Philippines Tourism Push: Manila wants to extend its 14-day visa-free access for Chinese visitors beyond main airports to secondary gateways like Clark, Caticlan, Palawan and Bohol, betting on more charter flights and arrivals. Cybercrime Crackdown: The NBI arrested a Chinese suspect in Cavite over an alleged rogue cellular “IMSI catcher” used to run phishing scams that route victims to fake bank sites. Hong Kong Dining: Ankôma is relocating to Causeway Bay in mid-September, unveiling a bigger kitchen and a new 10-course tasting menu. Japan Politics: Japan’s Centrist Reform Alliance is effectively splitting after just seven months, as merger talks with other opposition parties stall. Disaster Watch (Japan): Heavy rain in northern Japan has triggered landslide and flood warnings, with officials urging strict safety precautions. China-Nepal Relief: A second batch of Chinese emergency supplies and DNA experts arrived in Kathmandu, including drones and water purification gear, as Nepal’s flood search continues. China-Egypt Diplomacy: Xi Jinping’s Egypt visit is framed as a bid to deepen influence in the Middle East while contrasting China’s role with US involvement. Taiwan-China Tensions: Taiwan’s labor minister plans a rare trip to mainland China for an APEC human resources meeting, amid heightened Beijing pressure. Korea Economy & AI: South Korea’s finance minister nominee pledged to push AI “mega projects” and use semiconductor-driven policy capacity. Pacific Islands Forum: Unity is strained in Palau as Taiwan-China tensions spill into the summit and several leaders are absent. Sports Incident (US): A plate umpire was knocked out after a foul tip in a Mariners-Red Sox game, with play delayed as he was checked.