Secretary for Justice Paul Lam says granting the chief executive the authority to classify whether a criminal act is a national security matter is a rational and widely accepted practice in common law jurisdictions. Elvis Yu reports.

Executive councillor Ronny Tong says subsidiary legislation linked to the national security law lays down clear guidelines for criminal cases that may involve national security interests. Tong, who's also a senior counsel, was speaking on RTHK's Backchat programme.

Chief Executive John Lee has said that Hong Kong is well positioned to support the development of Kazakhstan's high-tech city, Alatau, by serving as a gateway for it to access global capital and the mainland market. Henry Siu reports.

Customs officers have seized more than HK$150 million worth of suspected fakes related to the World Cup and arrested six people. The 230,000 items that were confiscated were either cross-boundary shipments or online goods. Janice Lo reports.

US President Donald Trump says the United States and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend that would reopen shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump earlier called off plans for renewed military strikes on Iran – flagging the signing of a possible deal with Tehran. State media in Iran say while large parts of the text under negotiation have been finalised, a final conclusion hasn't been reached and Iran will not compromise on its red lines. Jamie Clarke reports.

The UK Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned from Keir Starmer's government. In a letter to the prime minister, he said the country's military spending, known as the Defence Investment Plan, falls short of what is necessary. He said that it only provided a 0.08 percent increase in defence expenditure by 2030, and short of stated targets. Healey is the sixth minister from Starmer's government to resign in the past month. Our Europe correspondent Peter Anderson told Nazvi Careem that Healey was seen as a key ally of Starmer.

Officials in Northern Ireland say the condition of a recent stabbing victim is “improving.” Relatives of Stephen Ogilvy have appealed for calm in the wake of the attack on him, saying violence is “not welcome.” Their appeal came with twelve officers having been injured in subsequent riots. Jamie Clarke has more.

China says it supports Thailand in severely punishing two ethnic Uyghur men who have been sentenced to death for a deadly bombing in Bangkok 11 years ago. Twenty people, including two from Hong Kong, were killed. Janice Lo reports.

The prestigious Nature Index -- a database that tracks the scientific output of countries and institutions -- says that China has retained its position as the world's leading contributor to high-quality scientific research. Swara Kamble reports.

There's been a call to extend mandatory monitoring systems for driver fatigue to all new private and commercial vehicles. This comes after transport minister Mable Chan revealed plans to make it compulsory for all new franchised buses to be equipped with such systems from next month. Elvis Yu reports.

Permanent residents entering and leaving the SAR through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will soon be able to cross the border in about five seconds. As Charlie Chun reports that's because the contactless e-channels have been upgraded.

The head of Hong Kong's stock exchange operator says the city's fundraising and capital market boom has not eased at all this year, with more funds pouring into tech and innovation. Chloe Feng has the details.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun says that the 12-year-old girl who fell to her death on Wednesday in Tai Koo Shing had been assessed by medical professionals as fit to return home from hospital following her mother's death earlier that day. Hailey Yip reports.

The University of Hong Kong's medical school is launching a formal investigation into an intern doctor following allegations of professional misconduct, including the unauthorised use of medical equipment and potential breaches of patient confidentiality. Swara Kamble has the details.

China has pledged to further improve the mechanisms for protecting citizens' civil and political rights, according to a report released by the State Council Information Office. Chloe Feng reports.

We begin with the world's biggest sporting event. The 2026 World Cup has officially kicked off to much fanfare in Mexico City, as co-hosts Mexico swept away South Africa 2-0 to open the largest-ever edition of the showpiece tournament. While a joyous occasion for Mexico, the fiery contest was marred by three red cards, marking the most ever for a World Cup curtain-raiser. Nazvi Careem has more.

Mexico City got the World Cup festivities started with a star-studded opening ceremony celebrating pre-Hispanic culture. The famous Azteca stadium rocked ahead of the showpiece tournament’s first match, against a backdrop of protests around the capital. Jamie Clarke has more.