Chief Executive John Lee has made his first cabinet reshuffle halfway through his five-year term. He's replaced transport minister Lam Sai-hung and tourism chief Kevin Yeung, saying he wanted to "chase back" lost time after Hong Kong suffered major setbacks from the Covid pandemic and the 2019 riots. Raymond Yeung reports.

The new culture and tourism minister, Rosanna Law, says her top agenda items include the pandas at Ocean Park, the multi-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents, and next year's National Games. The former housing director says she's confident she'll adapt to her new role, as Elvis Yu reports.

The new transport minister, Mable Chan, has expressed the hope that she could lead her team in pushing forward various projects, such as the new rail lines in Tung Chung, Tuen Mun and the Northern Link. Chan added that another area of focus is to bolster Hong Kong's profile as an international aviation hub. Vanessa Cheng reports.

Former senior government official Andrew Leung said the chief executive wants to raise the bar with the latest move and that John Lee is also looking for ministers with the ability to lead. He spoke with Carol Musgrave.

A senior member of a leading national think tank says the cabinet reshuffle will put pressure on existing ministers and should improve overall governance. Lau Siu-kai is a consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies. He said he wasn't surprised by the personnel changes. He told Kelly Yu that the new ministers are expected to outperform their predecessors, especially when it comes to preparing for the National Games and the opening of the Kai Tak Sports Park.

Officials say they're investigating the suspension of the waterfront Observation Wheel. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department said the failure of the facility's backup system triggered the suspension and the Development Bureau has demanded an investigation report from the ferris wheel operator. The incident left nearly 200 people stranded, though all of them were later led to safety. Raymond Yeung reports.

Authorities will be staging the very first test event at the Kai Tak Arena, an indoor facility within the Sports Park this weekend. Two thousand spectators are expected to attend two basketball games on Saturday afternoon. Damon Pang reports.

Shenzhen authorities say 13 people remain missing on Wednesday night after a construction site for a major high-speed railway caved in. A search for the missing is ongoing and the cause of the collapse is being investigated. Vanessa Cheng reports.

Bitcoin has topped one hundred thousand US dollars for the first time, as a massive rally in the world's most popular cryptocurrency rolls on. The milestone has been hailed even by sceptics as a coming-of-age for digital assets. The boom has raised questions about how much higher it could go, and whether it can shake off its notorious volatility, as Jamie Clarke reports.

South Korean shares have declined for a second consecutive session amid increased political uncertainty, as the president clings to power, with his party saying they'll oppose an impeachment motion. South Korean police have begun investigating Yoon Suk-yeol for alleged "insurrection" over his declaration of martial law on Tuesday. It comes after the president accepted the resignation of his defence minister, and as opposition parties move to impeach both men. Jack Barton, a journalist in South Korea, says President Yoon could face the death penalty if convicted of insurrection. He also told Janice Lo that he expected more officials to step down.

French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed he will stay in his role until the end of his mandate. Macron addressed the nation in a ten-minute speech, a day on from the collapse of the government. He has laid blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down the government of his ousted prime minister. Jamie Clarke reports.

Amnesty International, has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas. The human rights group says Israel has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians. The group is not the first to label Israel’s acts in Gaza as genocidal. Israel has adamantly rejected such allegations, calling them antisemitic. Jamie Clarke reports.

South African opera singer Pretty Yende, says the invitation to perform at the re-opening concert of the Notre Dame Cathedral was an “answered prayer”. The 39-year-old soprano will be among the musical stars in an opening ceremony on Saturday evening, along with the likes of Chinese classical pianist Lang Lang. As Natale Ching reports, heads of state including US President-elect Donald Trump will be in the audience.