

Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Samantha Butler and Ben Tse2023-08-18
Friday
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Selected audio segments:
Arts hub proposes self-financing model
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The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has submitted a proposal to become self-financed otherwise it will run out of funds in about two years' time. It said it would not be asking the government for more money but would instead make use of the only resource is has - land. Violet Wong reports:
Rehab residents temporarily rehoused over subsidence
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Residents of a rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Ho Man Tin are being temporarily rehoused after the building was found to be subsiding. The government says Lohas Centre on Sheung Shing Street is structurally safe and erosion may be to blame. Damon Pang reports:
Questions about speed of response to subsidence
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The lawmaker representing the social welfare sector says the arrangements for the temporary rehousing of the rehab residents are less than ideal. Tik Chi-yuen also told Damon Pang that the government should have reacted faster:
Integrated housing schemes more efficient
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A researcher at Polytechnic University says the government should integrate transitional housing with its light public housing scheme. Professor Ling Kar-kan, the Director of the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation - who led the study - said the government had more resources than NGOs to build transitional housing and perform administrative tasks, such as tenant recruitment. But he also told Samantha Butler that he thought the government's transitional housing programme on the whole had been successful:
More imported construction workers needed
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A construction industry representative says the government should think about expanding the quota for importing construction workers as the shortfall will hit 40,000 within the next four years. The comments came after officials said they received applications for just over 5,200 workers in the first round of a scheme to bring in non-local builders. Vanessa Cheng reports:
Judicial review heard over golf course housing plan
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The High Court has heard a judicial review by the Hong Kong Golf Club, which is trying to prevent public housing being built on part of its land. It is arguing that the environmental impact assessment report that the government approved is flawed. The lawyer representing the club highlighted the course's heritage value, while the government counsel stressed that housing was a pressing issue. A ruling will be handed down before next Friday. Kelly Yu reports:
Govt passing the buck over NT sewage complaints
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The Ombudsman has called on government departments to improve communication with each other when they deal with sewage work complaints from village houses in the New Territories. Winnie Chiu pointed out that tens of thousands of village houses are still using septic tanks for sewage treatment. Anne Chan reports:
Food aficionados flock to Food Expo
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Food aficionados have descended upon Wan Chai. As Aaron Tam reports, many were enjoying the aroma of mouth-watering culinary treats at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on the first day of the annual Food Expo:
Colonial-style plantations fueled wildfires
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President Biden will head to Hawaii next week to meet with survivors of the horrific wildfire there. Last week's blaze levelled the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui and was the deadliest in the United States in more than a century. The death toll of 106 is expected to rise. Hong Kong actress and director, Crystal Kwok, lives on Honolulu and spoke to Annemarie Evans about the cultural loss from the fires:
100 arrested over mob attacks on Christians
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Pakistan officials say more than 100 Muslims have been arrested over a mob attack on Christians in Jaranwala on Wednesday. Thousands of Muslim men ran amok in the city, setting homes and churches on fire and looting and burning peoples' possessions after claims that two Christians had desecrated a copy of the Koran. Many Christians who fled for their lives or lost their homes remain traumatised. RTHK's South Asia correspondent Murali Krishnan told Annemarie Evans about the situation: