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     â€‹The delegation of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Mainland Olympians will give two sports demonstrations in the morning of December 4 (Saturday) and attend the “Mainland Olympians Variety Show” in the afternoon of that day. A Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) spokesperson today (December 1) reminded members of the public who have purchased tickets for the above events to present them and proof of identity for admission to the venues. Details of the events are as follows:

Badminton, fencing, gymnastics and table tennis demonstrations
Time: 9.30am to 11.30am
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Stadium, 18 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai

Diving and swimming demonstrations
Time: 9.30am to 11.30am
Venue: Victoria Park Swimming Pool, 1 Hing Fat Street, Causeway Bay

“Mainland Olympians Variety Show”
Time: 5pm to 6.30pm
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Stadium, 18 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai

     There will be no ticket collection service at the venues on the event day. Ticket holders must collect tickets at URBTIX box offices or at the Cityline ticket dispensing machines before the events. Please visit www.urbtix.hk for details of the box offices as well as the ticket dispensing machines.

     Members of the public should allow adequate time to arrive at the venues. Ticket holders can be seated about an hour before each show starts. All persons should undergo security checks before entering the venues. Each ticket holder must produce proof of identity that contains the same name and a photo for checking, or else the ticket holder will be refused entry, and the tickets will be non-refundable. Ticket holders are prohibited from amending information on the tickets or transferring the tickets to others. Audience members, after entry, are advised to retain their tickets for lucky draws and ticket inspection purposes.

     As it will take time to verify personal particulars under the real-name registration arrangement, as well as to have body temperature checked and scan the “LeaveHomeSafe” QR code, the waiting time for the attendees for entering the relevant venues may be lengthened. To avoid missing any of the events, the LCSD suggests that members of the public should arrive early.

     To ensure public safety and order, audience members should observe the house rules and should not bring prohibited items into the venues, or else they will be denied entry or be removed from the venues. The relevant house rules have been uploaded to the LCSD’s designated website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/tokyo2020/rules.html.

     In the event of inclement weather on the day of the sports demonstrations and the variety show, members of the public should pay attention to the latest announcements. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced toda… read more

     Following is the video speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKTDC SmartBiz Expo and HKTDC Entrepreneur Day 2021 this morning (December 1):
 
Margaret (Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Ms Margaret Fong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning from Hong Kong, good day wherever you may be watching this year’s virtual SmartBiz Expo and Entrepreneur Day by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
 
     “New Normal, New Future” is the smart theme of the twin, three-day fairs. I’m not sure the HKTDC had Plato in mind when it created this year’s theme. But the proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention”, attributed to the Greek philosopher, is certainly a seamless fit. 
 
     After all, a need – necessity – is so often the driving force of inventions, of all manner of advances and innovation. And business today needs all the invention, all the help, it can get to stay competitive and maintain growth.
 
     Technology and its applications – for business, as for society – have soared in the daunting face of the pandemic. Given social distancing and lockdowns, everything from online customer service to working from home and supply-chain reinvention have become necessities.
 
     Teaching, at every level, and international conferences and trade fairs such as SmartBiz Expo and Entrepreneur Day, have turned from in-class and in-venue presentations to embracing video-conferencing software.
 
     Healthcare, too, is responding, with telehealth consultations and large-scale vaccination programmes coming into their own.
 
     The Zoom boom is a clear and compelling example of necessity’s power to fast-track technology.
 
     Zoom activity went from 10 million daily participants in December 2019, the beginning of the pandemic, to about 300 million daily participants just four months later. 
 
     No doubt those numbers, and the possibilities they continue to present, have been the catalyst for a wave of video-conferencing start-ups and related businesses.
 
     This year’s SmartBiz Expo and Entrepreneur Day features opportunity-driven events that are expected to attract more than 20 000 businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs from some 20 countries and regions. They’ll bring you business and market intelligence, innovation and technology (I&T) applications and far-reaching connections – everything you need to stay the course in today’s COVID-challenged economy and flourish in the post-pandemic world.
 
     The Expo also presents the myriad opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, not least from its outsized population and growing consumption power to Hong Kong brands, businesses and start-ups.
 
     And one example of such opportunities lies in fintech, another pandemic-boosted sector of surpassing promise which the Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to promote.
 
     In October, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the People’s Bank of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Greater Bay Area fintech innovation supervisory co-operation. The new co-operation will allow financial institutions, tech companies and innovators from the Mainland and Hong Kong to test cross-border fintech applications via a one-stop sandbox. It will also enable more timely feedback from regulators and users, expediting the launch of fintech products while lowering costs. 
 
     Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport are home to fintech start-ups and enterprises. Beyond financial technology, they also promote artificial intelligence, life and health, smart living, digital entertainment, environmental technology and much more to help build a new normal for a new future.
 
     The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, together with the Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Zone, will emerge as the Shenzhen-Hong Kong I&T Co-operation Zone – the heart of a global I&T hub for the Greater Bay Area.
 
     Then there’s the Northern Metropolis, a promising urban-rural development of some 300 square kilometres following the Hong Kong-Shenzhen boundary, which will be home to some 2.5 million people and 650 000 jobs, including 150 000 in the I&T sector. This Metropolis will serve as Hong Kong’s smooth connection with Shenzhen and our fluid integration with the Greater Bay Area. Business opportunity doesn’t get much bigger than that.
 
     In short, Hong Kong is working to ensure that you have everything you need to cope with the challenges, and the unequivocal promise, of the new normal, new future. 
 
     My thanks to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for its longstanding dedication to SMEs and start-ups.
 
     I wish you the best of business at the HKTDC’s SmartBiz Expo and Entrepreneur Day and a healthy, and rewarding, new year.
 
     Thank you.  read more

     A spokesman for the Transport Department (TD) today (December 1) said that the Road Traffic (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulation 2021 has come into effect and the TD will roll out the Private Driving Instructor (PDI) identity plate in accordance with the Regulation.

     The spokesman said that the introduction of the PDI identity plate not only helps improve the professional image of the PDI and deter illegal driving training, but also safeguard the interest of both PDIs and learner drivers. From March 4, 2022, all PDIs are required to display the identity plate inside the training vehicle when giving driving instruction. The PDI identity plate will show the PDI’s full name, a recent photograph, the class of motor vehicles in respect of which the PDI is entitled to give driving instruction and the issue date and expiry date.

     The TD will gazette on March 4, 2022, to specify the size, design, form, and position for display of the PDI identity plate. Upon implementation of the legislative requirement, failing to display the PDI identity plate when giving private driving instruction will contravene the Regulation.

     Applications for the PDI identity plate are open today. The TD has issued a letter to all PDIs informing them of the relevant arrangement and appealed for their early application. The issue of the PDI identity plate and plate holder is free of charge.

     For details of the PDI identity plate, please visit the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk) or call 2804 2600 for enquiries. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority closely monitors the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates in public ho… read more