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     The Information Expo on Multiple Pathways 2025 (Info Expo) organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) will be held today and tomorrow (May 23 and 24) at Hall 1B of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. With the participation of around 30 post-secondary institutions and organisations, the latest information on multiple pathways is provided to senior secondary school students, parents and teachers with a view to better preparing students for further studies and career paths. 

     A spokesman for the EDB said that with the parallel development of the self-financing and publicly funded post-secondary education sectors, the Government has long been committed to providing quality, flexible and diversified study pathways with multiple entry and exit points for secondary school graduates.

     In the 2025/26 academic year, there are about 49 800 full-time locally accredited post-secondary places to be provided by various institutions, comprising about 22 600 undergraduate places and about 27 200 sub-degree places. Some institutions also provide the Diploma of Applied Education (DAE) and other programmes. Hence, there will be sufficient places for eligible students to pursue further studies in Hong Kong.

     The opening ceremony of the Info Expo was officiated by the Chairman of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education (CSPE), Dr Alex Chan, with CSPE members and representatives of self-financing post-secondary institutions and relevant organisations in attendance. 

     The Info Expo provides information on locally accredited post-secondary programmes (including programmes eligible for government subsidy schemes, vocational and professional education and training programmes and applied degree programmes), DAE programmes, as well as relevant online platforms, such as the Information Portal for Accredited Post-secondary Programmes (iPASS), the Electronic Advance Application System for Post-secondary Programmes (E-APP), the Concourse for Self-financing Post-secondary Education (Concourse), and the Qualifications Framework. There are also more than 10 thematic talks on various programmes, preparation and strategies for articulation to post-secondary education, and experience sharing by post-secondary students. 

     Admission is free for the two-day Info Expo, and prior registration is not required. Secondary students, especially current graduates, parents and teachers, are all welcome to participate. There are interactive games at the EDB’s booth in the Info Expo. Participants who have completed designated tasks will receive a gift while stock lasts.

     For details of the Info Expo, please visit the event website (www.cspe.edu.hk/en/Resources-CareerGuidance-MultiplePathwaysExpo.html).     

      

     The Department of Health (DH) today (May 23) announced a series of promotional activities for the Quit in June campaign in response to World No Tobacco Day on May 31 and to encourage smokers to quit smoking in order to reduce their risk of tobacco-related diseases and deaths.

     The World Health Organization designates May 31 as World No Tobacco Day. The theme for this year is “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products”, which reveals the tactics used by the tobacco industries to make their harmful tobacco products more appealing.

     “The DH launched the Quit in June campaign in 2021 to promote smoking cessation services. Starting in 2022, one-week trial packs of smoking cessation drugs (nicotine replacement therapy) have been offered to smokers free of charge to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and increase the success rate of quitting smoking. Last year (2024), the DH distributed over 3 000 trial packs throughout Hong Kong. The trial packs were well received by smokers who wanted to quit smoking. In view of this, the DH will continue to offer the trial packs this year through more than 250 community pharmacies, smoking cessation clinics, District Health Centres and District Health Centre Expresses, as well as DH clinics to help smokers quit,” the Head of the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the DH, Dr Manny Lam, said.

     “Furthermore, the DH introduced a trial programme under the campaign on the use of Chinese medicine (CM) ear points patches for smoking cessation last year, which involves the application of ear points patches on the surface of the smoker’s ear(s) to stimulate relevant ear points. Most of the smokers who have tried the ear points patches considered that they can help alleviate the symptoms of addiction, and the results were satisfactory. In view of this, the DH will continue to distribute the CM ear points patches this year and will expand to more than 50 CM clinics operated by Pok Oi Hospital, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service across the territory, covering more than 200 locations in total,” he added.  

     Starting from May 30, smokers who wish to quit smoking can go to the locations displaying the orange stickers for the CM ear points patches, or the green stickers for the one-week smoking cessation drugs trial pack. After a brief assessment, they can scan the QR code with the “Quit Smoking App” and receive free CM ear points patches or a one-week trial pack of smoking cessation drugs.

     “Apart from the integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline, which was set up by the DH to handle general enquiries and provide professional counselling on smoking cessation, there are also a number of smoking cessation clinics and District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses throughout Hong Kong that provide free smoking cessation services. People who wish to quit smoking can make an appointment at any time. They may also make use of the mail-to-quit service to receive free cessation medications by post and follow-up phone calls, which meet the needs of different people. Moreover, the DH has subvented three more CM smoking cessation service providers (increasing from one to four) this year to operate smoking cessation clinics with an emphasis on counselling and acupuncture. It is expected that the number of service users will double. Quitting smoking at any age brings immediate and long-term health benefits. Smokers who stay tobacco-free for four weeks are five times more likely to quit for good. For the health of yourself and your family, don’t hesitate. Don’t make any more excuses to postpone quitting. Make a resolution to start quitting smoking in June,” Dr Lam added.

     The DH has started broadcasting “We are all in this together. Quit Now” television and radio announcements in the public interest and has stepped up promotion through public transportation networks and social media to encourage smokers to quit and support them during Smoke-Free Month.

     Members of the public can call 1833 183 or visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on quitting and the available supporting tools and services. They can also download the “Quit Smoking App” to keep track of their progress in quitting and obtain tips on dealing with cravings to stay tobacco-free.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
     Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, will lead a Judiciary delegation to visit Xi’an in Shaanxi Province and Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region tomorrow (May 24). The delegation will meet with the Executive Vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court, Mr Deng Xiuming, and Vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court Mr Mao Zhonghua. They will also engage in professional exchanges with other Mainland judges, and visit local courts at various levels. This visit is part of the ongoing exchanges between the Judiciary and the Mainland courts.
 
     Other members of the delegation include Mr Justice Jeremy Poon, Chief Judge of the High Court; Madam Justice Carlye Chu, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; Mr Justice Godfrey Lam, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the High Court; Mr Justice Leung Chun-man, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court; and the Judiciary Administrator, Ms Esther Leung.
 
     The delegation will return to Hong Kong on May 31. During Chief Justice Cheung’s absence from Hong Kong, Mr Justice Roberto Ribeiro, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, will be the Acting Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal. read more

     To tie in with the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2025 theme “More Than Joy”, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will stage the exhibition “Legends of HK Film Comedies, 1980s and 1990s” at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA from May 30 to October 19, showcasing the unique charisma of Hong Kong comedy films through film excerpts, oral history, song classics and posters from comedic films for visitors to savour the joyful moments produced.
 
     Hong Kong comedy films thrived in the 1980s and 1990s, and many of the popular works produced at the time are now regarded as classics. Through different angles in three thematic zones, the exhibition outlines the local comedy film scene in these two decades.
  
     In the exhibition zone “Roomfuls of Laughter”, nearly 100 exhilarating excerpts from classic Hong Kong film comedies will be screened under four themes, namely “Classic Combos”, “The Art of Exaggeration”, “Laughing with the Times” and “The Nonsensical Art of Mo Lei Tau”. Comedies include “Wheels on Meals” (1984), “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World” (1987), “All for the Winner” (1990), and “Forbidden City Cop” (1996), which are selected to depict and deconstruct the design and tactics of the jokes in comedy films.
 
     The other zone in the exhibition, “Oral History: Our Comedy Hour”, will screen two thematic videos of interviews with filmmakers including Wong Jing, Clifton Ko, Tenky Tin, Alfred Cheung and Mak Kai-kwong, along with actors including Teresa Mo and Sandra Ng. The two videos are titled “The Birth of Comedy” and “Behind the Jokes: The Making of a Comedian”. The former unveils the development and creative process of Hong Kong comedy films from aspects such as creative inspiration, story concept and casting, while the latter explores how actors characterise their roles, interact with other actors and provide reflections on their film careers, illustrating the professionalism of Hong Kong comedy film stars.
 
     Decorated as a karaoke lounge, which was popular in the 1980s and 1990s, the exhibition zone “Happy Karaoke Sing-A-Long” features more than 20 theme songs or interludes in film excerpts, including “Ex-love is Like a Dream” from “92 The Legendary la Rose Noire” (1992), “A Love Affair” from “Let’s Make Laugh” (1983) and “We Meet Again Stranger” from “All’s Well End’s Well” (1992). Visitors can enjoy the songs in the videos and revisit the enduring pop culture comedy moments. 
 
     The exhibition features installations for visitors to take pictures for their joyful moments, including a “poster waterfall” comprising numerous posters of classic comedy films, such as “All the Wrong Clues (…For the Right Solution)” (1981), “Aces Go Places” (1982) and “Sixty Million Dollar Man” (1995). There is also a Comedy Wall of Fame displaying actors and filmmakers’ insights into comedy films, as well as a feature wall which integrates multiple classic comedy scenes and iconic landmarks of Hong Kong, such as the Bank of China Tower, the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
 
     Two seminars will be held during the exhibition period. The first seminar will be held at the HKFA Cinema on June 22 (Sunday), featuring director Clifton Ko and actress Teresa Mo, and hosted by veteran film critic Thomas Shin. Details of the second seminar will be announced on the HKFA website (www.filmarchive.gov.hk) later.
 
     Admission is free. For details of the exhibition, please visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2025/comedy-e/pe-event-2025-comedy-e.html or call 2739 2139. Fortune Star Media Limited is the partner organisation for the exhibition.
 
     This year, the LCSD presents the third Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, themed “More Than Joy”. For more information, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk.

                    

     The Government today (May 23) announced the reappointment of  Mr Philip Chen Nan-lok, Mr Laurence Li Lu-jen, SC, and Dr Lo Wai-kwok as members of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) for a term of three years with eff… read more