The chairman of Cathay Pacific has called on the government to offer a clear roadmap for the lifting of all Covid restrictions for aircrew as well as passengers if it wants to restore Hong Kong's position as an international aviation hub. Patrick Healy made the appeal at a press conference at which the airline reported that its losses had narrowed substantially in the first half of this year. Joanne Wong reports:

An aviation analyst says the halving of hotel quarantine to three nights should boost business for Cathay Pacific, but it could take up to two years for it to return to pre-pandemic levels. But Herman Tse from aviation analytics firm, Cirium, told Ben Tse that the lull in Hong Kong's aviation business was temporary:

Four staff members at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital have been infected with Covid-19, including a doctor. This comes as Hong Kong reported 4,593 new Covid cases on Wednesday. Aaron Tam reports:

An infectious disease expert has urged the government to consider stricter requirements for inbound travellers given an “amber health code” if they work in high-risk places, such as elderly homes or hospitals. Dr Joseph Tsang's call came as schools appealed for greater clarity on amber-code rules for students. The code is issued to travellers who have competed three nights in hotel quarantine but are still under medical surveillance for another four days. Maggie Ho reports:

A representative of local subsidised schools does not think the new 'amber code' policy will cause much disruption in schools. Schools are seeking clarity on whether 'amber code' students and teachers should be restricted from mask-off activities on campus. Dion Chen, chairman of the Direct Subsidy Schools Scheme Council, told Samantha Butler that he did not think many students and teachers from local schools would have left Hong Kong, and the first few days of the next school year were generally half-days with no lunch on-site:

The government says foreign domestic helpers arriving in Hong Kong can start working and staying at their employers' homes after three days of mandatory quarantine. Alternatively, they can stay at a licensed hotel or guesthouse. Some employers had expressed concern about allowing newly-hired maids into their homes after only three nights of quarantine and wanted the option to send them elsewhere. Wendy Wong reports:

A survey has revealed that companies are investing more money and time on employee training, to try to retain staff during this period of higher emigration. The Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management questioned more than 100 companies across 20 sectors from March to May. The study found that the average, annual training hours of employees rose from 13 in 2020, to 14 last year, while spending on training against workers annual base salaries increased from 1.3 percent to 1.9 percent in a year. Chester Tsang - one of the institute's executive council members - spoke to Natale Ching:

The proportion of Hong Kong secondary school graduates securing spots in local universities has hit another record high this year, as the number vying for places fell to a 10-year low. As Frank Yung reports, the Chinese University secured the cream of the crop:

Three former leaders of the Liberal Party say they have quit the group after the current leadership voted to scrap the post of honorary chair that they held. The decision has prompted one of those resigning, James Tien, to say that the views of the former chairs were no longer considered valuable. Kelly Yu reports:

A former airline employee has been sentenced to 80 hours of community service over a so-called 'prank' on the son of former chief executive CY Leung two-and-half years ago. As Timmy Sung reports, Lai Siu-wang, a former ground staff for Hong Kong Express, had pleaded guilty to criminal damage:

Beijing has published a white paper on Taiwan, reiterating that Taiwan is part of China. It also demonstrated the commitment of the Communist Party and the Chinese people to reunification. Aaron Tam reports.

China's ambassador to Australia says there is still a lot to be done to reset their relations. Speaking in Canberra, Ambassador Xiao Qian said the two nations were not ready to solve disputes. He also talked about Taiwan, saying the United States must take "full responsibility" for heightened tensions following the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island last week. Priscilla Ng reports: