Financial Secretary Paul Chan says the government cannot afford relief measures beyond those announced in Wednesday's budget, acknowledging that the “sweeteners are not as sweet” this time around. He was speaking on a budget phone-in jointly hosted by RTHK, Commercial Radio and Metro Radio on Thursday. Maggie Ho reports:

The Financial Secretary has dismissed claims that there is nothing in his latest budget to help Hong Kong's poorer residents, rebuking a legislator who warned he might vote against the blueprint. Paul Chan pointed out that spending on social welfare was the government's biggest item of expenditure. Damon Pang reports:

The tourism industry was mostly positive on budget initiatives aimed at the sector. These include a full loan guarantee scheme for travel agencies expected to be worth some $2.7 billion, and funding to attract more mega events and conventions. But in welcoming the measures, the Travel Industry Council also expressed disappointment that its proposal for a fund to help the trade resume business was rejected. The TIC's executive director, Fanny Yeung, told Damon Pang that travel agencies were facing problems with cash flow and staff recruitment:

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service has praised Paul Chan's budget initiative to encourage elderly employment. But it says barriers still remain to bringing older people back into the city's shrinking workforce. In his budget, Chan proposed increasing tax deductions for voluntary MPF contributions made by employers for elderly workers. The council's business director, Anthony Wong, told Vanessa Cheng that this was a good incentive for companies to hire older people:

Chief Executive John Lee says his visit to the Greater Bay Area is just the beginning of a push to cement ties with neighbouring cities and attract talent to the region. The CE led a delegation of officials on a whistle-stop tour of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Kelly Yu reports from Guangzhou:

Researchers from the Chinese University say they have made a key breakthrough in the study of how cockroaches cause allergic reactions, paving the way for the development of treatments for conditions, such as asthma and eczema. In a three-year study, the medical department team found that the insects were the second most common trigger for such allergic diseases, and they identified seven previously-unknown cockroach allergens that set them off. Professor Leung Ting-fan led the research. He told Vanessa Cheng that the discovery would pave the way for targeted immunotherapy treatment:

A study by the Chinese University shows autistic students face social and learning difficulties at the tertiary level. Gary Lam, an assistant professor in educational psychology at CUHK, said his team interviewed 30 such students and found university teaching was more abstract and unstructured compared to school. They also found a gap in services provided to university autism students. Professor Lam spoke to Ben Tse:

A 4.9-hectare residential site in Tsuen Wan will be earmarked for the government's starter homes initiative. The site will provide a total of 2,000 homes and will be up for tender in the first quarter of the next financial year. Frank Yung reports:

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has seen its profits fall for the first time in six years as it announced a cut in dividend payments. But the stock exchange operator hopes a stronger fourth quarter heralds better prospects ahead, as Altis Wong reports:

Coal mines in major mining regions of China have been ordered to urgently carry out safety inspections following an accident in Inner Mongolia, that killed at least five people and left 48 others missing. Authorities have issued the order as search-and-rescue efforts at the mine resumed after they were put on hold following a massive landslide. Natale Ching reports:

A politics professor says China is best placed to help negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia. Josef Gregory Mahoney from East China Normal University in Shanghai was commenting on the first anniversary of Russia's attack on Friday, and just days after top diplomat Wang Yi was warmly received in Moscow by President Putin. Professor Mahoney says the time is right for a peace proposal, as the conflict in Ukraine has been at a stalemate for several months:

Friends and fans of the late RTHK disc jockey Ray Cordeiro, or Uncle Ray, have said their final goodbyes at his memorial service. As Violet Wong reports, nostalgic hits were played at the service that were earlier performed at a concert to commemorate Uncle Ray's retirement in 2021: