The government says the first phase of the city's single-use plastics ban has been implemented smoothly and orderly. As Elvis Yu reports, a six-month grace period ended on Monday:

A green group says most restaurants it visited have stopped using single-use plastic utensils. Greeners Action went to more than 150 restaurants and found those still offering plastic straws or cups for dine-in meals were in the minority. Its executive director Angus Ho says the results were good but he hopes officials can now encourage people to bring their own utensils to reduce waste at source. He first spoke to Damon Pang about his group's findings:

A company that supplies wooden and bamboo utensils to restaurants says prices for these items have become a far less significant factor for eateries. Alvis Yip, founder of Supply Ching Company, was one of the suppliers invited by the Environmental Protection Department to showcase their products to the press six months ago. He said since then, people had been using fewer single-use cutlery in general. But he told Elvis Yu he was not too worried about sales:

Civil servants with children aged under three are set to get three days of childcare leave a year, starting in April. As Damon Pang reports, the move is expected to benefit about 12,000 government employees:

The government is to study ways to make better use of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. Officials also plan to work with the Jockey Club to promote international events, as Kelly Yu reports:

The head of a major trade exhibition company says he wants to see more measures to revive the struggling convention and exhibition industry. Last week’s Policy Address outlined plans to inject an extra HK$500 million to the Incentive Scheme for Recurrent Exhibitions 2.0 to help the sector stay afloat. But Duncan Cheung, director of ComAsia Limited, said geopolitical tensions and manpower shortages were hindering recovery. He told Kelly Yu that the scheme alone was not enough:

A misunderstanding over the government’s apparent ambitions to require taxi drivers to learn Arabic has been a hot topic of discussion in recent days and has even been a target of derision by some in the trade. But the head of the University of Hong Kong’s Arabic programme says this is actually a great idea for Hong Kong people, as Damon Pang reports:

One of Hong Kong's public hospitals has expanded its services for patients suffering from an enlarged prostate. A new service model is being used to treat the condition, which is also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Since late 2022, about 250 patients have had the upgraded surgery at the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital. Ng Chi-fai is a service coordinator at the New Territories East Cluster. He told Vanessa Cheng that the minimally invasive procedure makes surgery more efficient:

The Trade Development Council says the reduction in duty for strong liquor has come in just in time for the Wine and Spirits Fair. The three-day fair opens on November 7 with over 600 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions, including the mainland, France, the United States and Japan. Sophia Chong, deputy executive director of the council, told Vanessa Cheng that the cut in duty should boost trade in high-end liquor:

UN agencies have privately appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for help in alleviating the suffering of countless civilians in Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon. It comes as data from the United Nations shows the amount of aid entering Gaza has plummeted to its lowest level all year. Jamie Clarke reports:

China has urged the European Union to consider its overall and long-term interests and negotiate to resolve each other's concerns on economic and trade issues. The call came in talks in Beijing between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Laurent Fabius, president of the French Constitutional Court. Kelly Yu reports:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China says it is on course for another bumper harvest this year after implementing various measures to improve grain output. As Jacqueline Guico reports, there are hopes that space technology can help increase grain supply and food security:

China's central bank has cut two benchmark lending rates to historic lows, in Beijing's latest move to stimulate the economy. This comes just days after the rate for yuan deposits was lowered. Natale Ching reports:

The Cuban capital's energy supplier says electricity has been restored to almost 90 percent of Havana. The lights went out for the island's 10 million people on Friday after the collapse of the nation's largest power plant crippled the whole grid. Several provinces remain without power and are dealing with Tropical Storm Oscar lashing the island's eastern end. As Jamie Clarke reports, Cuban law enforcement was dispatched to Havana neighbourhoods after citizens protested against the handling of the nationwide blackouts:

Boeing shares have risen three percent on hopes of an end to a crippling strike. But some analysts have questioned whether a proposed labour contract unveiled over the weekend will muster enough support from the US planemaker's workers. 33,000 of them will vote on the proposal on Wednesday. Jamie Clarke reports:

Baseball fans in the US city of Los Angeles have erupted in celebration after the Dodgers beat the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship series, to set up a World Series clash against the New York Yankees. This will be the first World Series appearance for superstar Shohei Ohtani - who was signed to a record-breaking US$700 million deal with the Dodgers in the off-season. RTHK's US sports commentator, Ray Jovanovich, has more on the Dodgers' victory, as well as what fans can expect from one of the most anticipated World Series match-ups in recent years:

Last week, two giant pandas left China for the Smithsonian National Zoo in the United States, in the latest in what is seen as part of Beijing's “panda diplomacy”. These beloved national treasures have been serving as Beijing's ambassadors to the world for decades, generating goodwill and fostering friendship with other countries. In this week's "China Perspectives", Frank Yung looks at the role played by pandas on the global stage: