The allure of the big payday
To western eyes, the most troubling implication of Saudi sports investment is the normalization of authoritarian capitalism — economic freedom without political freedom — as a feature of the emerging international order.
Along with China, Russia, Singapore and others, Saudi Arabia represents an alternative to western democratic capitalism as a pathway to development.
This would be surprising to a previous generation of scholars and policymakers who once thought that free markets and free societies were a self-reinforcing phenomenon.
But given the staying power of authoritarian capitalism, doing business with dictators and strongmen has become inevitable and even desirable in some cases. In the sports world, few have resisted the charms of a huge payday.
Closely related to authoritarian capitalism is democratic backsliding. Around the world, the quality of democracy and freedom is eroding, and the slow-drip normalization of economic intercourse with authoritarian capitalists is part of that erosion.
So can anything be done? Western states have options, but they’re limited.
After all, Saudi Arabia’s investments are legal and eagerly sought after by both private and public sectors.
Western officials can put up resistance to the awarding of mega events to authoritarian states. But mewling about problematic hosts means little unless liberal democracies are prepared to pay the hosting costs themselves, which they are increasingly unwilling to do.
Meanwhile, authoritarians are eager to host mega events and attract the prestige that comes with them. Currently, for example, Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Countries could try regulatory intervention to delimit the extent of Saudi influence. National security is often used as a pretext for blocking foreign investments in strategically important sectors, like ports and 5G wireless networks.
Saudi plan is working
But golf and video games do not rise to the level of national security concern, so American regulators are unlikely to step in. Political intervention from the United States Congress or the White House is even less likely. Saudi Arabia is a key part of the American strategy on the Middle East to confront Iran, and quibbling too intensely about human rights or sports investment is not worth the strategic costs.
The genius of Saudi Arabia’s enterprise is that it’s power projection by consent. Investors and fans want what bin Salman is selling, governments have limited recourse and critics are left to grasp at standard, out-dated arguments.
For Saudi Arabia, however, its sports charm offensive is about more than money. It’s about an investment in the future prosperity and security of the kingdom and the longevity of the Saudi dynasty. So far, the plan is working.
Aaron Ettinger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong has welcomed the appointment of the new NSW Building Commissioner.
Department of Customer Service Secretary Graeme Head has appointed James Sherrard to the role.
Mr Sherrard has more than 30 years’ experience spanning global construction projects with specialist expertise in strategy, commercial and infrastructure areas.
His previous role was Head of Commercial, Performance and Strategy at Transport NSW, where he led a team responsible for contract frameworks, the acquisition of property for major infrastructure projects, procurement including several multi-billion dollar projects and an analytics team.
He has been a project manager on civic, residential and sporting infrastructure projects across metropolitan and regional NSW and globally including the Sydney and London Olympics and has formal qualifications in building, business and law. He has worked at senior levels in professional services consulting, focused on infrastructure and urban renewal.
His experience in international construction projects between 2004 and 2015 spanned time working in the UK, Algeria, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“I would like to congratulate Mr Sherrard on his appointment, which follows former Building Commissioner David Chandler retiring in August after being an outspoken force creating positive change for the building industry in NSW.
“As part of this change, we last year launched Building Commission NSW transforming a ten person Office of the Building Commissioner into a more than 400 strong standalone regulator.
“With his depth and breadth of experience across the public and private sectors and globally, Mr Sherrard is well placed to take the Building Commission to the next level in its development.
“It is exciting to embark on a new era with James at the helm, working with stakeholders, industry, consumers and government to continue the Minns Labor Government’s work to rebuild trust in the construction industry and ensure a supply of well built homes across the state.
“I would also like to thank Matt Press for acting in the role while the recruitment process was completed. Matt will continue as Acting Building Commissioner until James joins Building Commission NSW on 2 December.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Yongqi Gu, Associate Professor, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Getty Images
There is a belief widely held across the Western world: Chinese students are schooled through rote, passive learning – and an educational system like this can only produce docile workers who lack innovation or creativity.
We argue this is far from true. In fact, the Chinese education system is producing highly successful students and an extremely skilled and creative workforce. We think the world can learn something from this.
In the US, you could have a meeting of tooling engineers, and I’m not sure we could fill the room. In China you could fill multiple football fields.
To which Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly responded on X: “True”.
When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Shenzhen headquarters of electric vehicle manufacturer BYD earlier this year, he was surprised to learn the company was planning to double its 100,000-strong engineering taskforce within the coming decade.
He might not have been so surprised had he known Chinese universities are producing more than ten million graduates every year – the foundation for a super-economy.
The ‘paradox of the Chinese learner’
Chinese learners achieve remarkable success levels compared to their Western – or non-Confucian-heritage – counterparts.
Since Shanghai first participated in the PISA educational evaluation in 2009, 15‑year-olds in China have topped the league table three out of four times in reading, mathematics and science.
How can a supposedly passive and rote Chinese system outperform its Western counterparts? A number of Australian scholars have been studying this “paradox of the Chinese learner” since the 1990s.
Their research shows those common perceptions of Chinese and other Asian learners are wrong. For example, repetition and meaningful learning are not mutually exclusive. As one Chinese saying goes:
书读百遍其意自现 – meaning reveals itself when you read something many times.
What can Western education learn?
An emphasis on education is a defining feature of Chinese culture. Since Confucianism became the state-sanctioned doctrine in the Han Dynasty (202BCE–220CE), education has entered every fabric of Chinese society.
This became especially true after the institutionalisation of the Keju system of civil service examinations during the Sui Dynasty (581CE–618CE).
Today, the Gaokao university entrance examination is the modern Keju equivalent. Millions of school leavers take the exam each year. For three days every July, Chinese society largely comes to a standstill for the Gaokao.
While the cultural drive for educational excellence is a major motivation for everyone involved in the system, it is not something that is easily learned and replicated in Western societies.
However, there are two principles we believe are central to Chinese educational success, at both the learner and system levels. We use two Chinese idioms to illustrate these.
The first we call “orderly and gradual progress” – 循序渐进. This principle stresses patient, step-by-step and sequenced learning, sustained by grit and delayed gratification.
The second we call “thick accumulation before thin production” – 厚积薄发. This principle stresses the importance of two things:
a comprehensive foundation through accumulation of basic knowledge and skills
assimilation, integration and productive creativity only come after this firm foundation.
Technique to art: weekly calligraphy lessons have been mandatory in Chinese primary and middle schools since 2013. Getty Images
Knowledge, skill and creativity
The epitome of orderly and gradual progress is the way calligraphy is learned. It goes from easy to difficult, simple to complex, imitating to free writing, technique to art. Since 2013, it has been a mandatory weekly lesson in all primary and middle schools in China.
The art of Chinese writing embodies patience, diligence, breathing, concentration and an appreciation of the natural beauty of rhythm. It teaches Chinese values of harmony and the aesthetic spirit.
“Thick accumulation” can be illustrated in the way students study extremely hard for the national Gaokao examination, and also during tertiary education. This way they accumulate the basic knowledge and skills required in a modern society.
“Thin production” refers to the ability to narrow or focus this accumulated knowledge and skill to find and implement creative solutions in the workplace or elsewhere.
Ways of learning
On the face of it, the emphasis on gradual and steady progress, and on accumulation of basic knowledge and skills, may look like a slow, monotonous and uninspiring process – the origin of those common myths about Chinese learning.
In reality, it boils down to a simple argument: without a critical mass of basic knowledge and skills, there is little to assimilate and integrate for productive creativity.
Of course, there are problems with Chinese learning and education, not least the fierce competitiveness and overemphasis on examinations. But our focus here is simply to show how two basic educational principles underpin Chinese advances in science and technology in a modern knowledge economy.
We believe these principles are transferable and potentially beneficial for policymakers, scholars and learners elsewhere.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Migrant workers contracted to sites in Saudi Arabia franchised by French retail giant Carrefour were deceived by recruitment agents, made to work excessive hours, denied days off and cheated of their earnings, said Amnesty International.
The abuses suffered by some of the contracted workers likely amount to forced labour including human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, yet neither Carrefour Group nor its partner Majid Al Futtaim, which operates the franchise in Saudi Arabia, took adequate action to stop them or offer redress to workers.
“Workers thought they were opening the door to a better life but instead many were subjected to appalling exploitation and abuse. Carrefour’s inaction meant it failed to prevent this suffering, which for some contracted workers likely amounts to forced labour including human trafficking,” said Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Director of Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability Programme.
“Carrefour has a clear responsibility under international human rights standards to ensure abuses do not occur throughout its operations, including its franchises. Now Carrefour and Majid Al Futtaim should act to remedy the abuses – including urgently compensating those affected – and ensure that workers in their operations are never harmed again.”
Carrefour has a clear responsibility under international human rights standards to ensure abuses do not occur throughout its operations, including its franchises.
Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s report comes just two weeks before the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body will consider a landmark complaint against the Saudi Arabian government regarding wage theft, forced labour and the prohibition of trade unions. The complaint was submitted by global trade union Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) in June 2024, supported by Amnesty International and other organisations.
Deceived, overworked and underpaid
Amnesty International’s investigation follows a 2023 report published by the organization exposing abuses at Amazon facilities in Saudia Arabia, involving one of the same labour supply companies. The latest research was based on interviews and information provided by 17 men from Nepal, India and Pakistan. They all worked in various Carrefour facilities in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah between 2021 to 2024 and nearly all are or were employed by labour supply companies and contracted out to Majid Al Futtaim.
To secure jobs the workers paid recruitment agents in their home countries an average fee of $1,200, and often took on high-interest debt to do so, despite such charges being outlawed by Saudi legislation and prohibited by Majid Al Futtaim’s own policies.
Almost all the workers interviewed were lied to or misled by the agents, sometimes with the involvement of labour supply companies, about the nature and benefits of the jobs in Saudi Arabia or tricked into believing they were being hired directly by international companies. Many only found out they would be employed by Saudi Arabian supply companies – which are notorious amongst workers – after paying the fees, by which time most could not recoup the money paid and therefore felt unable to backout.
In Saudi Arabia the men were met with arduous work and repeated underpayment. They described regularly walking more than 20km per day and working 60-hour weeks, sometimes up to 16 hours a day, especially when business was booming in periods such as ‘salary weeks’ and the month of Ramadan. In breach of both Saudi Arabia’s laws and Majid Al Futtaim’s policies, workers said managers at the facilities – which included supermarkets and warehouses, or ‘dark stores’ – would sometimes cancel their weekly rest days.
Anand*, a former warehouse ‘picker’, told Amnesty: “Inside Carrefour stores, workers are not treated as humans. They treat workers as animals. They keep on saying, ‘yallah, yallah’ [‘let’s go’, ‘let’s go’]. They cling to our T-shirt to make us work fast.”
Many of the workers said the hardest part of the experience was not being paid properly for these overtime hours as required by national law and company policies. As a result, they were often denied dozens of additional hours’ pay a month, amounting to hundreds of dollars each year.
Accommodation provided by the labour supply companies was often dirty and overcrowded, contrary to Majid Al Futtaim’s requirements. Workers said they slept six or eight to a room, with one describing it as “like a cowshed”.
Contracted workers described a culture of fear. Workers who raised complaints directly with managers at the Carrefour facilities said they were ignored or told to take up the matter with the labour supply companies instead. Some workers who did speak out experienced retaliation from the supply companies or Carrefour facility managers, intimidating others into silence. Although Majid Al Futtaim told Amnesty International that it prohibits retaliation against anyone sharing a “good-faith concern”, workers reported that if they resisted working extra hours, they would be threatened with not being paid or facing dismissal.
Baburam* told Amnesty International:
“It was tough to work that long. But the manager wouldn’t let me go… He would say, ‘You must complete the order process, then you can go.’ What could I do? If we didn’t work 15 hours, he would also say, ‘I will terminate you. I won’t pay for your overtime’.”
Being ‘terminated’ from these facilities could result in workers being made ‘jobless’ until their labour supply company found them a new role – often weeks or months later. During this time, the worker would be left with no income from the supply company or support from the Saudi Arabian state.
Gopal* said: “Had I complained, I could have lost my job. That’s why I couldn’t complain. Once, 14 or 15 workers complained about it, and they were expelled from the job. When a worker loses his job, the supply company makes him jobless for four to five months.”
Had I complained, I could have lost my job. That’s why I couldn’t complain.
Gopal*, contracted worker
High risks of forced labour
The experiences of workers interviewed by Amnesty International indicates that the two key elements of forced labour – involuntary work and threat of penalty – are present in Carrefour Group’s franchise operations in Saudi Arabia.
While Carrefour Group’s policies make clear it is aware of its responsibilities and has committed to upholding international human rights standards, including throughout its franchises and suppliers, Amnesty International’s research demonstrates that its due diligence processes are wholly inadequate. This is despite the fact that in Saudi Arabia, the severity and frequency of labour abuses – including forced labour – are acute and well-documented.
“It is well known that despite some reforms, migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to be subjected to the country’s Kafala sponsorship system, have no guaranteed minimum wage and are prohibited from joining or forming trade unions. Carrefour has no excuse for failing to protect its workers from exploitation, and no justification to avoid paying them the compensation they deserve,” said Marta Schaaf.
“The high risk of exploitation in Saudi Arabia highlights an undeniable need for fundamental reform of the country’s labour system. The ILO Governing Body should urgently open an investigation into violations of workers’ rights and ensure Saudi Arabia brings its labour laws and practices fully in line with international standards.”
In response to Amnesty International’s findings, Carrefour Group and Majid Al Futtaim said they have launched an internal investigation into the treatment of migrant workers in their Saudi Arabia facilities, while Carrefour Group has also instructed a third-party audit of its franchise partner’s operations. Majid Al Futtaim detailed steps it has taken to remediate abuses since Amnesty International first alerted it, including moving some workers to new housing; reviewing policies on overtime and the ban on recruitment fees; increasing screening of new suppliers and improving access to its employee hotline.
“Serious questions remain, however, as to why neither company identified or addressed long-standing abuses prior to being alerted by Amnesty International in mid-2024, including after we published our investigation into one of their suppliers last year.Neither company has yet committed to reimburse recruitment fees or compensate workers for harms suffered,” said Marta Schaaf.
*Names of workers have been changed.
Background information
Carrefour Group was a sponsor of the 2024 Paris Olympics and has an annual turnover of more than €94 billion.
Carrefour facilities and stores in Saudi Arabia are operated by UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim via a franchise agreement with Carrefour Group, headquartered in France.
The ILO Governing Body is due to discuss BWI’s complaint on 7 November.
Following Amnesty International’s Amazon investigation, Amazon eventually paid over $1.9 million to reimburse recruitment fees to over 700 workers.
Workers from Nepal, India and Pakistan made to work 16-hour days and threatened with costly lay-offs if they refused to work overtime
Workers report sleeping six or eight to a room, with one describing it as ‘like a cowshed’
‘Inside Carrefour stores, workers are not treated as humans. They treat workers as animals’ – former warehouse picker
Carrefour, a sponsor of the Paris Olympics with an annual turnover of more than €94 billion, says it has launched an internal investigation
‘Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to be subjected to the country’s kafala sponsorship system, have no guaranteed minimum wage and are prohibited from joining or forming trade unions’ – Marta Schaaf
Migrant workers contracted to sites in Saudi Arabia franchised by French retail giant Carrefour have been deceived by recruitment agents, made to work excessive hours, denied days off and cheated of their earnings, said Amnesty International today in a new report.
In a 56-page report – ‘I would fear going to work’: Labour exploitation at Carrefour sites in Saudi Arabia – Amnesty also shows how workers have been made to live in squalid accommodation and to fear being fired if they complained or resisted working overtime.
The research – based on interviews with 17 men from Nepal, India and Pakistan who worked in various Carrefour facilities in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah between 2021 to 2024 – shows that the abuses suffered by some of the workers are likely to amount to forced labour, including human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
The Carrefour Group, which was a sponsor of the 2024 Paris Olympics and has an annual turnover of more than €94 billion – has a franchise agreement with the UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim company which operates Carrefour facilities and stores in Saudi Arabia. Neither the Carrefour Group nor Majid Al Futtaim took adequate action to stop worker abuses or offer redress to workers.
To secure their jobs the workers paid recruitment agents in their home countries an average fee of £900 and often took on high-interest debt to do so, despite such charges being outlawed by Saudi legislation and prohibited by Majid Al Futtaim’s own policies.
Almost all the workers interviewed by Amnesty were lied to or misled by the agents – sometimes with the involvement of labour supply companies – about the nature and benefits of the jobs in Saudi Arabia, or tricked into believing they were being hired directly by international companies. Many only found out they would be employed by Saudi Arabian supply companies – which are notorious among workers – after paying the fees, by which time most could not recoup the money paid and felt unable to back out.
In Saudi Arabia, the men were met with arduous work and repeated underpayment. They described regularly working 60-hour weeks, sometimes up to 16 hours a day, especially when business was booming in periods such as “salary weeks” and the month of Ramadan. In breach of both Saudi Arabia’s laws and Majid Al Futtaim’s own policies, workers said managers at the facilities – which included supermarkets and warehouses – would sometimes cancel their weekly rest days. They reported regularly having to walk more than 12 miles per day in their course of their working day.
Anand*, a former warehouse picker, told Amnesty:
“Inside Carrefour stores, workers are not treated as humans. They treat workers as animals. They keep on saying, ‘yallah, yallah’ [‘let’s go’, ‘let’s go’]. They cling to our t-shirt to make us work fast.”
Many of the workers said the hardest part of the experience was not being paid properly for overtime hours as required by national law and company policies. As a result they were often denied dozens of additional hours’ pay a month, amounting to hundreds of pounds each year. Workers described a culture of fear, with those who raised complaints directly with managers at the Carrefour facilities reportedly ignored or told to take up the matter with the labour supply companies. Some workers who did speak out experienced retaliation from the supply companies or Carrefour facility managers, intimidating others into silence. Although Majid Al Futtaim told Amnesty it prohibits retaliation against anyone sharing a “good-faith concern”, workers said if they resisted working extra hours they would be threatened with not being paid or dismissal.
Meanwhile, accommodation provided by the labour supply companies was often dirty and overcrowded, contrary to Majid Al Futtaim’s requirements. Workers said they slept six or eight to a room, with one describing it as “like a cowshed”.
In response to Amnesty’s findings, Carrefour and Majid Al Futtaim said they’ve launched an internal investigation into the treatment of migrant workers in their Saudi Arabia facilities, while Carrefour has also begun a third-party audit of its franchise partner’s operations. Majid Al Futtaim detailed steps it has taken to remediate abuses since Amnesty first alerted it, including moving some workers to new housing, reviewing policies on overtime and the ban on recruitment fees, increasing the screening of new suppliers and improving access to its employee hotline.
Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Director of Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability, said:
“Workers thought they were opening the door to a better life but instead many were subjected to appalling exploitation and abuse.
“Carrefour’s inaction meant it failed to prevent this suffering, which for some contracted workers likely amounts to forced labour including human trafficking.
“It is well known that despite some reforms, migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to be subjected to the country’s kafala sponsorship system, have no guaranteed minimum wage and are prohibited from joining or forming trade unions.
“Carrefour and Majid Al Futtaim should act to remedy the abuses – including urgently compensating those affected – and ensure that workers in their operations are never harmed again.
“The high risk of exploitation in Saudi Arabia highlights an undeniable need for fundamental reform of the country’s labour system.
“The ILO Governing Body should urgently open an investigation into violations of workers’ rights and ensure Saudi Arabia brings its labour laws and practices fully in line with international standards.”
Further case studies
Baburam* told Amnesty:
“It was tough to work that long. But the manager wouldn’t let me go … He would say, ‘You must complete the order process, then you can go’. What could I do? If we didn’t work 15 hours, he would also say, ‘I will terminate you. I won’t pay for your overtime’.”
Being “terminated” from these facilities could result in workers being made “jobless” until their labour supply company found them a new role – often weeks or months later. During this time, the worker would be left with no income from the supply company or support from the Saudi Arabian state.
Gopal* said:
“Had I complained, I could have lost my job. That’s why I couldn’t complain. Once, 14 or 15 workers complained about it, and they were expelled from the job. When a worker loses his job, the supply company makes him jobless for four to five months.”
The experiences of workers interviewed by Amnesty indicates that the two key elements of forced labour – involuntary work and a threat of penalty – are present in Carrefour’s franchise operations in Saudi Arabia. While Carrefour’s policies make clear it is aware of its responsibilities and has committed to upholding international human rights standards, including throughout its franchises and suppliers, Amnesty’s research demonstrates that its due diligence processes are wholly inadequate. This is despite the fact that in Saudi Arabia, the severity and frequency of labour abuses – including forced labour – are acute and well-documented.
*Names of workers have been changed.
Amazon research and landmark ILO complaint
Amnesty’s Carrefour investigation follows a 2023 Amnesty report exposing abuses at Amazon facilities in Saudi Arabia, involving one of the same labour supply companies. Following the investigation Amazon eventually paid more than $1.9 million to reimburse recruitment fees to more than 700 workers. Amnesty’s new report comes just a fortnight before the International Labour Organisation’s governing body will consider a landmark complaint against the Saudi Arabian government regarding wage theft, forced labour and the prohibition of trade unions. The complaint was submitted by the global trade union Building and Wood Workers’ International in June, supported by Amnesty and other organisations.
Three people were killed and eight others injured on Saturday during a trail ride shooting in Holmes County, the southern U.S. state of Mississippi, authorities said.
The incident occurred when at least two people opened fire into a crowd of 200 to 300 people celebrating Holmes County Consolidated School’s homecoming football win at an outdoor event several hours after the game ended.
Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said the shooting followed an argument among several young men.
The sheriff said police officers are searching for the suspects in connection to the shooting and an investigation is underway.
In September 2023, an Australian Senate committee released a landmark report on concussions and repeated head trauma in contact sports.
The committee made 13 recommendations to improve outcomes for past, present and future players.
The report emphasised shared responsibility and transparency in developing a national approach, with the government to lead nine of the recommendations.
As of October 2024, no official government update has been provided.
We’ve assessed the status of the recommendations – of the publicly available sources, we found evidence of action in some areas but no national strategy in directly addressing the focus of several key recommendations.
We approached the Senate committee secretary and the Department of Health and Aged Care for more information but neither was able to comment.
We acknowledge there is likely more work going on behind the scenes, and these processes take time.
Here’s what we found.
Progress being made
In the past year, there has been progress made with several recommendations including those addressing community awareness, education and guidelines for amateur and youth sports.
The AIS continues to engage in health-led efforts with a suite of resources aimed at increasing community awareness and education.
In June this year, the institute published a new set of return-to-play guidelines specifically targeting community and youth athletes.
This represents a tangible response from a federally funded sporting body.
However, these guidelines must be easily implemented by clubs. To date, there is no indication the government plans to increase funding or resources to clubs to help do so.
The committee also called for national sporting organisations to “further explore rule modifications to prevent and reduce the impact of concussions and repeated head trauma, prioritising modifications for children and adolescents”.
Several major sporting codes have modified their rules and we expect them to remain focused on rule modifications to ensure the longevity of their sports.
General practitioners (GPs) are often the first port of call after a concussion, and the committee recommended the development of standardised guidelines for GPs and first aid responders.
This addresses concerns that GPs may require additional training in treating sport-related brain trauma.
There appears to be work in progress or a lack of progress elsewhere, including key recommendations for a National Sports Injury Database (NSID) and professional sport data sharing.
The inquiry highlighted how patchy data collection had contributed to evidence gaps in understanding sports injury management and surveillance. The committee’s most urgent recommendation therefore was for the government to establish the NSID.
This would work closely with another recommendation that called for professional sport codes to collect and share de-identified concussion and sub-concussive event data with the NSID.
As of October 2024, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports the NSID is still under development and is not yet ready to receive data.
Other recommendations related to research – establishing an independent research pathway, ongoing funding commitments and a co-ordinated and consolidated funding framework.
These recommendations called for the government’s existing agencies, or a newly created body, to coordinate research on the effects of concussion and repeated head trauma.
No new dedicated sports-related concussion research pathways have emerged since the inquiry.
In terms of funding commitments, in April this year – after former rugby league star Wally Lewis’s National Press Club appearance – Dementia Australia reported the government had pledged $A18 million for concussion and CTE support services and education.
The May 2024 federal budget allocated $132.7 million to boost sports participation from grassroots to high performance. But this did not address concussion and repeated head trauma, and we haven’t been able to find evidence of a co-ordinated and consolidated funding framework.
Our view is concussion funding pools should be primarily focused on supporting independent research projects. However, sporting bodies clearly need to be involved – they provide access to athlete populations and most people in these organisations have a genuine care for athlete welfare.
Another recommendation called for a national concussion strategy. This should focus on binding return-to-play protocols and rules to protect participants from head injuries.
The recommendation included a role for government and whether any existing government bodies would be best placed to monitor, oversee and/or enforce concussion-related rules and protocols.
In our view, this recommendation involves much more than producing guidelines. It requires a more comprehensive national strategy, with consideration to monitoring compliance and enforcement.
We could not find any evidence indicating the current status of this recommendation.
Increased funding and support for affected athletes were also focus areas.
These recommendations called for a review to address barriers to workers’ compensation and ensure adequate insurance arrangements remain in place.
We could not find any evidence of whether state and territory governments are involved in the reviews of workers compensation to apply to professional athletes.
The committee recommenced the government consider measures to increase donations to brain banks for scientific research.
We couldn’t find any evidence of steps taken to implement this recommendation.
Moving forward
There has been progress in education and guidelines but a lack of the coordinated, transparent approach the committee envisioned.
A formal government response, as demonstrated in Canada and the United Kingdom, is essential to establish trust and chart a clear path forward.
The Australian government, as guardian of the Australian public’s health, has an opportunity to do the same.
Annette Greenhow receives funding from SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. Annette is a Board Member of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association. The views expressed in this article are her own.
Stephen Townsend does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
“M” Mark status awarded to Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open “M” Mark status awarded to Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open *********************************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee: The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded “M” Mark status to Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, which will be held at the Victoria Park Tennis Court from October 26 to November 3. The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Wilfred Ng, said today (October 21), “We are very pleased to award the ‘M’ Mark status to the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. This international event attracts numerous world-class players to compete in Hong Kong each year. It is a grand occasion for the tennis community and provides them with exciting matches and unforgettable experiences. It also serves as a good opportunity to promote tourism and the economy in Hong Kong, enhancing the city’s established professional status in the international sports arena.” The “M” Mark System aims to encourage and help local “national sports associations” and private or non-government organisations to organise more major international sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be granted “M” Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some events. For details of “M” Mark events, please visit http://www.mevents.org.hk.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tales—the popular AI gaming project spearheaded by a team of Stanford PhDs and Game developers—has today announced its innovative debut product: a Large World Model (LWM) that can generate entire digital worlds using simple text-to-gameprompts.
Tales intends to completely transform the world of gaming by enabling users to create fully functional games without the need for any development or game design experience. The aim is to empower players to overthrow the gaming establishment.
Competing with the world’s leading studios, Tales allows gamers to ‘bring this vision to life’ by creating user-generated, interactive, and immersive experiences. By crowdsourcing data, resources, and infrastructure, Tales is developing Sia, perhaps the most radical AI model to-date.
Building games in seconds with a text prompt
Similar to how chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude are powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), which specialize in processing and generating text-based outputs, Tales is building its own Large World Model designed for video game creation. This LWM is capable of understanding and generating all components of a video game— from environments, physics, 3D models, and gameplay footage to NPC (non-player character) behavior—along with detailed metadata.
While an LLM learns language patterns by training on vast amounts of text, an LWM trains on gameplay data, video content, 3D assets, descriptive metadata, and feedback over time. This enables the LWM to understand how games are structured, refining its ability to create complex game elements and mechanics.
Tales can output fully functional games by leveraging 3D engines, spatial reasoning algorithms, and NPC behavior systems. With just a simple text prompt like, “make a first person shooter in space” the LWM can generate the requested game, which is customizable and immediately playable. The model essentially serves as a tool for procedurally generating games in real-time and marks a substantial evolution from existing AI offerings.
Tales’ outputs extend beyond games, with possibilities for virtual reality worlds, interactive experiences, and immersive educational tools, making this a diversified value proposition for potential future investors.
“Tales truly feels like something out of a sci-fi film, and we can’t wait to make it a reality,” said Jason Krupat, Head of Product.
“The gaming industry is in desperate need of a revolution, and putting the power to create in the hands of gamers could be the start of a new era of entertainment that extends far beyond games. A lack of resources should never get in the way of a creative spark, and empowering creators in this way means so much to us.”
How does Tales learn?
In one of the most ambitious crowdsourced projects in history, Tales utilizes data, storage, and computational power to train its Large World Model. To ensure the community are engaged and incentivized to build this together, Tales is launching a rewards-based incentive system.
Users can submit anything from gameplay footage, in-game assets, and extensive environment descriptions to form a fully transparent dataset, which is tracked and documented to ensure provenance and preserve privacy.
“The systems of the future place increasingly stringent demands on infrastructure and data, posing unique challenges in the creation of a project like Tales—and this calls for unique solutions,” said Viktor Uzunov, Head of Community.
“This is why we’ve decided to bootstrap the power of what could be one of the fastest-growing communities in tech. Why can’t we take on the largest competitors in the industry by working together with gamers?”
Tales will be ready for early access in November. For more information, please visit https://tales.world/.
About Tales
Tales is an ambitious next-generation gaming platform, powered by AI. Tales is pioneering crowdsourced generative AI within the gaming industry with its large world model. By crowdsourcing vast amounts of data and computational power, the team including Stanford PhDs and Game Developers based out of Palo Alto, are building one of the world’s most powerful AI models ever, democratizing game creation and empowering creators to bring their vision to life with zero friction.
The council works with young people in care to help them make the move into independent living, and to take advantage of the education, employment and training opportunities that are available to them.
And young people who have either recently moved out of care, or will shortly be doing so, will be taking part in a wide range of activities during Care Leavers Week to highlight their progress and celebrate their successes.
Events will include a night at the movies with the council’s Reach Leaving Care team and 2 ‘Changing Rooms’ style challenge events with Wolverhampton Homes supporting young people and the Supported Accommodation Team to makeover two flats.
There will be baby swim and stay and play sessions, a swap shop and a special event at Wildside Activity Centre giving care leavers who are not currently in employment, education or training the chance to take part in team building exercises, confidence building activities and volunteering opportunities.
Members of the Care Leavers Independent Collective will host a Total Respect training session, encouraging staff and professionals to understand what it means to be a child in care or care leaver, while Food Around The World will give young people the chance to sample some amazing dishes from different parts of the world.
Ahead of Care Leavers Week, care leavers enjoyed a silent Halloween disco on Saturday, the Care Leavers football team will shortly be hosting a friendly match with Walsall Care Leavers FC ahead of the Care Leavers Championship Cup next summer, and the atrium at the Civic Centre will be lit blue to mark the start of the week, with the colour chosen by care leavers themselves.
Alison Hinds, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Children’s Services, said: “Care Leavers Week is an important and enjoyable week for all the young people who either have, or are, making the transition from care to independent living, ensuring they are fully supported and celebrated at this important and exciting time so that their first step into adulthood is the best it can be.”
Wolverhampton’s Local Offer for care leavers aged between 16 and 25 provides information about a wide range of services which could help young care leavers prepare for adult life. It includes details of support which they are entitled to by law, as well as additional services that the council has been able to secure with the help of partner organisations. For more information, please visit Wolverhampton Children in Care.
Care Leavers Week seeks to highlight the needs of care leavers and encourages the agencies responsible for looking after them to work in a coordinated and effective way.
Message of the Holy Father for the centenary of the “Corriere dello Sport-Stadio”, 20.10.2024
The following is the text of the message sent by the Holy Father Francis to the Corriere dello Sport-Stadio on the occasion of the centenary of its founding:
Message of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters,
Best wishes! A hundred years is an important milestone, a fine trophy to put in your cabinet! Even greater than that for the two million copies sold on the occasion of Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup! You have had a great run in these hundred years; besides, among those who contributed to the birth of the newspaper was a certain Enzo Ferrari, who knew something about engines and victories!
I thank the Director Ivan Zazzaroni for sending me a beautiful letter about the centenary of the newspaper, and it is a pleasure to be close to you on these days of celebration.
If I think about sport, and my homeland, Argentina, before I even think of the great football facilities, like the Bombonera, I think of when, as children, we played football with a ball made of rags. So many champions started this way, playing with friends in a carefree way on improvised fields between houses, even in contexts of great poverty. How beautiful it is to experience the feeling of fraternity: you play, and you play together, and you know that you are opponents only on the field, never enemies. You learn the joy of victory and you know the sweat and effort it cost, and you also learn from defeat, trying to get back up again and learn from the mistakes made so as to try to overcome them the next time, or simply to accept your own difference and your limit: we are all precious and unique, but we are not perfect.
Some say that I am a fan of San Lorenzo, an Argentine team: it remains a secret, but there is something beautiful in the history of that team. When the boys who played in the street at the beginning of the twentieth century were looking for a safe place to play football, a priest descended from Italians, a Salesian, Don Lorenzo Massa, opened the doors of the oratory, and a beautiful adventure began from there. Even today we need spaces for sport, especially in the poorest and most isolated contexts, but above all we need adults who welcome children and young people in an authentic way, who know how to listen to their dreams, who wish for a better future with them. Think about how here in Italy how much good has been done through the fields of parishes and oratories, and how many young people, now sporting champions, often remember that they started from the parish fields.
Your newspaper has a long history, and it intends to embrace the whole of Italy, for sporting events that concern it both within its borders and abroad: sport is one of the factors that make us feel like one people, such as when we stand up to sing the national anthem, at the stadium or in sports halls. How important it is to walk together, to feel part of a single family, and of a family of nations during the Olympics or the world or continental championships: in recent years we have still too often seen neighbouring peoples, or groups within the same countries, stand up against each other armed. Competition in sport is healthy, because it calls for patience, listening to the coach, respect for opponents, rules and referees, and coordination with one’s teammates: in the world, on the other hand, the aim is often to destroy the opponent, to make one’s own rules, to reject those who want to moderate the confrontation between the parties according to international law. Spreading a healthy sports culture in this sense means nurturing humanity in its most beautiful and authentic values, and for this I thank you.
Although unfortunately in recent years we have witnessed episodes of intolerance, which must be condemned, I am sure that there are many more examples in which sport has been able to “team up”, without race, class, or religious denomination being obstacles or barriers: I encourage you to foster this climate of authentic and welcoming humanity. We must reject any mindset of exclusion and violence, and for this we know that words have their value, to educate in what is good and beautiful, rather than to destroy. A newspaper article, even a sports article, can do a lot of good, but it can also damage and foment a climate of mistrust: I urge you not to be like this, though!
On the subject of acceptance and integral human promotion: for organizational reasons alone it is not possible to hold the Olympics and the Paralympics at the same time. In the recent editions in Paris we rejoiced at the many successes of incredible boys and girls: for some of them the gold medal was life-giving, because of how they were able to overcome, thanks to their inner strength and the help of everyone, the challenges of their disability. Their races are a hymn to life! May your newspaper tell of victories and defeats, but be a way of thinking and living of sport as a hymn to life!
Thank you for what you are and for what you do. Do not forget to pray for me.
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 19 October 2024
FRANCIS
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
RN-Tuapse Marine Terminal (part of the Commerce and Logistics Block of Rosneft Oil Company) organized the Championship in Sports Garbage Collection among the Company’s enterprises operating in the Tuapse District of Krasnodar Krai. About 150 volunteers took part in the environmental action to clean up the natural monument – Kiselev Rocks, including employees of the terminal, RN-Tuapse Oil Refinery, a branch of SIBINTEK Investment Company, RN-Uchet, as well as activists of the youth “Movement of the First”, students, environmentalists and concerned local residents.
“RN-Tuapse Marine Terminal” and the Tuapse District Administration held a joint environmental campaign in the format of sports competitions for the third time. Teams of participants collected the maximum amount of household waste in the forest park for a time. Each team brought the collected bags to the judges’ site, where the judges determined the winners. Volunteers also sorted the waste for further recycling. The first place in the Championship was taken by the team of organizers – “RN-Tuapse Marine Terminal”, the second – “SIBINTEK”, the “bronze” was won by the “Movement of the First” team. The participants of the Championship collected more than 10 cubic meters of household waste, returning the pristine appearance of the natural area popular with tourists.
The Kiselev Rock cleanup campaign is the oil workers’ contribution to the development of the environmental movement, as well as the involvement of the population in preserving the unique nature of Kuban, promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle.
Preserving the environment for future generations is an integral part of Rosneft’s corporate culture and social policy. The company also pays attention to developing a healthy lifestyle culture and comprehensively supports sports.
“RN-Tuapse Marine Terminal” in its activities is guided by high environmental standards of rational use of natural resources and preservation of a favorable environmental situation in the region of presence. Every year the enterprise participates in the “Earth Hour” and “Green Spring” campaigns, and also holds clean-up days, maintains the cleanliness of the road leading to the city beach of Tuapse. Such events not only help to preserve the unique nature of the Tuapse region, but also contribute to environmental education, popularization of an environmentally responsible lifestyle.
Reference:
Kiselev Rock is a natural monument that has become part of the protected Kadosh forest park, which occupies 300 hectares in the picturesque Tuapse region of Krasnodar Krai. The forest park is home to 30 species of trees and shrubs, 7 vines, 255 species of herbaceous plants, including rare orchids.
Kiselev Rock is famous as the location where episodes of Leonid Gaidai’s film “The Diamond Arm” were filmed. Tourists visiting these places not only admire the beauty of nature, but also immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the famous film.
Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft October 21, 2024
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.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has announced the listing of Cros Token (CROS) in pre-market trading, allowing users to trade the token ahead of its official spot trading debut. The pre-market period will run from October 17, 2024, 10:00 (UTC), to October 23, 2024, 10:30 (UTC), with spot trading beginning shortly after on October 23, 2024, at 11:00 (UTC). This early trading option is designed to give users a unique opportunity to participate in the CROS market prior to its full availability.
Bitget’s pre-market trading platform allows users to engage in over-the-counter transactions of new tokens before their official listing. This feature offers a peer-to-peer marketplace where buyers and sellers can negotiate prices, facilitating advanced liquidity and strategic investment opportunities. Participants can secure coins at favorable prices, allowing for optimized investments without the immediate need for sellers to possess the coins.
Cros Token (CROS) is an Ethereum Layer 2 token with an advanced AI platform designed for in-game advertising. This platform connects advertisers, developers, and a global audience of over 3 billion players, providing developers with tools to monetize games and enabling advertisers to reach a vast, diverse gaming ecosystem. With non-disruptive, immersive ads integrated directly into gameplay, the platform offers advertisers the ability to engage users across mobile, PC, console, and gaming metaverses.
CROS has a total supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens, positioning itself as a forward-looking project in the intersection of blockchain, gaming, and advertising sectors. Its unique approach to in-game advertising and developer collaboration aims to enhance player experiences while generating revenue streams within the growing digital entertainment industry.
Bitget’s introduction of CROS through its pre-market mechanism shows the platform’s strategy to provide users early access to emerging blockchain projects. This early engagement benefits both the token’s market exposure and user participation, making it an integral part of Bitget’s expanding crypto ecosystem.
Bitget has established itself as one of the leading crypto spot trading platforms, offering a diverse selection of over 800 coins and more than 900 trading pairs across various ecosystems, including Ethereum, Solana, Base, and recently, TON. The pre-market platform, launched in April 2024, has facilitated early access to over 150 high-profile projects such as EigenLayer (EIGEN), Zerolend (ZERO), Notcoin (NOT), and ZkSync (ZKSYNC), providing a unique opportunity for investors to engage with emerging tokens at an early stage. The addition of CROS to this lineup further enhances Bitget’s commitment to offering users access to promising Web3 projects.
CROS’s introduction on Bitget’s platform signifies a growing interest in AI-gaming projects that incorporate both gaming mechanics and financial elements, creating a symbiotic relationship between entertainment and decentralized finance. This listing is expected to attract a diverse range of participants, from avid gamers to crypto enthusiasts, who are eager to explore and invest in the evolving landscape of blockchain.
Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 45 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading, AI bot and other trading solutions. Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more. Bitget inspires individuals to embrace crypto through collaborations with credible partners, including being the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Professional Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM, as well as a global partner of Olympic Athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team).
Risk Warning: Digital asset prices may fluctuate and experience price volatility. Only invest what you can afford to lose. The value of your investment may be impacted and it is possible that you may not achieve your financial goals or be able to recover your principal investment. You should always seek independent financial advice and consider your own financial experience and financial standing. Past performance is not a reliable measure of future performance. Bitget shall not be liable for any losses you may incur. Nothing here shall be construed as financial advice.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
On October 17, the final of the interethnic student festival “Golden Autumn – 2024” took place. The culture of 22 countries and republics was represented by 24 higher and secondary specialized educational institutions of St. Petersburg. The festival of creativity and diversity of cultures, organized by the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the city government, was hosted by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
27 years ago, “Golden Autumn” was born in the Polytechnic University, the largest university in the city in terms of the number of foreign students. This year, the festival opened its doors to talented children from Russia, China, Angola, Indonesia, Belarus, Latvia, Gabon, Tanzania, Serbia, Slovakia, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Abkhazia, Mongolia, Moldova.
“Every year new and varied competitions appear, they are born and disappear, and the festival “Golden Autumn” with its 27-year history already has a quality mark! Our task, as a university of the wonderful city of St. Petersburg, is to preserve traditions and continuity through such competitions,” said Maxim Pasholikov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies at SPbPU, at the opening. “”Golden Autumn” is a vivid confirmation of the fact that culture and creativity will always unite people, helping them find a common language and build harmonious relationships.”
Children from all over the world presented their talents on the stage of the White Hall of SPbPU, gave the audience the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of traditions and customs of different nations, introduced them to the amazing beauty and diversity of the cultural heritage of their countries. The jury members were representatives of national public organizations of St. Petersburg and higher educational institutions. They assessed the performances from the point of view of bright national color, originality of performance and artistry.
A song in the language of the African Shona people was performed by ITMO student from Zimbabwe Sauramba Yvonne Pamela, the national anthem of Angola was performed by Jose Santo Antonio Manuel, a student of the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy. The fiery lezginka of the North Caucasus region was presented by the Drive ensemble from the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a male group of students from the Russian Customs Academy performed a Kyrgyz folk dance. Performers on the piano, clarinet, and accordion presented the musical culture of their countries in the Instrumental Music nomination. The jury highly appreciated the performance of the participant from Moldova, a student of the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory Lev Solomonovich.
“Thank you to the jury for the high rating! I received a sea of pleasure and emotions on the stage of the White Hall of the Polytechnic, performing the native music of my beloved Moldova,” Lev shared.
The best in the “Dance nomination” was recognized as the “Backshotcrew” team from the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The guys presented modern choreography with folk and ethnic motifs. First place in the vocal nomination, which has the largest number of participants, was taken by Artem Stoyanov, a student of the P. F. Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sports and Health. His baritone and the song “How Young We Were” captivated the jury.
“I have the most sincere words of gratitude to the organizers of “Golden Autumn” for the wonderful creative atmosphere. I am amazed by the level and scale of the festival, I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in the event, and thank you to the jury for the high rating,” said Artem.
The Polytechnic was represented by vocalist Ilham Maulana from Indonesia, as well as a group of students from Vietnam, who received the audience award for their dance. The multinational rock group “Secret Scarlet” opened the non-competitive program of the festival.
The winners and prize-winners of the “Golden Autumn” were presented with memorable gifts from the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the Government of St. Petersburg. These were statuettes in the form of gold, silver and bronze maple leaves and certificates for visiting cultural events. The festival finale ended with a joint performance of the song “Closing the Circle”. All participants once again proved that music is a universal language that transcends borders and national barriers, making the world brighter and kinder.
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.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Participation in extreme sports has surged since COVID-19, with 490 million people estimated to be taking part globally. This may have been fuelled by a desire to break free from lockdown-induced monotony and an explosion of media coverage showcasing the allure of high-adrenaline activities.
Extreme sports, like Base jumping, free solo climbing, big wave surfing and downhill mountain biking, once reserved for a small percentage of people, are now becoming more mainstream.
But why are people willing to take such risks? As a climber myself, I was keen to find out. While the popular image of extreme sports participants often revolves around thrill seeking and adrenaline addiction, research from my colleagues and I shows there are far more complex reasons for why people participate.
An extreme sport is defined as one in which a mismanaged mistake or accident would result in serious injury or death.
Research has started to explore the reasons behind extreme sports participation, but there’s still a lot to uncover. Several studies have identified factors like personality, motivation, and even neurobiology as playing a role. But it remains unclear which of these consistently drives people to take part in high-risk sports.
We started our work by conducting a systematic review to consolidate existing research on what drives people to participate in extreme sports. The studies we looked at provided important insights into the various psychological and emotional factors that motivate people to engage in high-risk activities. This helped us build a more complete understanding of the extreme sports mindset. We uncovered five motivational factors.
Red Bull’s international marketing campaign largely revolves around extreme sports.
1. Connection
Participants often describe feeling at one with nature and free from the constraints of everyday life. Many also find a deep sense of belonging in the extreme sports community and are driven by the desire to push their personal boundaries.
2. Personality
While some people are indeed drawn to thrill seeking, many use extreme sports as a tool to regulate difficult emotions. This is particularly true for those with alexithymia, which is when people struggle to identify and express their feelings.
3. Goals
The drive to succeed plays a big role in why people take part in extreme sports. Of course, many athletes are motivated by setting clear goals, whether it’s winning competitions or improving their performance. In this sense, participation in extreme sport is no different from that of more traditional sport.
For many of the respondents in the studies we analysed, goal setting boosts confidence and helps them persist through challenges. Participants also often feel a strong sense of control over their activities and find a sense of community with like-minded people.
4. Managing risk
Far from being reckless, participants are often highly calculated about the risks they take. They thrive on managing risk, finding excitement in navigating dangerous situations rather than avoiding them.
5. Addiction-like urges
Some participants exhibit behaviour resembling addiction, experiencing mood disturbances when not engaging in their chosen extreme sport. This can create a powerful urge to return, a bit like withdrawal symptoms.
People who take part in extreme sport often thrive on managing risk. PhotoFires/Shutterstock
Our findings have broader implications. They challenge the traditional view of extreme sports enthusiasts as mere “adrenaline junkies”. The research suggests that extreme sports could potentially offer therapeutic benefits, particularly for people struggling with emotional regulation.
Far from just being about thrill seeking, these types of activities could provide an outlet for experiencing emotions that might otherwise be hard for some people to access. It opens new avenues for exploring how high-risk activities may be used to support mental health and wellbeing.
My own work in this field is ongoing. Recently, I’ve conducted interviews with elite extreme sport participants to explore their motivations in greater depth. This new research will examine how these motivations shift over time – before, during and after participation. I’m also expanding my studies to compare the motivations driving extreme sport enthusiasts with those of non-extreme sport participants, aiming to uncover what, if anything, truly sets them apart.
Odette Hornby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
ALGIERS, Algeria, October 22, 2024/APO Group/ —
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has announced the signing of a EUR 245-million global facility with the New World Television (NWTV) network. The funding will part finance the network’s acquisition of media licensing rights for selected broadcasting sport copyrights from global media rights holders to permit broadcast across Africa.
The facility agreement, signed on October 17, 2024, on the sidelines of the just concluded CANEX WKND 2024, covers broadcasting sport copyrights from the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF), French Ligue and Spanish LaLiga.
Granted within Afreximbank’s CANEX Financing Programme, under the Sports Development Framework of its Creative Economy Strategy which seeks to mitigate constraints to creative enterprise development and to stimulate intra- and extra-African export of creative products, the facility is expected to support the development of Africa’s sports value chain by placing the ownership of African sports content firmly in African hands.
The deal signing was overseen by Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank and Mr. Louis Biyao, representative of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NWTV.
Speaking on the facility, Mrs. Awani said: “The import of this facility lies in the significant impact it will make in empowering African enterprises, particularly in the creative sector, to assume control of African sports. By taking control of these broadcasting rights, we will see the fostering of local content production, creation of job opportunities and strengthening of the continent’s competitive edge in the global market while promoting cultural identity and economic growth. Afreximbank is strongly committed to supporting African enterprises driving progress in the creative sector and this transaction is a testament to that commitment.”
On his part, Mr. Biyao commented: “It is a great honour for NWTV to benefit from such support, which allows it to streamline its transactions without the constraints related to currency exchanges. This agreement opens new opportunities for NWTV, guided by the motto ‘produced by Africans, for Africans in Africa,’ to offer premium content to a larger number of Africans. This is content that is accessible and closely aligned with their reality, at a very affordable cost.”
He added: “NWTV aims to provide an innovative and accessible alternative in the African audiovisual landscape, broadcasting high-quality content in local languages, tailored to the expectations of African populations. This approach is fully in line with NWTV’s commitment to bringing audiovisual content closer to every African household.”
The facility is expected to address the challenge of African sports being largely controlled by non-African networks and broadcasting houses, marking a strategic shift towards empowering African entities to take control of the broadcasts, celebrate local sports talent and showcase the richness of the continent’s sporting culture.
It will also boost the development of the African television industry ecosystem by growing revenue opportunities for television stations that would now be able to add more content into their rotations and that would be able to sell more advertisement spaces, in addition to enabling NWTV to promote the diffusion of sports content in local languages. NWTV, which is currently able to develop broadcast content in seven local languages in 24 countries, is working on three additional languages to be deployed in 2024.
The four-day CANEX WKND 2024, organised by Afreximbank was held from 16 – 19 October, under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World” and was attended by almost 4,000 delegates representing a diversity of creative sectors from across Africa and the diaspora.
CANEX WKND 2024 featured live performances, speeches by industry leaders and experts, masterclass sessions, sporting events, fashion shows, high energy music concerts and gastronomical showcases alongside a vibrant market and exhibition all aimed at advancing and expanding Africa’s unrivalled creative and cultural industries, with the aim of implementing pan-African measures that support the continent’s cultural sectors.
European Commission Press release Brussels, 22 Oct 2024 The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Groupe Courir SAS (‘Courir’) by JD Sports Fashion Plc Group (‘JD Sports’). The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by the parties.
Football is a game of passion, and passions can become particularly inflamed when the sport represents larger political struggles. In Nigeria in 1977, an Africa-wide football contest fuelled the ethnic rivalry between the Yoruba and the Igbo people to the point that the military had to intervene. The game was to be played as a semi-final in the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup, the club football tournament that would go on to become the Caf Confederation Cup.
As scholars of sports communication, we recently published a research paper about that 1977 confrontation between Shooting Stars of Ibadan (Ibadan is home to a Yoruba majority in the south-west) and Enugu Rangers (Enugu is an Igbo state).
Our study adds to a history of football and politics that is not well documented in Africa. In the process it shows that football represents more than just sport, but can also be a way of understanding cultural and political issues.
Yoruba vs Igbo
The rivalry between the Igbos and Yorubas is almost as old as the formation of Nigeria in 1914. Both groups vie politically and for jobs. Each forms roughly a fifth of the Nigerian population. The Igbo had lost political power after the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970.
This rivalry became particularly visible in Nigerian football from the 1950s when ethnic groups contested annually for the Alex Oni Cup. The Yorubas often won, the Igbos a close second but the tournament was eventually discontinued because of fights between players and spectators.
After this, Igbos did not have a representative club team in national competitions until after the war ended in 1970. Top Igbo footballers were employed at various clubs across the country, particularly in Lagos. Yorubas played for various clubs in their home region. One such club was the Shooting Stars. They made up the bulk of the Ibadan Lions team that won the national Challenge Cup four times from 1959 to 1969.
After the civil war, most Igbo footballers – who had fought unsuccessfully for the secession of Biafra state – were afraid to live in other parts of the country. Enugu Rangers was formed and the club dominated Nigerian football in the 1970s and 1980s.
Shooting Stars had become the beacon club of the Yorubas and quickly developed a rivalry with Enugu Rangers.
The semi-final that caused all the trouble
This ongoing rivalry escalated when the two clubs beat off opposition from across the continent to meet in the two legs of the semi-final of the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977. Shooting Stars were defending the title. Rangers chose not to take part in the more prestigious Africa Champions Club’s Cup – instead they sought to equal Shooting Stars’ feat of winning the Cup Winners Cup.
To add to the tension, Nigeria’s national team was made up of mainly by players from these two clubs – and the national team was competing in the last stage of the qualifiers for the 1978 men’s football World Cup. It was feared that the rivalry would affect its chances. Almost daily, the newspapers reported on accusations levelled by officials of the two teams at each other and the Nigerian Football Association (today the Nigeria Football Federation).
The association had to find solutions – fast. Both teams had played their home matches in their own cities so far. The association decided that their two semi-final games should be played in a “neutral” location: Lagos.
But after the first leg, a designated “home game” for Shooting Stars, ended 0-0, controversy erupted. Lagos is in the west of the country, home of the Yorubas. This was seen to give the Shooting Stars an advantage. There was also controversy about whether the teams could call up some or all of their players in the national team. The association’s authority to re-schedule the second leg was then called into question. These issues were argued at fever pitch and publicly by fans and in the media, with threats and ethnic undertones.
The association wanted to bar both Rangers and Shooting Stars from using their national team players, but was eventually forced to agree on the release of all players to play in the final leg of the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final. But not before making a very late request that the Confederation of African Football put off the game until after the national team’s World Cup qualifying games.
Shooting Stars, frustrated by the postponement, lashed out publicly and in the media. They accused Nigeria’s federal sports commissioner, Dandeson Isokrari, of ethnocentrism and favouritism. Isokrari was an easterner, from Enugu Rangers territory.
With tension boiling over and threats issued from both sides, the second-in-command of the Nigeria state, Major General Musa Yar’ Adua, stepped in to avoid ethnic strife and possible violence. He instructed the match to move to Kaduna, a northern city, away from the homes of the clubs. This decision by the country’s military leadership calmed nerves.
An overflowing crowd packed the Kaduna venue from the early morning. In the early minutes of the game, Shooting Stars mounted a siege in the Rangers’ goal area. It was so tense that journalists and photographers converged behind the Rangers goal. Angry Rangers supporters claimed they were not journalists and photographers, but disguised juju men concocting mystical incantations that kept the ball rooted in the Rangers goal area.
The match ended in another 0-0 tie but Rangers advanced when goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala helped to turn the penalty kick tiebreaker in the club’s favour, 4-2. Despite the tensions, there were no reported incidents of violence during the match.
This epic contest between two clubs during a continental cup contest in 1977 reminds us of the rivalry that persists even today among ethnic groups across the continent. Football often represents such ethnic rivalries beyond the field of play – and in the case of Enugu Rangers and Shooting Stars it reached a dangerous level that forced the state to step in.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
I’d like to begin this morning by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Kaurna (Gaa-nuh) peoples, and pay my respects to elders past and present.
I extend that acknowledgement to all First Nations peoples joining us today.
I would also like to acknowledge:
Hamilton Calder – CEO Volunteering SA&NT
Louise Miller-Frost MP – Member for Boothby
Jacob Dommerson – Campaign ambassador and volunteer at St John Ambulance NSW
Allira Potter – First Nations campaign ambassador and life coach
It’s so great to be with you all here today.
Volunteers are the backbone of our communities.
Every time you patrol the beach here in Glenelg to keep swimmers safe.
Every time someone cooks the sausages to feed hungry athletes and raise money for their local sports team.
Every time someone visits a local retirement village to have a cuppa and a chat with someone who might be experiencing loneliness.
Every time a volunteer gives up their time to help another Aussie be happy, or safe – you make Australian society richer.
But I have not always had the best relationship with volunteering.
I say this because as a child, I was very close to my grandmother, and I got a bit jealous when I wasn’t able to see her because she was such a dedicated volunteer.
Tuesday was Meals on Wheels. Thursday afternoon she was volunteering at Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia. Every second Friday she was at Probus and she was involved with the local Lions group as well.
I felt more than a little resentful that I wasn’t getting to see my grandmother but as I became an adult, it really instilled in me the importance of volunteering.
To see the pride that she took in the help she gave and the connections she made.
And of course, it didn’t take long until I found myself being a Seacliff Surf Lifesaver volunteer. It really was passed on from generation to generation.
I am proud to support volunteering in Australia on both a personal level and as a representative of the Albanese Government.
Volunteering builds communities. And if you think about connections in the community, those are often built by lending a hand and helping others out.
But COVID interrupted that connection, and we have not seen volunteer numbers return to what they were pre-pandemic.
Many dedicated volunteers have returned, but we are yet to see young people volunteering at that pre-pandemic rate. That’s a real challenge that we need to address.
We had 1.86 million fewer formal volunteers at the start of 2022 compared to pre-pandemic. And while the demand for the help and support volunteers provide remains high, for some volunteering organisations there are not enough new volunteers to fill the gap. 83 per cent of volunteer involving organisations say they are in need of more volunteers.
Decreased volunteering creates significant challenges for volunteer organisations and Australia’s communities. We know that with fewer volunteers, it means that organisations are limited in delivering the amount of work in community than they would like to. Or, existing volunteers are expected to take on more.
There is a clear need for more volunteers across Australia right now.
Our National Strategy gives us the framework to boost volunteering supports nationwide. Of course, this is just one part of our investments.
We are working towards increasing the numbers of young people getting into volunteer roles. Because we know that young Australians have plenty to benefit from when volunteering, and we want young people to be supported to volunteer to the pre-pandemic participation levels.
Though we saw a small uptick in participation in 2023, only 29.7 per cent of young people were participating in formal volunteering, which was still far shy of pre-pandemic levels of 36.5 per cent.
There are many reasons for this drop, including the extra challenges faced by many Australians due to the impacts of the pandemic, and the day to day pressures of balancing school and work.
But recent research has shown that for young people between 15 and 18 years old, a big barrier is as simple as a low awareness about the need for young volunteers, the flexibility and variety of volunteering opportunities available to them, and the personal benefits that volunteering can bring.
Many young people that took part in the research looked on volunteering positively but didn’t think it was something for them.
They were uncertain about what a volunteer actually does, and saw it more as an activity for older people, something that would be onerous and difficult to fit into their lives.
While volunteering offers opportunities to people of all ages, as our National Strategy for Volunteering makes clear, young people are the future of volunteering in Australia.
Which makes it vital for us to reach out to show them what volunteering can be and what it can bring into their lives, and how easy it can be to make it a part of their day-to-day.
We know young people who engage in volunteering prior to entering the workforce are more likely to have a lifelong connection to volunteering.
This is why today we are launching the Hanging out to help out volunteering awareness campaign.
The campaign shows young people that volunteering is something enjoyable and rewarding, an opportunity to give back and do good while hanging out with friends.
It will be a chance to demonstrate to young Australians all the personal benefits volunteering can bring, like gaining lifelong skills, meeting new people, connecting with like-minded young people, and boosting their mental and emotional wellbeing.
While I was in high school, I worked in a variety of volunteering roles, including as a surf lifesaver at Seacliff, and I believe that experience when I was younger has helped shape who I am today.
Yes, sometimes patrolling for five hours along the beach felt like a drag and sometimes the water was freezing, but the friends, experiences and skills I gained throughout my volunteering are invaluable.
I know many of you will share this sentiment and know the great benefits volunteering can bring to you as a volunteer as well as to those you help.
The Hanging out to help out campaign will shine a light on the diversity of volunteering opportunities available to young people to suit all different types of interests, circumstances, and time availability.
The campaign will meet young people across Australia where they are, with a focus on digital communications across social media, including Instagram and TikTok, YouTube, streaming services and podcasts.
This will ensure that young Australians, regardless of their background, know what volunteering opportunities are available to them and how they can access them.
It’s as simple as going to volunteering.gov.au to find opportunities nearby, or talking to people around your community who run local volunteering organisations.
Because we know many young people are looking for opportunities to take a gap year before embarking on further education or entering the workforce following their completion of high school, we are also partnering with Year 13, a website for students looking for information about post-school pathway options.
The partnership will be running through to June 2025 and is expected to reach more than a million 15- to 18-year-olds across Australia and open the door for them to a whole new world of volunteering.
Showing them they can contribute their time and skills in a way that suits them and do meaningful work while enjoying themselves and spending time with their friends.
This new awareness campaign is one part of the Government’s broader suite of support for volunteering in Australia.
The campaign directly supports the objectives of the National Strategy for Volunteering to reshape the public perception of volunteering and recognise the inherent value of volunteering.
The National Strategy for Volunteering, funded by the Government and developed by Volunteering Australia, sets out a 10-year blueprint for a brighter future for volunteering, where more people volunteer more often, in a safe, supported and inclusive volunteering environment.
We are proud to have worked with Volunteering Australia to develop the National Strategy, which is being backed in by our investments in volunteering.
These are not just words on a page for us. The Albanese Government is investing in a strong volunteer sector and encouraging more Australians to enrich their lives through volunteering.
In August, I was pleased to join with Volunteering Australia at the Hectorville Community Centre to launch the first Action Plan under the Strategy, outlining how governments and volunteer organisations will work to achieve the goals of the Strategy.
We’ve invested over $83 million committed between July 2022 and June 2026 for our Volunteering and Community Connectedness programs.
Australia’s volunteers are at the heart of our communities and are vital to a vibrant, inclusive Australia.
I thank Volunteering Australia, Volunteering SA & NT, and Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club for all the hard work you and your members do to give back to keep volunteering strong.
With the introduction of the Hanging out to help out campaign I hope many young Australians will be inspired to make their own contributions and discover all the wonderful things that volunteering can bring into their lives.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 15th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinace at the Khalsa Diwan Hong Kong (Sikh Temple) in Wan Chai today (October 20):
Ms Linda Lam (Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)), Mr Akil Khan (President, Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities), Mr Bhagt Singh (President, Sikh Temple), Dr Rizwan Ullah (EOC member), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be joining you today for the opening of the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair co-organised by the EOC and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities (Federation).
Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city with rich tapestry of people connections, vibrant economic activities and a flourishing multi-cultural scene, thanks in no small part to the some 300 000 ethnic minority residents who settled here for generations. It is evident from the latest Census figures (of 2021) that this treasured community continues to play an integral part in strengthening Hong Kong’s workforce and driving our productivity: their labour force participation rate is at 65.5 per cent, which is higher than the 57.7 per cent of the whole population.
Today’s recruitment fair is among the EOC’s celebration events for the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance, a crucial piece of legislation driving Hong Kong’s promotion of racial equality. Following the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day in April this year, I am excited to be here today to witness another milestone. This fair is also held in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. I trust that you have been enjoying the wide arrays of celebrating events and special offers over the past few weeks. With the new card-type Mainland travel permits for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents, it has never been easier for many of you to visit the Mainland for business or pleasure, to see for yourself the spectacular transformation in the Mainland today.
Since its inauguration in 2018, the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities has been uniting and leveraging the support from various ethnic minority communities for greater and wider contributions to the betterment of Hong Kong. We thank the Federation’s support all along in realising our common vision for a harmonious and inclusive society.
The current-term Government places importance on enhancing support and services for ethnic minorities. As just announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government will engage one more “Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities” to provide interpretation and translation services for ethnic minorities next year, so as to reduce language barrier concerns. In terms of education, more resources will also be invested in boosting support for learning Chinese and parental assistance for our non-Chinese speaking students.
Of course, the Government’s support for ethnic minorities does not stop there. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, over 50 civil service grades in the Government have adjusted their Chinese-language proficiency requirements to increase government job opportunities for ethnic minorities. Departments, including the disciplinary forces, are also encouraged to design their own job-oriented language tests suitable for individual grades to provide ethnic minority applicants with an additional avenue for meeting the thresholds. Since 2019, we have been organising an internship programme for non-ethnic Chinese university students and 180 students have since taken part.
In addition, the Racial Diversity Employment Programme launched by the Labour Department has been regularised in 2023 to step up employment support for ethnic minorities. To date, the Programme has provided employment support services to over 400 ethnic minority job-seekers.
Today’s recruitment fair features prominent private enterprises in addition to a number of government departments, offering over 500 employment opportunities, including a wide range of skilled and professional positions, as well as on-the-spot career and employment counselling services. These job opportunities span across eleven signatories of the EOC’s Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers from different industries, including aviation, hospitality, education, transportation, and five government departments including our disciplinary forces.
In closing, my great thanks go to the EOC and the Federation for organising this meaningful recruitment fair, the Sikh Temple for the support rendered, and the representatives from different sectors who are here with us today, for your wholehearted efforts in creating opportunities for our ethnic minority community. I wish this recruitment fair great success and all of you an enjoyable weekend. Thank you very much.
Three people were killed and eight others injured on Saturday during a trail ride shooting in Holmes County, the southern U.S. state of Mississippi, authorities said.
The incident occurred when at least two people opened fire into a crowd of 200 to 300 people celebrating Holmes County Consolidated School’s homecoming football win at an outdoor event several hours after the game ended.
Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said the shooting followed an argument among several young men.
The sheriff said police officers are searching for the suspects in connection to the shooting and an investigation is underway.