The government has proposed allowing non-locally trained nurses to practise in Hong Kong without taking the licensing exam. Officials say the city is facing an acute shortage of nurses, as Violet Wong reports:

A patients' rights activist has welcomed plans to waive the licensing exam for non-local nurses, but says the government should also increase the time they need to work in the public sector. Alex Lam, chairman of Hong Kong Patients' Voices, said the nursing shortage here was so acute that even bringing in overseas talent would not take jobs away from locals. But he expressed concern that non-local nurses need only work for one year in the public sector before becoming fully-registered, after which they could opt to go private. Lam spoke to Ben Tse:

The Hospital Authority has apologised for a string of recent mishaps at its public hospitals, after reporting yet another case of falling concrete. The latest incident happened at Kwai Chung Hospital, as Leung Pak-hei reports:

Local members of the country's top political advisory body say they have been told by state leader, Wang Huning, to “tell a good story” about Hong Kong and China, so as to clear up any misunderstandings outsiders have about the SAR. Wang, who is a Politburo Standing Committee member, met with more than 230 Hong Kong and Macau members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on the sidelines of the "two-sessions". Kelly Yu reports from Beijing:

The Jockey Club has signed two collaboration agreements with the central government's liaison office, to enhance local youth's understanding of the country's history and to cultivate their sense of belonging as part of China. Violet Wong reports:

A 29-year-old woman, who was arrested in connection with the murder of socialite Abby Choi, has appeared in court. She has been freed on bail ahead of her next court date in May. Frank Yung reports:

Cathay Pacific has plunged further into the red. It has posted a loss of more than $6.5 billion in 2022, up from $5.5 billion the year before. Maggie Ho reports:

An aviation analyst says the mainland's reopening will be a big boost to the fortunes of Cathay Pacific, after the airline announced further losses. Herman Tse, from aviation analytics firm Cirium, said the carrier's main driver of growth was passenger demand, and it had a crucial role to play in providing flight transfers to the mainland from the rest of the world. He told Vicky Wong that the increase in fuel prices was putting a huge pressure on operating costs, not just for Cathay, but for airlines globally:

A tourism professor says the industry needs to work with authorities to come up with plans to ramp up hiring. As the aviation sector emerges from the pandemic, its recovery has been hampered by a shortage of labour. Yuki Ip, a lecturer from the Department of Hospitality from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, spoke to Ada Au:

A mainland infectious disease expert says life across the border has returned to normal as the country emerges from Covid-19. Zhang Wenhong made the comment on the sidelines of the “two sessions”. Kelly Yu reports from Beijing:

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded in Guangdong on Wednesday morning. It was the third tremor felt by Hongkongers in the past two months. Damon Pang reports:

It is the end of the road for KMB's periscope-equipped buses. RTHK's Leung Pak-hei has more on the retirement of the last of the double-deckers affectionately known as "short pig" in Cantonese:

Train and air traffic will again be disrupted in France on Thursday as strikes against a planned pension reform continue. Opinion polls show a majority of voters oppose President Emmanuel Macron's plan to delay the retirement age by two years to 64, but the government says the policy change is essential to ensure the system does not go bust. The next nationwide day of strikes and protests is set for Saturday. RTHK's Europe correspondent Gavin Grey told Vicky Wong that unions hope the government will make some concessions: