A suspect in a 1989 murder case has been returned to Hong Kong from Thailand. Police chief Joe Chow thanked Thai authorities for their help in the arrest of the 62-year-old suspect. Elvis Yu with our top story.

An independent committee set up to look into the cause of the deadly Tai Po fire will begin a string of hearings next month. The judge heading the panel acknowledged the challenge to wrap up work before a nine-month deadline. The committee held a conference yesterday with a minute of silence to mourn the 168 victims of the Wang Fuk Court blaze last November. Frank Yung reports.

Ombudsman Jack Chan says there have been "systemic problems and inadequacies" in how the Medical Council and its secretariat handle and monitor complaints against doctors. Media reports last October revealed that the council had delayed the handling of a complaint involving an infant by 15 years, prompting the Ombudsman's direct probe. Damon Pang reports:

The Immigration Department says it's smashed a cross-boundary syndicate involved in forgery and the hiring of illegal workers. A record 102 people were arrested in Hong Kong. Elvis Yu reports.

Insurers are keeping an eye open for fraudulent claims after the authorities sounded the alarm over a new type of "cash for crash" scam. Aaron Tam reports.

Small and medium enterprises have been urged to adopt artificial intelligence to boost their competitiveness. The call comes as the government pushes to deepen AI integration across industries. Hailey Yip has the story.

A multi-purpose Artificial Intelligence Platform has been launched to help small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, deal with AI. Developed by the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the tool called Picasso was initiated after noticing a huge gap in AI usage between SMEs and large enterprises. The council's chief digital officer Edmond Lai spoke to Natasha Ho:

Construction workers have been advised to beware of scams while job hunting before the Chinese New Year. Those who are already working have been urged to take extra safety precautions and not rush their jobs. Howard Tong, general affairs secretary of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, outlined to Henry Siu the possible dangers workers face.

The Labour Department says a HK$3,000 fixed penalty for smoking at construction sites, instead of the earlier proposal of 150-thousand dollars, will help with law enforcement. Raymond Yeung has the details.

The Our Hong Kong Foundation think tank has said that the SAR's public finances continue to face challenges due to an ageing population as well as spending on major infrastructure projects. It put forward a total of 18 suggestions to the Financial Secretary's budget that will come out later this month. Pascal Siu, the foundation's senior research manager, told Charlie Chun more about the recommendations.

A series of events will be staged this year to mark the Year of China-Laos Friendship. Xinhua News Agency reported that President Xi Jinping has said in a letter to the top Laotian leader that the two countries are good friends and neighbours, as well as good comrades and partners who share a common future. Azam Khan reports.

Russia and Ukraine have ended a second round of peace talks with an agreement on a prisoner swap and plans for a new meeting. A US special envoy said that delegations from the three countries agreed to an exchange of 314 prisoners of war, which has taken place at the Ukrainian border. Jamie Clarke reports:

Storm Leonardo has continued to pound the Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe with torrential rains, prompting more flood warnings and evacuation orders. A man has been killed in Portugal after a deluge swept his car away on a flooded road. While rescuers in Spain have been searching for a woman swept away by a river as she tried to save her dog. A local official has told Spanish television that the dog has been found, but the woman is still missing. Jamie Clarke has more:

In sport...Hong Kong have set their sights on a return to Davis Cup World Group One for the first time in 33 years. But as Hailey Yip reports, the city must first overcome top-seeded Finland in a play-off.

A hospital in Barcelona says it has performed a pioneering facial transplant from a donor who underwent euthanasia. Jamie Clarke reports: