The National Day Fireworks Display will light up the sky over Victoria Harbour at 9pm on October 1 (Tuesday) to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
 
     A total of 31 888 firing shells will be discharged from three barges and six pontoons in an approximately 23-minute extravaganza. The event is co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, and is sponsored by the Hong Kong Chinese Importers & Exporters' Association.
 
     The theme for this year's fireworks display is "Splendid fireworks shining over a prosperous China". The fireworks display will be divided into eight scenes, each with its own characteristics. Highlights include the first scene, "75th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China", which will lift the curtain on the display with images of red five-pointed stars and purple five-petal flowers. The sixth scene, "The Legend of Pandas", mainly featuring the green colour, shows images of pandas' favourite food such as bamboo leaves to express the citywide welcome for their arrival. The seventh scene "Auspicious Treasures" showcases different kinds of ring-shaped fireworks, symbolising the strong bonds and perfect harmony among the various ethnic groups in China. The fireworks display will reach its climax in the last scene, "The Magnificent Scenes of China", with flourishes of "Chinese Red", "Big Whistle" and "Gorgeous Golden Crown" images showering blessings to all, wishing continued prosperity for the nation and peaceful lives for the people.
 
     To offer audiences a new experience, for the first time a drone session will be staged before the National Day Fireworks Display as a prelude.
(Note: The staging of the drone session will depend on factors such as weather conditions that night).
 
     The display can be seen from many vantage points on both sides of the harbour including Tsim Sha Tsui, the Mid-Levels, Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and the Hung Hom Bypass.
 
     To present the fireworks display in a more enjoyable way, viewers are invited to tune into Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 4 (FM 97.6 to 98.9) for synchronised music.
 
     To facilitate police implementation of special crowd management measures in the Tsim Sha Tsui area for the fireworks display, both the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Space Museum will be closed earlier at 6pm on October 1.
 
     Citizens are urged to help keep public areas clean and to show respect for public property. They are also urged to show consideration to others to make the event a safe one.

      

     The Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, led the 16th National Day and Professional Exchange Delegation from the Hong Kong Education Sector to visit Beijing today (September 27) to call on a state leader and officials of the Ministry of Education.
      
     Mr Sze and the delegation were received and welcomed by the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, Mr Peng Qinghua, at the Great Hall of the People. They then met the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, Mr Wang Jiayi. Mr Sze said that it was particularly meaningful to visit Beijing with representatives from the education sector before the National Day and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China together with the people of the capital. He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Department of Education of Liaoning Province and various Mainland units for their full support, facilitating the smooth conduct of the exchange programme.
      
     Mr Sze said that the Education Bureau has been promoting national education through a "multipronged and co-ordinated" approach, encouraging whole school participation within and beyond the classroom. The exchange programme has deepened the education sector's understanding of the history, culture and education development of the motherland, and broadened their professional horizons through on-site studies and professional exchanges, helping them further promote patriotic education, spread patriotic values, and strengthen students' identification with the country and Chinese culture.
      
     This year, the delegation comprised over 130 participants from the education sector, including representatives from tertiary institutions and professional education organisations, as well as principals and vice-principals from primary and secondary schools and kindergartens. The delegation began its visit on September 23. Members toured schools in Shenyang and Beijing to observe lessons and interact with teachers and students. They also visited the "918" Historical Museum, the Museum of the Communist Party of China and the Shijingshan Planning Exhibition Hall to learn about the history, culture and urban planning of the country.

     â€‹Tomorrow morning (September 28), Mr Sze and the delegation will observe the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square. They will conclude their visit and return to Hong Kong in the afternoon.

        

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) confirmed cases in a medical and geriatrics ward, the spokesperson for Shatin Hospital (SH) gave the following update today (September 27):

     Following a contact tracing investigation, two more patients, females aged 94 and 97, were identified as carriers of VRE. The patients are now being treated in isolation and are in stable condition.

     The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health for necessary follow-up.

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, leading a delegation comprising representatives from the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bar Association and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) organisations, continued his visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of his visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries today (September 27).

     Mr Lam and the delegation first met with the Deputy President of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, Datuk Ng Yih Pyng, this morning to have a better understanding of their need for cross-jurisdictional legal services and introduced to them Hong Kong's diversified professional services.

     They then received a lunch briefing from the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Saadiq Malaysia, Mr Bilal Parvaiz, to gain a better understanding of Malaysia's business developments and the demand from its financial sector for legal and dispute resolution services.

     It was followed by a meeting with the Vice-President of the Malaysian Bar, Mr Anand Raj, to learn about Malaysia's latest legal developments, and to explore opportunities on legal co-operation and exchanges between the two places. The delegation also took the opportunity to visit the Malaysian International Mediation Centre launched in January this year under the auspices of the Malaysian Bar Council.

     A meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Datuk Almalena Sharmila Johan, was then held to learn more about its provision of institutional support for domestic and international arbitrator and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. The AIAC is a not-for-profit, non-governmental international arbitral institution formed pursuant to the host country agreement between Malaysia and Asian African Legal Consultative Organization.

     Mr Lam will attend a dinner with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, Mr Zheng Xuefang in the evening.

     Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur yesterday afternoon, Mr Lam and his delegation had a meeting with the Attorney General of Malaysia, Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin bin Mohd Salleh, to exchange views on areas of common interest.

     They went on to meet local legal and business sectors at a seminar titled Hong Kong: The Common Law Gateway for Malaysian Businesses to China and Beyond, followed by an evening networking reception co-organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia. The attendees were briefed on various topics including Hong Kong's unique advantages of enjoying strong support from the motherland while being closely connected to the world under "one country, two systems", and Hong Kong's latest lawtech services for resolving cross-border disputes. The event was attended by about 150 participants from the legal, business and other sectors of Malaysia.

     During the seminar, Mr Lam witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) facilitated by the DoJ, between the South China International Arbitration Center (HK) and the AIAC, and a supplementary MoU between eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre and the AIAC, further enhancing the legal and ADR co-operation between the two places.

     The first-day programme in Malaysia ended with a dinner meeting between Mr Lam and Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Dato' Sri Azalina Othman Said. She also invited the Hong Kong delegation to try out locally produced snacks and fruits.

     Mr Lam will conclude his ASEAN visit and return to Hong Kong tomorrow (September 28).

                    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.