Health chief Lo Chung-mau says new higher fees planned for public accident and emergency wards could result in quicker treatment for serious cases by discouraging non-urgent cases from turning up. From January, patients deemed to be non-critical and non-emergency will have to pay HK$400, up from the present flat fee of HK$180. Azam Khan reports:

The Hospital Authority says patients with financial difficulties can apply online next year for a medical fee waiver. The waiver mechanism will be expanded under reforms to the public healthcare sector. The government will be relaxing the income and asset requirements, meaning an extra 1.1 million people will be eligible for a waiver. The validity period of each waiver application will also be extended from 12 to 18 months. Priscilla Poon, the authority's chief manager of Allied Health, told Frank Yung that patients in need would soon have another option to submit relevant documents for assessment:

Housing minister Winnie Ho says discounts will be offered to landlords who get their subdivided flats certified early. It's part of government plans to regulate shoebox flats in order to improve condition for tenants. The government has yet to decide what the certification fees will be. Raymond Yeung reports:

The government says a renewed capital investment migrant scheme could bring HK$27 billion worth of investments to Hong Kong. As Damon Pang reports, the government says it's received about 900 applications:

A study has found there's great potential for cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to collaborate further over tourism. Researchers led by Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management visited 11 cities in the GBA to look at their tourism resources. They also analysed 200,000 comments from popular online platforms and interviewed more than 180 residents, tourism officials and business owners to understand their GBA travel experiences. Principal investigator Professor Hung Kam spoke to Elvis Yu about the findings:

The government will soon come up with measures to allow shopping malls to host more business activities within their public open spaces. The development secretary, Bernadette Linn, made the comment while speaking with lawmakers, as Damon Pang reports:

Chief Executive John Lee says a cooperation deal between Hong Kong and Hainan will contribute to the nation further opening up on the back of the free trade advantages from the two regions. He signed a memorandum of understanding with officials from the southern island province to boost trade and economic ties. Chloe Feng reports:

President Trump has imposed tariffs on foreign automakers, imposing 25 percent duties on all cars and light trucks not made in the United States. While signing an executive order at the White House, Trump said the move would spur growth, citing the example of Honda building a plant in Indiana. The 25 percent tariffs are on top of existing tariffs that may be in place and go into effect on April 2. Before the tariff announcement, electric vehicle giant, BYD, said it would aim to double sales outside China to more than 800,000 cars this year. As Jacqueline Guico reports, the carmaker will look to overcome tariffs by assembling vehicles in the countries in which they're selling them:

Units in two subsidised flat projects in Fanling and Kwun Tong will go on sale from next Tuesday. There'll be more than 1,600 units on offer to be sold at 70 percent of their market value. Vanessa Cheng reports:

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong's medical school have recently used immunotherapy to treat a patient with multiple myeloma - a form of cancer that attacks antibody-producing white blood cells. Called Car T-cell therapy, the new treatment offers hope to blood cancer patients who haven't responded well to traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy. Kwong Yok-lam, chair professor of HKUMed, told Kimmy Lau that Car T-cell therapy also had milder side effects:

Doctors on the mainland say they transplanted a liver from a genetically-modified pig into a brain-dead human for the very first time. It raises hopes that the surgery could be a life-saving donor option for patients. Pigs have emerged as the best animal organ donors. Several living patients in the United States have received pig kidneys or hearts in the last few years, but livers are trickier, as Jamie Clarke explains:

The death toll in the wildfires raging across South Korea's southeastern region has risen to 24. Authorities say most of the victims were in their 60s and 70s. The forest fires, some of the country's worst in decades, have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Jamie Clarke reports:

US magazine - The Atlantic - has published the transcript of accidentally-leaked messages laying out plans for an attack on Yemen. The disclosure follows two days during which leaders of President Trump's intelligence and defence agencies struggled to explain how such details wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included the magazine's chief editor Jeffrey Goldberg. RTHK's Washington correspondent Simon Marks told Carol Musgrave that the magazine revealed the chat details after President Trump said they contained no classified information:

Hundreds of Palestinians have taken part in the largest protest in Gaza against the militant group Hamas since the war began with Israel. It was a rare public show of opposition. Northern Gaza has been one of the most devastated areas since the conflict began in October, 2023. Most buildings there have been reduced to rubble. As Jamie Clarke reports, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to say the protests showed that his decision to renew its offensive was working:

Turkey's opposition has elected an interim mayor to Istanbul. Previous mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested last week and jailed pending trial over graft charges. He denies the charges, calling them political. The detention triggered the largest anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade. Jamie Clarke reports:

An art consultant says events, such as Art Basel and Art Central, as well as upcoming auctions will give the mainland and Hong Kong art scene a boost and serve as a barometer for future market performance. The broader art market suffered a notable hit last year, with sales of modern and contemporary works declining by about 40 percent year-on-year. Sales of traditional Chinese art also fared poorly, according to independent art consultant, Daniel Kwok, who specialises in the area. Kwok said Chinese painting and calligraphy auctions dropped by over 20 percent year-on-year to 12.6 billion yuan in 2024. But he told Chloe Feng that despite the market downturns, interest in porcelain antiques was growing:

The organiser of Art Basel Hong Kong says she hopes this year's edition will strengthen the city's position as an arts and cultural hub and connect ecosystems of creators. The premium art fair runs from Friday to Sunday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Art Basel director Angelle Siyang-Le said the event would bring together 240 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions, including 23 newcomers for a stronger international presence. She told Kelly Yu she expected a good turnout:

The Kai Tak Sports Park says it's ready to host the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament this week. About 43,000 tickets have already been sold. Frank Yung reports.

The men's and women's squad from New Zealand will be battling it out at the Kai Tak Stadium as they chase their third straight Hong Kong Sevens title. Hailey Yip reports:

President Trump is known for making exaggerated or even false claims to justify and drum up support for his policies or attack his rivals. Critics say he and his cabinet are effectively institutionalising disinformation by ushering in a new era of post-truth politics, where facts are contested and fiction is used to pursue policy goals. But what's the impact of this on American society and the rest of the world? Tony Sabine and Sophie Hui find out more in this edition of Fact Focus: