â€‹Before the start of "Celebration of National Day – The Next Generation Chorus Performance" yesterday (September 30) evening, the implementing organisation expressed that the signal of the drones were seriously interfered, making the drones unable to position accurately. After investigation, it is believed to be related to meteorological factor; human factor was not involved. All related parties immediately tried their best to recover the situation, in the hope that the drone show could continue. The master of ceremony introduced the programmes and announced the updated situation at 8.38pm, 8.46pm and 9.06pm. As the signal showed no improvement, the drone show had to be cancelled. Contingency plan was adopted and pre-recorded footage was broadcast on television.

     We sincerely apologise for keeping all guests, performing students and groups, and audience both on site and in front of their televisions waiting during the repair attempts. The students displayed professionalism and made great efforts to perform, allowing the audience to feel the vibrant energy and patriotism of the youth.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesman for Pok Oi Hospital (POH) made the following announcement today (September 30) regarding an incident of a healthcare worker being assaulted:
 
     A doctor from the Department of Ophthalmology was assaulted this afternoon during his consultations at specialist out-patient clinic (SOPC). SOPC staff and security staff immediately arrived on the scene to assist, and reported to the Police for assistance. The injured doctor was sent to the Accident and Emergency Department for treatment. The injured doctor, who suffered injuries to his ear, head and neck, was discharged after treatment. The police arrested a male companion at the hospital later, who was suspected to have struck with his fists towards a doctor and involved in the incident of the doctor being assaulted.
 
     The hospital is highly concerned about the incident, expressed sympathy and rendered necessary support to the injured doctor. The hospital resolutely adopts a zero-tolerance attitude to any workplace violence and strongly condemns the violent act. The hospital will follow up seriously and fully co-operate with the Police investigation.
 
     POH has all along attached great concern to work safety for its staff under prevailing guidelines and measures to prevent workplace violence. The hospital appeals to patients and relatives to follow the advice of healthcare workers.
 
     The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     In response to media enquiries on a patient case at Yan Chai Hospital (YCH), a spokesman for the Hospital Authority (HA) gave the following response:
      
     As legal proceedings are ongoing, it is inappropriate for the HA to make further comments. The HA had issued a press release on September 28 to explain its responses and position regarding the case.
      
     The HA understands the feeling of Sum-yuet's relatives and attaches great importance to Sum-yuet's treatment and follow-up arrangements. Over the past few months, the Kowloon West Cluster has assigned designated staff to take care of the needs of relative. The HA will maintain close liaison with relatives, provide appropriate support and update them on the latest development of the case.
      
     Sum-yuet is still hospitalised in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Princess Margaret Hospital. Healthcare staff will closely monitor her clinical condition and provide appropriate treatment.

     In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Electoral Information Centre (EIC) of the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) (address: 7/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon) is holding National Day Open Days for three consecutive days from today (September 30), with a view to sharing the joy of National Day with the public and enhancing public understanding of the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). 
 
     The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, visited the EIC this afternoon and took part in a guided tour arranged for senior primary students. Mr Tsang hosted a question-and-answer session to deepen the students' understanding of both the country and the electoral system of the HKSAR in a light-hearted manner. He then participated in the mock polling session and interactive games with the students, enhancing their recognition of national identity and awareness of civic responsibilities, to deliver the important message of "Love our Country, Love Hong Kong, Love our Community". To embrace the festive ambience of National Day, Mr Tsang also took photos with the students and distributed the election-related souvenirs of the Ballot Box Family in the National Day special edition to them during the event.  
 
     A spokesman for the REO said, "Four interactive games have been set up in the EIC, namely "Say 'No' to Corrupted Flies" on clean elections; "Electors' Intersection" on voter registration; "Constructing an Election" on different stages of an election; and the motion sensing game "One-day Counting Assistant" on the counting process. Visitors can also access election-related information through the interactive information kiosks and electronic panels in the EIC. The REO has also launched the aforesaid National Day-themed special edition of souvenirs and WhatsApp stickers featuring the Ballot Box Family mascots to share the joy of National Day with members of the public."
 
     For details of the aforesaid National Day Open Days, please visit the REO's website www.reo.gov.hk/en/service-desk/ecenter/openday.html or call the hotline at 2891 1001.

                  

     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, visited the waterfront areas of To Kwa Wan, Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai today (September 30) to learn about the progress for improving the quality and odour of Victoria Harbour's coastal waters.

     Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment), Miss Janice Tse, and the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui, Mr Tse visited Cheung Sha Wan waterfront and was briefed by officers of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on the conditions of sewer misconnections and the progress of rectification works. They also visited the odour-monitoring device installed at the waterfront to learn about the collection of odour data in real time and the innovative technologies and equipment in identifying pollution sources.

     Mr Tse was pleased to learn that the odour problem close to the waterfront had substantially improved and the overall pollution load in priority districts including Tsuen Wan, Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City had been reduced by about 80 per cent, exceeding the target set in the 2022 Policy Address of reducing the pollution load at identified outfalls emanating stench in specific districts by half before end-2024.

     Mr Tse then inspected the bioremediation works carried out by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) at To Kwa Wan Typhoon Shelter, which can speed up the removal of organic pollution in the sediment and facilitate the elimination of the sediment's odour, thereby further ameliorating coastal odour problems. Finally, Mr Tse went to the waterfront areas of Wan Chai to learn about the various water quality improvement measures in the area, where triathlon events for the 15th National Games will be hosted in 2025.

     Mr Tse said, "With the progressive implementation of a series of water quality improvement measures by the Government, the water quality and odour problems along the waterfront areas have significantly improved. We will continue to closely monitor the coastal water quality and odour problem, and proactively rectify the remaining sewer misconnection cases to further improve the near-shore residual odour and water quality in the districts and thereby provide a fresh and pleasant environment to promote water-friendly culture and activities along waterfront areas."

     To address the odour problems along the coastal areas of Victoria Harbour, the EPD, in collaboration with other relevant government departments such as the Buildings Department and the Drainage Services Department, will trace major pollution sources in stormwater drainage systems to rectify sewer misconnection cases to intercept pollutants at source from entering the harbour, thereby improving the near-shore environment. In parallel, the CEDD has adopted dredging and bioremediation technologies to remove polluted and exposed sediments to further improve the near-shore water quality and the environment in priority areas.