Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Erick Tsang, says spending around HK$1 billion on last year’s District Council elections was worth it as it brought great social benefits. He made the comment at a Legco meeting on Thursday discussing this year’s budget while being pressed by lawmakers who wanted to know why the bill was much larger than previous elections. Violet Wong reports:

DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng has expressed concern that an estimated HK$1,000 per month management fees is too expensive for light public housing tenants. The estimate was provided by housing officials while discussing this year's budget. Damon Pang reports:

Dozens of technology companies have expressed an interest in setting up shop in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP). As Anne Chan reports, Chief Executive John Lee called this a significant milestone in the city's bid to become an innovation and technology hub:

Two medical groups say Covid is still a real health risk and have called on Hong Kong people not to let down their guard. The Patients and Medical Professionals Rights Association and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists say there were more than 400 serious cases in the past two months, but half of the 300 people they interviewed recently said they would not get tested even if they had symptoms. Dr Jeffrey Pong, the association's convenor, told Violet Wong this was worrying:

Hong Kong’s retired trains are set to make a comeback in a showcase exhibition at the end of this month. As Vanessa Cheng reports, the event, which will last until the end of the year, is intended to take visitors down memory lane:

China and Indonesia have agreed to strengthen cooperation and bilateral relations, after Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi held talks in Jakarta. Regional peace and stability was also high on the agenda, as Wendy Wong reports:

Friday is the first day of the largest democratic exercise in the world as voters in India begin choosing a new parliament for the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third consecutive term and opinion polls put his ruling party ahead. They are up against two dozen opposition parties, including Congress. RTHK's Delhi correspondent Murali Krishnan outlines the big numbers in this mammoth exercise:

Official figures show Hong Kong's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at three percent in the January to March quarter this year, up from 2.9 percent from the previous three months. Most sectors saw an increase in the jobless rate compared with the preceding period. Tony Sabine reports:

Gold prices have surged to their highest level over the past six weeks, emerging as the "shining star" in commodities trading. American bank, Citi, forecasts that the price of bullion over the next six to 18 months will reach US$3,000 an ounce. Goldman Sachs earlier referred to the gold market as an "unshakeable bull market" and upgraded its price target for the precious metal to US$2,700 an ounce by the end of the year. John Reade, chief market strategist at the World Gold Council, told Chloe Feng what was driving the gold rush:

Netflix has reported better-than-expected profits of US$2.3 billion. The streaming giant is the first major tech company to report this quarter. Netflix topped expectations as it reported 9.3 million new subscribers, giving it an audience of more than half-a-billion people. Sean Kennedy reports:

Tickets for Hong Kong's first Chinese Culture Festival will go on sale on Friday. Through the event, officials hope to enhance people's appreciation of Chinese culture and cultivate national identity. Vanessa Cheng reports: