

Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Samantha Butler and Ben Tse2023-07-27
Thursday
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Selected audio segments:
Lamma ferry inquest ordered, 11 years on
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The Court of Appeal has ordered the Coroner’s Court to hold an inquest into the Lamma ferry disaster, nearly 11 years on from the tragedy. The judges overturned a ruling from last year that an inquest was not in the public interest. Damon Pang reports:
Air pollution spikes amid approaching storm
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The Standby Signal number one was raised on Wednesday night as Super-typhoon Doksuri edged closer to Hong Kong. The storm has seen air pollution reach unhealthy levels in parts of the city and officials warn the worse is yet to come. Elvis Yu reports:
High ozone levels putting HKers' health at risk
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An environmentalist says such high pollution levels are usually only seen in Hong Kong for about 14 days of the year on average. On Wednesday afternoon, the Environmental Protection Department's Air Quality Health Index was at a "high" or above level of risk at all of its 15 monitoring stations. The Director of Green Power, Cheng Luk-ki, also warned about the increasing level of ozone over the years. He spoke to Elvis Yu:
Doksuri kills at least two in the Philippines
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Super Typhoon Doksuri has killed at least two people in the northern Philippines, after making landfall there. The storm toppled trees and knocked out power, with powerful winds of up to 175km/h and gusts of nearly 250km/h. Natale Ching reports:
Mpox vaccination centre opens amid fears of outbreak
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Health authorities are warning of a possible outbreak of Mpox, previously known as monkeypox. They say half of the cases found in Hong Kong this month were local and had no clear origin. A new vaccination centre for Mpox will open from Thursday in Kowloon City. Jacqueline Guico reports:
Sai Kung's Bryde's whale seen with propeller wounds
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Ocean Park says the Bryde's whale spotted in Sai Kung two weeks ago is in a "good" condition despite having two propeller wounds. Philip Wong is the park's General Curator. He said the baleen whale sub-species may still be in Sai Kung waters to rest as it recovers from the wounds, and may shelter here until Super Typhoon Doksuri passes. But he told Ben Tse that the public should stay at least 100 metres away from the whale:
Food Angel combines meals and health checks
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Volunteers at Food Angel - who deliver meals to the underprivileged - will also be given basic medical training to help monitor the health of the elderly. Dr Arkers Wong, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Polytechnic University says its two-year pilot programme, created and funded by tycoon Li Ka-shing, will monitor 100 elderly people in Sham Shui Po. Dr Wong said Li Ka-shing's foundation approached the university after it launched its mobile nursing app, mHealth, in March. He says the food delivery volunteers will input basic health data into the app, which will be monitored by nurses, and will hopefully ease the burden on primary healthcare:
HK expat pay packages drop two percent
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Hong Kong is now the fifth most expensive place in the world for employing expats. But ECA International, the consultancy that conducted the survey, also said the cost of the city’s average expat package dropped by two percent from last year, to US$278,000 a year. Lee Quane, ECA’s regional director for Asia, told Ada Au that the firm investigated the pay packages of expats from various industries, including retail, luxury, and professional services:
CE hails MOUs signed with Indonesia
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Hong Kong and Indonesia have signed 15 memorandums of understanding during the chief executive's visit to the country. John Lee says co-operation between the two sides has reached new heights. The chief executive and his delegation head to Malaysia on Thursday for the final leg of the overseas trip. Vanessa Cheng reports from Jakarta:
Cross-border listing sought during Jakarta visit
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The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing says the SAR and Indonesia are looking into cross-border listing and dual listing for both sides. Vanessa Cheng reports from Jakarta:
Singapore seeks to attract more regional tourists
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Tourism officials in Singapore say the Lion City aims to attract more short-haul visitors from nearby countries and regions, as it reopens its doors after the pandemic. In its bid to draw more visitors, the city-state is trying to enhance its status as an entertainment hub by welcoming well-known performers. Vanessa Cheng reports from Singapore:
US raises interest rates to highest in 22 years
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The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point to its highest level in 22 years. It is the 11th rise since March last year, when the US central bank began an aggressive campaign to cool rising prices. Fed policymakers also signalled the possibility of future hikes, although the language used also pointed to a pause. Robert Kemp reports: