The Accident Investigation Branch issued an interim statement on the accident at Hong Kong International Airport on 20 October last year, in which a cargo aircraft deviated from the runway and plunged into the sea, killing 2 airport security officers. It said one focus of the investigation was the forward movement of the No. 4 engine thrust lever, which caused the aircraft to veer left during landing taxiing and deviate from the runway. Technical inspections of the relevant components to date have found no mechanical failure related to the accident. The Transport and Logistics Bureau said it had requested all-out efforts to advance the work, with the goal of completing all investigation work by the end of this year.
Why read this: The statement points out that the investigation focuses on the forward movement of the No. 4 engine thrust lever, and explains that expert acoustic spectrum analysis and flight simulation tests are still under way, allowing readers to understand the current progress of the investigation and the parts that have yet to be clarified.
The government plans to amend the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Cattle, Sheep and Goats) Keeping Regulation to extend its scope to the New Territories, requiring licences for keeping sheep, goats and cattle, with grazing prohibited without approval. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan stressed that the amendment is not intended to establish a sheep farming industry. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department proposed introducing an "exemption permit" for keeping no more than 10 animals, with the number approved according to the space of the premises and facilities for sewage and waste treatment.
The Government submitted a paper to LegCo on the 13th, stating that it has begun preliminary discussions with more than 45 overseas and mainland enterprises that have a clear interest in establishing businesses or facilities in the Northern Metropolis, involving sectors including education, innovation and technology, industrial manufacturing, tourism, advanced construction, pharmaceuticals and logistics supply chains. The Hong Kong Science Park in the Loop, which officially opened in December last year, has seen more than 100 innovation and technology enterprises and institutions gradually move in.
Ombudsman Jack Chan Chi-chi announced on 13 October an own-initiative investigation into the effectiveness of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's management of indoor fitness rooms, covering eligibility requirements for entry, the booking system, utilisation rates, monitoring measures and equipment maintenance. The LCSD has 87 fitness rooms under its purview, and members of the public must first complete an orientation session or training course before they can hire the facilities. In 2025, the total number of places for orientation sessions was about 25,000, while registrations throughout the year reached 377,000 person-times. The Office welcomes written submissions from the public by 13 November.
Why read this: The announcement lists the gap between the number of places in LCSD fitness room courses and the annual number of registrations, allowing readers to compare whether they can hire the facilities and the difficulty of queuing.
Translation is not available yet. Showing the Traditional Chinese version.
The Education Bureau has updated the School Administration Manual, stating that schools should not arrange for students with special educational needs (SEN) to repeat a year, and in particular should not have them repeat more than once; those with intellectual development disorders or severe mental illness are even less suitable for repetition. The Manual states that repeating a year will only exacerbate difficulties in social and emotional adjustment and increase mental health risks, and that schools should provide appropriate support measures as an alternative to grade retention. When considering repetition, schools must discuss the matter with parents through a multidisciplinary team, and where necessary seek the opinions of professionals such as psychiatrists.
Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Choi Kit-ming today (13 October) delivered an address at the luncheon of the "Rooted in Hong Kong, Connecting the Future" — Summit on Enterprise Global Expansion and Financial Empowerment. The summit has set up a new themed exhibition zone, the "Future Industries Pavilion", leveraging the Hong Kong Autumn Electronics Fair. The Government is preparing to establish the first National Manufacturing Industry Innovation Centre in Hong Kong, to be led and operated by the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Xie Xiaohua said the HKSAR Government's stance on the Taiwan issue is absolutely unambiguous, and it will fully support and cooperate with the central government's policy and guidelines on Taiwan, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. She said on her social media page that she would keep in mind President Xi Jinping's speech at the celebration of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the nation, fully implement "one country, two systems", and advance the great cause of national reunification.
The FTU cited the Civil Service Bureau as saying that about more than 200 Hong Kong Post staff whose probation periods had ended and who could only be reappointed on civil service contracts will be offered new transfer arrangements, and will receive priority hiring when applying for other civil service positions. Pay for transfer to new civil service positions will generally not be lower than the current arrangement, and those applying for assistant administrative officer or clerical assistant posts may receive flexibility waivers on educational requirements. The FTU said it hopes to continue communicating with the new Postmaster General.
Mable Chan said immigration and transport connections at the new Huanggang Port were overall smooth and as expected, and the authorities had made contingency preparations for the weekend, Sunday and the Chung Yeung Festival holiday. Large signboards have been put up at the port, with multiple franchised buses and green minibuses connecting 9 MTR stations and 4 bus interchanges, while a notification mechanism has been established with the Shenzhen Municipal Port Office to divert passengers. Ride-hailing arrangements are still being prepared, with specific details to be announced later.
「Guangdong Yachts Heading South」 will make its maiden voyage on Friday. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-ying said the Marine Department and the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration are in close communication and contact to prepare for the maiden voyage. Over the past few months, the government has conducted training and assessments for mainland captains on their knowledge of Hong Kong waters, while the Marine Department has also built a real-time yacht movement monitoring system and set up an electronic business system to provide crew members and visitors with one-stop services. The authorities will step up the issuance of maritime safety reminders, and the Marine Department will strengthen patrols.
The Centre for Health Protection assessed that the unknown pneumonia in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast poses a low immediate risk to Hong Kong's public health, and said prevention and control measures have been taken to guard against imported cases. The centre cited information from the World Health Organization and Russian authorities, saying no plague cases had been recorded locally recently and no evidence of sustained transmission had been found, but the cause of death remains unknown and uncertainties surrounding the incident persist.
The nomination period for the Election Committee election entered its fifth day. The Returning Officer received 206 candidate nomination forms and 11 nomination forms from designated bodies, with a total of 56 people nominated through the latter, including 13 nominated by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong and 10 by the Chinese Islamic Association. The 6 designated bodies in the religious sector each nominated 10 people. If a body does not indicate its preferred candidates, the "excess" portion will be determined by lot drawn by the Returning Officer to establish the order of priority.