To counter our adverse economic conditions, I have unveiled four sets of relief measures since last August. Totalling some $25 billion, the funds are focused on supporting businesses and lightening the burden weighing on the people of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, we will continue to reach out to the community. Through wide-ranging dialogue communication and the pursuit of policies that address the deep-seated issues at the heart of our divide, I am hopeful that together we will find a path to peace and prosperity.

From an economic perspective, there is reason for optimism. I am heartened by the confidence private equity investors have shown in us. In the third quarter of 2019, some 560 private equity companies here managed US$153 billion.

We have nearly 50 more private equity (PE) firms based here when compared with the previous quarter. Among the world's top 10 PE fund managers, nine have a presence here in Hong Kong. That, ladies and gentlemen, underlines Hong Kong's formidable strengths in the Asian PE market. In that we trail only Mainland.

By channelling capital into corporations and startups in the innovation and technology field, PE and VC (venture capital) funds may well become as important as banks and IPO markets one day.

This Government is determined to help unlock the vast potential of the asset and wealth management business, because we believe you are critical to ensuring Hong Kong's status as one of the world's leading financial centres.

Fund-service centre 

That is why we have been stepping up efforts to sharpen Hong Kong's competitive edge on asset and wealth management through a multi-pronged approach including: (a) diversifying our fund structures and streamlining the licensing process to encourage fund formation; (b) adopting a more user-friendly approach to attract family offices; (c) providing a more facilitative tax environment for funds; and (d) expanding our fund distribution network through deepening our mutual access arrangements with other major financial markets.

On fund structure, the long-awaited, limited-partnership fund regime is close to reality, thanks in part to your favourable feedback. Indeed, we are now developing the necessary legislation. Because of the current filibustering at the Legislative Council, the tabling of the legislation got a little delayed, but it remains our top policy priority for the rest of this year to put this forward.

We are confident that the new regime will attract PE and VC funds, and we count on your support for that. With the new regime in place, we aim to bring in as many offshore funds as possible onshore to Hong Kong. We are well positioned to capture the opportunity arising from what happened on the international front over tax base erosion. This is mutually beneficial to Hong Kong as a fund hub and also the PE industry at large as you search for a new home for the funds you manage.

PE and VC funds, whether onshore or offshore, have enjoyed a profits tax exemption since last April. A tax-exempt fund can invest in local and overseas private companies. Hong Kong, by now, has a tax regime at fund level that is competitive and caters to the needs of the PE industry. I fully understand that resolving the tax issues at fund level is not enough in itself. It is of even greater importance to tackle head-on the tax arrangement for investment managers. This is a hard nut to crack, but one that I am determined to look into and come up with solutions that will strengthen Hong Kong's position as a leading fund hub with one of the most competitive tax arrangements for investment managers in the PE industry.

The significance of the limited partnership fund regime in completing Hong Kong's fund manufacturing infrastructure is underpinned by its precursor - the open-ended fund company regime. Since its operation in July 2018, a number of open-ended fund companies have sprouted. The SFC (Securities & Futures Commission) is also looking into how to make the regime more business-friendly to facilitate the take-up.

In short, the Government and our regulators are committed to developing Hong Kong into a full-fledged fund-service centre.

We are equally intent on expanding our fund-distribution network. We continue to expand our Mutual Recognition of Funds arrangements. Last year, Luxembourg and the Netherlands joined existing partners, the Mainland, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom. More international partnerships will follow.

Family offices
Hong Kong is also an ideal location for the establishment of family offices, and we are boosting our promotional efforts in this regard.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and InvestHK will provide comprehensive services to attract family offices to Hong Kong. The SFC has also recently issued licensing guidance for PE firms and family offices. This will enhance clarity and would help address the industry's concerns.

Without a steady flow of talented professionals, of course, we will not be able to cash in on all the opportunities there for us. That is why the Government's Pilot Programme to Enhance Talent Training for the Asset & Wealth Management Sector has been supporting the industry since 2016.

I encourage you to offer exposure, opportunity and jobs for our youth. To give them a stake in the society through the programme.

Business bridge 

Zooming out a bit, the Government will continue to boost Hong Kong's singular advantage as the business and financial bridge between international markets and investors and their counterparts on the Mainland.

To that end, we continue to emphasise the established channels - our Stock Connects, Bond Connect and the Mutual Recognition of Funds arrangements. We will also strengthen our position as the global offshore Renminbi business hub.

Then there is the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development, and the extraordinary opportunity that it presents to Hong Kong.

With a GDP in excess of US$1.6 trillion and more than 70 million prosperous consumers, the Greater Bay Area presents vast potential for the asset and wealth management sector. For each and every one of you. The establishment of a Greater Bay Area wealth-management connect scheme, which was, as you know, recently announced, will go a long way towards realising that promise.

Our regulators are working out the details with their counterparts on the Mainland, and we will keep you posted and we are determined to push that forward as soon as possible. 

Financial Secretary Paul Chan gave these remarks at the Asia Private Equity Forum 2020 on January 15.

About 200 archaeological Song-Yuan period finds unearthed at Kai Tak will go on display in an exhibition at the Heritage Discovery Centre from tomorrow until February 26.

Following the closure of Kai Tak Airport in 1998, the planning work for the Kai Tak Development Area created opportunities for archaeological studies around the former Sacred Hill in Kowloon Bay.

An abundance of Song-Yuan period cultural remains were subsequently unearthed, including a huge amount of ceramics produced by various kilns in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi.

Similar products from the same period were exported widely and could be found in shipwrecks along the maritime ceramics route.

Highlights of the Treasures from the Sacred Hill: Song-Yuan Period Archaeological Discoveries from Kai Tak exhibition include green glazed incense burners with an eight trigrams pattern and a green glazed dish with a moulded double fish pattern produced by Longquan Kiln.

Other highlights include a brown glazed dragon jar with lugs and a green glazed basin with a phoenix pattern produced by Cizao Kiln and a Daguan Tongbao bronze coin.

Ceramics from the same period on loan from the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong will also be displayed.

Curated by the Antiquities & Monuments Office, admission to the exhibition is free.

Call 2208 4400 for details.

The East Kowloon Cultural Centre Public Artwork Commissioning Project is inviting artists, designers and architects to create an art landscape for the centre.

Presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and organised by the Art Promotion Office, the project endeavors to capture and showcase the past, present and future of East Kowloon.

The commissioned artworks will represent five themes - memory, impression, moment, dream and imagination - aiming to display the district’s changing nature, and to manifest the local community’s cultural sustainability, aspirations and dreams.

Interested participants must submit their preliminary proposal with their curriculum vitae, documentation of their previous artwork and the artistic concept of the proposed artwork.

All proposals must be delivered to the centre’s Public Art Project Management Team at G/F, 50-54 Lok Ku Road, Sheung Wan before 7pm on May 4.

Participants shortlisted by the selection panel are required to submit detailed proposals before 7pm on June 30 for the next stage of the selection process.

Up to three proposals shall be chosen by the selection panel for commissioning and installing in the centre.

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As we all know, Hong Kong as well as most parts of the world are facing a pandemic that has an enormous negative impact on our social and economic life. At this juncture, we don't have any accurate way to predict what will happen in the coming months. Two months ago, we were worried about whether COVID-19 would become a pandemic. Yet, the scale of the pandemic as we see now is not what we could have imagined two months ago. What we can do now is tackle the social and economic crisis upfront and build the resilience of our society, in particular, our employment market, so that when the time comes where social and economic activities can resume no matter how gradually or rapidly, our society can bounce back as soon as possible.

Unemployment has edged up bit by bit since the latter part of 2019. Statistics and daily news about business closures are telling us that unemployment is going up rapidly. While we should see what can be done to help those unemployed, the more important and urgent task is to see how we can "stop the bleeding", which essentially means job retention. The Employment Support Scheme, with a budget of over $80 billion, is designed exactly for that purpose. Through providing time-limited financial support, the whole idea of this scheme is to preserve jobs by enabling employers to keep their employees in employment for the coming months, and also when business resumes, employers can immediately grab the opportunities.

The central idea of the Employment Support Scheme is to provide wage subsidy that is equivalent to 50% of the wages of the employees up to a wage cap of $18,000 per month. The subsidy is given to the employers so that they can keep their staff for the coming six months. The employers will be required to have no redundancy or layoffs during the months that they receive wage subsidies from the Government.

In Hong Kong, we do not have a pay-as-you-go income tax system. Neither do we have a social insurance system nor a central provident fund to cover everyone in our workforce. That means we do not have any existing system covering every employer and employee in Hong Kong that we can devise a wage subsidy scheme that covers everyone. Any system meant to cover everyone in our workforce must be mandatory in nature and that will take time for us to have the relevant legislation in place and subsequently the system built.

However, schemes under the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) and the other Occupational Retirement Schemes provide a framework that we can develop a wage subsidy scheme to cover the great majority of the workforce. This is definitely not sufficient. In particular, we have identified three sectors that do not have good coverage in the provident fund systems. They are the catering industry, the construction industry and the passenger transport sector. Under the Anti-epidemic Fund, we have three sector-specific schemes to assist the employers and the employees in these sectors.

Many freelance workers or those in the so-called slash economy do not make contributions to the MPF. Though we have over 200,000 self-employed persons having an account in the MPF system, they do not pay MPF regularly. While we will provide a one-off wage subsidy to those self-employed persons who have made MPF contributions within the past 15 months, we also have three separate but mutually exclusive schemes operating under the Home Affairs Bureau, the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department, providing the same one-off wage subsidy to those freelance workers who provide arts and sports training. The one-off wage subsidy is $7,500.

Though all the schemes I mentioned above still cannot cover everyone in the workforce, this is the best we can do in making use of existing systems so that we can launch this round of the Anti-epidemic Fund in the shortest possible time to help our employers and employees to survive the challenges that are with us now. Any new systems to be built from scratch will not be able to provide the necessary timely support that employers and employees desperately need.

As mentioned earlier, unemployment is increasing at a disturbing rate. The basic unemployment protection system in Hong Kong relies on two legs. One is the Severance Payment or Long Service Payment payable by the employers, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the monthly salary times the number of years of service with the employer. The other is the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme. The CSSA provides a level of income support to families for their basic level of living in the context of Hong Kong. The CSSA provides a safety net to any family not having sufficient means, including those who are unemployed.

Apart from the income test, the CSSA also has an asset test. For the purpose of providing extra help to those unemployed during this difficult time, the Government will double the existing asset limit for the able-bodied for a limited period of six months, allowing more families with people unemployed to become eligible to receive CSSA. We estimated that about 40,000 families will benefit from this enhancement.

Unfortunately, over the years there is a social stigma towards the CSSA system. People in desperation may be deterred from applying for CSSA simply because of the stigma. This is the time for us to destigmatise the CSSA system. It is the safety net for citizens of Hong Kong. It is the responsibility of an affluent society like Hong Kong to provide the basic level of living to those who cannot afford to do so on their own. This is the time, this difficult time, that this safety net should perform its basic function.

We are doing our best to support Hong Kong in this epidemic fight. Let's weather the storm and brave the challenges together.

This is the Letter to Hong Kong by Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong on anti-epidemic measures and the Employment Support Scheme carried on Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 3 on April 19.

The Education Bureau today issued a circular memorandum to tutorial schools, inviting them to apply for a relief grant under the Anti-epidemic Fund.

The bureau said a total of about $120 million has been allocated from the fund to provide a one-off relief grant of $40,000 to each eligible tutorial school.

These tutorial schools must be registered under the Education Ordinance, have been operating in the three months before the class suspension - November, December and January - and be in operation on the application date.

Designated centres under the Financial Assistance Scheme for Designated Evening Adult Education Courses, which offer evening secondary school courses for adult learners, are also eligible for the grant.

The measure is expected to benefit about 3,000 tutorial schools, and the relief grant will be disbursed about four weeks upon receipt of an application.

Additionally, the fund will also provide relief grants to school-related service providers who have been affected by the prolonged class suspension, incurring an expenditure of about $419 million.

Beneficiaries will include operators of catering outlets at primary schools, secondary schools and post-secondary institutions and lunchbox providers of primary and secondary schools.

School bus drivers, school private light bus drivers and escorts, or nannies, as well as instructors, coaches, trainers and operators of interest classes engaged by schools, will also benefit from the relief grants.

The bureau will distribute application forms for the relief grant through post-secondary institutions to the catering outlets operating on their campuses within this week. The application details for other relief grants will be announced as soon as possible.

Separately, the bureau announced earlier that it would provide a one-off relief grant of $80,000 to each private school offering full and formal curriculum.

The grant has been disbursed progressively to schools under the English Schools Foundation, international schools, private independent schools, and other private secondary day schools and private primary schools.

Recipients of the Individual-based Work Incentive Transport Subsidy (I-WITS) will receive a one-off extra allowance after the passage of the Appropriation Bill 2020, the Government announced today.

The extra allowance was proposed in the 2020-21 Budget and would be disbursed one month after the bill’s passage at the earliest.

Eligible recipients are those whose I-WITS applications were made in the applicable period - from the first day of the month in which the bill is passed to the date of the bill’s passage, and six calendar months before that month.

New applicants or previous I-WITS recipients who have yet to submit applications in the applicable period should do so on or before the date of the bill’s passage to be eligible for the extra allowance.

The extra allowance will be the average monthly amount of approved months payable to the applicants in their I-WITS applications which were most recently submitted in the applicable period and eventually approved.

Click here for details.

The Transport Department today said that public transport operators will resume and strengthen services to meet the travelling needs of candidates sitting for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), which will start on April 24.

At the department's request, KMB, Citybus, New World First Bus and New Lantao Bus will resume bus routes serving school areas that were previously suspended, and will strengthen the services as appropriate to meet passenger demand.

For the Mass Transit Railway, except for the Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line, heavy rail services will be gradually enhanced, starting from 6.15am to 6.30am during the exam period.

Light Rail and MTR bus services serving school areas will also be strengthened.

The department has reminded green minibus operators to closely monitor the transport demand and strengthen services as appropriate throughout the exam period.

Its Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will closely monitor the traffic situation and co-ordinate with major public transport operators to adjust frequency flexibly and strengthen services when necessary.

The department appealed to all DSE candidates to familiarise themselves with public transport routes to be taken to examination centres in advance and allow sufficient travelling time.

The Chief Executive has reappointed Frederick Ma as Chairman of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) Council from April 25 to December 31, the Government announced today.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung thanked Mr Ma for accepting the reappointment, saying that under his leadership, EdUHK continues to focus on educational research, development and innovation and promoting and supporting the development of teacher education in Hong Kong by nurturing outstanding and committed educators and professionals.

Mr Ma cannot accept a three-year term up until 2023 due to personal reasons. In the meantime, the Government will identify a suitable candidate for the chairmanship of the EdUHK Council.

The Minimum Wage Commission will submit to the Chief Executive in Council its recommendation report on the statutory minimum wage rate by the end of October at the latest.

In accordance with the Minimum Wage Ordinance, the Chief Executive has required the commission to submit its recommendation report on or before October 31.

Pursuant to the ordinance, the commission must maintain an appropriate balance between the objectives of forestalling excessively low wages and minimising the loss of low-paid jobs as well as the need to sustain the city's economic growth and competitiveness.

The commission is conducting a public consultation on the statutory minimum wage rate review.

Views can be sent by email before June 16.

Click here for the consultation details.

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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has rejected allegations made by certain officials and politicians in the United States, United Kingdom and European Parliament relating to an April 18 arrest operation and other security matters.

In a statement today, the Hong Kong SAR Government said such allegations were totally unfounded and amounted to a serious intervention in Hong Kong's affairs.

The SAR Government strongly disagreed with the grossly irresponsible remarks and expressed deep regret about them.

It pointed out that since its return to the Motherland, the HKSAR has maintained stability and prosperity under the principle of "one country, two systems", exercising "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law (BL).   

"The Central Government has time and again reiterated that it will unswervingly implement the policy of one country, two systems' and make sure that it is fully applied in Hong Kong without being bent or distorted. 

“How to implement the policy in the HKSAR - an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (BL Article 1) and a local administrative region of the People's Republic of China which shall enjoy a high degree of autonomy and come directly under the Central People's Government (BL Article 12) - are entirely internal affairs of the People's Republic of China.

“No other state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs.”

The statement noted Hong Kong people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Basic Law. Basic Law Article 4 states that the HKSAR shall safeguard the rights and freedoms of the residents and of other persons in the region in accordance with law. 

“In addition, human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong are fully protected by the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and other legislation, and underpinned by an independent judiciary."

The SAR Government said it always respects and protects human rights and freedoms. Any allegation that there has been an erosion in freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people is unfounded.

However, these rights are not absolute. As pointed out by the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal at the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year 2020: "It is important to understand that the enjoyment of these rights has limits so as not to affect adversely to an unacceptable level the enjoyment by other members of their community of their rights and liberties."

There are clear limits in the law as to the exercise of these rights. When the law is broken, action will be taken in accordance with the criminal justice system.

"We therefore take great exception to comments made by officials and politicians in foreign countries concerning the recent arrests and prosecution of a number of persons for organising and participating in unauthorised assemblies in Hong Kong. 

“The allegation by some that those arrests amounted to an attack on Hong Kong's freedoms and a breach of the BL is absurd and can hardly stand the test of any law-abiding jurisdiction," the statement emphasised.

It also pointed out that Basic Law Article 63 provides that "The Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall control criminal prosecutions, free from any interference." 

Prosecutors have always been discharging this constitutional duty independently and professionally, without fear or favour. Prosecutorial decisions are based on an objective assessment of all admissible evidence and applicable laws, made strictly in accordance with the Prosecution Code which is available to the public.

Cases will not be handled any differently owing to the political beliefs or background of the persons involved.

When law enforcement agencies have completed their investigation, they would seek legal advice from the Department of Justice. The prosecutors would carefully consider the investigation reports and relevant materials submitted. A prosecution would only be commenced if the prosecutor is satisfied that there is sufficient admissible evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction.

In short, the well-established procedures of Hong Kong's criminal justice system include the independent investigations by law enforcement agencies, the independent prosecutorial decisions based on the objective assessment of evidence, applicable laws and in accordance with the Prosecution Code, and finally, open trials by an independent judiciary. 

"The guarantee of judicial independence is explicitly set out in the BL and the quality of the judgments of our courts contributes to the much respected judiciary and rule of law in the HKSAR.

"We therefore note with abhorrence certain overseas politicians' request that the HKSAR Government should drop the charges against the arrested individuals. If we were to accede or to be seen to yield to such unreasonable demands, we would not only be unfair and unprofessional but would also act in violation of the spirit of the rule of law – a core value in Hong Kong," the statement added.

The SAR Government remains steadfast to uphold the rule of law. The latest Rule of Law Index 2020 released by the World Justice Project, in which Hong Kong maintains its ranking as No. 5 in the East Asia and Pacific Region and No. 16 globally, several places ahead of the United States, has clearly affirmed Hong Kong's commitment.

On legislating for Basic Law Article 23, the statement said, "The HKSAR Government has the constitutional duty to ensure that the necessary legislation is in place to safeguard national security.

“Having laws in place to protect national security is common in many jurisdictions, and we do not see how any defence of sovereignty and security by a jurisdiction would impact on its local and overseas investment. 

“Coincidentally, it is relevant to note security issues arising from the social unrest last year were part of the causes affecting Hong Kong's score under 'Investment Freedom' according to the US-based Heritage Foundation 2020 Index of Economic Freedom."

As regards enquiries about the role of the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the HKSAR, they represent the Central People's Government to which the HKSAR comes directly under pertaining to Basic Law Article 12. 

These offices have the power and responsibility over the proper and full implementation of the Basic Law and "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong.

It is therefore clearly legitimate for the HKMAO and LOCPG to recently express their concerns over the prolonged paralysis of the Legislative Council House Committee, thereby hindering LegCo's performance of its legislative functions under the Basic Law.

"Any suggestion that those legitimate remarks by the HKMAO and the LOCPG amount to interference only illustrates an ignorance of the constitutional order of the HKSAR and its relationship with the Central Authorities," the SAR Government added.

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The Government will launch the Subsidy Scheme for Beauty Parlours, Massage Establishments & Party Rooms under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund on May 11.

A sum of $1.1 billion has been earmarked for the scheme, which is expected to benefit 12,400 beauty parlours and massage establishments as well as 500 party rooms.

The subsidy is expected to be disbursed from late this month.

Under the scheme, each eligible beauty parlour or massage establishment will receive a one-off tiered subsidy of $30,000, $60,000 or $100,000, depending on its number of workers.

Each eligible party room will receive a one-off subsidy of $40,000.

Applications will only be accepted online. The application deadline is May 17.

The scheme also covers premises which are operated by social enterprises.

For premises with business registration, social enterprise operators should file their applications through the online application system.

Those without business registration should directly approach the Hong Kong Council of Social Service at 2864 2993 or by email to obtain its certification and submit their applications.

Call 1836 188 or send an email for enquiries.

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Limited (HKEx) today announced that Charles Li will not seek reappointment as Chief Executive at the end of his current contract in October 2021.

The Government said it respected Mr Li's decision and expressed deep appreciation for his exemplary contribution to the development of the financial market during his tenure as HKEx Chief Executive in the past decade.

Since taking the helm in January 2010, he has led HKEx and Hong Kong’s capital market in achieving important breakthroughs one after another.

The vibrancy and growth that Mr Li has brought to Hong Kong in the capital market helps reinforce the status of Hong Kong as a leading international financial centre.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said: "Thanks to his vision and leadership, Mr Li has laid a solid and strong foundation for our stock market, rendering Hong Kong the largest IPO market in the world for seven times in the past 11 years.

"He has been instrumental in the successful launch of mutual market access programmes between Hong Kong and the Mainland, notably the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect in 2014, which was expanded to include Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect in 2016 and Bond Connect in 2017.

"He also played a pivotal role in the launch of new listing regime in Hong Kong, the enhanced internationalisation of HKEx and its international visibility. These are all important achievements of HKEx in the past few years under Mr Li’s able leadership."

Mr Chan added that the Government is confident the HKEx board will continue to ensure the success of HKEx in the years to come.

About $31 million in funding has been given to support 79 projects under the special round of the Public Policy Research (PPR) Funding Scheme, the Government announced today.

A total of 210 applications were received for the special round, which was launched last November to fund local research institutions and think tanks to research topics relating to the underlying causes of the social incidents that took place in the second half of 2019.

The research may also cover important political, economic, cultural and societal issues relating to deep-seated problems of society.

Assessment of the applications received under the special round was conducted by the independent assessment panel chaired by and comprising experienced academics.

The research quality of the proposal and relevance to the themes of the special round were the principal assessment criteria, with consideration given to factors such as whether the research proposal was solution-oriented, feasible and practical, whether the methodology was reasonable and sound, the applicant’s capability and whether the proposed budget was cost-effective. 

The assessment panel took a holistic view on each research proposal, reached a collective decision and made recommendations, the Policy Innovation & Co-ordination Office said, adding that a declaration of interest system was in place to ensure the assessments were fair and impartial.

In general, a sum of up to $500,000 has been granted to each approved project under the special round.

The approved projects have commenced progressively and are expected to be completed by the end of the year, with the first batch to be completed in late September to early October.

Click here for details of the funded projects.

Police today said it is highly concerned about recent criminal offences involving police officers and that a number of these officers have been arrested.

Among them, officers in connection with serious offences have been or will be interdicted.

The force said it is furious and disappointed about the officers who are suspected of having breached the law and that the incidents have impaired public confidence in Police.

Police attach the utmost importance to the discipline and integrity of officers.

All officers, irrespective of their ranks, must abide by the law at all times.

Police management has zero tolerance towards any acts that breach the law or discipline by police officers, it added.

The force also said it attaches great importance to the integrity of its officers.

The Complaints & Internal Investigations Branch formulated the Integrated Integrity Management Framework to promote integrity and honesty among officers as well as to regulate their discipline and conduct.

To avoid similar incidents, Police said its management is reviewing the force’s internal management strategy.

Police reiterated that no bad element in the force can be tolerated.

If an officer is suspected of having breached the law or committed a breach of discipline, Police will conduct an investigation according to the established mechanism and take appropriate actions.

(Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) Thanks to its magnetic properties, the material -- zinc-doped manganese chromite -- can be used in a range of products, from gas sensors to data storage devices.

(University of Southampton) Scientists have published highly detailed images of lab-grown neurons using Extreme Ultraviolet radiation that could aid the analysis of neurodegenerative diseases.

(University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto) Researchers at the universities of Jyvaskyla and Xiamen discovered a novel way to make functional macroscopic crystalline materials out of nanometer-size 34-atom silver-gold intermetallic clusters. The cluster material has a highly anisotropic electrical conductivity, being a semiconductor in one direction and an electrical insulator in other directions. The research was published in Nature Communications on May 6, 2020.

The Centre for Health Protection announced that as of 4pm today, no new COVID-19 cases have been recorded, leaving the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong at 1,040 so far.

The centre again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people in their daily lives to minimise the risk of infection.

People should go out less and avoid social activities such as having meals out or other gatherings to minimise the risk of coronavirus clusters emerging in the community.

As the COVID-19 situation remains severe and the number of cases reported around the world continues to rise, people are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong as well as maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that there are currently 142 patients under isolation and that 920 patients have been discharged upon recovery.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

The Centre for Health Protection announced that as of 4pm today, no new COVID-19 cases have been recorded, leaving the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong at 1,040 so far.

The centre again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people to minimise the risk of infection.

People should go out less and avoid social activities such as having meals out or other gatherings to minimise the risk of coronavirus clusters emerging in the community.

As the COVID-19 situation remains severe and the number of cases reported around the world continues to rise, people are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong as well as maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that there are currently 127 patients under isolation and that 932 patients have been discharged upon recovery.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

The Centre for Health Protection today announced it is investigating four additional confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The newly reported cases involve four males aged between 11 and 47. All of them travelled during the incubation period.

Epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing.

The centre again urged the public to maintain an appropriate social distance from other people as much as possible to minimise the risk of infection.

People should go out less and avoid social activities such as having meals out or other gatherings to minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.

As the COVID-19 situation remains severe and the number of cases reported around the world continues to rise, people are strongly advised to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong as well as maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that there are currently 120 patients under isolation and that 944 patients have been discharged upon recovery.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

A recovered COVID-19 patient has tested positive for the virus again, the Hospital Authority announced today.

The authority’s Chief Manager (Quality & Standards) Dr Lau Ka-hin told a media briefing this afternoon that the patient was first admitted to Queen Mary Hospital on March 24 after having fever for a week. He subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

He was discharged on April 16 after two consecutive negative tests for the virus.

Dr Lau said: "The patient presented to the Accident & Emergency Department of Queen Mary Hospital on May 5 because of some abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

"He was admitted to our hospital and was found to have a positive result for COVID-19 in the throat saliva, but the cycle threshold value is very high - nearly 36.

"The experts consider that this is the residual virus left in the patient’s body, which is not infective, and it is not likely to be a reinfection at this moment."

He added that the patient is in a stable condition.

The Centre for Health Protection announced that as of 4pm today, no new COVID-19 cases have been recorded, leaving the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong at 1,044 so far.

The centre again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people to minimise the risk of infection.

It said people should go out less and avoid social activities such as having meals out or other gatherings to minimise the risk of coronavirus clusters emerging in the community.

As the COVID-19 situation remains severe and the number of cases reported around the world continues to rise, people are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong as well as maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that there are currently 109 patients under isolation and that 960 patients have been discharged upon recovery.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui visited the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China today to inspect its work in implementing the Fitness Centre Subsidy Scheme launched under the second phase of the Anti-epidemic Fund.

Mr Tsui said the scheme aims to provide a one-off subsidy of $100,000 to fitness centres to tide businesses over financial difficulties arising from anti-epidemic measures.

He thanked the association for handling the scheme’s applications.

Mr Tsui also expressed gratitude to the fitness industry for complying with the Government’s preventive measures, including suspension of business, in the fight against the virus.

Given the stabilising epidemic situation, the Government has conducted a health risk assessment and will allow premises, including fitness centres, to resume operations, Mr Tsui said, adding that he hopes the fitness industry will soon regain vitality.

The Home Affairs Bureau commissioned the association to assist in implementing the scheme, which opened for applications on May 4.

As of May 7, the association received 397 applications, of which more than half of them have been initially found to be eligible, involving subsidies of about $20 million.

The application period for the scheme will end on June 3.

Call 2302 9089 or send an email for enquiries.

More than 8,200 applications for the Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector (ASPM) have been received, with over 3,850 approved, the Government announced today.

The approved applications involve subsidies of more than $140 million and will benefit around 22,000 building blocks and about 35,750 frontline property management workers.

Launched under the Anti-epidemic Fund, the ASPM provides subsidies to owners' organisations or property management companies of eligible buildings to provide hardship allowance to frontline property management workers.

It also provides the Anti-epidemic Cleansing Subsidy to owners' organisations or property management companies.

The scheme’s first phase covers private residential and composite buildings, while its second phase covers industrial and commercial buildings.

The ASPM is still open for applications and continues to disburse subsidies.

Contact the Property Management Services Authority at 3696 1156 or 3696 1166, or visit its website for details.

The Centre for Health Protection announced that as of 4pm today, no new COVID-19 cases have been recorded, leaving the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong at 1,044 so far.

The centre again urged the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people to minimise the risk of infection.

It said people should go out less and avoid social activities such as having meals out or other gatherings to minimise the risk of coronavirus clusters emerging in the community.

As the COVID-19 situation remains severe and the number of cases reported around the world continues to rise, people are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong as well as maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene.

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that there are currently 90 patients under isolation and that 967 patients have been discharged upon recovery.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

"[W]hen the editors at Quanta Magazine invited me to host a podcast for them, I jumped at the chance...Through this podcast, I've been learning about the inner lives of some of the most intriguing mathematicians and scientists working today. [I]n every case, I wanted to know what makes them tick. I wanted to know why they do what they do, what they’ve discovered, and why it matters to them and to the world." Read "Why I'm Hosting The Joy of x Podcast," by Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, January 14, 2020.

Congratulations to the 2020 AMS Math Poetry Contest Winners in the middle school, high school, and college categories: Sabrina Little, Mackintosh Academy, Boulder, for "Outlier;" Austen Mazenko, Cherry Creek High School, for "The Number Won; and Chenyu Lin, Colorado Christian University, for "x² + y² = 1(ife)." The poems were read during Mathemati-Con at the 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Denver, CO. Read the poems and learn about the contest and Math and Poetry. (Photo: (left to right) Austen Mazenko, Sabrina Little, poetry contest judge Gizem Karaali, and Chenyu Lin.

IntroductionThe nucleolus is the central organelle within eukaryotic cells whose primary function is to generate ribosomes, the major protein producing machines within all cells. New roles for the nucleolus are continuously emerging as we explore its molecular intricacies. Despite the central and fundamental role of the nucleolus in cell biology, there has previously been no single official meeting that enables the gathering of scientists whose research converges on the nucleolus. As a result, the community of researchers who study this organelle risks fragmentation across disciplines. The Emerging Roles for the Nucleolus Symposium, which has now taken place twice on a biennial basis, first in 2017 (1) and again in 2019, therefore, represents the first of its kind. The overarching goals of this symposium are (a) to convene researchers who study the nucleolus across model systems (yeast, nematodes, fruit flies, mouse, human cell lines) and biological perspectives (structural, biophysical, molecular, cellular, pathophysiology), (b) to share and disseminate the latest research breakthroughs in nucleolar biology, (c) to promote interaction, engagement, and collaboration centered on the nucleolus across disciplines, and (d) to provide trainees and early career investigators with an organelle-specific scientific community of support.The second Emerging Roles for the Nucleolus meeting was sponsored by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was held at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, MO, from October 24 to October 27, 2019. It was organized by Jennifer Gerton (Stowers Institute), Francesca Duncan (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), and Craig Pikaard...