Hong Kong Today
Description:
RTHK's morning news programme. Weekdays 6:30 - 8:00
Presenter:
Samantha Butler and Carol Musgrave2023-11-16
Thursday
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Selected audio segments:
Xi and Biden meet on sidelines of Apec summit Listen
Presidents Xi and Biden have wrapped up their first talks in over a year, meeting on the sidelines of the Apec summit in the US city of San Francisco. The two agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communication. Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi as saying that China was "committed to a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the United States". But he was also quoted as saying that China had interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed. A statement from the White House said the presidents held a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral and global issues, and exchanged views on areas of difference. RTHK's Kelly Yu gave Samantha Butler an update of the talks from San Francisco:
More dorms needed to house imported labour Listen
The government is trying to identify a site in the New Territories to build more dormitories for imported construction workers, after officials projected that a makeshift facility - which opened two weeks ago - will be full by the middle of next year. It comes after authorities approved some 12,000 workers to come to Hong Kong under a labour importation scheme for the sector. Damon Pang reports:
Construction, F&B, to enjoy highest pay rises Listen
An employment platform says its research shows employers anticipate an average pay rise of 2.2 percent next year. JobsDB surveyed 407 corporations across 41 industries in the city. While the expected average pay rise is slightly higher than the inflation of two percent, managing director of JobsDB in Hong Kong, Bill Lee, told Anne Chan that employees in construction, food and beverage sectors should see the highest raise of up to 4.4 percent:
Only a quarter of HK firms ready to adopt AI Listen
Computing giant, Cisco, says a major survey has found only a minority of businesses in Hong Kong are ready to deploy and use artificial intelligence. The US company says it spoke to more than 200 firms across the territory as part of a poll of more than eight thousand businesses globally, on the adoption of AI. Nelson Chu, head of systems engineering at Cisco Hong Kong and Macau, said only a quarter of local firms were found to be “fully prepared". But he told Elvis Yu that number was slightly better than the global average:
Flight booking complaints take off, post-pandemic Listen
The Consumer Council says the number of complaints it received about flight bookings surged by 50 percent in the first 10 months of the year. The chairman of the council's Publicity and Community Relations Committee, Kyrus Siu, told Anne Chan that this was because more Hong Kong people were going on holiday after the city emerged from the Covid pandemic:
15-year study aids treatment in breast and ovarian cancers Listen
Three medical groups say they have identified genetic mutations which can put carriers at a higher risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. The joint 15-year study by the Sanatorium Hospital, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry aimed to facilitate early detection of and targeted treatment for breast and ovarian cancers. Ava Kwong, Clinical Professor at the university's Faculty of Medicine told Samantha Butler about how identifying specific gene mutations can mean better treatment:
Local NGO sending youth observers to Cop-28 Listen
A youth observer at the upcoming Cop-28 climate summit in Dubai says she hopes to learn how other countries are adapting to climate change and how to emulate their best practices here in Hong Kong. Chan Hiu-ching is one of seven youth delegates travelling to the United Arab Emirates for this year's global meeting on climate change with local NGO, CarbonCare InnoLab. She told Carol Musgrave that she hoped world leaders could do more to address climate justice issues at individual and community levels:
China on track to achieve 2023 growth target Listen
Economists say China is on track to reach its full-year growth target of about five percent for 2023. But concerns remain after a move to relax policies has so far been unable stop the ongoing real estate slump. Gary Ng, senior economist at investment bank Natixis, spoke to Chloe Feng about the mainland's economic performance:
HK searching for new drivers of growth Listen
The head of the liaison office Zheng Yanxiong says Beijing fully supports Hong Kong’s efforts to become an international technology and innovation hub, as well as a green finance centre. Making the remarks at the International Forum on China’s Economy and Policy, he said President Xi had high hopes that Hong Kong could play a leading role in developing technology and innovation industries. Frank Yung reports:
Falling debris hampers rescue of trapped workers Listen
Rescue workers are battling to reach 40 workers who have been trapped underground since Sunday, in a tunnel that is under construction in India's Uttarakhand state. Officials say they are safe and being supplied with food, water and oxygen through a pipe. Large excavators tried to clear an escape route but more debris kept falling from the unstable terrain. Annemarie Evans spoke to RTHK's Delhi correspondent, Murali Krishnan, about the rescue operation: