The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, June 22, 2018 is 101 (down 0.2 against yesterday's index).

     The Transport Department today (June 22) announced that two auctions of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on July 7 (Saturday) and 8 (Sunday), in Meeting Room S221, L2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
 
     "A total of 280 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public sale at each auction. The lists of marks have been posted at the department's website, www.td.gov.hk," a department spokesman said.
 
     Applicants who have paid a deposit of $1,000 to reserve a mark for auction should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price of $1,000). Otherwise, the mark may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.
 
     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:
 
(a) Successful bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:
 
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.
 
(b) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted.
 
(c) A vehicle registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(d) Special registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special registration mark shall be cancelled.
 
(e) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Vehicle Registration Marks, which can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk.

     Police today (June 22) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sau Mau Ping.

     Yau Man-hoi, aged 72, went missing after he left his residence on Ngau Tau Kok Road yesterday (June 21) afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

     He is about 1.68 metres tall, 59 kilograms in weight and of medium build. He has a long face with yellow complexion and short straight white hair. He was last seen wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, black trousers and dark-coloured sandals.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon East on 3661 0316 or 9886 0060, or email to rmpu-ke-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 22) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 gazetted beaches and one non-gazetted beach (Discovery Bay) that are open for swimming.
        
     Twenty-two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:                   

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

 
Grade 3 beaches are:

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria Old Beach, Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Discovery Bay and Kadoorie Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
      
     "The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
      
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
      
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a storm or heavy rainfall.

     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend.  Latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's websites on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk and www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (June 22) announced that "stop-and-go" e-payment facilities will be provided at the manual toll booths of the Eastern Harbour Crossing from June 30 (Saturday). Motorists will be able to pay tolls by Octopus or contactless credit cards (including Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay) issued by local banks, saving time otherwise spent on cash counting and receiving change.
      
     Two sets of card reader panels will be installed at each manual toll booth to serve vehicles of different heights. The card reader on the left of each panel will accept Octopus card payment and the one on the right will accept contactless credit cards. Cash payment will still be accepted if motorists cannot pay the toll successfully by tapping their cards.
      
     After the provision of the "stop-and-go" e-payment facilities at the Eastern Harbour Crossing, motorists can use the facilities at all government tolled tunnels and roads. Since the implementation of "stop-and-go" e-payment facilities in July last year at eight government tolled tunnels and roads progressively, the usage of e-payment facilities has been gradually increasing and about 30 per cent of manual toll booth users have switched to pay tolls by e-payment facilities.
      
     Motorists can call 1823 for enquiries on the operation of the "stop-and-go" e-payment system.