An independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court inferno has heard that contractors knew the mesh netting used for major renovations at the Tai Po residential estate was not resistant to fire. The blaze killed 168 people last November. The committee also heard on the first day of the proceedings that essentially all fire-safety devices had completely failed due to human factors. Damon Pang with the story.

The committee has also revealed that the fireman who died during the blaze had entered the wrong building. Here's Damon Pang.

The government said it will fully cooperate with the work of the independent investigation committee, while a series of measures are being put in place to refine the system and prevent a repeat of similar incidents. Cecil Wong reports.

A tower crane operator has died when the structure he was in collapsed at a building site in Kwai Chung on Thursday. Police said the man was trapped inside the cabin after it came down near Pik Kwai House, Kwai Chung Estate at about 4:30pm. As Elvis Yu reports, the incident occurred at a site that's part of a public housing development on Tai Wo Hau Road:

Sixteen people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in "cash for crash" scams. They involved alleged fraudulent traffic accident insurance claims worth a total of HK$3.6 million. Elvis Yu reports.

The government says it aims to encourage talented professionals to contribute to the city's development by building a vibrant ecosystem for them. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said talent is the most valued and strategic asset at a time of constant changes and uncertainty. Marcus Lum reports.

It's the Year of the Horse, and nearly 100 Chinese classical paintings of the animal will go on display from today at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, or HKPM. The paintings, some of which date back to the Yuan dynasty, are on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing, Around a dozen are even declared grade-one national treasures. HKPM's deputy director in curatorial, collection and programming, Daisy Wang spoke to Henry Siu.

A lawmaker says an international version of the local Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, or HKDSE, could be as universally recognised as exams such as the A-levels. The government is looking to internationalise the university entrance exam so that more overseas institutions will admit students with its results. Lawmaker Alex Fan, who's also an Adjunct Professor at Baptist University,
supported the move. He spoke to Natasha Ho.

Residents in Discovery Bay have expressed concern over a proposal that would add more taxi stands and door-to-door drop-off points across the seclusive residential area on Lantau. Some say increased taxi access would erode the community's safety and pedestrian-friendliness. DB resident Dana Winograd, an environmental consultant, explained on RTHK's Backchat programme:

US President Donald Trump says he's told Israel not to repeat its attacks on Iranian natural gas infrastructure. That's as tit-for-tat strikes on energy plants sent energy prices spiralling. Israel's attack on Wednesday, which Trump said he had no knowledge of before it happened, has suggested a lapse in coordination between the two protagonists. And, as Jamie Clarke reports, support for the war in the United States remains low:

Oil prices have surged again, as the fighting in the Middle East threatened to damage oil and gas facilities in the region. US President Donald Trump poured more fuel into the crisis by threatening to blow up a vast Iranian gas field unless Tehran stops targeting fuel facilities in Qatar. This came as a drone attack at a second Kuwaiti refinery triggered a fire, and another drone crashed into a Saudi oil refinery at the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Azam Khan reports.

Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid festival, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan Friday and Saturday. Palestinians in Gaza have spent the past two Eids hiding from Israeli air strikes. While relative calm has returned with an ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Eid is not the same for many in the enclave. Nazvi Careem reports.

A British health official says it's too soon to declare a meningitis outbreak in southeast England contained. Authorities reported seven new cases on Thursday of the disease that has killed two people so far. The total number of cases stands at 27, as Jamie Clarke reports:

Thailand's parliament has re-elected Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister. Analysts say this could bring stability to a country plagued by political turmoil. Wendy Wong reports.

In football... Nottingham Forest are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after outlasting Danish side Midtjylland in a penalty shoot-out. The Premier League side won the decider 3-0 in the second-leg of their last 16 tie. Aston Villa, meanwhile, advanced to the last eight after beating French side Lille to progress 3-0 on aggregate. Nazvi Careem has more: