The government has announced that travel restrictions will be tightened for arrivals from Japan, Portugal and Sweden because of the emergence of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Since the emergence of the new variant, over a dozen countries have now been added to the Group A, high-risk category, meaning non-residents and non-vaccinated Hongkongers are barred entry to the SAR, while fully-vaccinated residents must complete 21 days in quarantine. Vicky Wong reports:

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong say they've successfully isolated the Omicron variant from Covid-19 specimens. They say it's a crucial step which would enable the development and production of vaccines against Omicron, which has spread rapidly around the world. Aaron Tam reports:

The chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Ricky Chu, says the government should consider using the Octopus Card as an alternative for those who have trouble using the LeaveHomeSafe app. From next Thursday, the use of LeaveHomeSafe becomes mandatory at all restaurants, cinemas and gyms, and writing down contact details on paper will no longer be accepted. Chu told Janice Wong that visually-impaired people or low-income groups may not even have a smartphone to be able to use the app:

The Education Bureau has unveiled new guidelines for primary and secondary schools on the teaching of values. It says students will receive values education aimed at instilling positive attitudes, using Chinese culture as the backbone. Damon Pang explains:

Mervyn Cheung, who chairs the Education Policy Concern Organisation, says values education could be too abstract for students, and should instead be linked to their everyday lives and activities. He also warned against indoctrinating youngsters. Cheung spoke to Damon Pang:

Facial recognition technology is coming to the border checkpoints. From Wednesday, Hong Kong residents will be able to enter or leave the city simply by looking into a camera at e-channels. Timmy Sung reports:

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department says it "humanely" put down two wild boars in North Point on Tuesday night. The government's new capture-and-kill strategy, targeting boar that wander into urban areas, has attracted a lot of attention. In the latest protest, veterinary students handed a petition with 463 signatures to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, urging the government to halt its new policy. Dr Vincent Tse, a vet who's taken part in the department's wild boar sterilisation scheme, says the government should allocate more resources to neutering the pigs instead of hunting them down. He spoke to Vanessa Cheng:

Police have raided several shops across the city and seized cannabis oil products that they suspect could contain a dangerous drug. Eight people have been arrested. Jimmy Choi reports:

A new survey suggests the number of young people who are keen in pursuing full-time jobs in the Greater Bay Area has dropped slightly to 12.5 percent, while 82 percent say they aren't interested. The latest study, commissioned by the MWYO think tank and conducted by the Chinese University's Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, polled 1,002 young people aged between 18 and 34 from May to July. The previous study in 2019 had 13.4 percent of respondents saying they were open to working across the border. In the latest study, around half those who don't want to work in the GBA cited personal and family concerns, such as their language skills and the need to take care of their family. Many also cited the lack of free flow of information as a disincentive. MWYO researcher, Justin Chan, said the government should target young people with more working experience when promoting career opportunities in the GBA. He spoke to Jimmy Choi about their findings:

The mainland has outlined new rules to safeguard the rights of drivers in its giant ride-hailing and food delivery industries. They require operators to provide social insurance and make their earnings public. Altis Wong reports:

Talks on how to revive the Iran nuclear deal have resumed in Vienna for the first time in five months. Beijing's envoy to the talks says the US should remove all sanctions inconsistent with Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreement with major powers, including those that apply to China. Ambassador Wang Qun stressed that dialogue and negotiations were the only right way to solve the Iran nuclear issue. There is no US representation at the talks. Annemarie Evans asked Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University in the UK, for his take on the talks restarting, and on how Iran's conservative President Ebrahim Raisi would likely react:

Operation Santa Claus 2021 has officially launched, with 18 different charities benefiting this year. One of them is The Zubin Foundation, which provides support and opportunities for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities. One project they have created is a Special Education Needs, or SEN, Centre for Ethnic Minority children. Cruzanne Macalligan spoke to Founder and CEO Shalini Mahtani about the project and the Zubin Foundation’s work: