The Government announced today (March 7) that the Chief Executive has reappointed Mr Carlson Tong as Chairman, and Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung and Ms Winnie Wong Chi-shun as members of the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislature, and Officials under the Political Appointment System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The reappointments are for a period of one year with effect from April 1, 2025.

     The Independent Commission advises the Government on matters relating to the systems of remuneration for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, as well as those for officials under the Political Appointment System. Other members of the Independent Commission are Mr Kevin Lam Sze-cay, Ms Winnie Tam Wan-chi and Professor Alexander Wai Ping-kong.

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Tsuen Wan this morning (March 7) in which a woman died.

     At 8.26am, a bus driven by a 42-year-old man was travelling along Kwok Shui Road towards Tsuen Wan. When the bus was approaching the junction of Kwok Shui Road and Fu Uk Road, it reportedly knocked down a 26-year-old woman.

     Sustaining serious head injuries, the woman was rushed to Yan Chai Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 9.06am.

     The bus driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories South is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 1446.

     A red tide was sighted during the past week, the Inter-departmental Red Tide Working Group reported today (March 7).
 
     On March 4, staff of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department spotted a red tide at Deep Water Bay Beach, Hong Kong Island. The red tide has dissipated. No associated fish deaths have been reported as of today.
 
     A spokesman for the working group said, "The red tide was formed by Noctiluca scintillans, which is commonly found in Hong Kong waters and non-toxic."
 
     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) urged mariculturists at Lo Tik Wan, Sok Kwu Wan and Po Toi fish culture zones to monitor the situation closely and increase aeration where necessary.
 
     Red tide is a natural phenomenon. The AFCD's proactive phytoplankton monitoring programme will continue to monitor red tide occurrences to minimise the impact on the mariculture industry and the public.

     A man who went missing in Sau Mau Ping has been located.

     Zhou Zhibin, aged 34, went missing after he left his residence in On Tai Estate on February 6. His family made a report to Police on February 14.

     The man was located on Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok in the small hours today (March 7). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (March 7) announced that the department tested 64 water samples collected from cooling towers in 27 buildings during its routine inspections in February 2025. None of them were detected to have a total legionella count at or above the upper threshold, which is 1 000 colony-forming units per millilitre. The latest statistics are set out in Annex 1.

     The EMSD also announced the locations of buildings which were served with nuisance notices during the preceding three-month period as the total legionella count was found in the fresh water cooling towers to be equal to or above the upper threshold. Details can be found in Annex 2.

     The EMSD publishes the latest statistics of the above information on a half-monthly basis on its website
     (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/other_regulatory_services/cooling_towers/water_sampling/index.html).
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     The EMSD reminds the owners of fresh water cooling towers that they have the responsibility to design, operate and maintain cooling towers properly. They should arrange regular inspections, timely maintenance and periodic testing of the water quality in their cooling towers in accordance with the Code of Practice for Fresh Water Cooling Towers issued by the department to prevent the proliferation of legionella.