Social workers, teachers, nurses and doctors will be required to report suspected cases of serious child abuse in future under proposed government legislation. These professionals will be considered "mandated reporters" and must file a report as soon as practicable if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child "has been suffering serious harm" or "is at real risk of suffering serious harm". Vanessa Cheng reports:

A leading children's rights advocate, Priscilla Lui, who is also a former member of the Commission on Children, welcomed the government's proposal on mandatory reporting of suspected abuse. But she told Vanessa Cheng that officials should also have various follow-up measures to better protect children:

The Secretary for Transport and Logistics has sought to play down concerns that bus operators will soon be asking for further fare hikes, saying Hong Kong's return to normality after Covid means they will be carrying more passengers. Lam Sai-hung made the comment a day after the city's five franchised bus companies were given the go-ahead to raise fares by between 3.9 and seven percent, as Frank Yung reports:

Commissioner for Transport Rosanna Law has brushed aside suggestions that bus fares could be reviewed annually. Citybus along with some legislators have suggested a review system similar to the formula used to set MTR fares, to put the finances of bus operators on a more stable footing. Violet Wong reports:

The government says it plans to outlaw the release of animals into habitats where they are likely to suffer, as part of stronger animal-welfare legislation. Under the proposed changes, activities, such as releasing freshwater fish or turtles into the sea, will become an offence. Violet Wong reports:

An academic specialising in conservation biology says it can be challenging to determine if animals are being released into unsuitable habitats. Assistant Professor Sung Yik-hei from Lingnan University says mercy release of animals in Hong Kong is still common and can have a permanent negative impact on the ecosystem. He also told Ada Au that enforcing the proposed regulations could be difficult:

A conservationist says the popularity of water sports is having a negative impact on Hong Kong's coral population. Kelvin So, oceans conservation project manager at WWF, says a survey it completed last year of the scuba diving community showed many divers and snorkelers were unaware of their impact on coral. He said a new partnership between WWF and the Chinese University has allowed the group to scale up efforts to rescue coral from the ocean, nurture it in a laboratory, and return it to the sea. He told Vicky Wong about the conservation programme:

Hong Kong has suffered through a second day of sweltering, choking weather as hot, polluted air was dragged over the city and out to sea by the low pressure of Typhoon Mawar. The new amber heat stress at work warning was issued on Wednesday morning while the very hot weather warning was in effect throughout the day. Priscilla Ng reports:

Police say they will use artificial intelligence technology to track missing hikers with the launch of a new app at the end of this year. Trail walkers will be able to input their hiking plans, helping AI to work out where they are if they get into trouble. Natale Ching reports:

The founder of Hong Kong Outdoors has welcomed plans for a new app to use AI technology to find missing hikers. But Martin Williams said some hikers may have privacy concerns about police being able to track them. Williams also questioned how the app could work if hikers could not get a phone signal. He spoke to Ben Tse:

China's search giant Baidu is setting up a one-billion yuan fund to encourage startups to harness the power of its AI-powered chatbot. As Altis Wong reports, the announcement comes after a report revealed that mainland firms launched nearly 80 AI-powered applications in the past three years:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and industry minister Jin Zhuanglong have held talks in Beijing on "new energy vehicles". As Wendy Wong reports, the meeting came on the second day of his unannounced trip to China:

Official data shows that mainland factory activity contracted faster than expected this month on weakening demand. It is the latest sign of the economic recovery losing steam. Mike Weeks reports:

North Korea's attempt to launch its first satellite in space has ended in failure. It crashed into the sea. The launch triggered an early morning alert in Japan and South Korea on Wednesday, warning millions of people to seek cover. The city's mayor has since apologised for the distress caused by the warning message. RTHK's correspondent in Seoul, Frank Smith, told Aaron Tam about the stir that the warning caused in the South Korean capital: