Health authorities have warned that a rise in Covid infections shows no sign of abating. The daily caseload hit a three-month high of more than 3,600 on Thursday, as Frank Yung reports:

An engineering professor says authorities should consider stricter penalties to ensure proper usage of electronic wristbands. From Friday, people who report positive Covid results and who quarantine at home will have to wear an electronic bracelet to ensure they do not leave their house. William Wong from the Faculty of Engineering at the Chinese University was involved in distributing electronic wristbands when they were used two years ago for inbound travellers. He told Samantha Butler that the system relied on trust, as some people removed them and left their house:

Researchers at the Chinese University say they have developed the first ever real-time platform to predict how well particular Covid vaccines will work against emerging variants. The platform feeds virus-sequencing data through an algorithm, which tells scientists how effective a vaccine is likely to be against a specific Covid variant. Benny Zee, director of the university's Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services, told Kelly Yu that he believed the platform would help vaccine designers and policy-makers:

The director of health, Ronald Lam, is under quarantine after one of his colleagues tested positive for Covid-19. Wendy Wong reports:

A riot suspect, who was shot by police during the 2019 protests, has appeared in court to face charges related to the unrest. He was arrested more than 18 months after missing an earlier hearing. Timmy Sung reports:

Flooding and extreme high temperatures have caused deaths in eastern China as summer heat descended earlier than usual. Vicky Wong reports:

Taxi fares are going up from Sunday. It is the first fare hike for cabbies since 2017. Joanne Wong reports:

Sri Lankans are defying a curfew in the capital, Colombo, to celebrate the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa following days of mass protests. Rajapaksa sent his promised letter of resignation shortly after arriving in Singapore. He fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday as protesters - angry at the cost of food, fuel and other basic goods - took over more government buildings in Colombo. The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been appointed acting president in Rajapaksa's stead, although demonstrators also want him to step aside. Annemarie Evans spoke to RTHK's South Asia correspondent, Murali Krishnan, who discussed the crisis in Sri Lanka from the perspective of India: