Tag Archives: China

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (October 16) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
 
     Twenty-four beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 16 as Fair (Grade 2).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:

Cafeteria New Beach*	Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Pui O Beach*
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Repulse Bay Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach*	Shek O Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	South Bay Beach*
Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach	St. Stephen’s Beach*
Hap Mun Bay Beach*	Stanley Main Beach*
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Kadoorie Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach	Trio Beach*
Kwun Yam Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers’ Beach*	Hoi Mei Wan Beach*
Approach Beach*	Lido Beach*
Big Wave Bay Beach*	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Butterfly Beach*	Middle Bay Beach*
Casam Beach*	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Castle Peak Beach	Silverstrand Beach*
Deep Water Bay Beach*	Ting Kau Beach*
Golden Beach*	Turtle Cove Beach

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria Old Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Middle Bay Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
 
     “The changes in beach water quality are generally within the normal range of natural fluctuation,” an EPD spokesman said.
 
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), 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 tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD’s dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).
 
Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 29 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from September 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).
 
Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which has no lifesaving service. read more

     The Transport Department (TD) said today (October 16) that special traffic and public transport arrangements will be implemented at the Huanggang Port during peak periods of passenger flow during the three-day holiday before and after the Chung Yeung Festival starting tomorrow (October 17) and in future to expedite passenger dispersal and provide convenience for the public and visitors. The public should plan their journeys early, choose suitable control points for boundary crossing based on their needs, and need not rush to use the new port.

     A spokesman for the TD said, “We have formulated various traffic contingency plans jointly with relevant departments and public transport operators (PTOs). These include comprehensively increasing public transport service frequencies, enhancing passenger dispersal efficiency at major interchanges, flexibly adjusting traffic signals and implementing alternative routes, taking a multipronged approach to ensure smooth overall traffic at the Huanggang Port. Cross-boundary travellers should make use of the new feature in the HKeMobility mobile app to check interchange information of the Huanggang Port and the San Tin Public Transport Interchange (PTI) for smart travel.”

Public transport arrangements

     The TD has steered franchised bus, green minibus (GMB) and cross-boundary coach (CBC) operators to deploy additional standby vehicles and manpower to strengthen services to meet passenger demand. During peak hours, franchised bus service frequencies can be increased to every two to three minutes, while GMB and CBC frequencies can be raised to every three to four minutes.

     Apart from the 24-hour close monitoring of traffic and transport conditions of the Huanggang Port by the TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre, the TD and PTOs will also deploy additional staff for on-site monitoring at the Huanggang Port PTI, major interchanges, major bus termini and stops with higher passenger demand along routes to and from the port. They will monitor changes in passenger and traffic flows in real time to flexibly deploy resources to cater for diverse travel needs of passengers.

     Of note, the TD has put up public transport overviews at the queueing areas and key locations of the San Tin PTI, enabling passengers to grasp information on franchised bus and GMB routes connecting the port and various districts at a glance. Currently, passengers at the San Tin PTI can interchange for bus services directly to seven MTR stations across three MTR lines; interchange for three bus routes to North District; or take Long Win Bus route No. A43P to the airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port. Queueing order on site will also be enhanced to improve dispersal efficiency.

     In addition, the TD has rearranged the spatial layout of the San Tin PTI, arranging for tour coaches to pick up and drop off passengers at the locations closest to the air-conditioned waiting area, enhancing the travel experience. Information has been issued by the TD through the Travel Industry Authority and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to travel agencies and visitors to assist them in planning their journeys in advance and selecting suitable bus services to travel between the Huanggang Port and the San Tin PTI.

Information dissemination

     A button for the Huanggang Port has been added to the TD’s HKeMobility app, allowing users to conveniently check the public transport interchange overview at their fingertips, plan their journeys early and select suitable routes to and from the port. Various PTOs will also step up dissemination of information on increased frequencies of routes concerned, interchange routes or concessions for passenger convenience. read more

     The Hong Kong Science Museum (HKScM) is presenting the “2026 The Future Science Prize Exhibition” from today (October 16) to November 18 at the Exhibition Hall on the ground floor. The exhibition this year will focus on science in daily life, showcasing the outstanding contributions of this year’s three laureates and Hong Kong laureates over the years to allow visitors to learn more about their scientific achievements.
 
     Established in 2016, the Future Science Prize presents three awards every year aiming to give recognition to scientists who have achieved outstanding scientific results on the Chinese Mainland, in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, with the goal of inspiring China, the world and the next generation with the spirit of science.
 
     The Life Science Prize laureate of the Future Science Prize this year is Dr Zhang Hong for pioneering contributions to the mechanism and physiological function of autophagy specific in multicellular organisms. The Physical Science Prize is awarded to Professor Zhao Dongyuan for pioneering contributions to mesoporous materials in the context of synthetic control, mechanistic understanding and industrial application. Professor Yuan Xinyi receives the Mathematics and Computer Science Prize for his fundamental contributions to arithmetic geometry.
 
     A number of multimedia and interactive exhibits are on display, which allow visitors to explore the relevant scientific knowledge and applications of award-winning fields in the past, including cryptography, catalysis and hepatitis virus, in a simple way. The “Digital Fingerprint Lab” invites visitors to experience the magic of cryptography in detecting forgery and to explore the research of Professor Wang Xiaoyun, laureate of the 2019 Mathematics and Computer Science Prize; the interactive exhibit “Mechanism of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection of Liver Cells” showcases the groundbreaking research of Professor Li Wenhui, laureate of the 2022 Life Science Prize, who discovered how a specific receptor on the surface of human liver cells is exploited by hepatitis B and D viruses to cause infection; and the “Catalysis Reaction Simulator” allows visitors to learn about the research of Professor Zhang Tao and Professor Li Yadong, laureates of the 2024 Physical Science Prize, in the field of Single-Atom Catalysis and to explore how this technology enhances industrial efficiency.
 
     In addition, the 2026 Future Science Prize Week will take place during the exhibition period. One of its highlight events, Science Symposiums, will be held on November 6 and 7 at the Lecture Hall of the HKScM, where world-renowned scientists will share scientific discoveries on cutting-edge topics. For details of the exhibition and activities, please visit the website at hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/fsp.html.

read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, October 16, 2026 is 100.3 (down 0.1 against yesterday’s index). read more

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

     Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited (HKICL) has recently noted a fraudulent website at fpsrefund.club purported to be from HKICL. The fraudulent website imitates as “Buyer Online Protection” to provide services including 1) refund to buyer, 2) unauthorised online transaction reporting, and 3) online transaction support, for online transaction over FPS payment. It intends to trick user into giving away personal document number and ID photo together with phone number for real name verification in order to get cash reward. In addition, it also tricks user into providing bank name, bank account number and bank account holder’s name to top up and withdraw money from its platform’s virtual wallet. Further, it directs user to a fraudster impersonating as customer service personnel.

     Please be reminded that the fraudulent website may have multiple combinations at the end of the link, e.g.:

• fpsrefund.club/page/place_an_order/?uuid=refund

     ​HKICL advises that this fraudulent website has no affiliation with HKICL, or any business of HKICL. HKICL will not directly provide FPS service to individual members of the public or contact individual members of the public proactively under usual circumstance. The genuine official website addresses of HKICL are www.hkicl.com.hk and fps.hkicl.com.hk.

     HKICL urges the public to beware of suspicious calls, websites or other communications, and to remain vigilant in protecting personal information. If members of the public receive any suspicious communication purportedly from HKICL, please call HKICL’s general line at 2533 1111 to verify. Members of the public who suspect that they have become the victim of fraudulent acts should report promptly to the Police. read more