One of Hong Kong's main power suppliers says it will not be going ahead with an increase in prices next month, while the other says it expects bills to start coming down from the middle of the year. Executives from CLP Power and Hongkong Electric made the comments as they came under pressure at a Legco panel meeting over fuel charges, an element of power bills linked to the price of oil, gas and coal. Mike Weeks reports:

The head of a green group says it takes four months before changes in global fuel prices are reflected in customer's electricity bills. William Yu, chief executive of the World Green Organisation, suggested this period could be shortened. Dr Yu told Janice Wong that authorities could consider holding strategic oil reserves to help smooth out fluctuating oil prices:

A tourism trade representative says there is a need for Hong Kong to operate low-cost tours and they are a key component in the post-pandemic revival of the industry. He also said he believed stricter regulation was controlling any malpractice associated with budget tours. Damon Pang reports:

Lawmakers have urged the authorities to give travel-related businesses more time to apply for government-backed loans under a $2.3 billion scheme. They also want the government to avoid excluding firms that are in default on other debts. Natale Ching reports:

The Secretary for Justice says Hong Kong must not neglect any possible threats to national security and people must always prepare for the worst, even as the SAR moves from stability to prosperity. In a newspaper interview, Paul Lam said national security was not just about safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also about ensuring a safe environment for people’s social development and well-being. Maggie Ho reports:

Around 300 people have signed up for the Hong Kong government's youth housing scheme, which will provide affordable accommodation for people aged 18 to 30. The scheme, announced in last year's Policy Address, subsidises non-governmental organisations to rent hotels for use as youth hostels. One of the approved proposals, from the Hong Kong United Youth Association, has converted a hotel on Morrison Hill Road into the BeLIVING Youth Hub. It has 194 rooms with rents ranging from $3,800 to $4,800 a month. The association's chairman, Alex Yeung, told Elvis Yu that the vetting process had begun and he was surprised by the overwhelming number of applicants:

The University of Hong Kong says students have described its new hybrid learning platform as "awesome". The system involves having two back-to-back computer monitors and a 360 degree camera, with students seats in groups rather than facing a teacher at the front of the room. Susan Bridges, the Director of the university's Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, says the idea came after classes moved online during the Covid pandemic. The hybrid system accommodates students on campus and online, at the same time. Professor Bridges told Samantha Butler how the console allows students, or colleagues in the workplace, collaborate in group work with peers around the world:

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is reported to have returned to China, after photos of the tycoon visiting a school in Hangzhou emerged on social media. The news would mean his more-than a year-long sojourn overseas - which was viewed as reflecting the sober mood of China's private companies - has ended, as Kelly Yu reports:

Hong Kong's exports have recovered significantly from January's battering, when shipments sank nearly 37 percent from a year earlier, their biggest decline in 70 years. But trade was still well down in the first two months of this year, as Robert Kemp reports:

A US government banking agency says First Citizens Bank has agreed to buy collapsed Silicon Valley Bank. As Wendy Wong reports, the deal sees customers of the bankrupt California-based lender retain full access to their accounts:

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has been awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 80th Venice Film Festival. The minister for culture hailed the actor as an example of Hong Kong's cultural richness. Italian director, Liliana Cavani, was also given a Lifetime Achievement award. Wendy Wong reports: