Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Ben Tse and Carol Musgrave2024-09-11
Wednesday
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Complaints and rumours abound over gym chain closure Listen
Complaints keep rising over the closure of Physical Fitness last Friday. The Consumer Council says it has received more than 1,700 complaints involving nearly HK$60 million. On Tuesday, people gathered outside the gym chain's Wan Chai branch after rumours circulated online that it would be reopening under a different name. But as Frank Yung reports, the doors to the facility remained locked:
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Annual study sounds alarm over teen suicide rates Listen
An annual study is sounding alarm bells about teenage suicide. It shows the suicide rate for Hong Kong last year was 13.6 - meaning that number out of every 100,000 people took their own lives. The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong carried out the study. The head of the centre, Professor Paul Yip, says suicides among teenage girls under the age of 15 increased to 4.2 from 0.5 the previous year. He told Elvis Yu that suicide among youngsters was a problem being faced by the entire world after the pandemic:
To Kwa Wan restaurant closed after tourists fall ill Listen
Health authorities are inspecting a restaurant in To Kwa Wan where almost a dozen tourists from the mainland fell ill after dining there on Monday night. They have ordered the restaurant to suspend operations. Anne Chan reports:
High Court agrees to hear challenge over inmates pants Listen
The High Court has agreed to hear a legal challenge against a policy requiring women on remand to wear long trousers, even in the hot summer months. Frank Yung reports:
CE pledges support to young entrepreneurs Listen
Chief Executive John Lee says Hong Kong will continue its role as a pioneer and unite patriotic young people to contribute to national development. He was speaking at a forum to encourage the city's young entrepreneurs. Kelly Yu reports:
Call for more subsidised eczema treatment for youngsters Listen
Concern groups are calling on the government to subsidise biological therapy for eczema in young children. At present, subsidies are only available for children aged six and above. The groups - Atopic Dermatitis Concern Group and Hong Kong Allergy Association - held a press briefing on the matter on Tuesday. Dermatologist, Dr Ho King-man, told Carol Musgrave that some 10,000 children under the age of six suffered from eczema in Hong Kong:
Harris, Trump prepare for key presidential debate Listen
US presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump meet for the first time on Wednesday morning, Hong Kong time, for perhaps their only televised debate ahead of the November election. The event poses a high-pressure opportunity for them to showcase their starkly different visions for the country after a tumultuous summer of campaigning. Jamie Clarke reports:
Australia mulls social media ban on kids Listen
Australia plans to ban children from using social media to encourage them to take up sports. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the impact of some sites on youngsters as a social scourge. Raymond Yeung reports:
EU fears West Bank becoming a 'new Gaza' Listen
The European Union’s foreign policy chief says a new front is being opened up by Israel in the ongoing war in the Middle East, with an intent of turning the Occupied West Bank into a new Gaza. Josep Borrell’s comment comes as calls for a ceasefire in the besieged enclave continue to mount. Jamie Clarke reports:
Pope's East Timor mass draws 600,000 faithful Listen
The Vatican says nearly half of the population of East Timor, some 600,000 people, have attended a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in the capital, Dili. The religious service was the highlight of the pontiff's visit to the world's most Catholic country. Jacqueline Guico reports:
Stricken nuclear plant faces most daunting cleanup yet Listen
A difficult operation to remove a small amount of radioactive debris from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has begun. As Natale Ching reports, the removal of these materials is regarded as the most daunting challenge in the decades-long project to decomission the plant:
One year on, Libya still rebuilding flood-hit Derna Listen
The Libyan city of Derna is slowly beginning to recover, one year after it was devastated by a powerful storm which killed over 5,000 people and displaced thousands more. Local efforts, bolstered by international aid, are helping the city rebuild, as Jacqueline Guico reports:
Billionaire blasts into space for first private spacewalk Listen
A SpaceX rocket has blasted off from Florida in the US on a mission that should see the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts. Polaris Dawn is also aiming to travel deeper into space than any crewed mission in more than half a century. Azam Khan reports:
Egyptian scientist petitions for return of bust of Nefertiti Listen
Egypt's former antiquities minister is calling for the return of a bust of Queen Nefertiti from a museum in Berlin, saying it was removed from Egypt illegally after its discovery. Zahi Hawass has launched a petition on his website for the return of the statue, that was uncovered 300 km south of Cairo in 1912. Jacqueline Guico reports:
Gorillas at Berlin Zoo take part in AI research Listen
Gorillas at the Berlin Zoo are helping out with an artificial intelligence research project. It aims to improve the protection of the endangered western lowland gorilla. As Jamie Clarke reports, AI technologies are becoming increasingly important in animal species conservation, due to their ability to analyse huge amounts of data, recognise behavioural patterns and make precise predictions:
China's exports up solidly but imports fall sharply Listen
Data shows China's exports jumped last month, beating expectations. But import growth fell sharply, with economists suggesting more should be done to boost local consumption. Raymond Yeung reports:
Ninth round of silver bonds unveiled with lower yield Listen
The government has launched its latest batch of silver bonds. But the guaranteed interest rate has gone down to four percent from last year's five percent. Vanessa Cheng reports:
Google and Apple lose court fights against the EU Listen
The European Union’s top court has delivered two major victories in the bloc's battle to rein in tech giants, by ruling against Apple and Google in separate legal sagas with billions of dollars at stake. Google has lost its fight against a US$2.7 billion fine levied by European Union antitrust regulators seven years ago. That was just one of three penalties against the company which jump-started an era of intensifying scrutiny for Big Tech companies. Jamie Clarke reports:
China lose to Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier Listen
China's 2026 Fifa World Cup chances are hanging in the balance, following a tightly-contested 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the third round of qualifiers for Asia on Tuesday night. Although the national team fought hard against a side ranked almost 30 places above them, their efforts ultimately fell just short in the end. RTHK's Asia football correspondent Chris KL Lau, has more on the match:
Major regional GBA arts festival comes to Hong Kong Listen
For the first time, Hong Kong will be hosting a major regional arts festival from next month. It will feature more than 100 programmes here and in other Greater Bay Area cities, such as stage productions, Chinese opera, film screenings and museum exhibitions. It is the fourth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. During the festival period, as many members of the arts field will be gathering in Hong Kong, authorities here have arranged public symposiums to foster cultural exchanges and talent cooperation. Doreen Lau, a chief manager with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, spoke to Hailey Yip about the festival: