

Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Ben Tse and Vicky Wong2022-11-24
Thursday
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Selected audio segments:
Struggling bus firms seek fare rises of between 10-20 percent
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Franchised bus companies are seeking a fare hike of about 10 to 20 percent. But as Maggie Ho reports, critics say this is too much, and fare rises should be kept in line with inflation:
Public housing wait falls to 5.6 years
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The average wait for a public housing unit has dropped from six to 5.6 years. Housing advocates welcome the news, but believe the government could do more to shorten the queue further, as Kelly Yu reports:
Govt 'open' to regular national affairs tests for teachers
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The government says it is open to the idea of making teachers pass exams regularly and pursue further studies, in order to get their registration renewed. That follows calls for teachers to have a better understanding of the nation and national affairs. Here's Damon Pang:
'Govt needs to rethink its District Health Centre scheme'
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The government has been urged to rethink the way its District Health Centre scheme is run – after the first such centre in Kwai Tsing was found to have failed to achieve most of its targets since opening in 2019. The auditor found low enrolment rates for its disease prevention classes, along with a 101 percent turnover rate last year. The programme is designed to help shift the focus of the healthcare system from treatment, to prevention. But Dr Henry Yeung – a council member of the Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association – said government plans to build such centres in all 18 districts could easily end up being a big waste of money if authorities do not address fundamental problems in how they are run. He spoke to RTHK's Ben Tse:
Covid-19 cases rise on mainland
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Mainland health authorities have reported 28,883 new local Covid infections. That is up from 27,899 on Monday, but no new deaths were confirmed. Wendy Wong reports:
'NGOs not reaching majority of HK's homeless'
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The Audit Commission says the number of registered street sleepers more than doubled over the past decade, rising from about 600 in 2013 to 1,500 this year. Street sleepers aged 50 or above saw an even bigger increase. The Social Welfare Department spent about HK$30 million over the past year on support services for the homeless, providing grants to three NGOs. But the commission found that the street sleepers reached by these NGOs accounted for less than 30 percent of the total. It urged the Social Welfare Department to continue to monitor the services being provided. Jeff Rotmeyer, founder and CEO of the charity ImpactHK, said the government does not have a clear overview of the homelessness situation in Hong Kong:
Cut driving test queue, Transport Department told
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The Audit Commission has urged the Transport Department to do more to shorten the queue for driving tests, saying the waiting time has increased significantly in recent years. Maggie Ho has more:
Mainland medics working at local hospital under exchange programme
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Two Chinese medicine practitioners from Guangdong are now working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital as part of an exchange programme bringing in doctors from the Greater Bay Area. The Hospital Authority hopes this will help ease a local manpower shortage, as Wendy Wong reports.