Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has arrived in China for an official visit aimed at boosting already deep ties between the Asian giant and Latin America's biggest economy. He is expected to meet Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing. Robert Kemp reports:

President Xi Jinping has called on the country's armed forces to strengthen training and combat readiness. He made the comment as he inspected the People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command navy in Guangdong province. Leung Pak-hei reports:

The head of Beijing’s office that oversees Hong Kong affairs says the SAR has to make use of the Communist Party's innovative theories to solve problems. Xia Baolong made the comment ahead of his visit to Hong Kong on Thursday. Kelly Yu reports:

The head of the Bar Association, who is on a visit to Beijing, says he will not shy away from relaying concerns Hong Kong people may have to mainland officials. Victor Dawes has discussed with them issues such as the national security law and Article 23 legislation. Violet Wong reports:

Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai has filed another legal challenge against the government's decision not to issue a work visa to British barrister Timothy Owen, so he can represent him in his national security trial. Natale Ching reports:

An immigration assistant has been sentenced to 140 hours of community service in a magistrates' court for entering his workplace with a fake LeaveHomeSafe app during the Covid pandemic. He was one of two people given a non-custodial sentence after being arrested during spot checks at Immigration Tower on the first day that use of the app became mandatory to enter public buildings. Vanessa Cheng reports:

Real estate services firms say they expect local shop rents to go up in the coming months, as the tourism and retail sectors continue to recover. Colliers is predicting an eight-percent increase in high street rentals this year. Another firm, Cushman and Wakefield, is forecasting an increase of three to eight percent in the first half of the year alone, thanks in part to a rebound in retail sales and the return of tourists. But its head of retail services, Kevin Lam, told Leung Pak-hei that many shops were still cautious when it came to expanding their business:

Bird-watchers say it is important to establish protection laws and long-term conservation strategies for local wetlands. They made the call after recording the lowest number of rare black-faced spoonbill visitors to Hong Kong in nine years. The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society takes part in a worldwide annual census of the birds. And while the global population of the spoonbills has reached an all-time high of over 6,600, the count in Hong Kong was down by nearly a fifth from last year, to just under 300. The society's director, Yu Yat-tung, says that is worrying. But he told Elvis Yu that the overall population of the migratory birds was now at a safe level, describing it as an Asian success story:

Thick sandstorms have hit Beijing and several provinces, with mainland forecasters advising citizens of respiratory dangers and very low visibility. The capital, Beijing, has seen an unseasonal number of sandstorms over the past few weeks. Lawrence Iu, executive director of the think tank, Civic Exchange, blamed strong winds, high temperatures and poor vegetation cover in northern China and southern Mongolia. He said the winds blew the dust as far as Japan's capital, for the first time. He told Samantha Butler that China should collaborate with its neighbours, such as Mongolia, to help them replant vegetation: