President Xi Jinping is in Peru for the Apec Leaders' summit where he will meet with his US counterpart Joe Biden under the shadow of a looming trade war with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Biden and Xi are due to hold a bilateral meeting on Saturday, in what a US administration official said would likely be the last meeting between the two men before Trump takes over. A lot is at stake for President Xi as Beijing looks to gain a foothold in South America and the Global South. Raymond Yeung reports from Lima:

The government plans to bring tens of thousands skilled workers in phases over the next three years, to help tackle a labour shortage in Hong Kong. Labour chief Chris Sun says the aim is to attract young professionals to work here. As Janice Lo reports, the city could face a severe shortfall by 2028 if action isn't taken now.

Speaking to Carol Musgrave, Roy Ying, the co-chair of the advocacy and policy research committee at the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management said part of the problem in finding new skilled workers was that many in the city don't want to become technicians because they feel those types of jobs are not as prestigious as ones which require degrees.

The mastermind of a plot to plant bombs and shoot police officers in 2019 has been jailed for more than 23 years, while six others were slapped with jail terms ranging from five years and 10 months to 13.5 years each. Priscilla Ng reports:

Hong Kong has risen to seventh in a survey of global digital competitiveness. It's the city's highest ranking in three years. As Damon Pang reports, the survey's organisers said the SAR had improved in several key metrics.

An international rugby match will be held this Saturday as part of trial events to test the new Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. Anne Chan reports:

The rugby match, which kicks off at 4pm between Hong Kong and Brazil, is the second test event at the 5,000-seat venue, following a local football league game there last month. James Farndon, the CEO of Hong Kong China Rugby, told Anne Chan that Saturday's game will be more than just a trial run:

A child welfare organisation is sounding the alarm on the need to improve training for professionals handling child abuse cases, before a mandatory reporting mechanism comes into effect. Local NGO, "Against Child Abuse", says it handled about 1,000 enquiries between April last year and March this year, of which 185 involved child abuse fears. The group’s director Donna Wong spoke to Vanessa Cheng:

Hong Kong is back to normal after the T8 signal was in effect for less than 12 hours from Wednesday night to Thursday morning as Tropical Cyclone Toraji brushed past the region. The storm did not cause major damage to the city, as Kelly Yu reports:

Meanwhile, trading in local financial markets operated as usual despite the typhoon signal number eight on Thursday. It marks the first time since authorities in September scrapped a decades-long practice to shut markets down under severe weather. Financial services sector lawmaker Robert Lee told Anne Chan there were no major incidents during the first typhoon trading session:

US President-elect Donald Trump has continued to fill out his cabinet, tapping a former Democrat who's a sceptic of vaccines to lead the country's top health agency. Trump's choices for the incoming administration have left Washington watching nervously, with his nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, now facing growing scrutiny. Frank Yung reports:

The US central bank says the American economy's recent performance has been "the best of any major economy in the world", downing hopes of an imminent interest rate cut. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell was speaking a week after the Fed cut rates for a second consecutive meeting. Sean Kennedy reports:

A Chinese cycling enthusiast has completed his journey across a fifth content. The feat, which he first dreamed up as a schoolboy, took 12 years. But he’s not done yet, as Jamie Clarke explains:

Oysters could help the construction industry reduce its carbon footprint, according to researchers at University College London. They found that waste oyster shells may replace the limestone in traditional concrete and help reduce waste. Jacqueline Guico reports:

Hong Kong's men secured their second straight victory under new head coach Ashley Westwood -- a 3-1 win over the Philippines on Thursday -- as the build-up to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification heats up. RTHK's Asia football correspondent, Chris KL Lau, shared this review of Thursday night's match:

Operation Santa Claus kicked off this week and this year we’re raising money for 11 charities. One of the charity projects is the “Follow-up Nutrition and Sport Programme”, which is organised by the Love 21 Foundation - a charity that aims to empower the Down syndrome and autistic community in Hong Kong through its free sport, nutrition, and holistic support programmes. Janice Wong went to visit their centre in San Po Kong, and met up with Carmel Armstrong, the Chief Operating Officer, and also Nathan a member-turned worker at the charity.