Politburo standing committee member Ding Xue-xiang has been elected as the nation's top-ranking vice-premier at a plenary meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing. As Kelly Yu reports from Beijing, he will succeed Han Zheng, who is now the vice-president:

China has named Li Shangfu as its new defence minister. Experts say he was chosen because he is seen to be the man to help modernise the nation's military. Li took his oath, along with the ministers of state security and public security, as well as the minister of justice He Rong and foreign minister Qin Gang. As Aaron Tam reports:

A senior fellow at a Beijing think tank says the new line-up of ministers marks a generational change in mainland politics. Einar Tangen from the Taihe Institute described incoming premier Li Qiang as 'sophisticated' and 'pro-business'. Li, former Communist Party leader of Shanghai, replaces retiring premier, Li Keqiang. Tangen spoke to Janice Wong about what to expect from the new leadership:

Hong Kong’s NPC deputies generally welcomed the new appointments to the cabinet, according to an RTHK reporter in Beijing. Kelly Yu said the delegates she spoke to described Li Qiang as a “pragmatic leader”, while others questioned whether new vice premier Ding Xue-xiang would oversee Hong Kong affairs. She gave Janice Wong the highlights of the 'two sessions':

Chief Executive John Lee says the anthem blunder which occurred at a hockey game between Hong Kong and Iran about two weeks ago is unacceptable, saying the national anthem represents the dignity of the nation. He made the comment before travelling to Beijing to attend the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress. Andrew Chworowsky reports:

The government official in charge of sports affairs says authorities will deal with the latest national anthem blunder at an international sports event in a 'severe' manner, if investigations reveal the Hong Kong hockey team's handling of the situation at a recent tournament in Bosnia was the cause of the incident. Violet Wong reports:

The vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, Herman Hu, says the end of Covid restrictions will add more international sports events to the city’s calendar. The NPC deputy also says he hopes to see a wide range of tournaments with the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park next year. But he also stressed the need to toughen penalties to prevent anthem blunders from happening again. Hu spoke to Kelly Yu via a video link in Beijing:

A local green group has cautioned that the lack of regulatory standards for degradable plastics here can hurt both the environment and the recycling system. The warning from Green Earth came after all 12 samples of plastic umbrella bags it tested - which claimed to be degradable to some extent - were found to contain a non-biodegradable substance called polyethylene, or PE. A third of some 40 recycling spots the group spoke to also said they could take degradable plastics. But Thomas Chan, Green Earth's environmental research associate, told Frank Yung that a study showed processing recyclable plastics and a biodegradable substance, PLA, in the same system would not be ideal:

Hong Kong will need to see an at-least five-fold increase in tech workers in the next two decades to flourish as an international hub for technology and innovation. But science park chief, Albert Wong, expressed confidence about government plans to boost the sector. Ada Au reports:

Financial Secretary Paul Chan says Hong Kong must do more to better align its growth to the nation's overall strategy of ‘high-quality development’ and ensure such advancements will improve people's lives. Todd Harding reports:

France and Britain have hailed a ‘new beginning’ to the post-Brexit era by agreeing measures to tackle Channel crossings. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday, announcing that the UK would give France almost half-a-billion pounds over three years to help stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. RTHK’s UK correspondent, Peter Anderson, told Samantha Butler that critics say throwing more money at the problem will not make much difference:

The US government and regulators are rushing to contain the damage caused by the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank, before stock markets reopen on Monday. US media reports say the government is considering ways to make sure depositors get their money back and is trying to auction off the collapsed bank. The Biden administration has yet to spell out what measures it is planning. RTHK's US economics correspondent, Barry Wood, told Samantha Butler that authorities are trying to find a buyer for the bank: