Panel worried over law students' Chinese-language proficiency
The panel that monitors local legal education raised concerns about law students' Chinese-language proficiency, which it says is a crucial factor in development of a bilingual legal system in Hong Kong. In its latest annual report, the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training noted that there was an increasing demand for the use of Chinese for law-drafting and in courts. It said the issue was more fundamental than introducing more training, which universities and the Law Society had already been doing. It also raised the issue of the availability of legal precedents and textbooks in Chinese. The committee said the issues were beyond the remit of legal education but were crucial to development of a bilingual legal system in Hong Kong.
Population reaches 7.06 million
A baby boom has helped push Hong Kong's population past 7.06 million, the Census and Statistics Department says. Newly released data shows 7,061,200 people were living in the city by the middle of the year, an increase of 0.8 per cent, or 57,500, from the middle of last year. Much of the increase is attributable to the flow of migrants from the mainland. In the 12 months from July 1 last year 48,800 one-way permit holders settled in Hong Kong - about 133 a day.
Talks on data protection
The privacy commissioner will meet officials from the Office of the Telecommunications Authority to discuss ways to improve protection of personal data in the telecommunications industry. Meanwhile, the Community Chest said it had received HK$44 million donated by Octopus Cards - money the card issuer made over several years from selling information about its cardholders.
