Hong Kong saw over 100,000 mainland tourists visiting the city to celebrate the Year of the Horse as the festive period across the border began on Sunday.

The official Lunar New Year holiday on the mainland lasts for nine days, and Hong Kong officials had earlier estimated that total arrivals and departures through the city's border crossings during the festive period to reach almost 11.4 million. Frank Yung reports.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan says he expects 1.43 million mainland travellers to visit the SAR during the Lunar New Year holiday period. As Henry Siu reports, that's a six percent year-on-year increase compared to the preceding year.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam visited a public housing estate to spread the Lunar New Year cheer with residents. Henry Siu reports.

The Hospital Authority has reminded people to pay close attention to their diet during the Lunar New Year period. They flagged festive meals like rice cakes, turnip cakes or Poon Choi to be high in fat and salt. A dietitian from the authority, Sandra Lai, told Henry Siu about the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during the Lunar New Year.

Transport secretary Mable Chan says the government will study details of the mandatory seatbelt rule on buses, including its exemptions and penalties, before reintroducing it. Frank Yung reports.

Police chief Joe Chow has expressed hope that the force can adopt facial recognition technology this year or the next for their network of CCTV cameras around Hong Kong. Damon Pang reports.

Police say they've arrested two men on Lantau Island on suspicion of smuggling more than three million sticks of illicit cigarettes. Aaron Tam reports.

Beijing has confirmed that Canadian and British citizens will be able to visit the country visa-free from Tuesday, after the two countries' leaders announced such agreements following official trips to the nation. Aaron Tam reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has kicked off a trip to Slovakia and Hungary, whose conservative leaders have warm ties with US President Donald Trump. Mr Rubio has vowed to deepen cooperation with central Europe. That’s after he maintained the Trump administration’s criticism of Europe over the weekend, following a scarring year for Transatlantic ties. Jamie Clarke has more.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a bluntly worded, but ultimately conciliatory, speech over the weekend to leaders of Western nations, saying the Trump administration does not want to dismantle its traditional alliances. However, during his speech at the Munich Security Conference, he called on European countries to adopt the administration’s right-wing polices on mass migration and do more for their own defense. He stressed the US wishes to reinvigorate the power of the West “together.” RTHK's US correspondent, Simon Marks, spoke to Ben Tse.

African leaders have wrapped up the African Union summit in Ethiopia, mapping out their priorities for 2026 amid global geopolitical shifts. The Assembly’s thirty-ninth Ordinary Session was held under the 2026 theme: "Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems.” Jamie Clarke reports.

Ukrainian authorities say a former energy minister has been detained while attempting to leave the country. The detention comes as part of a wide-ranging probe that sparked a political crisis last year on high-level graft - as Jamie Clarke reports.

It's been a rough several months for the Louvre museum in Paris. First, there was that spectacular jewel heist, then strikes, and a massive ticket fraud scandal. Now the storied museum has been hit by a water leak that struck on Thursday evening. The fire brigade had to be called after a pipe burst in the Denon wing, which houses the Mona Lisa painting and other priceless exhibits. While the space containing Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was not affected by the leak, it damaged a room of 15th-century Italian works and its decorative ceiling, painted by French artist Charles Meynier. RTHK's UK correspondent, Gavin Grey, spoke to Janice Wong.

The Year of the Horse is just around the corner, and it's celebrated by Chinese and other Asian people around the world.

In the US state of California, Lunar New Year has been recognised as a state holiday since 2022.

But the celebrations there date back a lot longer -- in fact, more than 170 years -- representing a rich, multicultural tapestry that honours diverse Asian traditions.

In this edition of our segment "China Perspectives", Azam Khan spoke to Christopher Tang, a distinguished professor at UCLA and renowned business academic, to learn more about the new year festivities and what they mean for California.