Five red tides were sighted over the past week, the Inter-departmental Red Tide Working Group reported today (July 19).

     On July 15, staff of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) spotted five red tides at Victoria Harbour (near Sai Ying Pun), Victoria Harbour (near North Point), the waters off Cheung Sha Wan Promenade, Tsing Lung Tau and Lei Yue Mun respectively. The red tides at Victoria Harbour (near Sai Ying Pun), the waters off Cheung Sha Wan Promenade and Tsing Lung Tau still persist, while the other two red tides have dissipated. No associated fish deaths have been reported as of today.

     A spokesman for the working group said, "The above red tides were formed by Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, which is commonly found in Hong Kong waters and non-toxic."

     The AFCD urged mariculturists at Lo Tik Wan, Sok Kwu Wan, Ma Wan and Cheung Sha Wan 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.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (July 19) announced that two auctions of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on August 3 (Saturday) and 4 (Sunday) in Meeting Room N201, L2, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     "A total of 350 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public sale at each auction. The lists of marks have been uploaded to the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html," a department spokesman said.

     Applicants who have paid a deposit of $1,000 to reserve a mark for auction should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price of $1,000). Otherwise, the mark concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(1) Successful bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A vehicle registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) Special registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special registration mark shall be cancelled.

(5) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Traditional Vehicle Registration Marks, which can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/tvrm_auction/index.html.

     â€‹The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 19) that the Mei Lam Sports Centre in Sha Tin District has been reopened. The sports centre was temporarily closed earlier due to urgent maintenance works for a power failure.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)'s Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) endorsed today (July 19) the implementation of measures to enhance the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates (Marking Scheme) by adding three new misdeed items and widening the scope of two misdeed items. 
 
     "The enhanced measures aim to provide a clean, hygienic and safe living environment for public rental housing (PRH) residents and strengthen the effectiveness of enforcement," a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     With a view to rendering assistance to Owners' Corporations (OCs) of the Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) estates in their daily management and meeting the residents' aspiration for a decent living environment, the SHC also endorsed the application of all misdeed items under the Marking Scheme to PRH tenants in TPS estates. 
 
     "We would work with TPS estates' OCs for the implementation details and listen to their views to ensure effective implementation," the spokesman said.
 
     The enhanced measures will take effect in the fourth quarter of 2024. For the revised list of Misdeeds under the Marking Scheme, please see the Annex.  
 
     The following three new misdeed items will be added:
 

1. "Feeding feral pigeons or other wild animals" with seven penalty points;
2. "Hanging or placing objects with potential risk of falling from height outside the window, balcony or façade (including canopy, air-conditioner hood and other projections)" with seven penalty points and the application of a warning system.  Misdeed item A2 "Hanging floor mop outside the window or balcony" will be deleted as it will be incorporated into the new misdeed item; and 
3. "Resisting or obstructing the Housing Authority (HA) or person(s) authorised by HA in execution of duties in accordance with the Housing Ordinance or other statutory requirements, or policies imposed by HA" with 15 penalty points.

 
     The scope of the following two misdeed items will be widened:
 

1. "Dripping oil from exhaust fan" be amended to "Dripping oil from exhaust fan, range hood duct, etc."; and
2. "Obstructing corridors or stairs with sundry items rendering cleansing difficult" be amended to "Placing any sundry items, property, or objects in estate common areas (including but not limited to common areas inside or outside any buildings of the estate) that cause obstruction or render cleansing difficult". 

     "The HA will step up publicity on the revised Marking Scheme and will issue a gentle reminder to PRH residents prior to implementation," the spokesman said.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will launch a new lecture series on appreciating ballet entitled "Great Masters & the Classics" from August to October. Hosted by local ballet educator Margaret Lau, the lecture series will introduce classic ballet works by a number of legendary choreographers, and guide audiences to appreciate their iconic choreographic styles through sharing video excerpts of these masterpieces.

     Ballet classics created by renowned choreographers, such as Mikhail Fokine, George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan and John Neumeier, have shaped the evolution of ballet. Many of these masterpieces are still in the repertoire of ballet companies around the world and remain popular. In this series of eight lectures, nearly 20 ballet excerpts in different styles have been selected from which audiences will be guided to appreciate the dance scenes, expression techniques, dance movements, character portrayals and styling, as well as the fusion of traditional and contemporary elements, etc, that are finely crafted by the masters. Audiences will also be able to appreciate the performing styles of famous ballet companies of other places and the superb skills of dancers.

     The date of each lecture and the works covered are as follows:

Lecture 1
————
Date: August 20 (Tuesday)
Repertoires: "Giselle" and "Pas de Quatre"
Video clips: The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), English National Ballet (United Kingdom), National Ballet of China (China), Mariinsky Ballet (Russia), Staatsballett Berlin (Germany) and more
 
Lecture 2
————
Date: August 29 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "Swan Lake", "Illusions Like Swan Lake" and "LAC"
Video clips: Paris Opera Ballet (France), Royal Swedish Ballet (Sweden), The Hamburg Ballet (Germany), Bayerisches Staatsballett (Germany), Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) and more

Lecture 3
————
Date: September 5 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "Les Sylphides", "Le Spectre de la Rose", "Firebird" and "Apollo"
Video clips: Mariinsky Ballet (Russia), Paris Opera Ballet (France), New York City Ballet (United States), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom) and more

Lecture 4
————
Date: September 12 (Thursday)
Repertoire: "Romeo & Juliet"
Video clips: Stuttgart Ballet (Germany), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), The Royal Danish Ballet (Denmark), Korean National Ballet (Korea), Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) and more

Lecture 5
————
Date: September 19 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "Don Quixote" and "Notre-Dame de Paris"
Video clips: Paris Opera Ballet (France), Dutch National Ballet (the Netherlands), Teatro alla Scala Ballet (Italy), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Mikhailovsky Ballet (Russia) and more

Lecture 6
————
Date: September 26 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "Spartacus" and "Mayerling"
Video clips: Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), Korean National Ballet (Korea), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), The National Ballet of Canada (Canada) and more

Lecture 7
————
Date: October 3 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "A Month in the Country" and "Manon"
Video clips: The National Ballet of Canada (Canada), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Birmingham Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Paris Opera Ballet (France) and more

Lecture 8
————
Date: October 10 (Thursday)
Repertoires: "The Nutcracker", "The Nutcracker Sweeties" and "Chinese New Year"
Video clips: New York City Ballet (United States), National Ballet of China (China), Birmingham Royal Ballet (United Kingdom), Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), The Royal Ballet (United Kingdom) and more

     Margaret Lau is a seasoned dance critic in Hong Kong. She has travelled to attend and cover dance performances worldwide. She has hosted this lecture series on ballet appreciation since 2009 to share her experience and knowledge with audiences, and enhance their interest in appreciating ballet performances. Her published works include "Passions for dance: Chapter 1 & 2", "Twinkle Twinkle Dance Stars" and "Chinese Ballet Sketches".

     All lectures will be conducted in Cantonese and will take place at 7.30pm at AC2, 4/F, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $65 (for each lecture, with free seating) are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7323 or visit https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/dance/programs_1755.html.