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A lawmaker and a patients' rights advocate on Wednesday said the government's plan to bring forward the pre-registration hours for public dental clinics only deals with the symptoms of a queuing problem, and not the cause. Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau told lawmakers on Tuesday that people will be allowed to sign up for next-day emergency treatment from 8pm, instead of from midnight. The move follows criticism from the Audit Commission which found patients queuing for hours overnight to be in with a chance of getting an appointment the following day. On an RTHK radio programme, Tim Pang from the Society for Community Organisation said the real problem is that there aren't enough public dentists. “The queue will just start earlier in the day ... because the root of the problem is the insufficient manpower of the Department of Health, leading to insufficient service availability. Therefore, no matter how the queuing arrangements are changed, the core problem is actually manpower,” he said. Echoing Pang's view, lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan noted on the same programme that there are only about 20,000 appointments available at public clinics each day, just half of the pre-pandemic level. “For every 1,000 citizens, we only have 0.37 dentists... we have a significantly lower number of dentists compared to other cities,” said Chan, who chairs Legco's panel on health services. Meanwhile, a former president of the Hong Kong Dental Association, Nelson Wong, said 108 of 300 Department of Health dentist positions are vacant at the moment.

President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday evening, after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a high altitude lunch at a childhood haunt in the Pyrenees mountains for the Chinese leader. On the next step in his European tour, Xi will hold talks with President Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia, where China has invested heavily to expand its economic footprint. Serbian state broadcaster RTS showed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan descend from their Air China aeroplane to be greeted by Vucic, with a small crowd of welcomers waiting along a red carpet dressed in traditional clothing and holding flags and flowers. "China and Serbia enjoy profound traditional friendship. Our bilateral relationship has stood the test of changing international environment and become a fine example of state-to-state relations," Xi said in a written statement issued by Xinhua news agency upon his arrival. Xi said he looks forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to have in-depth exchange of views with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on bilateral relationship and other issues of mutual interest. "I am confident that this visit will be a fruitful one and will open up a new chapter in China-Serbia relations," he said. In France, Macron pressed a message to Beijing not to support Russia's war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade. But the other two countries chosen by Xi for his first trip to Europe since 2019 – Hungary is his final stop after Serbia – are seen as among the most sympathetic to Moscow in Europe. The first day of Xi's state visit to France saw respectful but sometimes robust exchanges between the two presidents during a succession of talks on Monday. Macron, joined initially by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urged Xi not to allow the export of any technology that could be used by Russia in its war with Ukraine and asked Beijing to do all it could to end the conflict. Xi, for his part, warned the West not to "smear" China over the conflict and also hit back at accusations that Chinese overcapacity was causing global trade imbalances. China has poured billions into Serbia and neighbouring Balkan countries, and last year Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement. Serbian finance minister Sinisa Mali told the RTS broadcaster that talks on Wednesday would centre on "a great project." (Xinhua/AFP)

A drone show will be held on Saturday to mark the Cheung Chau Bun Festival as well as Buddha’s Birthday, according to the Tourism Board. The board said 1,000 drones will form patterns that resemble the iconic bun tower, Chinese flower plaques as well as other festive symbols. The show will start at 8pm at the Wan Chai harbourfront and will last for around 10 minutes. The Tourism Board added that there will be free ice creams from 6pm to 8pm that night near Wan Chai Ferry Pier.

Vladimir Putin began his fifth term on Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office. Already in office for nearly a quarter-century, and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he will be constitutionally eligible to run again. At the ceremony inside the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin placed his hand on the Russian Constitution and vowed to defend it as a crowd of hand-picked dignitaries looked on. At 71, Putin dominates the domestic political landscape. On the international stage, he is locked in a confrontation with Western countries he accuses of using Ukraine as a vehicle to try to defeat and dismember Russia. Putin in March won a landslide victory in a tightly controlled election from which two anti-war candidates were barred on technical grounds. His best known opponent, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony a month earlier, and other leading critics are in jail or have been forced to flee abroad. Putin first became Russian leader in late 1999, when he succeeded Boris Yeltsin as president. (Agencies)

As the city held a summit on global talent, the Hong Kong Talent Engage began a two-day career expo on Tuesday, attracting professionals from the mainland and foreign countries. A job seeker from Brazil said he had worked in two mainland cities, Shanghai and Hangzhou, for five years and had just come to Hong Kong through the Top Talent Pass Scheme. He said the talent scheme makes it easier for people like him to work in the SAR. "With this visa, I have this opportunity to come, and there's no limitations on what kinds of companies I can work for... This city is very business friendly. People have an entrepreneurial mind," he told RTHK. The Top Talent Pass Scheme is one of several talent-admission schemes introduced by the SAR government, and even people who have not secured a job offer in Hong Kong can apply for it. Another job seeker from Sichuan Province said she wanted to find a job in Hong Kong because of the labour market situation on the mainland. "I could hardly get a [response from mainland companies]. I think I can find more opportunities here. I think I can improve my skills and have a better lifestyle here," she said. A recruitment agency said support for workers was very important in order to retain them in a long run. "I believe a lot of talent from outside of Hong Kong have got all skill sets that we lack or we're short of," said Eric Ng, chief strategy officer at the agency. "I think all the corporations need to get ready so that they not only can attract them to come, but can retain the talent." The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor David Cardwell, echoed Labour Secretary Chris Sun's views that a focus should be on attracting talent from Southeast Asia. "Some of the best talent, academic talent, are in Southeast Asia. The world just needs to adapt to that, to celebrate those talents, but Southeast Asia needs to make it easy for the world to do that as well," he said. The CareerConnect Expo runs from Tuesday to Wednesday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Tuesday said the government's efforts to attract talent to the city will focus on professionals from Southeast Asia and Europe. Sun’s remark came after the government approved 180,000 talent importation scheme applications, with 120,000 people having already arrived in the SAR. Speaking to reporters at the Global Talent Summit, Sun said most of the applicants were from the mainland. But the labour minister said the government is committed to welcoming talent from all over the world, with a focus on Southeast Asia and Europe. "We are very sure once we have let them know all the growth prospects, all the very exciting opportunities here in Hong Kong, a lot of the talents in Southeast Asia as well as in Europe, they will be thinking about Hong Kong and they will really give Hong Kong a good shot," he said. Sun said the government expects around 7,000 people to attend the two-day summit at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping on Tuesday said the central government fully supports Hong Kong in attracting international entrepreneurs and talent to develop their ambitions in the SAR, as well as the integration of the Greater Bay Area into global innovation networks. Speaking at the Global Talent Summit in Wan Chai, Wang said the nation has the largest talent resources pool in the world, with over 80 million technical professionals and over 200 million skilled workers. The number of people who have received higher education exceeds 240 million, while China is ranked first in the world for the number of research and development personnel and patent applications, the minister added. Wang said these things provide a solid foundation for the nation to support Hong Kong in building a “new highland” of international talent. “The central government attaches great importance to Hong Kong's role in building human resources, and fully supports Hong Kong in conducting wider and closer exchanges and cooperation with other parts of the world to attract aspiring entrepreneurs to Hong Kong to develop their ambitions”, said Wang. “We support building a high-level talent base in the Greater Bay Area, attracting global high-level innovation talent, businesses, as well as research institutions to the Greater Bay Area, as well as promoting the region to be integrated into the global innovation networks,” she added. Pointing to China’s transition towards high-quality development, the minister also said the nation will concentrate on industrial modernisation and cultivate more high-quality, innovative professionals to develop “new quality productive forces”. The nation will also push forward creating mechanisms and platforms to introduce global talent into the Greater Bay Area, which will provide new impetus for Hong Kong’s prosperity and integration into national development, she said.

Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that Hong Kong is the place to be for global talent, in part because the SAR has long been one of Asia's most liveable cities. Speaking at a government-organised summit on talent, the CE said Hong Kong is the only city where "the global and China advantages" come together. He added that other institutional strengths include prime business prospects because of the One Country, Two Systems principle, a low tax system as well as the free flow of information, capital, goods and people. Lee said language is never a problem because English and Chinese are both official languages in the SAR, and Hong Kong will get even more multilingual as it thrives as a cultural hub where East meets West. He noted that 40 percent of the territory is earmarked as country parks with a UNESCO geopark, endless hiking trails and stunning beaches. "In Hong Kong, you don't just get world-class work opportunities, you get a satisfying life, too," Lee said in an opening speech at the summit. "Yes, choosing to relocate to Hong Kong on your own or with your loved ones is a big decision. But I'm here to tell you, that this is the place where you can work hard, play hard and enjoy hard." Lee said the central government's recent move to relax visa rules for Shanghai and Beijing businesspeople to come to Hong Kong will promote professional exchanges and reinforce the SAR's role as the country's international talent hub. The CE also thanked senior officials from Beijing, particularly Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping, as well as those from Guangdong and Macau, for attending the summit and sharing their ideas.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday thanked President Xi Jinping for backing his idea of a truce in all conflicts including Ukraine during the Paris Olympics this summer. "I thank you for showing your desire during our talks to ask all parties to have an Olympic truce," Macron said at a joint press conference, adding that such a truce for "all theatres" of war could help achieve lasting peace in the conflicts. On Ukraine, President Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference on the crisis at an appropriate time. He said the conference should be recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans. President Xi Jinping also said he would welcome President Macron to visit China again. President Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday for a two-day visit. At a meeting with Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Xinhua news agency reported that Xi said the two countries should always define China-Europe relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership, and remove various distractions. Macron is set take Xi to the Pyrenees on Tuesday, a mountainous region dear to the French president as the birthplace of his maternal grandmother. Xi will then leave France for Serbia before completing his European tour in Hungary. (Xinhua and AFP)

President Xi Jinping on Monday attended a China-France-EU trilateral meeting with French leader Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Xi said China regarded Europe as an important partner in helping it achieve its modernisation goals and said the two sides should stay committed to their partnership. The president added China regarded Europe as a priority of its foreign policy, and sees China-EU relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Xi's French counterpart, Macron, said the international situation made EU-China dialogue more essential than ever, adding it was important to ensure a level playing field between the two sides. Trade, Sino-European relations, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East dominated talks between the three leaders. Macron said coordination with Beijing on "major crises" including Ukraine was "absolutely decisive". Xi said China had been working "vigorously" to facilitate talks for peace in Ukraine while adding that Beijing was ready to work with the EU to support a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. On trade, Macron urged "fair rules for all" while the EU's von der Leyen said relations between Brussels and Beijing were challenged over issues linked to market access. Xi said whether viewed from the perspective of comparative advantage or global market demand, there was no such thing as "China's overcapacity problem". (Xinhua/Reuters) _____________________________ Last updated: 2024-05-06 HKT 21:56

A Tamar Park exhibition featuring hundreds of luminous ovoids will be extended by six days until June 8, officials said on Monday. Apo Wu, who heads the Art Promotion Office, said some 900,000 people have already been to see the "teamLab: Continuous" exhibition since it opened as part of "Art@Harbour 2024" on March 25. "It surpassed our expectation. We do hope that more people can visit the exhibition and take advantage of the opportunity, which is why we extended the period by almost a week. We hope to see more visitors in the remaining time," she said. Wu said the free exhibition has been a hit with mainland tourists. "There are a lot of similar exhibitions in the mainland, but they require an admission fee. So I think this exhibition has an attractiveness to people from the mainland. The weather during the Labour Day Golden Week was really bad with heavy rain, but we still saw some people go during light rainy periods," she said. "It is an outdoor exhibition after all so the weather does affect the viewing experience. So we hope for the remaining viewing period, the weather will be nice, so that more people, despite the ending of the holiday period, can come back to Hong Kong to experience [the exhibition]." Wu added that a requirement for visitors to make bookings for part of the exhibition area will be scrapped from May 8.

The heads of government departments responsible for data leaks should be held accountable and punished for the blunders, DAB lawmaker Elizabeth Quat said on Monday. On Friday, the Companies Registry said data on some 110,000 people had been exposed due to a fault in its digital platform, just a day after the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said a password problem put data on 17,000 public housing tenants at risk. Quat, who chairs Legco's Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting, said personal data leaks by government departments and public bodies are completely unacceptable. She added that the heads of departments should bear responsibility for safeguarding sensitive data, rather than relying on the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which serves as the government's main IT support office. "The head of the department should be responsible for all the cyber security issues of their own department, computer system and networking. We suggest the government to make sure that all the government heads, department heads and also the IT project heads are responsible for all the cyber security issues," she said. Francis Fong, honorary president of the Information Technology Federation, said he was surprised by the apparent failure of the Companies Registry to conduct a security check on a new system prior to its launch. "It is actually a design fault on a new system implemented. So I was surprised why they had not done any security check before the system was implemented and launched," Fong said. "Similar mistakes have happened again and again in different IT departments. So if all these IT departments can get guidelines from the OGCIO, I hope we can solve this problem once and for all." Fong also called on government departments to enhance collaboration in safeguarding data security.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Monday said its Exchange Fund posted an investment gain of HK$54.3 billion in the first quarter of this year, despite the underwhelming performance of local stock markets. It was the second consecutive quarter of gains for the fund, whose primary role is to back the Hong Kong dollar. During a panel meeting in the Legislative Council, the HKMA revealed that the fund lost HK$2.3 billion in local equities in the first quarter and lost HK$4.8 billion on its foreign exchange assets. However, these were offset by gains of HK$25.1 billion from bond investments and HK$36.3 billion from other stocks. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue said the future performance of the fund remains uncertain. “The uncertainty about the US interest rate path, which will depend on the path of inflation in the US... we will still need to see the incoming economic data and see where the inflation path in the US will go, and see whether they will, as the market is expecting now, defer the rate cut decision and also the pace may be a little slower than expected before,” he explained. Yue also said tensions in the Middle East and the pace of economic recovery in mainland China contribute additional uncertainty to the performance of the Exchange Fund.

The Hospital Authority has announced plans to shorten the duration of its nursing programme starting from the new academic year in September, allowing students to complete the entire course in 3.5 years instead of the current four years. The HA launched the Professional Diploma in Nursing three years ago, offering classes in its three nursing schools at Caritas Medical Centre, Tuen Mun and Queen Elizabeth hospitals. Upon graduation, students can choose to become registered general nurses and pursue a bachelor’s degree in other institutions. Bonnie Au, principal at Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s nursing school, explained the decision to shorten the duration of the programme was made “in view of the arrangement of placement and learning for the students”. “Actually there is no change in the contents we teach to the students, like the theories and the skills, there is no change, just the period has been shortened,” she said. She said students will still be entitled to at least 1,400 hours of internship in public hospitals and their learning outcome won't be affected. From their very first placement, students will assist registered nurses to carry out various tasks, including measuring blood pressure, feeding dependent patients and distributing medications, Au said. When asked about the high attrition rate among nurses in recent years, with over 1,800 full-time nurses at public hospitals having left their positions last year, Au stressed the three nursing schools had already reached their maximum capacity with 300 places offered each year. She said a lot would need to be considered if authorities wanted to increase quotas at the schools, including finding extra teaching space and staff, as well as liaising with the Nursing Council of Hong Kong. The tuition fee for the 3.5-year programme is HK$132,700. Applications close on July 19.

The Transport Department said early on Monday that Clear Water Bay Road was back to normal, after being disrupted by a landslide. A slope measuring 30 metres long and 40 metres deep collapsed, and part of the pavement also caved in. The slip forced officials to implement an arrangement in which two-way traffic shared the same lane near Wing Lung Road in Hang Hau. Transport minister Lam Sai-hung said earlier that Clear Water Bay Road should be open again by rush hour on Monday morning, after workers carried out remedial work. Lam said workers were spraying concrete onto the slope, and more work would be carried out later to further consolidate the structure. "When we open the road, we have to ensure it's safe after the temporary consolidation work. If we can't do that, we won't open the road," Lam told reporters. "At the same time, we'll have measures in place. Our contractor and the Highways Department will keep monitoring the situation here. We'll also liaise with the observatory to see if the weather will worsen, and we've installed some sump pumps in case there's heavy rain." Authorities received 14 other landslide reports on Saturday, when the amber and red rainstorm warning signals were in effect for most of the day. _____________________________ Last updated: 2024-05-06 HKT 01:49

A climbing carnival took place at Cheung Chau on Sunday, ahead of the island's traditional bun-scrambling competition on Buddha's Birthday. The 14-metre-high bun tower frame is already in place for the competition on May 15, and carnival-goers were given the chance to see whether they could climb it. Ms Chung said her son had managed the feat. "We've tried bun scrambling over the years. When my son was young, he couldn't reach the top. Last time we came, he was able to get there at a slow pace with the help of his dad. But this time, he was able to do it all by himself very quickly," she said. "I was so happy to see him achieve that because yesterday it was raining really hard so I thought there wouldn't be a chance. Luckily the weather is beautiful. It's a lot of fun." Ms Chung's 13-year-old son has now climbed the tower at least four times. He gave his advice on the best way to approach the climb. "There isn't a specific technique to climbing. You just have to grasp the bamboo tightly and watch your footing. I love experiencing Hong Kong culture. I want to preserve and pass on Hong Kong culture like bun scrambling so more people know about it," he said. "I personally love eating lucky buns and watching bun scrambling on television, so I really wanted to see if it is actually that exhilarating in person, and see if it's really that easy or difficult." Another visitor, Ms Lok, said she brought her friends from overseas to the carnival, so they could experience a bit of Hong Kong culture. "We were shaking while climbing because the gaps are so small, but we had a lot of fun. Huge respect to those who can climb up so quickly. I think this is a great tradition to preserve, and I love the meaning behind it," she said. "We can pass peace to anyone, even if you aren't Chinese. My friends wanted to experience something quite traditional and this definitely checks the box." Meanwhile, workers have been working hard to reconstruct the three traditional giant bun towers for display ahead of next week's festivities, after Saturday's heavy winds caused the bamboo scaffolding to collapse. Yung Chi-ming, chairman of the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee, said it would take one to two days to complete, but progress was going well. "We have never experienced the collapse of the bun tower scaffolding before. It was because the heavy winds hit it down. It is quite a rare incident. The latest situation is quite ideal. We thought it would take three to four days, but they've sent more people to help so the speed has increased significantly," he said. "I arrived at eight in the morning and everything has already been dismantled, and ready for reconstruction. I think everything can be restored in one to two days. I believe it will be reinforced this time around." Yung also said the incident had incurred a cost, but he had not yet calculated how much money was involved. He added it was most important the Bun Festival runs smoothly next week.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said the total number of mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong should reach the estimated 800,000 mark with the Golden Week holiday wrapping up on Sunday, adding it would boost the economy by over HK$2 billion. Speaking on a radio programme on Sunday, Yeung said approximately 670,000 mainland tourists had already come to the territory in the first four days despite the rainy weather. "The entire Guangdong Province was affected by the unstable weather, and tourists can see that the weather is also not that good in Hong Kong, so they may postpone their trip. However, the overall numbers aren't bad," he said. "I believe that we will reach our estimated number of tourists. If we have around 800,000 mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong, I think we can earn over two billion dollars in consumption. Even though we have only reached about 700,000 people so far, we should still reach over two billion dollars." Responding to the mixed reviews of the Labour Day pyrotechnic display, Yeung said it was no surprise that people had expectations for the fireworks show, but the weather was unpredictable in how it would affect the viewing experience. "Rain is hard to predict, unlike wind which comes when it comes. Even if you see rain clouds, you don't know if it will actually rain. So up until 4pm of that day, we then decided it was appropriate to host the show," he said. "I was watching from the top of a bridge where the wind was hitting so from the start of the fireworks, the smoke did reach me. However, from other viewing angles, people have sent me clear and beautiful photos of the show." He added they would learn from this experience and do better in terms of publicity and expectation management in the future.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak on Saturday said 12 care teams have been deployed to Sai Kung in response to the severe rainfall that hit the area. At one point, the Observatory recorded over 200 millimetres of rain in the district, causing significant flooding on several roads, including Po Lam Road North and Wan Po Road in Tseung Kwan O, as well as Pak Sha Wan Street in Sai Kung. The home affairs minister said some care team members were already on duty in temporary shelters while others were checking the district for floods and reporting to the Sai Kung district officer. She also dismissed claims that some care team members didn't turn up when the rain was at its hardest on Saturday morning. “Care team members are volunteers and they are fully dedicated to their work. However, during periods of heavy rainfall and when there are floods, the responsibility for addressing standing water and flooding falls to the government's professional departments,” she said. “I think the general public don’t expect care teams to deal with the floods without the necessary equipment.” She added that most floods in the district had been dealt with before noon and most roads affected had been reopened by 2 pm. She said the Home Affairs Department had opened nine temporary shelters across Hong Kong for people in need of temporary accommodation.

The Hong Kong Observatory cancelled the amber rainstorm warning signal at 8.45pm on Saturday. It said heavy rain over Hong Kong had started to ease. The Observatory had issued the amber signal to replace the red rainstorm warning just before 4pm. However, the forecaster has also warned that another intense band of thundery showers is edging towards the Pearl River Estuary, and this might still affect Hong Kong. The red signal had been in place since about 9 am and, at around noon, the Observatory warned it might issue its maximum black signal as even heavier rain started to fall across Hong Kong, especially in the east. Meanwhile, the Drainage Services Department said it mobilised about 70 emergency response teams to handle flooding, involving over 160 emergency response teams comprising about 600 people. It said that by 7.30pm, all 16 flooding cases, including 12 in the Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O areas, had been resolved. The Geotechnical Engineering Office said it received 15 reports of landslides in the Sai Kung area. The Fire Services Department said that as of 7pm it had handled 25 reports of people trapped in lifts, and 71 reports from automatic fire alarm systems. It said fourteen people were evacuated. The government said it received 22 reports of fallen trees with no injuries as of 8pm. The Home Affairs Department said it had opened nine temporary shelters located in Southern District on Hong Kong Island, Yau Tsim Mong and Kowloon City in Kowloon, and Tseung Kwan O and Sai Kung in the New Territories. _____________________________ Last updated: 2024-05-05 HKT 00:09

The Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Saturday said the new minimum wage formula will provide support to Hong Kong's 17,000 low income workers, who currently earn an hourly rate of HK$40. The new formula - which bars any reduction - takes effect next year, after being given the go-ahead on Tuesday by the Chief Executive, John Lee, and the Executive Council. Speaking to reporters after appearing on a Commercial Radio programme, Sun said the reform balanced the interests of both labour and employers. "It has taken into account, on the one hand, the need to protect those earning a minimum wage, that their wage is being protected; and also, at the same time, to ensure that the formula is affordable, and also acceptable to the business sector," Sun said. Earlier the labour minister told an RTHK radio programme that the government would enhance safety awareness following the deaths of two sewer maintenance workers, who are believed to have been exposed to toxic gas in a manhole last week in Sha Tin. Sun stated that new guidelines for those working in confined spaces, to be announced this month, will make it mandatory to install CCTV at the entrance and exit of manholes.