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Mid-Autumn lantern spectacle to dazzle visitors

A brand-new lantern exhibition showcasing cultural elements from around the world is set to wow locals and tourists at Victoria Park next month, as Hong Kong gets ready to ring in Mid-Autumn Festival. The inaugural International Lantern Spectacular organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board features thousands of distinctive lanterns from 20 countries and regions, under the theme of "reunion". The exhibition's centrepiece will be the World Lantern Boulevard, where visitors will be treated to silk lanterns from South Korea, the multi-coloured patchwork lanterns of Brazil, and Polish lanterns incorporating traditional folk paper-cutting techniques. The Tourism Board has also invited a team of craftsmen from Nanjing to set up four giant Qinhuai lanterns that will be built with a traditional technique dating back 1,700 years, and is inscribed on the national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Another pavilion will showcase hundreds of lanterns handcrafted by local artisans, taking up the shape of rabbits, star fruits and goldfish. The exhibition runs from September 17 to 27, and coincides with the ⁠⁠Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival held by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in Causeway Bay every year. Revellers are also encouraged to head to nearby Tai Hang for the Fire Dragon Dance between September 24 and 26. Edited by Aaron Tam

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'Refined heat stress system still has room for review'

Unionist lawmaker Lam Chun-sing said on Thursday that he welcomed the enhanced heat stress at work warning, especially with its almost immediate implementation that could better protect workers during extreme weather conditions next month. His comments came after the Labour Department said that starting Friday, two new triggers will be added to the refined system to improve its responsiveness to better safeguard workers. Lam, who also heads the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions told RTHK that there is still room for review despite the quick fix. "We appreciate that the Labour Department this time is based on the existing mechanism to do some adjustment, so that we can implement the new mechanism immediately to deal with the situation in September,” Lam said. “But for the long term, we also hope that the Labour Department can see whether we can adopt the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which is internationally recognised." Moreover, instead of solely relying on the system to offer rest times for workers, the lawmaker called on employers to also take into consideration individual situations. For instance, older outdoor workers could be given longer breaks, as they are more prone to heat stroke, Lam added. DAB lawmaker Cheung Pui-kong, meanwhile, described the revamp as a breakthrough for the system. But he pointed out that the calculation formula for the Hong Kong Heat Index had not changed this time, and the refined system has not completely resolved the fundamental issue of significantly underestimating the perceived heat stress outdoor workers have to face. Authorities should also offer subsidies for firms to equip workers with devices that help monitor their heart rate and body temperature to help prevent heat stroke, Cheung said. The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, for their part, said the enhanced system could boost sensitivity and trigger the issuance of higher alerts more easily. The government should keep monitoring its operation and carry out a review a year later to see if WBGT should be adopted, it said. The group suggested that the suspension of work should be adopted for all outdoor workers, instead of only allowing those carrying out heavy or very heavy work to enjoy such breaks under the existing system. Edited by Aaron Tam

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Instagram to warn parents if teens spark suicide fears

Meta has announced a new Instagram alert system in Hong Kong, designed to notify parents when their teenagers repeatedly search for content related to suicide or self-harm. The feature was unveiled on Thursday during the company's "Building Digital Safety Together: A Forum to Empower Parents" event, as the tech giant partners with local educators and community organisations to address growing concerns about youth online safety ahead of the new school year. Meta is already rolling out the feature in phases to teen accounts, which cover users aged 13 to 17. Parents will receive alerts if their teen attempts to search for triggering terms – such as those promoting self-harm or specific words like "suicide" – multiple times within a short period. Meta said notifications will be delivered via email, text message, WhatsApp, or in-app alerts, depending on the contact details the parent has linked to the supervision feature. Alongside the warning, parents will have the option to access expert-curated resources designed to help them navigate these sensitive conversations with their child. The new alert system builds on Meta's existing safety policies, which strictly prohibit content that glorifies or promotes suicide and self-harm. Philip Chua, Asia-Pacific policy director for products at Meta, said the company is committed to ensuring that young people are consuming content that is age appropriate. "Aligning all the content on Facebook and Instagram to a 13-plus rating standard that is similar to international movie criteria and informed by parental feedback is going to be important," he said. Chua added that while the app already sends 60-minute time-limit reminders, parents also have the option to set custom blocks or time limits that suit their family's circumstances. While the platform does allow users to share their own personal struggles with these issues, the company said such posts are hidden from teen viewers. Meta already blocks search results for clearly harmful terms, redirecting users to local support organisations and helplines. The company said it would continue to alert emergency services when it identifies an imminent risk of physical harm. Edited by Tony Sabine

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Huawei widens pharma hunt in AI race for new drugs

Technology conglomerate Huawei plans to expand its artificial intelligence cooperation with mainland pharmaceutical firms into drug development and clinical practice, a senior executive said. The move highlights Huawei's ambitions to gain a foothold in the fast-growing AI drug discovery market, where pharmaceutical companies are investing in modelling tools and automated laboratories to shorten development timelines and improve efficiency. "As we further deepen our research into AI in the medical field, we'll have more collaboration and results emerging with pharmaceutical companies from drug manufacturing to clinical to final implementation," William Zhang, president of Huawei's healthcare business unit, said on Wednesday. He said that Huawei had some existing collaborations in the area of clinical practice in hospitals and was exploring more opportunities. The projects now are mainly with domestic drugmakers, he said. US chip giant Nvidia has struck AI-related partnerships with drugmakers such as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, as technology companies seek to capitalise on growing demand for AI-powered drug research. Huawei offers tools for screening potentially viable drug compounds, alongside its Ascend and Kunpeng chips. In May, Huawei said one project involving state-owned Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings was the industry's first production validation of independently developed AI drug research models that were adapted to its Ascend and Kunpeng technologies. Industry forecasts suggest that the use of machine learning to optimise target discovery, design molecules and streamline clinical trial planning could halve early-stage development timelines ⁠and costs within the next three to five years. (Reuters) Edited by Tony Sabine

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Premier arrives at Xizang disaster area

Premier Li Qiang has arrived at Gyirong Township in Xizang after it was hit by a massive mudslide a day earlier. Li is entrusted by President and general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping to lead a group of senior officials from relevant departments to the disaster-hit area. They will supervise rescue and relief operations, and visit rescue and relief personnel and people affected by the disaster. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Emergency Management said the first team of 141 rescuers has arrived at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong. A high-altitude helicopter has also arrived at the disaster-hit area. Another batch of 111 rescuers from the China Search and Rescue team arrived at Gyirong County on Thursday afternoon, and will head to Gyirong Port to carry out rescue operations. An eight-member advance team from China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, also arrived in Gyirong County with communications and detection equipment to collect key data and support efforts to address an upstream blockage. The number of dead from the disaster in both China and Nepal has reached at least 273. (Reporting by Xinhua) Edited by Altis Wong

news.rthk.hk

Premier arrives at Xizang disaster area

Premier Li Qiang has arrived at Gyirong Township in Xizang after it was hit by a massive mudslide a day earlier. Li is entrusted by President and general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping to lead a group of senior officials from relevant departments to the disaster-hit area. They will supervise rescue and relief operations, and visit rescue and relief personnel and people affected by the disaster. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Emergency Management said the first team of 141 rescuers has arrived at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong. A high-altitude helicopter has also arrived at the disaster-hit area. Another batch of 111 rescuers from the China Search and Rescue team arrived at Gyirong County on Thursday afternoon, and will head to Gyirong Port to carry out rescue operations. An eight-member advance team from China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, also arrived in Gyirong County with communications and detection equipment to collect key data and support efforts to address an upstream blockage. The number of dead from the disaster in both China and Nepal has reached at least 273. (Reporting by Xinhua) Edited by Altis Wong

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'Nearly 100 Chinese missing in Nepal after floods'

Nearly 100 Chinese nationals were missing in Nepal in ⁠the area affected by a massive mudslide and flooding, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. "In the disaster-stricken area on the Nepalese side, the number of Chinese citizens missing is nearly 100," ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters, adding that China's embassy in Nepal was seeking further verification from Nepalese authorities. Lin also said missing foreigners on the Chinese side ⁠include tourists, pilgrims and other personnel, and China is in close communication with Nepal on search and rescue while informing relevant embassies ⁠of the situation. Beijing has said three people were killed and 558 people, including 260 foreigners, were missing in Xizang, whereas Nepalese authorities said at least 165 people were killed and more than 800 others, among them nearly 500 foreigners, were unaccounted for on their side of the border. (Agencies) Edited by Tony Sabine

news.rthk.hk

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