Fifty-three convictions were recorded in September 2023 for breaches of legislation enforced by the Environmental Protection Department.
      
     Eleven of the convictions were under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, one was under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, 14 were under the Noise Control Ordinance, nine were under the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation, 17 were under the Waste Disposal Ordinance and one was under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance.
      
     A company was fined $30,000, which was the heaviest fine in September, for contravening the provisions of a licence.

     A partial lunar eclipse can be observed in Hong Kong on October 29 (Sunday). This will be the only partial lunar eclipse observable in Hong Kong this year. During the event, the Moon will gradually grow dimmer and a small portion of it will disappear. To enable the public to witness this phenomenon in real time, the Hong Kong Space Museum will be live streaming the partial lunar eclipse in the wee hours, from 2am to 5am that day.
      
     The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 3.35am and reach its maximum eclipse at 4.14am, with around 13 per cent of the Moon's diameter entering the Earth's umbra. The eclipse will end at 4.54am when the Moon exits the umbra completely. The entire partial lunar eclipse will last about one hour and 19 minutes, during which the Moon's altitude will range between 20 degrees and 40 degrees. It is possible to observe the eclipse from any district in Hong Kong as long as the view is unobstructed by buildings. Interested observers are advised to choose a location with a wide view to the west, such as waterfront promenades or parks, to observe the lunar eclipse.
      
     The Hong Kong Space Museum will live stream the partial lunar eclipse on its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/hkspacem). Curators will also address online questions from the audience during the live streaming.
      
     As astronomical observations depend heavily on weather conditions, members of the public are advised to check the latest weather update before an outdoor observation. For more information of the partial lunar eclipse and the webcast, please visit the Museum's website at hk.space.museum.
     

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

      The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by ZA Bank Limited relating to a fraudulent website, mobile application (App) and internet banking login screen, which have been reported to the HKMA.  A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
 
      The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions.  They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
 
      Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website, App or login screen concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Correctional Services Department (CSD) announced today (October 26) that the Social Visit e-Booking Service (SVEBS) will be fully implemented on November 1 to facilitate the visitation of visitors.
      
     The new service not only shortens the waiting time for visit registration in correctional institutions, but also allows visitors to manage their bookings, check the latest visit status of persons in custody (PICs) and the quotas for approved hand-in articles through the system.
      
     Visitors must be declared visitors of PICs to register for a user account before using the SVEBS. Starting today, visitors can register for an account through the following means:

1. Use the "iAM Smart" mobile application;
2. Visit the SVEBS webpage via the CSD website or CSD mobile application to submit an application, and then go to the correctional institution to which the PIC concerned was admitted in person for identity verification; or
3. Visit the correctional institution to which the PIC concerned was admitted in person to submit an application and undergo identity verification.

      
     After the completion of an account registration, consent of the PIC concerned must also be obtained before the visitors can use the SVEBS.
      
     Users can make bookings for a social visit for the next seven days through "iAM Smart" or by logging into the SVEBS webpage (ebooking.icrms.csd.gov.hk/ebooking). The available timeslots for SVEBS depend on visiting hours of individual institutions. For more details, please refer to individual institution's information on the CSD website.
      
     After the full launch of the SVEBS, visitors can still choose to visit institutions in person to register their visits.
      
     For more details of the SVEBS, please browse the related promotional videos and information on the CSD website (www.csd.gov.hk)
      
     The hyperlinks for "iAM Smart" and CSD mobile application are provided below:

"iAM Smart"​
www.iamsmart.gov.hk/qr.html

CSD mobile application
iOS:
apps.apple.com/hk/app/hkcsd-mobile-application/id933686784
 
Android:
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.innopage_csd.csdpublic
 
Huawei:
appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C103409191

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited relating to fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens and phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites, login screens or emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.