The Chief Executive John Lee says Hong Kong and Shenzhen will work together to attract international talent and enterprises. He told a conference on the Greater Bay Area that the city remained the "ideal gateway" between the mainland and global markets. Vicky Wong reports:

The Tourism Board says it will spend $100 million on a global advertising campaign to attract visitors from around the world, once the government scraps all Covid restrictions for inbound travellers. That is in addition to the 500,000 free air tickets to be given away as part of an effort to boost tourism. The board's executive director, Dane Cheng, told Natale Ching about the plan to shore up tourist traffic into Hong Kong:

The president of the Travel Agent Owners Association says the government needs to encourage international carriers to come back to Hong Kong. Freddy Yip welcomed the Tourism Board's plan for a multi-million dollar global advertising campaign to promote the SAR. But he said even locals were finding it difficult to get air tickets to fly home. He told Samantha Butler that relaxing pandemic restrictions and helping airlines return were the top priorities:

Cathay Pacific has rejected claims from the union representing the majority of its cockpit crew that an exodus of pilots has left it in no position to fully resume its operations. As Damon Pang reports, the loss-making carrier also acknowledged that rebuilding capacity after the Covid pandemic would take time:

Diners have welcomed the easing of social distancing rules at restaurants and bars but called for more Covid measures to be scrapped as the pandemic eases. The head of a restaurant industry group says bookings have surged since the announcement that restaurants could seat 12 people at a table from Thursday. Kelly Yu reports:

Executive councillor Ronny Tong says the government’s move to invalidate some 20,000 vaccine pass exemption certificates should not be considered a rule of law issue. Some people, including legislator Doreen Kong, have criticised the decision, questioning the power of Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau to invalidate the certificates. They were all issued by seven doctors, who are accused of handing them out improperly without consulting the patients. Tong says people are free to challenge the legal basis of the decision by way of judicial reviews:

A $1 plastic bag levy is expected to take effect at the end of the year. Lawmakers will vote on the government proposal later this month, as Frank Yung reports:

The Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the handling of complaints about trees on government land. Winnie Chiu's office said some of the problems were caused by the Development Bureau's integrated approach, which had blurred the lines of responsibility for tree management. Mike Weeks reports:

A 27-year-old man has become the first person convicted under the anti-doxxing law which took effect last year. As Frank Yung reports, Ho Muk-wah pleaded guilty to seven charges of disclosing the personal information of his ex-girlfriend without her consent:

A former policeman has been sentenced to four years in jail for repeatedly forcing his young son to perform indecent acts. A High Court judge says the defendant had poisoned his son by twisting his ideas about sex. Damon Pang reports:

Legendary Hong Kong film star, Tony Leung, says that after 40 years in the business, he is having more fun than ever playing diverse roles, although he is still hoping to be cast as a serial killer. As Natale Ching reports, he was speaking after being awarded the "Asian Cineaste of the Year" prize at South Korea's Busan International Film Festival:

The head of the International Monetary Fund has urged global policymakers to take concerted action to avoid what she called a "dangerous new normal". She warned that the crisis lender plans to downgrade its 2023 forecast for the world economy. Sean Kennedy reports: