

Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Carol Musgrave and Ben Tse2025-03-14
Friday
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Selected audio segments:
Cryopreservation break for those with fertility fears
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A population expert has welcomed the government's proposal to extend the storage period for frozen embryos for their own use. Professor Paul Yip from the University of Hong Kong's Department of Social Work and Social Administration, says it will be helpful to those who are infertile, but he doubts it will lift the city's declining birth rate. Currently, frozen embryos can be stored for up to 10 years. A public consultation on the proposal has been launched, and members of the public have until April 13 to submit their views. Professor Yip spoke to Janice Lo:
Lawmaker says high time to change cryopreservation rules
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DAB lawmaker Nixie Lam, who has been calling for longer storage periods for egg freezing, welcomed the government's initiative to look into to extending the storage time. She spoke to Carol Musgrave about how the proposed measure can help those looking to start a family:
Two primary schools face primary one class ban
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Two primary schools will not receive grants from the Education Bureau to operate primary one classes in the coming academic year, because they failed to enroll the minimum 16 pupils required to form a class. Elvis Yu reports:
Cancer devices donated by Li require clinical trials
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Health officials say medical equipment donated by tycoon Li Ka-shing to treat liver cancer are still under clinical trials and require careful evaluation before wider use in public healthcare. Kelly Yu reports:
Driver dies after crashing van into fire engine
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The driver of a light goods vehicle was killed yesterday in a bizarre traffic accident on the West Kowloon Highway. His vehicle crashed into a fire truck which was responding to an earlier accident. Chloe Feng reports:
Govt urged to tackle illegal parking at public housing estates
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The Housing Department has been urged to step up efforts to tackle illegal parking at public housing estates. The Ombudsman made the call after it discovered that access for emergency vehicles was blocked in some cases, leading to safety risks. Elvis Yu reports:
'Students may have caught gastro bug in HK'
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An expert says it wouldn't be surprising if some Hong Kong students might have already been infected with norovirus ¡V which can cause gastroenteritis ¡V before going on an exchange trip to Guangdong. More than 50 secondary students and teachers from three schools who dined at the same restaurants in Shaoguan were reported to have contracted gastro on Tuesday. Janice Lo reports:
Six HK uni courses make top 10 in global ranking
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Nearly 70 percent of local university courses have seen their global rankings rise, compared to last year. But the specialist firm which conducted the survey expressed concern about budget cuts for the city's education sector. Chloe Feng reports:
Sleep vital to a healthy body and mind: expert
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Friday was World Sleep Day, an annual event that serves as a reminder of the importance of sleep to one's well-being and health. Here in Hong Kong, a city known for its hectic and fast-paced lifestyle, how well do people sleep? What are some tips that can improve our sleeping quality? Julia Sun, a clinical psychologist at the Chinese University's Department of Psychiatry spoke to Elvis Yu:
Macau girl injured in Taiwan blast dies
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A two-year-old girl from Macau has died almost a month after she was seriously injured in a shopping mall explosion in Taiwan. The blast killed four people, including the girl's grandfather, on the spot. Natale Ching reports:
Russia agrees to Ukraine ceasefire but has 'questions'
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Russia has agreed in principle with the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine but says the root causes of the conflict must be addressed. President Vladimir Putin's potential support for the ceasefire proposal offers the best chance to end the largest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Ukraine has also agreed to the proposal. Putin thanked President Donald Trump for his efforts to end the war:
Trump hopes Russia will 'do the right thing' on Ukraine
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Meanwhile, Donald Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte that he hopes Russia will do the right thing on Ukraine. The US agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
Trump threatens tariffs on EU alcohol
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The Trump administration has threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages from EU countries. The move comes as retaliation to the bloc's plan to impose levies on US-produced whisky next month. A Europe trade official, Pauline Bastidon, said the tit-for-tat tariffs were ¡§completely unrelated¡¨ to the alcoholic beverages:
UN report accuses Israel of systemic violence in Gaza
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A report by United Nations-backed human rights experts has accused Israel of ¡§the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence¡¨ in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The allegations came in one of the most extensive reports of its kind on the issue since Hamas' attack on southern Israel in 2023. The Israeli government condemned the report's conclusions. Jamie Clarke reports:
Duterte's first appearance at the ICC set for Friday
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Officials say former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's first appearance at the International Criminal Court will happen on Friday as he faces crimes against humanity over his deadly war on drugs. A University of Hong Kong academic says a feud between two political families in the Philippines could escalate in the wake of Duterte's arrest. Associate Professor Han Enze said Duterte's camp - led by his daughter Sara - might get a boost in mid-term elections in May. Han told Sophie Hui why he believes the former president was arrested at this time:
Outrage grows in Australia over mistreatment of wombat
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Australia¡¦s home affairs ministry says it is reviewing the visa status of an American social media influencer, after a video of her grabbing a baby wombat caused outrage in the country. Following calls for the woman to be deported, the department says it is determining whether immigration law had been breached. The video has drawn criticism from Australian conservationists, multiple members of parliament and now, the prime minister himself. Jamie Clarke has more:
Synthetic beef makes a splash in Barcelona
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Visitors to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week were treated to a sample of shredded 'beef' tacos. The beef, however, was something out of the ordinary: it was made with biomimetic plant-based meat! Jacqueline Guico has details:
European space probe reveals new images of Mars
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The European Space Agency has presented images taken by its space probe Hera, which has performed a flyby of Mars. On its way round, the probe snapped photos of the surface of the red planet, along with one of its moons from a point of view ¡§never seen before¡¨. The mission's project manager says the images are being analysed for clues on the moon¡¦s ¡§origin." Hera¡¦s ultimate mission, however, still lies ahead of it ¡V as Jamie Clarke reports:
Picasso's legacy lives on in new HK exhibition
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An upcoming exhibition dedicated to Spanish artist Pablo Picasso begins in Hong Kong as part of this year's French May Arts Festival. Titled "Picasso for Asia - A Conversation", the exhibition will showcase more than 60 of the late artist's masterpieces, alongside 130 or so works from 30 Asian artists who wish to pay tribute to Picasso's legacy. Doryun Chong, artistic director and chief curator at M+ museum, told Hailey Yip the exhibition marks the first major showcase of Picasso's masterpieces in the SAR in over a decade: