The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     The Judiciary today (July 18) announced the re-appointment of the Honourable Mr Justice Godfrey Lam Wan-ho as the President, Competition Tribunal and the Honourable Madam Justice Queeny Au-Yeung Kwai-yue as the Deputy President, Competition Tribunal, each for a term of three years with effect from August 1, 2019, upon expiry of their current terms.

     The re-appointments are made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission.

President, Competition Tribunal
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     The Honourable Mr Justice Lam was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1993 and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2008. He was in private practice between 1994 and 2013. He sat as a Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a period in 2011 and was appointed as Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in January 2013. He has been appointed as the President, Competition Tribunal since August 1, 2013.

Deputy President, Competition Tribunal
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     The Honourable Madam Justice Au-Yeung was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1985 and was in private practice from 1986 until she joined the Judiciary as Magistrate in 1995. She was appointed as Registrar of the District Court in 2001, District Judge in 2003, Registrar of the High Court in 2007 and Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court in August 2012. She has been appointed as Deputy President, Competition Tribunal since August 1, 2013.

     The Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619) was passed on June 14, 2012. The Ordinance provides that every Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court will, by virtue of his or her appointment as Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, be a member of the Competition Tribunal. The Ordinance also provides that the Chief Executive shall, on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, appoint two of the members of the Tribunal to be the President and Deputy President of the Tribunal for a term of at least three years, but not more than five years. The President and Deputy President of the Tribunal are eligible for re-appointment.

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 China CITIC Bank International Limited on fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.
 
          Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     A woman was fined $20,000 at the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts today (July 18) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in January this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on On Luk Street in Ma On Shan. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
 

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, July 18, 2019 is 105 (down 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has recorded higher than normal pollution levels. At 2pm today (July 18), the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) at Tung Chung Air Quality Monitoring station reached 10+, corresponding to the "Serious" health risk category. According to the EPD's forecast, it is expected that the AQHI will remain higher than normal today and tomorrow.

     Under the influence of the outer subsiding air of Tropical Cyclone Danas and the area of low pressure over the northeastern part of the South China Sea, the weather in Hong Kong today is hazy with sunny periods and light to moderate westerly winds. Hong Kong is being affected by an air mass with higher background pollutant concentrations. Higher than normal levels of ozone and particulates have been recorded in the territory since this morning. The sunshine enhances photochemical smog activity and the formation of ozone and fine particulates, resulting in high pollution in the Pearl River Delta region. The high level of ozone has promoted the formation of nitrogen dioxide, particularly in parts of the urban areas and at the roadside.

     According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the area of low pressure over the northeastern part of the South China Sea will move towards the vicinity of Taiwan, and will bring unsettled weather to the coast of southeastern China in the next couple of days. It is expected that pollution levels will be improved by then.

     With a health risk category in the "Very High" range or above, children, the elderly and persons with existing heart or respiratory illnesses are advised to reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities to a minimum or avoid such activities. The general public is advised to reduce, or reduce to a minimum, outdoor physical exertion, and to reduce time staying outdoors, especially in areas with heavy traffic. As health effects of air pollutants may vary for individuals, persons who are in doubt or experience discomfort should seek advice from health-care professionals. The public may visit the Centre for Health Protection's website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/content/9/460/3557.html) for more information on health effects of air pollution and relevant health advice.

     The Education Bureau (EDB) urges all schools to visit the EDB's website for appropriate measures to safeguard students' health and take note of changes in the index. The relevant hyperlink is as follows:
www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/admin/about-activities/sch-activities-guidelines/index.html.

     When the AQHI is at the "Very High" level, employers of outdoor workers performing heavy manual work are advised to assess the risk of outdoor work and take appropriate preventive measures to protect the health of their employees such as reducing outdoor physical exertion and the time of their stay outdoors, especially in areas with heavy traffic. At the "Serious" level, employers of all outdoor workers are advised to assess the risk of outdoor work and take appropriate preventive measures to protect the health of their employees.

     Members of the public can check the current AQHI readings at the EPD's website (www.aqhi.gov.hk/en.html) or by calling the hotline at 2827 8541.