China has sent three astronauts to the Tiangong space station in its 15th crewed spaceflight and 20th overall in the Shenzhou programme. In a plume of flame and smoke, the trio blasted off at 5.17pm on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Natale Ching reports:

The three astronauts are heading to the Tiangong space station to rotate with the Shenzhou-19 crew. They will spend six months there. Joe Michalski, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, told Ben Tse that the team would carry out some important experiments during their mission.

China says there have been no discussions with the United States over tariffs despite signs Washington is trying to ease trade tensions. Beijing says any talk of progress is fake news. Chloe Feng reports:

China and Kenya have upgraded their ties and pledged to work towards a shared future. This came in talks in Beijing between President Xi Jinping and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto. Raymond Yeung reports:

A new cooperation mechanism between Hong Kong and Zhejiang province has been established. As Kelly Yu reports, Chief Executive John Lee attended the inaugural Hong Kong-Zhejiang Cooperation Conference in Hangzhou.

During his visit in Hangzhou, Lee had exchanges with six start-ups, nicknamed the Six Little Dragons, and encouraged them to expand in Hong Kong. He also called for more cooperation between enterprises in Zhejiang and Hong Kong, and more joint projects to be launched. AI consultant Raj Shroff talked about what Hong Kong can learn from Zhejiang and how the city could attract more mainland start-ups to expand in Hong Kong. He spoke to Sophie Hui.

The government says it will listen to public views over its plans to ban the use of konjac in mini-cup jellies before ironing out details on the legal changes. This comes after some lawmakers questioned why officials only want to outlaw sales of cups smaller than 4.5 centimetres in length or width that contain konjac but not other bigger products that pose similar choking risks. Damon Pang reports:

Six universities in Hong Kong have made it into the top 50 in the latest rankings of Asian tertiary institutions by Britain's Times Higher Education magazine. As Kelly Yu reports, it's the first time since 2017 that there are six universities from the city on the prestigious list.

Cinema Day returns for the third straight year, with more than 200,000 people expected to flock to theatres across the city on May 10. As Janice Lo reports, tickets will be sold at a flat rate of HK$30, the same as in the past, at all 53 theatres.

More than 70 films are expected to be screened, including The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. Both have been nominated for the best picture at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards. Timothy Yuen, executive committee chairman of the Hong Kong Theatres Association, told Janice Lo more about the event.

US President Donald Trump says he's pushing Russia hard to agree to end the conflict in Ukraine after strikes on Kyiv threw more doubt on efforts to secure a ceasefire. Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least 12 people in Kyiv, in the biggest assault on the Ukrainian capital this year. A further 90 people were wounded. The attack drew a rare rebuke from Trump, as he attempts to broker a peace deal. Jamie Clarke has more:

Tens of thousands of people have been filing through St Peter's Basilica these past few days to pay their final respects to Pope Francis ahead of his funeral on Saturday. Catholics made their way to the basilica's main altar, where Francis' open wooden casket was perched. The Vatican says it may extend viewer hours for longer due to the high turnout.

One student has been killed and at least three people injured in a stabbing at a private school in western France. The attacker, a student himself, was arrested at the scene. Such fatal attacks are quite rare in French schools. The country's prime minister has ordered tighter security outside and inside schools nationwide. He's also called for new proposals within four weeks for preventing and punishing knife violence by teens and children. Jamie Clarke has more:

After weeks of reports, US planemaker Boeing has finally confirmed that Chinese airlines are refusing delivery of new planes, due to Trump's tariffs. Raymond Yeung reports:

Pakistan has closed its air space for Indian airlines, and has rejected New Delhi's suspension of a critical water sharing treaty - as ties between the two nations plummet. The moves by Islamabad come in retaliation for India's response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir. The tit-for-tat announcements have taken relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars, to the lowest level in years - as Jamie Clarke reports:

The governor of China's central bank says Beijing firmly supports free-trade rules and the multilateral trading system. Pan Gongsheng's statement came as the world's financial leaders met in the US Capital. Chloe Feng reports:

Tickets for the Hong Kong Football Festival, set to be held in July at the newly opened Kai Tak Stadium, will go on sale next month. As Sophie Hui reports, three top English sides and an Italian club will be entertaining their fans during a pre-season tour.