Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Janice Wong and Samantha Butler2024-08-20
Tuesday
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Selected audio segments:
Newborn Hong Kong pandas fragile, but doing well Listen
Ocean Park says the panda twins born in Hong Kong last week are doing well but remain fragile. The theme park's chairman, Paulo Pong, said the mother, Ying Ying, and staff were taking turns to care for the cubs. As Elvis Yu reports, it would likely be a week or two before they grow their distinctive fur colours:
Locals have priority for jobs, says labour chief Listen
Labour minister Chris Sun has reassured local workers that the government will ensure they have priority in employment. That follows complaints by a union group that local employees had difficulty finding jobs in the retail, catering and construction sectors. Anne Chan reports:
Warning that some toilet paper may clog drains Listen
The Consumer Council says four brands of toilet paper it tested did not dissolve easily and could cause blockages in drains. The council tested 25 brands and found many did not have comprehensive labelling. The council's Chief Executive Gilly Wong spoke to Georgina Lee about its findings and recommendations:
Watchdog tackling complaints over sports shoes Listen
The Consumer Council says people who are unhappy with the quality or performance of their new sports shoes should not be afraid to follow up with the retailer as there is a good chance they will be compensated. The watchdog also called on manufacturers to focus on quality. Raymond Yeung reports:
'Regulate Web3 to attract innovation, funds to SAR' Listen
Lawmaker Johnny Ng says two recent cases involving cryptocurrencies illustrate the need to regulate the Web3 sector and boost its development in Hong Kong. He was commenting after a scandal involving the JPEX cryptocurrency platform and a High Court case involving a decentralised autonomous organisation, or DAO. Ng says Web3 is a new trend of doing business that uses decentralised technology, such as blockchains and tokens. He says there are over 200,000 DAOs in operation. He told Samantha Butler that if the government had more guidelines for the industry, it could attract innovative talent and funds to Hong Kong:
Govt urged to offer tax breaks for athletes' sponsorship Listen
DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng has called on the government to offer tax concessions to businesses that sponsor local athletes. He noted that firms tended to sponsor major sporting events rather than individuals. Cheng, who is vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, also called on the government to purchase the broadcasting rights for upcoming major sporting tournaments, such as the National Games next year, and upcoming Asian Games and Olympics. He spoke to Anne Chan:
Bus parade celebration for HK's Paris Olympians Listen
The government is to hold a bus parade on Wednesday to honour the Hong Kong Olympians who represented the city in the just-concluded Paris Games. It said the best spots to see the athletes would be in Tai Wai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central. Altis Wong reports:
Veteran dressage rider gears up for fourth Paralympics Listen
Equestrian Natasha Tse is set to appear in her fourth Paralympics in Paris. With less than two weeks to go before the Games, how is the veteran dressage rider approaching the competition this time around? Carlos Escueta has more in this edition of "Road to Paralympics":
United Front leader touring Hong Kong Listen
Chief Executive John Lee has told a visiting mainland official that the Hong Kong government will continue to fully and accurately implement the One Country, Two Systems principle and leverage the SAR's strengths to serve the country's needs. The head of the United Front Work Department, Shi Taifeng, is in Hong Kong on an inspection visit. Janice Lo reports:
China, Vietnam pledge to strengthen ties Listen
China and Vietnam have pledged to improve relations and enhance cross-border railways. This follows talks in Beijing between President Xi Jinping and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam. Raymond Yeung reports:
At least 50 dead in Hunan from July downpours Listen
State media say at least 50 people are confirmed dead following search and rescue efforts after torrential rain lashed central China late last month. CCTV says 15 others remained missing in Zixing city in Hunan Province. Damon Pang reports:
Ex-US congressman Santos facing jail time after guilty plea Listen
Disgraced former American congressman George Santos has pleaded guilty to criminal corruption charges, as he faces at least two years in jail. The Republican admitted to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft at a court in New York. Damon Pang reports:
Yasukuni shrine vandalised a second time in months Listen
A Tokyo shrine, seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, has reported a second case of graffiti in three months. The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is for the 2.5 million mostly Japanese killed in wars since the late 19th century and includes convicted war criminals. Jacqueline Guico reports:
7-Eleven parent receives takeover bid from Couche-Tard Listen
Japan's Seven & i - owner of the 7-Eleven convenience stores - says it has received a preliminary takeover offer from Canada's Couche-Tard - potentially the biggest purchase of a Japanese company by an overseas firm. The announcement followed a report on the deal by the Nikkei newspaper. Tom McAlinden reports:
AI users becoming emotionally-attached to chatbots Listen
At one time, the idea of making friends or falling in love with a robot may have been far-fetched. But a recent report by artificial intelligence firm, OpenAI, has noted that some users were developing emotional attachments to its latest chatbot, GPT-4o, which provides real-time responses using a human voice. So should regulators or tech companies take action to prevent users becoming addicted to AI companionships? Elvis Yu and Raj Shroff find out in Tech Tuesday: