The Transport Department announced today (May 11) that, upon completion of the system maintenance, the HKeToll website (www.hketoll.gov.hk), mobile app and electronic notification services have resumed normal operation at around 4am.

     The system will process toll transactions recorded during the maintenance period and gradually restore sending electronic notifications to users. Motorists should pay the tolls charged based on their actual time of passing through the tunnel. Users may also log in to their account for transaction details.

     For enquiries, please call the 24-hour service hotline at 3853 7333.

     The Dancing Water Drops Exhibition, the large-scale art installations exhibition in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, will present a 28.8-metre-tall water drop-shaped installation for the first time tomorrow (May 11). It is by far the largest of its kind among similar exhibitions. The exhibition will run until June 13 at Tamar Park and the Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section).

     In her speech at the launching ceremony for the giant water drop-shaped installation today (May 10), the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the installation is by far the largest and tallest of its kind, signifying that the uninterrupted water supply from Dongjiang to Hong Kong over the past 60 years is like a mother's unconditional love and care for her children. She encouraged the public to visit the exhibition with family and friends on Mother's Day and take photos with the giant water drop-shaped installation at the beautiful Victoria Harbourfront, and reinforce their understanding about the importance of Dongjiang water and be grateful for the care rendered by the country. 

     Other officiating guests included the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Acting Director of Water Supplies, Mr Stanley Chan; internationally acclaimed artist Simon Ma; Vice Chairman of the DC Charity Foundation Mr Richard Lo; and the director of the Po Leung Kuk, Ms Fay Cheung.

     The Dancing Water Drops Exhibition was specially created by Simon Ma in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang's water supply to Hong Kong. The display of "never-fall" water drop-shaped installations of various sizes symbolises the vitality that Dongjiang water brings to Hong Kong and social inclusion, as well as the "never-give-up spirit" of Hong Kong people. Please visit event webpage for details of the exhibition.

      

     â€‹The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Family Council, and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) jointly held the "Love Across Generations" Family Fun Day today (May 10) to celebrate International Day of Families and advocate the importance of stable family relationships, passing down good family culture and virtues to younger generations.
      
     Themed "Love Across Generations", the Family Council's publicity campaign this year focuses on "Fostering Stable Family Relationships for Building Good Family Virtues and Cultures". The campaign promotes positive family culture and values in the community and fosters family building, family education and family values. The event featured guests and artists sharing insights on family bonding, interactive games to promote family core values, as well as performances, attracting over 200 citizens.
      
     In his speech, the Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (Home Affairs), Mr Paul Wong, expressed hope that the Family Fun Day would further promote family core values to the public, and encourage participants to value family as well as build and pass down good family culture and virtues. He highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the healthy development of families in Hong Kong. The HYAB and the Family Council launched the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards in late April to promote good family core values to the public. The awards aim to promote the passing down of good family traditions and virtues to the community and the younger generations by recognising families that show mutual respect, care, love and support for one another. He called for the public to actively participate in the event to share family stories, thereby cultivating a caring and positive social atmosphere.
      
     Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of the Family Council, Ms Melissa Pang, said that in tandem with the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards, the Family Council will collaborate with RTHK to produce a radio programme, inviting various guests or experts to share tips on maintaining strong family relationships and practicing positive family values and traditional virtues in daily life. The Family Council will continue its promotional efforts in advocating a culture of loving families.
      
     The United Nations proclaimed May 15 of every year as International Day of Families to promote awareness of issues relating to families in the international community.
      
     Members of the public are welcome to visit the Family Council's homepage, Facebook page or Instagram page for details of the Family Fun Day, the Hong Kong Excellent Family Awards and other promotional initiatives.

      

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the Europe Day Opening Ceremony today (May 10):

Ambassador Harvey Rouse, Head of the EU (European Union) Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Consuls General (of European Union Member States), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear French little friends over there,

     Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to join you at the opening of Europe Day Festival. And actually indeed, thank you very much for the support that I have got from different Consuls General ever since my appointment to the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. I have actually seen quite a number of you over different events in the last five months.
 
     On today's special occasion, I would like to highlight the pivotal role Hong Kong plays as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Hong Kong has deep-rooted cultural origin and bond from the Mainland of China, but we also have for decades cultivated strong cultural ties with foreign countries, including the European Union (EU) and its member states. Through regular exchanges, we have built a solid foundation of mutual understanding and collaboration. I am most delighted to learn from Ambassador Rouse that our local artists, Opera Hong Kong, will be performing "The Story of Carmen", a classic European Opera, at today's Festival. In fact, Carmen, was also performed at our Hong Kong Arts Festival earlier this year and I was one of the audience enjoying it. This is an example of how we can bring talent and tradition from different parts of the world, showcasing our efforts and achievements in promoting cultural exchange and collaboration.

     Hong Kong will continue to leverage our distinct institutional strengths under "one country, two systems" to "bring in" diverse cultures from around the world while enabling Chinese culture to "go global".

     Hong Kong's creative industries are now economic drivers for our economy. The Greater Bay Area Development and the Belt and Road Initiative provide unprecedented opportunities for our creative talents to shine on the global stage. By working closely with EU member states, we aim to unlock even greater potential for cultural exchanges and economic growth. Thank you very much for having our local Hong Kong artist to do the backdrop named after this meaningful event.

     Sports is another area under my portfolio that is full of exciting opportunities. The Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong's largest-ever sports infrastructure, was officially commissioned in March this year. I am sure many of you were among the first to enjoy our signature rugby event, Hong Kong Sevens, at this state-of-the-art stadium in end March. Building on that success, we hosted mega international and local concerts in April, each drawing over 40 000 fans per show. And I believe quite a number of you were there for the Coldplay concert either. We have another series of concerts this weekend as well called Mayday from Taiwan, who is also performing in Hong Kong and they pledged to come back every May to perform here. We will fully utilise the opportunities that this new venue present to Hong Kong and stage more mega sports events and competitions for the enjoyment of all. And of course, larger venue means larger parties. As some of you may know, we will soon welcome international football club teams to play at both the Hong Kong Stadium and the Kai Tak Stadium in end May and late July, featuring Manchester United versus Hong Kong, China Representative Team, Liverpool versus AC Milan from Italy, as well as Arsenal versus Tottenham Hotspur. To sports fans from around the world and particularly the European Union – please stay tuned for more exciting sports events in Hong Kong later this year. Through these sporting events, my bureau will continue our efforts in fostering greater passion for sports.

     On tourism, leveraging the robust foundation built over the years, we aspire to further consolidate Hong Kong's position as a premier world-class tourism destination. With the concerted efforts of the Government and industry players, we witness a strong comeback of our tourism industry after the pandemic. In the first four months of 2025, we welcomed a total of 16 million visitors, representing an increase by 1.2 times as compared to the same period in 2023 when Hong Kong started to resume normal travel. The rebound is particularly strong among visitors from the European Union, which register a surge by 1.4 times compared to 2023. Quoting the Labour Day Golden Week as another example, we recorded a total of around 1.1 million inbound visitors to Hong Kong, among which the number of non-Mainland visitors was around 180 000, representing a year-on-year increase of about 31 per cent. These underscore the resilience of our tourism industry and Hong Kong's enduring appeal as a world-class travel destination. To ensure continued growth, the Government promulgated the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0 last December, setting out our vision and mission over the next five years. With the steadfast support and contribution of our industry partners, I am confident that we will reach new heights on tourism in the years to come.

     Before I close, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the European Union for organising this wonderful event of Europe Day and subsequent events as outlined by Ambassador Rouse just now. I wish it every success and everyone an enjoyable time. Thank you.

     Riding on the success of the 5G Campus Application Competitions held in the past two years, the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) organises the third edition of the Competition this year under the theme "5G x Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) – The Sky is the Limit for Knowledge" to enhance students' understanding of the fifth generation mobile (5G) technology and the UAS, and encourage them to explore the application of 5G technology in the low-altitude economy, with a view to boosting their creativity and tapping their potential in innovative technologies.

     Speaking at the Kick-off Ceremony cum Seminar of the Competition today (May 10), the Director-General of Communications, Mr Chaucer Leung, said, "The 5G Campus Application Competition held last year focused on 5G and artificial intelligence (AI). It was encouraging to see the participating students' innovative thinking and dedication to research and development in terms of 5G and AI applications, scenario design and collaboration, as demonstrated in the final entries. OFCA organises the third Competition this year to encourage participating students to make use of the unique advantages of 5G technology and explore how to collect data through drones for developing various application solutions for the low-altitude economy, so as to stimulate the innovation and technology potentials of the younger generation, expanding their knowledge and transform their creative thinking into practical solutions for the future.

     "In Hong Kong, drone systems have started to be deployed in applications and trials on the low-altitude economy. They generally operate in airspace within an altitude of 1 000 metres and could be used in scenarios such as emergency rescues, logistics, surveys, maintenance, safety inspections and show performances. The low-altitude economy not only activates low-altitude airspace as a new element for economic development, but also drives the development of communications technology, AI, and the digital industry, bringing new experiences of smart living to the public. The current well-developed 5G network of Hong Kong has laid a solid foundation for the development of the low-altitude economy," Mr Leung added.

     This year's Competition is co-organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and will be held in stages, comprising the Kick-off Ceremony cum Seminar, the 5G x UAS Inspiration Training Workshop, the first-round adjudication, the Drone Operation and Mobile App Development Training Workshop, and the final-round adjudication cum award presentation ceremony. Participating teams are required to design an innovative mobile application and/or relevant prototype to demonstrate how the data collected by drones can be used and integrated with 5G technology for applications in the low-altitude economy so as to achieve at least one of the specific objectives of the Competition, such as enriching campus life, improving learning environment, optimising teaching resources or learning experience, improving nearby community environment or facilities, realising smart living development in real-life scenarios, and creating economic or social benefits.

     The Chief Digital Officer of the HKPC, Mr Edmond Lai, also officiated at the event today. Veteran practitioners of the innovative technology and education sectors were invited to share with students and other participants the latest developments of 5G technology and the low-altitude economy. A representative from the HKPC also briefed the audience about the requirements and points to note of the Competition.

     The Competition is supported by the communications sector as well as various educational organisations, including the Communications Association of Hong Kong, the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education, the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education, the Hong Kong Competence Education Foundation, the Association of Hong Kong Chinese Middle Schools, the Hong Kong Computer Society, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers and the Hong Kong STEM Education Alliance.

     The Competition is open to secondary students. The deadline of registration is May 30. Participants should take part as a school team consisting of three to five students and a teacher as team leader. To enrol in and learn more about the Competition, please visit OFCA's website.