Police have arrested nine men on suspicion of making, publishing or possessing child pornography. As Frank Yung reports, three of the suspects are accused of either sexually assaulting or secretly filming their younger sisters:

Police have arrested four directors of a charity that helps students quit drugs, on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. Officers said they received HK$45 million in donations after claiming they had financial difficulties. But the college the charity runs received less than 10 percent of the funds. Aaron Tam reports:

The head of the Arts Development Council, Kenneth Fok, says the arts body has to minimise the risk of violating the law, including the national security law, when making funding decisions. The council earlier announced it was withdrawing support for the Hong Kong Drama Awards, organised by the Federation of Drama Societies. Damon Pang reports:

The national security trial of Jimmy Lai has heard that the former media tycoon hoped the English edition of Apple Daily would reach American readers. The newspaper's former publisher, Cheung Kim-hung, also said his former boss said articles translated from the Chinese version should be anti-communist and against Hong Kong authorities. Frank Yung reports:

The CEO of Clean Air Network has called on the government to look into the reasons behind high levels of ozone in urban areas. Patrick Fung was commenting after the group's study showed Hong Kong's air pollution was returning to pre-pandemic levels. He said little was known as to why ozone levels had spiked in Southern District, but dropped in the low-transport area of Tap Mun in Sai Kung. He told Samantha Butler that the government should review its air quality health index so people can be alerted to the dangers of exposure to high ozone levels:

Two green groups have urged the government to enact its plan to preserve wetlands in the Northern Metropolis before pressing ahead with the rest of the development plan. The Conservancy Association and Greenpeace said they had been checking on four areas earmarked for wetland parks since they were proposed in 2021. They said they found damage to about 80 hectares. Chan Hall-sion from Greenpeace said they discovered illegal dumping and excavation, as well as widening of ponds. She spoke to Vanessa Cheng:

Elderly care homes say they will find it challenging to comply with the solid waste charging policy when it takes effect in April. They said costs for designated rubbish bags will quickly add up because they need to throw out large quantities of items needed for the care of seniors. Violet Wong reports:

The outgoing dean of medicine at the Chinese University has suggested that one of the ways the institution could tackle a shortage of doctors is by significantly increasing the number of medical school places. Professor Francis Chan said his faculty could admit 400 medical students a year - that is 35 percent more than the current intake. Vanessa Cheng reports:

Finance chief Paul Chan has told his counterparts from Central Asia and the Middle East that Hong Kong plays an integral role in expanding financial connectivity. As Chloe Feng reports, he was promoting the SAR at the World Economic Forum in Davos:

Businesses in Hong Kong have called on the government to do more to boost exchanges with the Middle East, saying there are “enormous opportunities” for expansion in the Gulf Region. At a forum organised by the Belt and Road Office, many entrepreneurs said there was great potential to expand into Saudi Arabia, which had undergone significant changes over the past few years. Patrick Tsang, chairman of family business Tsangs Group, told Chloe Feng that he had identified many growth areas in the oil-rich country:

Commercial property agency, Colliers, says it expects investors to return to the sector this year after investment hit a 15-year low in 2023. Chloe Feng reports:

Mainland authorities have granted six foreign banks licences allowing them to act as lead underwriters for debt issues in China, as Beijing admits more foreign players into the nation's yuan-denominated onshore debt market. Robert Kemp reports: