Hong Kong lawmakers have welcomed a mainland plan to unify how the identities of Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong residents are verified. Under the proposed plan, Hong Kong residents with a home return permit will enjoy the same conveniences as mainland ID card holders in areas such as electronic payments and job-seeking. Damon Pang reports:

Authorities say in the last few months, Hong Kong firms have applied to bring in more than 3,000 workers as waiters and almost the same number as cooks. Businesses have also asked to recruit more than 1,000 sales assistants and over 900 security guards from outside Hong Kong. Under the scheme, a ban on importing labour for 26 types of jobs has been temporarily lifted. Natale Ching reports:

Taxi industry representatives say government promises of a crackdown on unlicensed ride-hailing services led them to call off a planned strike by hundreds of drivers. They said officials also vowed to involve the industry in the process of tackling such services. Elvis Yu reports:

The Housing Society says from next Thursday, people will be able to apply to purchase more than 400 new homes at prices of as little as HK$2.5 million - less than two-thirds of the market price. The government-subsidised flats at Anderson Road in Kwun Tong, which can cost as much as HK$6.4 million, are aimed at middle-income earners who must comply with asset and income limits. Peter Or, a general manager at the society, told Vanessa Cheng that he expected strong demand despite a weak property market:

Researchers at Tung Wah College say they are planning to set up an online exercise platform so the intellectually-disabled can get more exercise. Professor Grace Szeto from the School of Medical and Health Sciences said a workout video they designed helped 180 participants in their study become stronger, slimmer and fitter. She said the intellectually-disabled were often sedentary as many lived in confined spaces in institutions. But she said following their study, participants would ask their carers to help them do the workout video again. She told Samantha Butler how the idea came about:

The Foreign Ministry says it is in the interest of all parties to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula after the North claimed it successfully placed its first spy satellite in orbit and vowed to launch more in the near future. Aaron Tam reports:

The Hamas-run health authorities say Israel's air and ground assault has now killed more than 14,000 people. The assault is in response to an attack by Hamas on October 7, whose gunmen killed 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 people hostage. Now, families of the hostages are awaiting news of their release. Under a deal, Hamas is expected to release 50 women and children in return for 150 Palestinian women and children in Israeli prisons - as well as a four-day pause in fighting, and humanitarian aid, including fuel. Israel says despite the hostage deal, it remains committed to eliminating Hamas. RTHK's Jerusalem correspondent, Robert Berger, spoke to Annemarie Evans: