Japan Q2 GDP: business spending (prelim) q/q -1.2% vs +0.4% expected; prior revised to -1.0% from -0.7%.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Chan Mo‑po said on 16th the city will further consolidate and enhance its role as an international aviation hub. In 1H aircraft movements exceeded 200,000, up 4.4% YoY, and passenger traffic reached 32.8m, up 11.7% YoY. Around 140 carriers now serve Hong Kong to more than 225 destinations. Jan–Jul visitor arrivals totalled 31.22m, up 12% YoY, with resumed exhibitions and events cited as drawing additional business and leisure travellers. Chan said the aviation hub underpins the local aviation industry and Hong Kong’s function as a super‑connector, supporting trade, logistics, MICE and tourism.

Russian Defence Ministry said on the 16th that Russian air-defence systems intercepted and destroyed 822 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight across Russian airspace, including over Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tambov, Tula, Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.