Environment minister Tse Chin-wan says the government is open to extending a six-month grace period for its solid waste charging scheme. During the grace period, if people get caught throwing their rubbish away in anything other than a designated bag, they will get a verbal warning rather than a HK$1,500 fine. The scheme has been delayed until August, following public outcry and confusion over how it will work. Kelly Yu reports:

Transport secretary Lam Sai-hung says most cross-border travellers should be satisfied with having extended opening hours at the Lo Wu Crossing on Lunar New Year's Eve and on the Second Day of the Lunar New Year. He ruled out making it a permanent move. As Altis Wong reports, the MTR will also make arrangements to make it easier to travel via the West Kowloon Railway station:

Chief Executive John Lee has called for greater international cooperation at the Asian Financial Forum. He told the more-than 3,000 participants that in the face of escalating deglobalisation and decoupling, the SAR has been bolstering its financial connections with the mainland and making itself more attractive to international firms. Anne Chan reports:

The two-day Asian Financial Forum will see the promotion of about 400 investment projects to about 200 investors in a deal-making event. One of the start-ups looking for funding is a Fintech firm from Finland called Qatalis. The firm's representative Jari Vepsalainen said they hoped to further expand into Hong Kong and the mainland markets. He told Chloe Feng why he chose the SAR:

The national security trial of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai has heard that he sought to paint China in a negative light in Apple Daily’s English edition so the United States would take hostile action against Beijing. A former publisher of the now-defunct outlet testified that the newspaper's English version was more “extreme” and “negative” than the Chinese edition. Frank Yung reports:

Researchers from the Chinese University say they have identified a new biomarker which can be used to predict whether a type of blood cancer in children might return after treatment. Experts from the university's medicine department studied nearly 3,800 children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia from 20 hospitals across China. They said they found that patients with a protein called CD9 on the surface of cancer cells had a higher risk of relapse. Assistant Professor Leung Kam-tong told Elvis Yu that the findings could help identify better treatments:

The government is looking for a home for its new Pop Culture Centre. As Damon Pang reports, officials want it to be a landmark tourist attraction for local pop culture:

A climate professional says having more greenery around Hong Kong could encourage more people to take up walking. The latest survey of around 400 people by the World Green Organisation found more people were choosing to walk as an environmentally-friendly way of getting around - up 2.2 percent from 2022. The group's CEO, William Yu, says air and noise pollution, as well as extreme weather events - such as being too hot or too cold - were some of the factors that discouraged people from walking. He told Ben Tse that Hong Kong was quite a walkable city, with plenty of pedestrian footbridges, but there could be improvements in the overall environment:

At least 39 people have died and nine are receiving treatment for injuries, after a fire broke out at a store in the central province of Jiangxi. Jacqueline Guico reports:

China and the South Pacific nation of Nauru have formally re-established diplomatic relations. Officials from the two countries held a signing ceremony in Beijing during which Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries share much common ground, as Jacqueline Guico reports:

Mainland authorities say the nation has hit its 2023 job creation target by creating more than 12.4 million new urban jobs. But the nation's human resources ministry said more effort was needed to prop up employment amid uncertain economic conditions in 2024. Hailey Yip reports:

China's central bank has announced a deep cut to bank reserves in a move that will inject about US$140 billion of cash into the banking system. It sends a strong signal of support for a fragile economy and plunging stock markets. Kelly Yu reports:

If you are a fan of US indie band, Sonic Youth, you may like what Broad Strokes has, in this week's edition of RTHK's arts and culture-inspired podcast. Ben Tse and Jacqueline Guico have a listen to the latest album release from local rockers, Teenage Riot, find out what KidsFest is doing this year, and check out the sound of jazz with the backing of a world-class orchestra: