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In Bali, young girls dance in a traditional Hindu festival threatened by changing times

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Once-traditional camel trading fair in India transformed into tourist attraction

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A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina

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From The Asian Reporter, V34, #11 (November 4, 2024), page 2.

Hong Kong receives new pair of giant pandas

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city’s tourism. An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival in late September came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins in August and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record. The newcomers bring the Ocean Park panda population to six, including the father of the twins, Le Le. Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-Yee noted that would make three generations of giant pandas at the popular Hong Kong zoo and aquarium attraction. Chief executive John Lee said An An is a 5-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent, and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute, and has a gentle temperament. The new arrivals are in quarantine to adapt to their new home. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December. In October, the government invited residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics. Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after the former British colony returned to China. Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.

Beloved former Empress Michiko marks 90th birthday

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beloved former Empress Michiko received greetings from her relatives and palace officials to celebrate her 90th birthday last month as she steadily recovers from a broken leg, officials said. Michiko is the first commoner to become empress in modern Japanese history. Catholic-educated Michiko Shoda and then-Crown Prince Akihito married on April 10, 1959, after what is known as their tennis court romance. The couple retired after Akihito abdicated in 2019 as their son, Emperor Naruhito, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne and his wife, Masako, became empress. Since then, Akihito and Michiko have largely withdrawn from the public to enjoy their quiet life together, taking daily walks inside the palace gardens, occasionally taking private trips, or hosting small gatherings for book reading and music, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Former Emperor Akihito has been concerned about Michiko’s physical strength and asking how she is feeling, officials said. Michiko, who fell earlier in October at her residence and had a surgery for a femoral fracture, was steadily recovering with a daily rehabilitation session for about an hour at a time, palace officials said. Since retirement, Michiko has shared her love of music and literature, including children’s books and English poetry with her friends as well as with Akihito. The palace said she reads parts of a book aloud with her husband as a daily routine after breakfast. The couple broke with traditions and brought many changes to the monarchy: They chose to raise their three children themselves, spoke more often to the public, and made amends for war victims in and outside Japan. Their close interactions have won them deep affection among Japanese.

Fireworks explosion injures more than 150

NEW DELHI (AP) — A huge explosion of fireworks injured more than 150 people at a religious festival in a temple in southern India, according to a report. The explosion occurred during the evening when a fireworks storage facility near Veerarkavu temple caught fire, the Press Trust of India reported, citing the police. It happened in Kasargod, which is nearly 360 miles northwest of Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala state capital. The injured were treated at various hospitals in Kasargod, Kannur, and Mangaluru districts. Eight of them had serious injuries. There is a huge demand in India for firecrackers, which are used in religious festivals and weddings. Fatal accidents occur nearly every year as people work in makeshift factories without proper safety measures. An explosion at a fireworks factory in southern India July last year killed eight people. In 2018, a massive fire at a firecracker factory in New Delhi killed 17 workers. A year earlier, a blast killed 23 people while they were making firecrackers in a village in Madhya Pradesh state in central India.

Hong Kong cuts liquor tax in effort to reignite nightlife

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader has announced a cut in liquor taxes in a bid to revive the Asian financial hub’s reputation as a travel destination with a vibrant nightlife and dining scene. After fulfilling Beijing’s long-standing imperative to enact a homegrown national security law, which has furthered concerns about the curtailing of civil liberties in the city, chief executive John Lee now faces challenges with economic competitiveness against regional rivals like Singapore, Japan, and mainland Chinese metropolises. Changes in residents’ lifestyles and a wave of middle-class emigration during the COVID-19 pandemic have dampened local spending. Many residents now prefer to spend their weekends in mainland China, attracted by its lower prices and a wider variety of entertainment options. Meanwhile, visitors from the mainland are spending less in the city than before. Vacant shops are commonly seen in the city’s most popular shopping districts, and revenue at the city’s bars was down about 28% in the first half of 2024 from the same period in 2019, preliminary official data showed. In his annual policy address, Lee said the duty rate for spirits with an import price of more than 200 Hong Kong dollars (about $26) would be slashed from 100% to 10% for the portion above that price. He said he hoped it would foster the logistics, storage, tourism, and high-end dining industries.

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