The head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, has kicked off a landmark visit to the SAR. During his six-day stay, he will attend the opening ceremony for National Security Education Day and hold a series of closed-door meetings with local officials and government advisors. Kelly Yu reports:

Beijing's office overseeing Hong Kong affairs says the city's barristers must safeguard the rule of law, a trait it called an SAR hallmark. It also said lawyers here should have a better understanding of national affairs. Conveying the office's comments was Bar Association chairman Victor Dawes, who is leading a delegation to the capital. Frank Yung reports:

Police have arrested two men for allegedly targeting officers and the media at a water festival on Sunday to mark Songkran, or the Buddhist new year. As Vanessa Cheng reports, they were detained under the public order ordinance:

An NGO has called for more community support for elderly people whose children have emigrated from Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Christian Service made the call after a survey it carried out between November and February found almost 40 percent of respondents had children who left Hong Kong in or after 2020. It says the left-behind parents are vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation. Elvis Yu reports:

The Hong Kong Christian Service says the government should provide more resources towards teaching the elderly how to be technologically literate, so they can stay in touch with their children who have emigrated from Hong Kong. Jackie Chan from its Whole Person Development Centre told Samantha Butler that many of these elderly were motivated to becoming more tech-savvy:

Aviation sector representatives have urged the government to introduce measures to attract more people to the sector. They warned that Hong Kong was losing its status as an international aviation hub because there were fewer and fewer workers in the industry. Transport sector lawmaker, Frankie Yick, says the government is working hard to attract visitors and he hopes they will not overlook the manpower issue. He spoke to Vanessa Cheng:

The government has been urged to make timely announcements of serious traffic accidents on the mainland involving Hongkongers. The call came from a lawmaker just hours after a government spokesman confirmed media enquiries that four Hong Kong residents had been killed in two serious car crashes on the mainland this month. Maggie Ho reports:

The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, says the government is reviewing its Top Talent Pass Scheme and is looking to add more mainland universities to the approved list. The authorities rolled out the scheme in December as part of efforts to “trawl the world for talent”. Frank Yung reports:

Chief Executive John Lee says Hong Kong is starting a new chapter in the digital economy that he hopes will reconnect it with the rest of the world following the Covid pandemic. As Hailey Yip reports, Lee also hopes the SAR will emerge as an international centre of innovation and technology:

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam has rejected suggestions that the national security law in Hong Kong undermined people's freedoms. He made it clear the law struck the right balance between protecting national security and safeguarding people's rights. Frank Yung reports:

Mainland exports have risen for the first time in half a year, as the world’s second-largest economy continues to recover. The General Administration of Customs announced that total shipments soared nearly 15 percent year-on-year last month while the fall in imports was smaller than expected. Altis Wong reports:

Japan is furious with Pyongyang after what appeared to be a ballistic missile was fired towards the sea of Japan on Thursday. A South Korean military official said the missile appeared to have been a new weapon displayed at recent military parades in Pyongyang, and possibly used solid fuel. Millions of people on the Japanese island of Hokkaido were told to take cover or evacuate immediately. Beijing has again blamed the US for the heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean government called the launch a grave provocation and convened a national security council meeting. Annemarie Evans spoke to veteran journalist Don Kirk in Seoul and asked him more about the missile that was fired: