　　The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, will lead a delegation of 18 District Officers (DOs) to Beijing and Zhejiang Province tomorrow (April 17) for a study programme and duty visit on district governance. 　　The Ho… read more
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Hangzhou and Suzhou tomorrow morning (April 17). During his visit, he will visit various innovation and technology enterprises engaging in artificial intelligence, Int… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
| Tender date | : | April 16, 2024 |
| Paper on offer | : | EF Bills |
| Issue number | : | Q2416 |
| Issue date | : | April 17, 2024 |
| Maturity date | : | July 17, 2024 |
| Amount applied | : | HK$140,110 MN |
| Amount allotted | : | HK$63,188 MN |
| Average yield accepted | : | 4.28 PCT |
| Highest yield accepted | : | 4.38 PCT |
| Pro rata ratio* | : | About 83 PCT |
| Average tender yield | : | 4.39 PCT |
| **************************** | ||
| Tender date | : | April 16, 2024 |
| Paper on offer | : | EF Bills |
| Issue number | : | H2445 |
| Issue date | : | April 17, 2024 |
| Maturity date | : | October 16, 2024 |
| Amount applied | : | HK$51,344 MN |
| Amount allotted | : | HK$19,000 MN |
| Average yield accepted | : | 4.28 PCT |
| Highest yield accepted | : | 4.36 PCT |
| Pro rata ratio* | : | About 87 PCT |
| Average tender yield | : | 4.43 PCT |
| Tender date | : | April 23, 2024 |
| Paper on offer | : | EF Bills |
| Issue number | : | Q2417 |
| Issue date | : | April 24, 2024 |
| Maturity date | : | July 24, 2024 |
| Tenor | : | 91 Days |
| Amount on offer | : | HK$59,076 MN |
| **************************** | ||
| Tender date | : | April 23, 2024 |
| Paper on offer | : | EF Bills |
| Issue number | : | H2446 |
| Issue date | : | April 24, 2024 |
| Maturity date | : | October 23, 2024 |
| Tenor | : | 182 Days |
| Amount on offer | : | HK$12,000 MN |
The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 is 106.3 (up 0.3 against yesterday’s index). read more
In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
From noon on April 15 to noon today (April 16), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 178 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 42 956 samples of food imported from Japan (including 28 336 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 11 682 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more