Chief Executive John Lee says a judge's professional duty is to interpret and apply the law, and their expertise is not on politics. He was commenting after a British judge, who recently stepped down from Hong Kong's highest court, wrote an opinion piece titled "The rule of law in Hong Kong is in grave danger". Lee said departing non-permanent judge, Lord Jonathan Sumption, had contradicted his earlier comments. Wendy Wong reports:

The Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society have expressed confidence in the independence of the judiciary. Hailey Yip reports:

DAB lawmaker and lawyer Holden Chow has criticised Lord Sumption for commenting on Hong Kong's rule of law in an opinion piece, saying the article was a "political advocacy" for the British judge. He said it was inappropriate for a judge to openly make political remarks, and that would put pressure on the courts. He told Carol Musgrave that Lord Sumption's comments were a stark contrast to what two other departing justices had said about Hong Kong's judicial system:

The government has formed a task force to investigate a recent dispute at the University of Hong Kong. It comes after Chief Executive John Lee stressed the importance of communication and cooperation in a meeting with top HKU officials who have been involved in an ongoing spat over senior staff appointments. Damon Pang reports:

A police chief inspector has become the first Hong Kong person to be chosen as an astronaut, according to sources. Chief Executive John Lee said the selection for the nation's space programme marked a "glorious chapter" in the city’s history. Chloe Feng reports:

Cathay Pacific says solo flight training for its cadets will resume once they follow the flying school's requirements. This comes after US-based pilot school, AeroGuard Flight Training Centre, suspended solo flight training for Cathay cadets after a series of incidents that resulted in damage to aircraft. Vanessa Cheng reports:

The Chief Executive in Council has approved an across-the-board pay rise of three percent for all civil servants, which would be backdated to the beginning of April. As Damon Pang reports, the proposal is to be tabled to Legco as soon as possible:

Guidelines have been issued for organisations to protect data when using artificial intelligence systems. As Vanessa Cheng reports, this comes amid a sharp rise in AI usage in the city:

Hong Kong University's medical faculty has developed bio-printing technology to replicate a patient's liver tumour. Using tissue collected from the patient, the 3D model simulates the tumour's response to different drugs and helps doctors make more precise diagnoses and treatment options. Professor Man Kwan, Chair Professor of the Department of Surgery, spoke to Kimmy Lau:

A study has found many social sector groups in Asia are struggling to keep up with technological changes, due to insufficient donor support and lack of access to digital infrastructure. The Doing Good Index recently surveyed more than 2,100 social delivery organisations, or SDOs, across 17 economies, and found over half suffered from a lack of digital skills. Around 70 percent said they were insufficiently prepared against cybersecurity threats. Ruth Shapiro, co-founder and chief executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, which conducted the survey, told Ben Tse it was important for the government and donors to support such groups and help them boost their digital literacy:

Premier Li Qiang will hold talks in Australia and New Zealand, becoming the first Chinese premier to visit the two countries in seven years. He will also spend time in Malaysia during the tour. Hailey Yip reports:

US media and officials say four American educators from a small university in the American state of Iowa were stabbed in a public park in Jilin province over the weekend. A 55-year-old man has been arrested by police. The Foreign Ministry described the incident as a random attack, adding that it would "not affect normal exchanges between the people of the United States and China". Raymond Yeung reports:

A glimmer of hope has emerged after eight months of fighting in Gaza left over 37,000 Palestinians dead. For the first time since Israel launched an offensive in retaliation for a Hamas attack last October, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling for a comprehensive ceasefire. Jacqueline Guico reports:

US secretary of state Antony Blinken says a Hamas statement of support for the UN resolution is a "hopeful sign". Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford in the UK said Russia abstained from the vote because it did not trust Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza. He spoke to Annemarie Evans:

A jury in the US state of Delaware has found the son of President Biden guilty of lying on applications to purchase guns. It makes Hunter Biden the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a crime. Frank Yung reports:

US astronaut William Anders was one of the first humans to orbit the moon and became widely known around the world by taking one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century. "Earthrise" - the first photo of the earth taken from the perspective of the moon - changed the way humans view the planet. Anders died last week in a plane crash at the age of 90. He was born in Hong Kong in 1933 and took part in the Apollo 8 mission to the far side of the moon in 1968. Annemarie Evans spoke to aerospace consultant and historian David Baker, a former editor of Spaceflight magazine and Jane's Spaceflight Directory. He spoke about Anders' contribution to space science and people's understanding of the fragility of Earth:

Experts at a natural history museum in the United States say a mind-controlling fungus is turning cicadas into "hyper-sexual zombies". Jacqueline Guico reports: