The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region celebrated its 28th anniversary amid fanfare yesterday. In a speech, Chief Executive John Lee urged everyone to be "reformers" who rise to challenges, rather than "complacent idlers", as the city strives to reach new heights. Frank Yung reports.

As part of celebrations for the anniversary, discounts were offered at thousands of restaurants, while some public transport services were free. Here's Damon Pang.

Celebrations were also in full swing at Victoria Park, where crowds were dazzled by panda installations...and a robot dog. Natale Ching with the story.

As the SAR celebrated its 28th anniversary yesterday, all eyes are on how it supports national development and moves towards further integration with the mainland. One of the key roles for the city is to continue to attract outside investment and capital, and keep its position as a leading global financial centre. How would the SAR achieve that, capitalising on its strengths and support from the motherland? Frank Yung takes a closer look in this week's episode of our podcast "China Perspectives".

A Kowloon West constituency lawmaker says he hopes more community living rooms can be set up in Sham Shui Po to serve low-income families. That's after the third such facility opened in the district, as Frank Yung reports.

President Xi Jinping has highlighted efforts to advance the building of a unified national market and promote the high-quality development of the marine economy. Natale Ching reports.

The US Senate have passed Donald Trump's tax-and-spending bill by the narrowest of margins, after hours of stalemate. The Republican-led chamber approved a massive package that would enshrine many of Trump’s domestic priorities into law, while adding a reported 3.3 trillion US dollars to the national debt. Jamie Clarke has the story:

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has condemned as "vile provocation" a cartoon in a satirical magazine that appeared to depict two prophets. The cartoon has caused outcry among religious conservatives and has led to the arrest of four of the magazine's employees. As Jamie Clarke reports, it's also sparked angry protests outside the magazine's office:

France has shut schools, Italy has limited outdoor work and Spain has announced its hottest June on record, as a heatwave has gripped Europe. And, as Jamie Clarke reports, health warnings have remained in effect in several countries across the continent:

Thailand's constitutional court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal. As Tom McAlinden tells us, that's piling more pressure on an under-fire government fighting for survival.

Immigration raids in the United States have left crops unharvested and California farms at risk. Most economists and politicians acknowledge that many of America's agricultural workers are in the country illegally, but say a sharp reduction in their numbers could have devastating impacts on the food supply chain and farm-belt economies. It's a point that Donald Trump himself recognised earlier this month. But, as Jamie Clarke reports, nothing has yet been done to solve the problem:

A private sector survey shows factory activity on the mainland returned to expansion in June, supported by an increase in new orders that raised production. Frank Yung has more.

While the rise of artificial intelligence has made people's lives easier in recent years, there are growing concerns that over-reliance on it may hinder the development of creativity and critical thinking skills. According to a recent study by scientists from MIT, that may indeed be true. University researchers say using ChatGPT to help write essays, for example, can lead to "cognitive debt" and a "likely decrease in learning skills". Adelyn Lau asked our AI consultant, Raj Shroff, if people have been relying on AI too much and whether there are ways to address the problem:

It was music to the ears for fans of award-winning pianist Aristo Sham. He dazzled them with a performance at RTHK yesterday, as Damon Pang reports.