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One of the rarest birds in the world finds a city sanctuary in Hong Kong

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Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years for more than a millennium

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From The Asian Reporter, V35, #8 (October 6, 2025), page 2

HK lawmakers pass bill to ban substandard tiny apartments

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong lawmakers have passed a bill mandating a minimum size, an exclusive bathroom, and other standards in subdivided apartments — a common living arrangement in one of the world’s least affordable cities. About 220,000 people live in dwellings created by dividing regular apartments, including migrants, workers, students, and young professionals. Some of the spaces have a toilet bowl next to the cooking area, no bathroom sink, or a washroom shared among neighbors. Beijing, which sees the city’s housing problems as a driver of the 2019 anti-government protests, wants it to phase out subdivided apartments by 2049. Housing secretary Winnie Ho said it was painful to see people living in substandard conditions and these sufferings should not occur in Hong Kong. Legislators passed the bill by a show of hands after hours of debate. About one-fourth of the city’s 110,000 existing subdivided homes are less than 86 square feet, the new minimum size mandated. By comparison, the standard size of a parking space in the city is 110 square feet. The median monthly rent for a unit was 5,000 Hong Kong dollars ($640). An estimated 33,000 units, or 30% of the existing subdivided apartments, would need major renovations to meet the new requirements, and the others would need simpler improvements. Among other conditions, each living unit must have at least one openable window, exclusive fire detectors, and an enclosed toilet area with a door separating it from the rest of the apartment. Landlords will have a grace period to renovate substandard homes and eventually can only rent out those that are recognized as meeting the standards. Violations could lead to a fine of up to 300,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $38,500) and three years of imprisonment, along with a daily fine for ongoing offenses. The authorities plan to roll out a registration scheme next March.

Iranians held on U.S. immigration charges to be deported

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The United States will deport hundreds of Iranians back to Iran in the coming weeks, with the first 120 deportees being prepared for a flight, according to Iran. The deportation of Iranians, not yet publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government, comes as tensions remain high between the two countries following the American bombings of Iranian nuclear sites in June. Asked to confirm the flight plans, Abigail Jackson, White House spokeswoman, said, "The Trump Administration is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history, using all the tools at our disposal." Meanwhile, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, putting new pressure on the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy. The deportations also represent a collision of a top priority of President Donald Trump — targeting illegal immigration — against a decades-long practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles, and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. As many as 400 Iranians would be returning to Iran as part of the deal with the U.S., Iranian state television said, citing Hossein Noushabadi, director-general for parliamentary affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry. He said the majority of those people had crossed into the U.S. from Mexico illegally, while some faced other immigration issues. The U.S. State Department referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security. The New York Times first reported the deportations. In the lead up to and after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, a large number of Iranians fled to the U.S. In the decades since, the U.S. had been sensitive in allowing those fleeing from Iran over religious, sexual, or political persecution to seek residency.

China’s factory activity contracts for a 6th straight month

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s factory activity shrank for a sixth straight month in September, the longest slump since 2019, according to an official report. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index, or PMI, improved to 49.8 from 49.4 in August. But it remained below the 50-cutoff level between contraction and expansion on a scale of 0 to 100. A private sector PMI survey by the credit research and rating startup RatingDog was more upbeat, with September’s overall PMI rising to 51.2 from 50.5 in August. The mixed manufacturing measures reflect persisting sluggish domestic demand and uncertainties over trade tensions with the United States. More detailed data measuring new orders and production saw month-on-month improvements. "The September PMI reads from China offered a picture that looked less like a coherent growth engine and more like a car with one cylinder firing while another misfires," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. Companies are under pressure from price cutting amid rough competition, he said. "Factories are moving more goods, but they’re being forced to do it at thinner margins, like street vendors selling more bowls of noodles at half price just to keep the crowd coming," Innes said. The latest data show China’s economy is gaining momentum, with output accelerating slightly, said National Bureau of Statistics chief statistician Huo Lihui. China’s official manufacturing PMIs first slipped back into contraction in April as trade friction with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration heated up after he took office. The two sides are still slowly working their way toward a broad trade agreement after exchanging threats of sky-high tariffs on each others’ exports. A pause in steep U.S. tariff hikes on China has been extended until November, while a September 19 phone call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping offered glimmers of hope for improving relations. A truce hinges largely on a widely anticipated U.S. proposal for transferring ownership of TikTok to a U.S. company from its Chinese owner ByteDance. That would also require Beijing’s approval.

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