Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (January 12). They are, on Hong Kong Island, the Society for Truth and Light; in Kowloon, Hans Andersen Club Limited; and in the New Territories, North District Hospital Charitable Foundation, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on January 12 is as follows:
 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678. Information on flag days is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew/) and the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search/). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap/). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

    The Education Bureau (EDB) today (January 11) announced a collaboration arrangement with the Hospital Authority (HA) to provide hearing aids and fitting services for children and students with hearing impairment (HI).
 
    A spokesman for the EDB said that the Bureau attached great importance to the provision of hearing aids and related audiological services to children and students with HI. Since there were no service providers that fulfilled the tender requirements this school year, the Bureau has taken contingency measures aimed at resuming the provision of hearing aids and related services for those children and students through various channels as soon as possible.
 
    The spokesman said, "We are grateful to the HA for their assistance. A consensus has been reached between the two parties. Starting from next week, the audiologists of the EDB will use the audiology centre of the HA to provide hearing aid fitting and related services for children and students newly diagnosed with HI."
 
    "In addition, since last week, the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf has been offering hearing aid fitting services to children and students whose hearing aids are provided by the EDB."
 
    The number of new cases involved is around 40. Around 1 100 children and students who have been offered hearing aids and related services before the 2018/19 school year will continue to receive follow-up services from the original service provider according to the terms of the contract; hence they will not be affected.
 
    The EDB will continue to explore feasible long-term options in order to improve the related services for children and students with HI.
 

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Eastern District this afternoon (January 11), where he called at a primary school, visited some hawker stalls and met with members of the Eastern District Council (EDC) to learn more about the district's latest developments and needs.  
       
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the EDC, Mr Wong Kin-pan, and the District Officer (Eastern), Mr Simon Chan, Mr Chan first visited Aldrich Bay Government Primary School. Mr Chan chatted with students and parents and observed school projects related to music, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and environmental protection.
      
     He then visited the Hong Kong Vegetable Food and Grocery Hawkers Welfare and Fraternity Association Limited and met with hawker representatives to learn more about the hawkers' business environment. He also walked along Kam Wa Street, visited hawker stalls and listened to the views of business operators and other members of the community on the 2019-20 Budget.
       
     Before concluding the visit, Mr Chan met with members of the EDC to exchange views on various livelihood and development issues in the district.
    

          

     A man who went missing in Hung Hom has been located.

     Shahdadpuri Vashi Sobhraj, aged 77, went missing after he left an elderly home on Ma Tau Wai Road on January 7 afternoon. Staff of the elderly home made a report to Police on the same day.

     The man was located in Castle Peak this morning (January 11). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
     

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met members of the University Grants Committee (UGC) at Government House today (January 11) to exchange views on issues including the UGC's efforts in nurturing talents and promoting research work in the funded universities so as to maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness and address the city's strategic needs. 

     She expressed her gratitude to some 20 local and non-local experts on the UGC under the leadership of the Chairman, Mr Carlson Tong, for their valuable advice to the Government on allocation of funding to the funded universities and the strategic development of higher education in Hong Kong. Recognising their solid foundation in academia and innovation and technology (I&T), Mrs Lam said she was confident that the UGC-funded universities would play a key role in contributing to the development of Hong Kong as a global I&T hub. 

     Mrs Lam reiterated that the Government's expenditure on education would be the most meaningful investment for Hong Kong's future and stressed the Government's commitment to supporting I&T development. She announced in the 2018 Policy Address the decision to accept in full the recommendations made by the Task Force on Review of Research Policy and Funding led by Professor Tsui Lap-chee under the UGC and has specifically pledged funding to implement new initiatives to strengthen the research capacity of Hong Kong, including a $20 billion injection into the Research Endowment Fund and the launch of a $3 billion Research Matching Grant Scheme, as well as to support the establishment of three new research fellowship schemes under the Research Grants Council. 

     Mr Tong thanked the Government for its favourable response to the needs of higher education with concrete support and substantial resources for the UGC-funded sector in the past year. The UGC will continue to work closely with the Government, universities and stakeholders to strengthen Hong Kong's position as a leading regional education hub, he said.