The Executive Council has endorsed fare rises of more than 50 percent for Star Ferry, to help the debt-ridden operator stay afloat. The firm had wanted a bigger increase, but the government says that's too much for the public to bear, as Violet Wong reports:

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien says the fare rises for the Star Ferry are "unreasonable", saying they're higher than the rate of inflation. Tien, who sits on Legco's transport panel, says passengers should not have to pay more to ensure its survival. Instead, he told Violet Wong that government support is crucial to help Star Ferry stay afloat:

The Chief Executive says he sees no need for an independent inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. But John Lee said it's important to learn from past experience, adding that officials are constantly reviewing and improving the measures they implement, as Maggie Ho reports:

Executive Council convenor Regina Ip agrees that an independent inquiry into the government's handling of Covid is unnecessary. She also said that an inquiry at this time would be premature since the pandemic is ongoing. The News People's Party leader spoke to Hailey Yip:

Third Side legislator Tik Chi-yuen has urged Chief Executive John Lee to reconsider his position against setting up an independent inquiry into how the administration handled the Covid-19 pandemic. He says taking stock of the experience – good and bad – will only help the city improve its future performance. Tik spoke to RTHK's Vicky Wong:

The Chief Executive says he's confident that the PCR testing requirement for cross-border travel will be scrapped “very soon”. Frank Yung with that story:

The head of the Real Estate Developers Association has expressed concern about transport overload in Kai Tak if the administration pushes ahead with light public housing there. The government plans to build 10,700 temporary flats on Olympic Avenue, near the Kai Tak MTR station. Damon Pang reports:

A district councillor says government plans to build more than 10,000 light public housing units in Kai Tak could overwhelm the neighbourhood. Cheung King-fan from the Kowloon City district council said there may not be enough facilities in the area to handle an influx of residents. He also told Violet Wong the housing plan is not in line with the authorities' goal to turn Kowloon East into a core business hub:

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers has urged the government to increase subsidies to kindergartens by 20 to 40 percent. It wants it to dole out more money per child because the number of pre-schoolers has plunged this year, as Leung Pak-hei reports: