The Catholic Church has a new leader. After two days and four rounds of voting at the Vatican, the conclave came to a decision that appoints the first pope to hail from the United States: Cardinal Robert Prevost. Ahead of the vote, some cardinals called for continuity with previous Pope Francis¡¦s vision of greater openness and reform of the church, while others said they wanted to return to the old traditions. Prevost, who takes the papal name of Leo XIV, is seen as a reformer ¡V as Jamie Clarke reports:

RTHK's London-based correspondent Peter Anderson told Ben Tse the papal name of "Leo" represented a desire to project the certainty of the church and the Catholic faith in an increasingly chaotic world.

Locally, private hospitals may have to provide price estimates to patients, and disclose data on past fees and charges under government proposals aimed at increasing transparency. The Health Bureau is also looking to make it mandatory for private hospitals, day procedure centres and clinics to release price information in a format specified by the authorities. Frank Yung reports:

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong have discovered two methods which can help develop a two-in-one vaccine against both human influenza and bird flu. The university's Faculty of Medicine says the live-attenuated flu injection is expected to be a needle-free vaccine. Professor Leo Poon, the chair of public health virology, told Vanessa Cheng that current seasonal flu jabs are unable to protect people against avian flu.

Health minister Lo Chung-mau says the establishment of a new institute boosting clinical practices will allow patients to receive medical care of higher quality. Charlie Chun has more:

A judge from New Zealand is set to join the Court of Final Appeal as an overseas non-permanent judge. Damon Pang has details:

Local congee restaurant chain, Ocean Empire Food Shop, has ceased operations after more than three decades. A catering representative said the group had tried to to stay in business, but lost customers as more people travelled to the mainland. Raymond Yeung reports:

Commerce minister Algernon Yau says Hong Kong is striving to lead the world in developing wireless technology. He outlined the goal at the opening of the 6G Global Summit. As Elvis Yu reports, it's the first time that the event is being held in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region.

The city's largest business chamber says the Middle East is ideal for Hong Kong enterprises looking to diversify their investment portfolios amid global trade uncertainties. The chairwoman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Agnes Chan, will be one of the business leaders joining Chief Executive John Lee on a visit to Qatar and Kuwait on Saturday. Kelly Yu has more:

Mainland authorities have pledged to firmly implement the newly passed private economy promotion law to safeguard the rights of enterprises. As Chloe Feng reports, they expect the law will help to unleash new growth momentum.

President Xi Jinping says China and Russia will raise their cooperation to a new level, countering the influence of the United States. The president made the comments as he held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his state visit. Todd Harding has more:

The United States and Britain have announced a so-called "breakthrough deal" on trade. It's the first since US President Donald Trump triggered a global trade war with a range of tariffs on America's trading partners. The announcement provides a political victory for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while it offers a degree of validation for Trump's claims that his approach on trade can re-balance the global economy on his preferred terms. Jamie Clarke has more:

The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, has pledged to give away US$200 billion via his charitable foundation by 2045 -- when he aims to close the foundation. The Gates Foundation is already a huge player in global health, with an annual budget that will reach US$9 billion by 2026. But Gates has said that, despite his foundation's deep pockets, progress would not be possible without government support. Jamie Clarke reports: