The following is issued on behalf of the Liquor Licensing Board:
 
     The Liquor Licensing Board will meet on Tuesday (July 10) to consider eight applications for new issue, renewal or transfer of liquor licences.
 
     The applications are (not in order of discussion):
 
Hong Kong:
——–
"Lun Gor Private Club West Point Branch" in Shek Tong Tsui
The Den and PIZZAEXPRESS in Sai Ying Pun
A SIDE & B SIDE in Sheung Wan
Pampas Argentinian Steak House and ESTIATORIO KEIA in Central
 
Kowloon:
——–
HOUSE in Sham Shui Po
 
New Territories:
——–
"Happiness Restaurant" in Tsuen Wan
 
     The meeting will be held at 9.45am in the conference room, Room 102, 1/F, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai. Members of the public are welcome to attend, except during the private session on confidential items.

     The total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance reached 1,407,743 at the end of June this year, up 23,797 on the figure at the end of 2017, according to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (July 8).

     A total of 85,449 local companies were newly registered during the first half of 2018, among which 30,447 were incorporated online via the one-stop electronic company incorporation and business registration service at the e-Registry (www.eregistry.gov.hk).

     With effect from March 1, all companies incorporated in Hong Kong, except listed companies, are required to maintain up-to-date beneficial ownership information by way of keeping a Significant Controllers Register. The Register should be open for inspection by law enforcement officers upon demand.

     Further, a new licensing regime has been introduced to require all trust or company service providers to apply for a licence from the Registrar of Companies before they can provide trust or company services as a business in Hong Kong.

     "The new initiatives have enhanced Hong Kong's regulatory regime for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The Registry currently conducts site inspections to ensure proper compliance with the new requirements," said the Registrar of Companies, Ms Ada Chung.

     Regarding non-Hong Kong companies that have established a place of business in Hong Kong, 592 companies were newly registered under the Companies Ordinance in the first half of 2018, compared to 566 in the second half of 2017. The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies reached 10,755 by the end of June 2018.

     The number of charges on assets of companies received for registration in the first half of this year was 10,372, a 4.8 per cent decrease from 10,895 in the second half of 2017. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration in the first half of this year was 12,445, an increase of 6.44 per cent compared to 11,692 in the second half of 2017.

     The number of documents received for registration during the first six months of 2018 increased by 21.34 per cent to 1,729,547, compared to 1,425,424 in the second half of 2017.

     A total of 2,495,508 searches of document image records were conducted through the Registry's electronic search services in the first half of 2018, an increase of 10.25 per cent when compared to the figure of 2,263,567 in the second half of 2017.

     For details of the statistics, please visit the "Statistics" section of the Registry's website (www.cr.gov.hk).

     Skilled Hong Kong youths will go up against teams from around the world in the WorldSkills Competition in Russia next year.

     News.gov.hk interviewed two winners of this year's WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition to see how they are preparing for a chance to represent the city.

     The story appears on news.gov.hk today (July 8) in text and video format.

Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting today (July 8).

The arrangements will come into effect two hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

Appropriate traffic signs will be put up and police will be on hand to guide motorists.

The Police also appeal to people going to Sha Tin Racecourse for the race meeting and to Happy Valley Racecourse for cross betting to make maximum use of public transport.

Parking spaces at the two racecourses are available only to holders of appropriate permits issued by Hong Kong Jockey Club and any vehicles illegally parked will be towed away.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (July 7) urged the public, for the sake of prudence, not to consume several kinds of prepackaged frozen vegetable products produced by the Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen. The trade should stop using or selling the products concerned immediately if they possess them.

     Details of the products are as follows:

1. Product name : Sainsbury's Mixed Vegetables
Packing: one kilogram per pack
Importer: The Dairy Farm Company Limited
Best before date: All codes to January 2020 inclusive

2. Product name : Waitrose Love Life Vegetable Medley Steamers
Packing: four small packs of 160 grams each per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: May, July, September 2018

3. Product name : Growers Pride Mixed Vegetables
Packing: 450 grams per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive

4. Product name : Ross Mixed Vegetables
Packing: one kilogram per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2020 inclusive

5. Product name : Ross Sweetcorn
Packing: 450 grams per pack
Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The Centre, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, learned of a notice issued by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency that the Greenyard Frozen UK Limited is recalling several kinds of frozen vegetable products as they might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. "

     The CFS immediately contacted major local importers and retailers for follow-up. Preliminary investigation found that two local importers, The Dairy Farm Company Limited and PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited, had imported the above affected products into Hong Kong for sale at their chain supermarkets. The importers concerned have already stopped sale and removed from shelves the affected products and initiated a recall. Members of the public can contact the importers and the supermarkets concerned for enquiries about the recall.

     "Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperature. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns," the spokesman said.

     The spokesman urged consumers not to consume the affected products if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess them.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to monitor the case and take appropriate follow-up action. Investigation is ongoing.