The highly-anticipated resumption of Express Rail Link services to Guangdong has finally happened. Thousands of travellers eager to cross the border via the sleek high-speed trains rose at the crack of dawn on Sunday for the first train since early 2020. RTHK's reporter, Wendy Wong, took the train to Guangzhou East station:

Lawmaker Andrew Lam described his journey to Guangzhou as smooth and convenient. He said he hoped more travellers would snap up tickets, especially ahead of and during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays. He spoke to Wendy Wong after returning to the SAR from Guangzhou East:

Lawmakers who hopped aboard the first high-speed train to Guangzhou East have expressed hope that the MTR Corporation can run more frequent services to meet passenger demand, with one calling for non-stop services to make journeys faster. Roundtable lawmaker and former KCR chairman, Michael Tien, said what he described as “express trains” should be arranged to take passengers from Hong Kong to Guangzhou without any stops in between. Currently, the train stops at a number of stations in Shenzhen and Dongguan before reaching Guangzhou East. Speaking to Wendy Wong in Guangzhou East, Tien said the 90-minute trip on the high-speed rail was only 30 minutes shorter than if people took the conventional intercity through-train:

A top tourism official has called the easing of Covid-19 restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel, but warned that it will take some time for the industry to return to pre-pandemic levels. He pointed out that businesses across the sector were struggling to find enough staff. Todd Harding reports:

An economics professor says the government should not raise any taxes if it wants to help the retail sector recover. Kevin Tsui is an associate professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, based in Hong Kong. Ahead of next month's budget speech, Professor Tsui suggested the government lower the stamp duty on property and not raise taxes, such as on tobacco. He also told Vicky Wong that the mainland border reopening would boost the retail trade by about 50 percent over the coming year:

The Financial Secretary Paul Chan says international businesses are looking to increase investments in Hong Kong. But he warned of a 'challenging' year ahead, citing a volatile global economy. Ada Au reports:

Customs officers have warned people who are considering buying Covid-19 drugs that are not registered with the authorities that they are in danger of spending cash on drugs that may not work and could even be unsafe. The comments follow the seizure of about 380 boxes of suspected contraband Covid medication in the past few days. Aaron Tam reports:

After weeks of reporting that only a handful of people each day died of Covid-19, officials on the mainland have clarified that the figure is actually just under 60,000 and that most of them had underlying ailments. But they have also said Covid cases and the number of people seeking hospital treatment are continuing to decline, an indication that the outbreak has peaked. Andy Chworowsky reports:

Pressure is mounting on President Biden to give further details about classified documents found at his Delaware home and a Washington office he once used. An independent lawyer has been appointed by the justice department to investigate whether these papers were mishandled. But questions remain. RTHK's Washington correspondent, Barry Wood, told Samantha Butler that the discovery tarnishes Biden's "shiny" record:

Former RTHK disc jockey Ray Cordeiro, known as Uncle Ray to his fans, has died at the age of 98. His show "All the Way With Ray" aired for the final time in May 2021. Vicky Wong had the chance to speak with Uncle Ray when he retired in 2021: