Latest news with #HomeandYouthAffairsBureau
RTHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Make good use of historical war resources: Alice Mak
Make good use of historical war resources: Alice Mak Alice Mak says the government aims to enable all sectors of society to make better use of the rich local anti-Japanese war historical resources and deepen public understanding of the history of the war. Photo: RTHK Cally Kwong praises the participants of an essay and photography competition for recording the history of the war. through their words and lenses. Photo: RTHK The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau is organising a series of activities marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said on Thursday. Efforts include setting up display boards detailing the Dongjiang Column's war history in community halls and centres, repairing and conserving the Wu Kau Tang Martyrs Memorial Garden, and improving a section of a village road connecting to the Sha Tau Kok Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall. 'This is to enable all sectors of society to make better use of the rich local anti-Japanese war historical resources and deepen public understanding of the history of the war," Mak said. Her remarks were made at an award ceremony of an essay and photography competition commemorating the anniversary, which attracted over 1,000 entries. At the same event, National People's Congress deputy Cally Kwong praised the participants for recording the history of the war through their words and lenses. 'There's no need for fancy words. Their works carry the strongest heartfelt impact," she said.
Saudi Gazette
14-07-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Housing-starved Hong Kong turns Covid quarantine site into hostel
SINGAPORE — Once designated a quarantine facility during the Covid pandemic, a sprawling site in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong, is set to be home to a youth hostel for thousands of young people, as the city deals with a housing crisis. The project in Kai Tak, named Runway 1331 - after a former airport on the site - opened on Sunday for trial operations, offering 250 rooms for rent starting at HK$200 ($25; £19) a night. It's part of Hong Kong's Youth Hostel Scheme, which aims to house young people at affordable rates while they save up to rent or buy their own place. Houses in Hong Kong are among the most expensive in the world - and notoriously small. With waits for public rental flats lasting five years on average, many opt to rent subdivided flats where dozens of tenants are packed into a single apartment unit, also known as "coffin homes". In 2020, the first facility under Hong Kong's Youth Hostel Scheme started operations. The scheme supports non-governmental organisations to build and operate youth hostels where people can live for up to five are currently two facilities in operation - both in the northwestern New Territories - which offer rooms to people aged 30 or hostel unveiled in Kai Tak on Sunday offers rooms for people aged 40 or below. It also aims to be a cultural hub, with some rent-free rooms set aside for tenants with creative tenants are expected to give back to the community by organising workshops and other events to share their skills, according to local media."We hope Runway 1331 ultimately will develop into the world's biggest incubator for the youth," said entrepreneur Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan, who is developing the project with a state-owned enterprise, the South China Morning Post Home and Youth Affairs Bureau said it hoped the community would also promote exchanges among Hong Kong tenants and youth from mainland China and 11.5-hectare (28.4 acres) site, which consists of 3,000 unused quarantine rooms with private toilets, is expected to be fully operational later this had been calls for such Covid quarantine facilities to be repurposed to fill the intense housing facility in Kai Tak is one of several quarantine sites that were built during the pandemic, and which could collectively house hundreds of thousands of Covid restrictions lifted and these facilities emptied, calls mounted for them to be repurposed into residences to combat the city's yearslong housing shortage. — BBC
RTHK
13-07-2025
- RTHK
Kai Tak youth facility opens for trial operation
Kai Tak youth facility opens for trial operation About 250 rooms are on offer in the first phase of "Runway 1331". Photo courtesy of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau A new youth facility in Kai Tak opened on Sunday on a trial basis. The "Youth Post" hostel, which was transformed from Covid-19 isolation camps, has been renamed "Runway 1331". About 250 rooms are on offer in the first phase, and youth organisations are eligible to apply. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau said it hopes young people from the mainland and overseas will make use of the facility during the summer holiday. The government has said the facility will be in operation from October and be used for cultural and arts exchanges. The setting up of the "Youth Post" hostel and spaces for cultural and arts exchanges was first laid out by Chief Executive John Lee in his policy address last October.
RTHK
13-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Summer internship scheme draws record response
Summer internship scheme draws record response More than 3,100 youngsters apply for the scheme this year. Photo: RTHK Chief Secretary Eric Chan said a record number of applicants for a summer internship scheme this year organised by the government and some of the city's biggest private firms showed it is popular among youngsters. Chan and the head of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), Alice Mak, on Friday officiated at the kick-off ceremony of the HYAB Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas 2025. Launched in 2018, the scheme received applications from 3,100 students this year, with over 400 positions offered. The number of participating corporations stood at 28, also a new high. Chan said the high number of applicants this year also showed youngsters would like to better themselves and are ready to face challenges. "I hope youngsters could seize this unique opportunity to equip work attributes through your assigned position, actively understand the different workplace culture and lifestyles, and pursue the best you can," he said.
HKFP
06-06-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Hong Kong hails ‘overwhelming support' for legalising basketball betting, proposes 50% levy on profits
The Hong Kong government has hailed 'overwhelming support' from scholars, athletes, and youth groups for its plan to legalise basketball betting in the city, following the conclusion of a one-month public consultation last month. Ninety-four per cent of the 1,063 submissions received by the government between April and May 'expressed support or positive views' on the proposal to regulate basketball betting under the Betting Duty Ordinance, according to a paper submitted by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau to the Legislative Council on Thursday. Those who supported the legal amendment said public demand for basketball betting has 'increased significantly,' and a regulatory regime can protect bettors' rights and interests. The government proposed in April to amend the ordinance to grant the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs the power to issue a basketball betting license to the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). The regulatory regime will mirror the existing one for football betting, the government said. In the paper released on Thursday, the government proposed imposing a 50 per cent levy on the net profits from basketball betting. Citing responses from supporters of the legislative proposal, the government said the HKJC may donate its additional revenue to welfare and charitable purposes. The tax revenue generated may also help the government allocate more resources on social welfare, supporters said, according to the government. Financial Secretary Paul Chan first unveiled the government's intention to regulate basketball betting during his 2025 budget speech in February. He said the legalisation could tackle illegal gambling and raise tax revenue amid the city's estimated deficit of HK$87.2 billion. The finance chief projected that regulating basketball betting could generate HK$1.5 billion to HK$2 billion in tax revenue. The government acknowledged on Thursday that 36 submissions – or 3.4 per cent of the responses collected – opposed the proposal. Those who objected raised concerns about the adverse impact of basketball betting on the youth, adding illegal gambling still existed after football betting was legalised. Responding to the concerns, the government said in the paper that the impact of betting activities on young people has been 'steady' in recent years. The proportion of bettors aged between 18 and 21 also 'consistently remained below two per cent,' the government said quoting the HKJC. Some suggested the government to prohibit individuals aged between 18 and 25 from placing bets online, while others proposed imposing restrictions on the amount and number of bets that can be placed by young people. The paper submitted on Thursday is set to be discussed by lawmakers on the Legislative Council's Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports on Monday. 'Disastrous move' In February, the Hong Kong Committee on Children's Rights criticised the government's plan to regulate basketball betting, saying that giving a green light to basketball betting was a 'disastrous move.' The group said popularising sports betting could 'lure' young people to bet with their limited financial resources that should otherwise go to other needs. Gambling loss may also result in psychological pressure and guilt, which may deter individuals from seeking help, it said, warning that gamblers could enter a 'vicious cycle' where they turn to lending agencies or engage in criminal activities.
