Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Janice Wong and Carol Musgrave2024-03-19
Tuesday
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Selected audio segments:
Tatler Asia announces details of Messi refund Listen
Disappointed fans - who were hoping to watch Inter Miami football star, Lionel Messi, play in a Hong Kong friendly - can now apply for a partial ticket refund. Tatler Asia, the organiser of the exhibition match, says fans who bought tickets through official channels can get the refund if they reply to an email before mid-April. Messi caused outrage here and on the mainland for sitting out of the match due to injury, only to play in a Japan game a few days later. Azam Khan reports:
Legco resumes second reading of security bill Listen
The Legislative Council will convene a full meeting from 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning to resume the second reading of a bill on proposed national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law. Natale Ching reports:
Cathay pledges no more flight disruptions Listen
Cathay Pacific has assured authorities there will be no flight disruptions over the Easter break, after officials criticised the airline for cancellations over Christmas and New Year. Cathay said it had implemented digital solutions to help with future planning. Wendy Wong reports:
HK to become 'Muslim-friendly' travel destination Listen
The Hong Kong Tourism Board says it hopes to promote the SAR as a Muslim-friendly travel destination and will work with the travel sector to make this happen. Vanessa Cheng reports:
More halal eateries will attract Muslim tourists Listen
A member of the Equal Opportunities Commission says Muslim tourism is a big market that Hong Kong should have tapped into, long ago. Rizwan Ullah said having more halal eateries would attract Muslims from all parts of the world as well as cater for the local market. He spoke to Carol Musgrave:
West Kowloon cultural hub could raise ticket prices Listen
The chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority says he is confident the arts hub can find a way to solve its financial difficulties without adding strain to public coffers. Henry Tang said the cultural hub would also consider raising ticket prices for its attractions. Kelly Yu reports:
Nothing unusual about seaweed washing up on Shek O Listen
A conservationist says people do not need to clear away a type of brown seaweed, known as sargassum, that has been found washed up on beaches. But Lydia Pang, Interim Head of Oceans, Conservation, at WWF-Hong Kong said people could help pick out garbage caught in the seaweed to prevent marine pollution. She was commenting after photos posted online showed large clumps of brown seaweed washed up onto Shek O Beach. She told Hailey Yip this was a common occurrence and no abnormal growth patterns had been detected:
Tax waivers attracting family offices to SAR Listen
Accounting firm Deloitte says it is confident the SAR will easily achieve its goal of attracting at least 200 family offices by the end of 2025. These offices are private wealth management companies for the very wealthy. It comes after the firm published a study which estimated there were over 2,700 single-family offices in the SAR as of December. Deloitte China’s vice chair Patrick Yip told Chloe Feng there was increasing interest in family offices since Hong Kong introduced tax waivers for them last year:
Call for HK to beef up cybersecurity laws Listen
Former government chief information officer, Allen Yeung, says Hong Kong needs to introduce new legislation to tackle cyberattacks. In the past year, organisations - such as the Consumer Council, Cyberport and the University of Hong Kong - have been victims of cyberattacks. Yeung called these cases inevitable and said the government should improve cybersecurity laws to better protect people. He spoke to Vanessa Cheng in Beijing:
Wang Yi kicks off first NZ, OZ trip in seven years Listen
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has kicked off his trip to New Zealand and Australia. In the capital city of Wellington, he held talks with New Zealand's top officials, including prime minister Christopher Luxon. Kelly Yu reports:
Lifetime securities ban for Evergrande founder Listen
China Evergrande Group founder Hui Ka Yan will be barred from the securities market for life and fined 47 million yuan, after the nation's regulator accused the group's flagship unit, Hengda Real Estate, of inflating results, securities fraud and failing to make timely disclosures. Hengda said in a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange that the nation's securities watchdog also penalised the company and several of its former senior executives after an investigation. Sean Kennedy reports:
Mainland factory output, retail sales beat expectations Listen
There are further signs that the world's second-largest economy is on the mend. China's factory output and retail sales in the first two months of the year have beaten expectations, as Azam Khan reports:
Ukraine braces for the worst following Putin's re-election Listen
Vladimir Putin has addressed triumphant crowds in Moscow's Red Square - a day after claiming a landslide presidential victory and on the 10th anniversary of Russia's annexation of Ukraine. He told the crowd that all occupied Ukrainian territories were now part of Russia. Russia's allies welcomed the result of the election, with President Xi Jinping telling his Russian counterpart that it reflected the support of the Russian people. RTHK's Moscow correspondent, Fred Weir, told AnneMarie Evans that President Putin would likely escalate the war in Ukraine with his new six-year mandate:
AI targeting kids with misinformation Listen
Artificial intelligence is changing the world in ways never thought possible, making many aspects of people's lives more efficient. But a recent report revealed that many AI-generated videos, appearing on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, were targeting children to make money. According to experts, these videos are often addictive and have little educational value. So how has AI enabled the mass production of these videos and what impact could they have on children's cognitive development? Raj Shroff and Elvis Yu find out in this week's Tech Tuesday: