No casualties recorded as fire in busy Hong Kong district forces road closure Firefighters extinguished a fire in a busy Hong Kong district, forcing the temporary closure of a section of a major thoroughfare on Sunday morning. Police received multiple reports of heavy smoke at around 7.48am at Ko’s House in Mong Kok. Firefighters arrived at the scene and put out the fire on the third floor of the commercial building by 8.12am. The force said that there were no casualties or evacuations, adding that glass fragments from the fire were found on Nathan Road. The slow lane of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3321345/no-casualties-recorded-fire-busy-hong-kong-district-forces-road-closure?utm_source=rss_feed

After 80 years, will South Korea’s atomic bomb survivors finally be heard? Beneath the untroubled blue of a summer sky, a quiet assembly gathered at a modest shrine in Hapcheon county, South Korea, last week. Here, far from the sites of devastation, Korean survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings came together to remember, to mourn and to insist that their story, though marginalised for so long, would not be forgotten. Some leaned heavily on canes, others clutched handkerchiefs in trembling hands. The altar, adorned with white chrysanthemums, stood at... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321269/south-koreas-atomic-bomb-survivors-just-want-be-heard?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong restaurants to stay in ‘survival of the fittest’ mode: analysts Tenant churn in retail properties in Hong Kong will continue in coming months, as prominent restaurants close but affordable eateries and fast-food chains thrive amid economic uncertainty and job i among local residents, analysts said. Hong Kong’s food and beverage (F&B) operators have taken a hit during the ongoing economic slump, which shrank retail sales for 14 straight months before a 2.4 per cent rebound in May and a 0.7 per cent gain in June, according to official data. The city... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3321178/hong-kong-restaurants-remain-survival-fittest-mode-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed

How Hong Kong won its legacy of protection for Victoria Harbour The Society for Protection of the Harbour has ceased operations after 30 years of advocacy to protect Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. The founder and main driving force of the group, Winston Chu Ka-sun, indicated his disappointment at the recent amendments to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and said “he was not sure about the future of the harbour”. I had the privilege of working with the group as its professional planning adviser through all the Town Planning Board and court processes... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3321169/how-hong-kong-won-its-legacy-protection-victoria-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed

AirAsia plans Hong Kong connectivity expansion and potential stock market listing Malaysian budget airline AirAsia is looking to expand its network connectivity in Hong Kong as it considers a potential listing next year to capitalise on the city’s status as a major financial and investor hub. The airline’s owner, Capital A Berhad, announced in May that a potential secondary listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange was part of its strategy to broaden access to global capital markets. It said the move followed a meeting with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, in which Capital A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3321330/airasia-plans-hong-kong-connectivity-expansion-and-potential-stock-market-listing?utm_source=rss_feed

China hotel offers guests dog companions for US$70 a night, with bite compensation A hotel in central China has attracted attention on social media by launching a “pet sleep-accompanying” service. However, the service has come with a warning from a lawyer that the hotel will have to bear full responsibility if the canines bite anyone. Biguiyuan Phoenix Hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province began offering the service at the beginning of July. After paying 499 yuan (US$70) for a pet-themed room and signing an agreement with the hotel, customers can choose a dog which will accompany... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3320926/china-hotel-offers-guests-dog-companions-us70-night-canine-bite-compensation?utm_source=rss_feed

Tariffs and truces: how Southeast Asia bargained with erratic US economic might And so it has come to this. After months of threats, intensive shuttle diplomacy and last-minute trade negotiations, Washington’s new tariff regime has finally come into force. For Southeast Asia, whose nations jostled for favour – and relief – from a White House wielding economic might with Donald Trump’s trademark unpredictability, this ledger of punitive levies has laid bare the US president’s vision for a new global trade order: one underpinned by “reciprocal” transactions. The wide spectrum... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3321264/how-southeast-asia-haggled-erratic-us-economic-might?utm_source=rss_feed

China-Japan ties are improving. Could a Taiwanese official test that trend? At this year’s commemorations in Japan for the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was a major departure from the past. Seated among the attendees in both cities was Lee Yi-yang, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, the island’s de facto embassy in the country. At the Nagasaki event on Saturday, Lee sat with representatives from international non-government organisations, “inappropriate seating arrangements” that he attributed to pressure from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321319/china-japan-ties-are-improving-could-taiwanese-official-test-trend?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong authorities launch probe after highways contract worker dies Hong Kong authorities have launched an investigation after an employee of a Highways Department contractor died after collapsing at work. The department said on Saturday that it had been notified by a contractor that a worker had collapsed while carrying out cleaning work on a footbridge near Ma Chai Hang Recreation Ground in Wong Tai Sin at around 10am. Police said the man, 63, was unconscious when sent to Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po and was later certified dead. The police force... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3321338/hong-kong-authorities-launch-probe-after-highways-contract-worker-dies?utm_source=rss_feed

Bogus shop used for HK$4 million theft of Patek Philippe, Richard Mille watches Hong Kong police have arrested two men in connection with the HK$4 million (US$512,820) theft of two luxury Swiss watches in a deal at a bogus repair shop. Police said on Saturday that they received a report from two mainland Chinese watch merchants that two Patek Philippe and Richard Mille watches had been stolen from them during a transaction on Monday in Tsim Sha Tsui. Chief Inspector Li Ki-chun of Yau Tsim police district said officers arrested two suspects – the alleged mastermind and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321337/bogus-shop-set-hk4-million-theft-patek-philippe-richard-mille-watches?utm_source=rss_feed