President Biden has pledged to do everything he can to assist in the transition from his government to the new administration led by Donald Trump. America's leader spoke to Trump and assured him of his staff’s full co-operation between now and Inauguration Day on January 20. And Biden said he hoped the election had proven the fairness and honesty of the country’s voting process. Simon Marks reports from Washington.

European leaders meet in Hungary for the European Political Community gathering. Top of the agenda will be the re-election of Donald Trump and the fear that he will slow, if not stop, the flow of American military aid to Ukraine. RTHK's Europe correspondent Peter Anderson told Carol Musgrave that the region was preparing to rely less on US military support.

President Xi Jinping has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory. As Natale Ching reports, President Xi said the world's two biggest economies should find a way to get along in the new era.

Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick has called on the government to finalise the details of an initiative to bring in outside workers, especially for the aviation industry. Officials earlier revealed plans to bring in 10,000 skilled technicians over the next three years but have yet to specify which job categories or professions will be included. Last year, the government launched a specific labour importation scheme for the aviation industry. But Yick told Elvis Yu that the industry was still in need of more technicians, especially with the third runway set to open this month.

Research by the Productivity Council and Standard Chartered Bank shows that business confidence among local small and medium-sized enterprises has improved but the outlook remains pessimistic. The Standard Chartered Hong Kong SME Leading Business Index for the fourth quarter rose 3.2 points to 45.7 from the previous three months. A reading below 50 indicates a negative outlook, and above that mark it is positive. Kelvin Lau, a senior economist from Standard Chartered told Anne Chan that local businesses were being cautious.

Six Hong Kong Universities have made it into the top 100 in Asia rankings, with three cracking the top 10. That is the most for the city since British-based, higher education analytics firm QS began keeping records 16 years ago. Damon Pang has the details.

14 men have been arrested on suspicion of illegal road racing. Police said the races allegedly took place over the past two months on key roads, including Route Twisk, Tuen Mun Road, and Tolo Highway. Anne Chan reports.

The organisers of Sunday's annual cross-harbour swim say the event will be cancelled if a tropical cyclone warning signal is in effect. The Observatory says it will issue the Standby Signal Number One between noon and 3 pm on Friday as Tropical Cyclone Yinxing edges closer to Hong Kong. Damon Pang reports.

A concern group has called for society-wide efforts to tackle bullying after finding one in three pupils it surveyed in July had been bullied in school. The Council of Early Childhood Education and Services has set an ambitious target of eliminating school bullying in Hong Kong over the next decade. The council's director, Sansan Ching, told Ben Tse that the situation was a serious problem.

Hong Kong's premier wine and spirits fair kicked off on Thursday. The three-day event has over 600 exhibitors from around the world and aims to establish the SAR as a regional trading hub for liquor - full-bodied, and aged to perfection. Hailey Yip reports.

For the second year in a row, scientists are reporting that temperatures on Earth will be the highest they have been since official records began. For the first time, the planet this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, compared to the pre-industrial average. The news comes amid warnings from the United Nations Secretary General that humanity is not keeping up with worsening climate impacts. Jamie Clarke has more.

Toxic water in New Delhi’s Yamuna River is causing serious health risks for thousands of Hindus. Despite the river being covered by a layer of toxic foam, devotees have been taking holy dips to mark a four-day religious festival. The pollution levels are so high that the Delhi High Court has expressed its concerns over the rituals in Yamuna. Here's Jamie Clarke again.

China's exports surged last month, growing at their fastest pace in more than two years. But imports shrank as domestic consumption remained weak. Frank Yung reports.

The nation's leading chipmaker SMIC has announced a sharp rise in profits over the same period last year and that revenue was strong for the quarter as well. Aaron Tam reports.

In football, Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern were unable to secure a late game comeback, as they lost 2-1 to Philippine side Kaya FC in AFC Champions League Two action at the Mong Kok Stadium. That result was Eastern's third loss of the tournament. It also marks the first time a Philippine club has won a match in the continental competition. RTHK's Asia football correspondent, Chris KL Lau, was at the match.

Day 11 of the English Premier League kicks off this weekend with plenty of games to look forward to. RTHK's football correspondent, Tim Bredbury, has a round-up of the action.

Now, remember breakdancer Rachael Gunn's signature kangaroo bounce from this year's Paris Olympics? Well you will not be seeing that on the competitive stage again. The Australian - known as Raygun - has declared she could not bring herself to battle again following the backlash over her unorthodox performance. Vanessa Cheng reports.

A diamond-studded necklace thought to be involved in a scandal that led to the execution of the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is being sold in Geneva next week. As Jacqueline Guico reports, it is expected to fetch over US$2.2 million.