HongKongers are set to face higher power bills come January – with both local power companies announcing increases to fees. Costs for clients of CLP Power will go up by 6.4 percent, while Hong Kong Electric bills will rise by 5.5 percent when compared to this month's charges. But some lawmakers were unhappy with the increase – pointing out that on a year-on-year basis, power bills in January will be a whopping 45 percent higher for Hong Kong Electric customers, and 20 percent for CLP Power. Maggie Ho reports:

An SME representative has urged the government to "save them" following the tariff hike announcement. The chairman of the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association, Calvin Cheng, issued the cry for help, as he pointed out that many businesses are still reeling from the pain inflicted by the pandemic. He told Joanne Wong that he expects bigger electricity bills will add pressure to firms trying to survive:

Climate economist William Yu is urging the government to make sure the two local power firms do more to source cheap natural gas supplies in future to mitigate soaring global energy prices. Yu – the CEO of the World Green Organisation – told RTHK's Vicky Wong a global search for cheaper fuel would help:

Six former senior staff members of the now-defunct Apple Daily and its parent company Next Digital have pleaded guilty to taking part in a conspiracy to commit national security offences. They admitted colluding with foreign elements against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments for about a year, some 17 months ago. Vicky Kung has the details:

Athletes and teams should display a "T" sign with their hands to show their objection, if there's a mistake in the playing of the national anthem or the raising of the SAR flag in international sporting events. That's part of the new guidelines issued by the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee aimed at preventing errors from happening. Vanessa Cheng has more:

Just one primavera tree is left on the government's Old and Valuable Trees list, after officials removed two specimens of the flowering Central American tree from Sai Yee Street Garden. As Ada Au reports, the withered trees were believed to pose a threat to public safety:

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology say they've found a way to boost the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines, so people can take lower doses and fewer injections in future for the same level of protection. mRNAs are synthesised molecules that instruct cells to make proteins that in turn trigger an immune response. A number of Covid vaccines employ the technology. However, high doses and repeated inoculations are often required for such drugs and vaccines to ensure they are effective. Becki Kuang, an assistant professor who led the HKUST study, said her team has discovered the optimal "tail sequences" for RNA processing, that can produce three to ten times more proteins than current mRNAs. She spoke to Kelly Yu:

The Equal Opportunities Commission has urged the government to do more to ensure students get comprehensive sex education at school. It said an earlier survey showed that many secondary schools only allocated five hours of class time in the 2018-19 academic year for sex education. The commission also noted that areas such as healthy relationships and gender equality are often not covered. The commission's James Chan told Vanessa Cheng that the government should take the lead to improve sex ed for students:

Defence Minister Wei Fenghe has told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that Taiwan is at the core of China's core interests, and was a "red line" that must not be crossed. It is the first time the ministers met since a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August. Tom McAlinden reports:

New figures show that the number of Covid infections rose by around 1,000 on the mainland, as cases surged in the capital Beijing. Shutdowns of schools and public places are increasing in the capital, along with testing and pandemic rules, as officials try to limit the outbreak. Mike Weeks has the details:

One of the leaders of the leading coalitions from Malaysia's elections, Anwar Ibrahim, says the country's king needs more time to make a decision on who to appoint as its next prime minister. Anwar was speaking after an audience at the palace. The King had summoned the candidates from both leading coalitions – Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional – to the palace, after the ruling Barisan Nasional alliance decided to remain in the opposition, leaving no leader with a simple majority. Tricia Yeoh – the CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, an independent policy think tank in Malaysia told Annemarie Evans that the king told Anwar that Malaysia needed a government that's inclusive:

Operation Santa Claus 2022 is now in full swing, raising money for 15 charities this year. One of the projects it's supporting is called ‘Let Us Go Build Together’. Organised by the Rhenish Church Grace School, it aims to use Lego as a medium to train students with special educational needs to better communicate with people. One of its teachers Sunny Wong spoke to Radio 3's Angie Man on a converted bus, to tell her more about the project: