Jointly organised by the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Digital Policy Office (DPO), the Cybersecurity & Diverse Innovation Symposium 2025 was held today (May 16… read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (May 16) is investigating a probable case of botulism involving a patient who received injections of botulinum toxin on the Mainland. The CHP reminded the public that botulinum toxin injections should only be prescribed and performed by registered doctors.
The case involves a female patient aged 51 with underlying illness. According to the patient, she received injections purporting to be botulinum toxin on the Mainland on May 8. However, the patient was unable to confirm the professional qualifications of the person who performed the injections. She presented with symptoms including ptosis, double vision and blurred vision since May 9, and difficulty in swallowing and breathing, slurred speech and limbs weakness since May 13. She attended North Lantau Hospital on May 14 and was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment on May 15. She is currently in stable condition and was clinically suspected to have botulism caused by botulinum toxin injection.
The CHP has reported the case to the relevant authority on the Mainland. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing.
In Hong Kong, botulinum toxin injections should only be performed by a locally registered doctor. Customers should verify the doctor’s full name against the list of registered doctors of the Medical Council of Hong Kong as well as their professional qualifications and relevant experience. When receiving injections outside Hong Kong, pay special attention to ensure the provider is qualified or registered with relevant jurisdictions for practice. In case of injections offered from suspicious sources, refrain from receiving them. If feeling unwell, seek medical advice from eligible medical professionals as soon as possible.
Due to the weakening of the associated muscles and the fact that botulinum toxin may spread and affect other areas beyond the injection site, affected patients may have drooping eyelids, double or blurred vision, problems with chewing, hoarseness, or even difficulties in swallowing, speaking or breathing, which may happen hours, days or weeks after the injection.
The CHP urged the public to observe the following health advice before receiving botulinum toxin injections:
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced today (May 16) that a briefing session on application requirements and a site visit for Hong Kong’s first multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farming project will be conducted on May 27, introducing the details and the application requirements of the project to interested parties. The project will be open for applications from May 30.
An AFCD spokesman said, “The Environment and Ecology Bureau, in collaboration with the agriculture and fisheries industries, published the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2023, outlining the Government’s vision for the sustainable development of the local livestock industry in the future. The Blueprint proposed promoting the adoption of multi-storey, environment-friendly and enclosed livestock farming buildings operated in an intensive and modernised manner. Technology and automated equipment will be introduced to enhance farming efficiency and properly address the environmental issues arising from livestock farming. This initiative can also save land and achieve sustainable operations and development. Promoting the construction of multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly livestock farms is one of the policy initiatives in the 2024 Policy Address.”
The Government has reserved a site of approximately one hectare in Sheung Shui for the development of the project. The site formation works are expected to be completed by 2026. The AFCD invites applications from organisations for the use of the site to construct and operate the first multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farm. Applicants must submit detailed business plans, including plans to consolidate pig farmers affected by government development projects, and details on investment capital and financing arrangements, and pig production operations. The AFCD will select a suitable organisation for leasing the site to construct and operate the multi-storey, modernised, and environment-friendly pig farm based on criteria such as intensification capability, financial feasibility, and technical assessment.
The briefing session can be attended in person or online. For details about the briefing session and project application, please visit the AFCD website. ​ read more
The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) held a launch ceremony for the Port Community System (PCS) project today (May 16) and signed the first Memorandum of Understanding with Guangdong e-Port Management Company Limited, which elevated the co-operation between the ports in the two jurisdictions to a new level. The ceremony also signified the PCS entering into the development phase as witnessed by the Government and the industry together. In light of digital transformation trends in the global maritime industry, the PCS aims to promote digitalisation within Hong Kong’s port community, enhance cross-sector information interconnectivity, and advance smart port development to consolidate and enhance the Hong Kong Port’s competitiveness and Hong Kong’s status as an international maritime centre.
The launch ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan; Legislative Council Member Mr Frankie Yick; the Commissioner for Maritime and Port Development, Miss Amy Chan; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), Mr Simon Wong. This milestone underscores Hong Kong’s commitment to fostering cross-sector collaboration and technological innovation to build a PCS that will comprehensively enhance the competitiveness of the maritime, port, logistics and trade industries.
“The PCS is a critical infrastructure for the future development of Hong Kong’s port and maritime sectors. It marks a significant step in our port community’s digital transformation. Led by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and widely supported by the industry, the PCS digitally connects Hong Kong, the Mainland and the international maritime community. It will also help facilitate trade and capital flows, enhance Hong Kong’s resilience and influence as an international maritime centre to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex international environment, and serve our country’s strategic goal of becoming a maritime powerhouse,” said Ms Chan.
The PCS’s pilot data-sharing platform began phased testing of specific cargo clearance processes in early 2023, and incorporated feedback from industry stakeholders continuously. After rigorous testing and optimisation, the LSCM will assist the TLB in the full development of the system, with installation to be completed by the end of 2025 and implementation for industry use starting in early 2026. The system will provide round-the-clock, real-time cargo tracking, integrate sea, land, and air transport data, and offer value-added electronic services such as the “One-Data-Multiple-Declarations” function.
During the launch ceremony, the TLB signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with the LSCM and Guangdong e-Port Management Company Limited. The areas of collaboration include exploring the use of the PCS to provide a pre-filling and pre-submission function for ocean manifests for vessels entering the Mainland, so as to provide further convenience for system users. The HKSAR Government will continue to explore with other Mainland ports the arrangements for enhancing co-operation.
Grasping the time during which the system is being built, the TLB will initiate a new phase of trial in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to explore leveraging cargo status data within the PCS to facilitate trade finance processes, with a view to helping financial institutions and small and medium enterprises reduce credit costs and processing time.
To ensure the system aligns with industry needs, the TLB has established a Strategic Advisory Panel and an Industry Expert Liaison Group, bringing together industry leaders to provide insights on the PCS’s development. Ms Chan expressed gratitude to industry experts for their support and presented certificates of appreciation to companies that participated in the PCS trials, recognising their vital contributions to the project.
The Crime Prevention Bureau (CPB) of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) held the SafeCity Ambassadors Appointment and Recognition Ceremony 2025 today (May 16) to appoint a new batch of “SafeCity Ambassadors”, who are joining hands with the HKPF to enhance crime prevention, and to commend the organisations which have actively disseminated anti-crime messages over the past year.
In his opening remarks, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, said that the Force strives to establish partnership with the community to maintain social stability. With the concerted efforts of the HKPF and the public, the overall law and order situation improved further in the first quarter of 2025. There were a total of 20 756 crimes, a year-on-year decrease of 3 per cent. Leaving deception cases aside, the overall crime figure registered a drop of 1 160 cases or more than 9 per cent. The numbers of most traditional crimes declined significantly, with those of robbery and burglary cases falling by around 20 per cent respectively and that of violent crimes reducing by over 10 per cent. The number of deception cases in Hong Kong had increased by 5.8 per cent to 9 487 in the first quarter amid a continued rise in online crimes and fraud cases globally.
Mr Chow added that the Force will embrace changes while staying innovative and flexible in meeting challenges. He hoped that all sectors of the community would work in close collaboration to promote crime detection and prevention, and that the Police and the public would work hand in hand to cope with changes.
At the ceremony, the Police appointed the representatives of 19 organisations and groups as “SafeCity Ambassadors”. Together with 83 representatives appointed in the past two years, they will share good practices in crime prevention with the public, encourage community-wide participation in crime prevention, and establish a crime prevention culture, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Force to spread messages against crime. Representatives of 10 organisations were presented with the “Crime Alerts Network Outstanding Contribution Award” in appreciation of their efforts in promoting crime prevention.
Furthermore, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) was recognised with the accolade of “SafeCity Crime Prevention Partner” for actively responding to the call for publicity. Over the past year, the HA has disseminated the latest crime prevention information to public housing residents through various channels.
The “Timeline” exhibition in the venue showcased valuable historical information and pictures, offering a review of the Force’s crime prevention strategies since its establishment in 1844, especially the achievements in Police-public co-operation in keeping pace with the times and meeting challenges in full strength.
Since its launch in 2023, the SafeCity.HK website of the CPB received more than 12 million hits. A hyperlink of the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit‘s website has been added to raise public awareness of counter-terrorism and safety. The “Crime Alerts Network”, established by the HKPF in 2022, delivers crime alerts promptly via instant messaging platform to a wide range of working partners, including principals, parents, social workers and various private organisations. The network has now registered over 3.2 million recipients for the weekly crime prevention update.
Other officiating guests of the ceremony included the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Yip Wan-lung; the Acting Director of Crime and Security, Ms Chung Wing-man; the Chief Superintendent of Police (Crime Support), Ms Yu Hoi-kwan; and the Chairpersons of District Fight Crime Committees.
