The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, will leave for Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours tomorrow (February 12) to attend the 4th European Financial Forum (EFF) to promote Hong Kong's strengths as an international financial centre and forge closer financial collaboration with Ireland.
 
      To be held on February 13, the theme of this year's EFF is "Policies and Business Models for a Changing Financial Landscape". Mr Lau will attend the opening session and deliver a closing keynote speech on Hong Kong's strengths as well as how it can help global enterprises capture opportunities in Hong Kong and the Mainland of China amid the changing financial landscape.
 
      During his stay in Dublin, Mr Lau will meet with senior government officials of Ireland and key personnel of the Irish Central Bank and Stock Exchange to share views on efforts to create an enabling environment for financial developments.
 
     Mr Lau will also visit global aircraft leasing companies headquartered in Dublin and meet with leading figures in the sector to exchange views on the latest developments in the aircraft leasing market.
 
     In addition he will meet with representatives of the local financial technology (Fintech) industry to foster Fintech collaboration with Ireland.
 
     Mr Lau will return to Hong Kong in the morning of Friday (February 15). During his absence, the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, will act as Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury.

The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:

     February will be an exhilarating month for major sports events. The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to the following major sports events that will be held in February: the Longines Masters of Hong Kong 2019 (February 15 to 17) and the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2019 (February 17).

     The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Karl Kwok, said today (February 11) that these events, like all "M" Mark events, will add colour and vibrancy to Hong Kong and help attract more visitors.

     "'M' Mark events showcase Hong Kong's capability to host world-class events and reinforce its position as the events capital of Asia," Mr Kwok said.

     "'M' Mark events also help generate economic benefits for Hong Kong by attracting tourists. They also instil a sustainable sporting culture in the community, and help foster a sense of pride and social cohesion," he added.

    The "M" Mark System was launched in 2004 to help local national sports associations organise more major 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 of the event organisers.

     The number of recognised "M" Mark events increased from four in 2005 to 12 in 2018. So far, around $127.3 million has been approved to support recognised "M" Mark events.

     For details of other "M" Mark events, please visit www.mevents.org.hk. The "M" Mark applications for smartphone users are available for downloading from iTunes as well as Google Play.

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 today (February 11) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

     The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) is inviting applications under the Equal Opportunities (Sexual Orientation) Funding Scheme 2019-20 from today (February 11).
 
     "The Government is committed to fostering the culture and values of inclusiveness, mutual respect and non-discrimination, and promoting equal opportunities for people of different sexual orientations and transgender persons. The funding scheme provides funding support to worthwhile community projects which aim at promoting equal opportunities on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, or seek to provide support services for sexual minorities," a spokesman for the CMAB said.
 
     Information on making applications is available at the CMAB website (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/equalsdofs_sex.htm). The deadline for applications is March 29, 2019.
 
     A briefing session will be held on February 25 in the Conference Room, 13/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, to brief interested parties on the scope and operation of the funding scheme.
 
     For enquiries, please contact the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Unit of the CMAB at 2810 3205.

      The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) is inviting a new round of applications under the Basic Law Promotion Activity Sponsorship Scheme and Basic Law Promotion Research Sponsorship Scheme (Sponsorship Scheme).

      The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been promoting the Basic Law to members of the public through various channels. The Sponsorship Scheme aims to promote the Basic Law among different sectors of the community and encourage different groups or organisations to conduct research on ways to further enhance the promotion of the Basic Law, with a view to enhancing public understanding of and support for the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law.  

     Application information can be downloaded from the Basic Law website (www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/sponsorship/index.html). The deadline for application is March 31, 2019.

     For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat of the Sponsorship Scheme at 2810 2106.