The authorities have been urged to consider using Mandatory Provident Fund records to verify a worker's employment background. This comes after dozens of people were arrested on suspicion of resorting to fraud to obtain licences for certain jobs. Kelly Yu reports:

A veteran decorator says an electrician's licence is often needed for home renovation work but authorities do not always scrutinise these licences. Simon Tang from home decoration consultancy Deco Academy says some workers might buy fake records from the black market. He says unlicensed electrical work could lead to improper installations and high repair costs:

The ombudsman says two different government departments that deal with unauthorised land use should start working more closely with each other and share intelligence to put a stop to offenders. The Ombudsman was announcing the results of a probe into the enforcement by the Planning and the Lands Departments against unauthorised land developments. Frank Yung reports:

The government says civil servants and unions have welcomed its offer of more family-friendly measures. Civil Service chief Ingrid Yeung also pointed out that a number of factors had led to a 10 percent vacancy rate for government jobs. Vanessa Cheng reports:

A member of the European Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the reduction in liquor tax as a first step towards revitalising Hong Kong but says the impact of the move may be minimal. The duty cut was announced in last week's Policy Address. For alcohol with a strength of more than 30 percent, the 100 percent tax still applies for products at HK$200 or below. Above that price, the tax falls to 10 percent. Devin Pun, chairman of the Wine and Spirits Business Council at EuroCham, told Janice Lo that it would be better to reduce the threshold to HK$100:

Mainland visitors joining new tours of Hong Kong shopping malls will not be obliged to go on a spending spree, according to a retail industry representative. She was commenting on a new programme that hopes to draw more tourists to the SAR's malls. Damon Pang reports:

The first-ever dinosaur fossils found in Hong Kong will go on display at the Heritage Discovery Centre from Friday. The historic discovery was made on Port Island in the northeastern waters of the SAR some time ago but the announcement came on Wednesday. The fossils date back to the Cretaceous period of up to 145 million years ago. An expert on fossil animals and plants describes the discovery as a "momentous" achievement that could mark the beginning of a series of exciting finds in the wider region. Paleontologist Michael Pittman from the School of Life Sciences at the Chinese University told Hailey Yip that the find was "very lucky." He said Hong Kong was not an ideal location for fossil preservation given that the territory had a lot of previous volcanic activity:

The development minister says her bureau will consider merging City Gallery in Central with a new exhibition hall in Wan Chai to showcase major development projects. Natale Ching reports:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has closed a summit of the Brics bloc of developing economies, praising its role as a counterbalance to what he called the West's “perverse methods." The three-day summit in the city of Kazan was attended by leaders or representatives of 36 countries, including President Xi Jinping. Jamie Clarke reports:

The impact of Brics extends beyond economic and trade cooperation. As Azam Khan reports, a specialised training initiative for international cardiologists in Xiamen city in Fujian province is a legacy of the 2017 Brics summit:

A Chinese naval hospital ship has set a new world record for the longest distance of robotic surgery. Peace Ark is on a humanitarian mission in the African nation, Benin. In surgery that was remotely-controlled from China, an onboard surgical robot performed a kidney cyst surgery for a patient. Natale Ching reports:

The jailed former prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, has apologised for the first time for his handling of the multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal. But he reiterated his innocence with regards to the stolen funds. The scandal upended Najib's government. He was defeated in Malaysia’s 2018 general election. Jamie Clarke reports:

In the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are preparing to make their closing arguments in the country’s presidential election. The vice president will arrive in Texas, where on Friday she is due to attend a rally alongside former President Barack Obama and music legend Beyonce. Former President Trump is holding rallies in the battleground state of Nevada before travelling on to Michigan. The polls show the race remains deadlocked, and as RTHK's Washington correspondent Simon Marks reports, the rhetoric between the two candidates is getting tougher with the election just 11 days away:

A mother has appealed to the international community for help in resuming the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza. The vaccinations have been delayed due to Israeli strikes, mass displacement of the Palestinian population and a lack of access. It comes after the phases covering central and southern Gaza had finished. Jamie Clarke reports:

Boeing workers in the United States have voted against the aircraft maker's latest contract offer. The rejection extends a strike that began nearly six weeks ago and raises fresh concerns about the company. Azam Khan reports:

Tesla shares have notched their biggest one-day gain in more than 10 years, rising nearly 22 percent after Chief Executive Elon Musk reassured investors about the growth outlook. The company's latest earnings report also eased some investor jitters. The stock's gains added nearly US$150 billion to the company's market cap. Brigitte Pu reports:

Morgan Stanley says CEO Ted Pick will take over as chairman next year, succeeding James Gorman, who has been tapped to head the board at Walt Disney. Sean Kennedy reports:

Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey has won a silver medal at the second stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Incheon, South Korea. Brigitte Pu reports:

In the football Premier League this weekend, there are plenty of anticipated fixtures lined up as game-week nine kicks off. RTHK's football correspondent, Tim Bredbury, has more on the match-ups:

In US baseball, it is Hollywood versus the Big Apple as the World Series showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees is set to begin this weekend. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series takes place on Saturday morning at 8am, Hong Kong time. This is the 12th time the two iconic franchises have gone head-to-head in the Fall Classic, with the previous match-up being 43 years ago. RTHK's US sports commentator, Ray Jovanovich, has a preview:

Excluding religious texts, The Little Prince is considered the world's most translated book. Now, a rare transcript of the fantastical, coming-of-age story can be yours....for US$1.25 million. Azam Khan reports: