President Xi Jinping has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Beijing is willing to work with Moscow as “great powers”. The two leaders hailed their strategic ties in the face-to-face talks in Uzbekistan on Thursday, the first such meeting since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. Aaron Tam reports:

A representative of the catering industry has warned of more closures of food outlets following the abrupt folding of the Crostini bakery chain this week. Simon Wong says, as far as he knows, last month landlords asked for outstanding rent from more than half of Hong Kong's restaurants, some 8,000 of them. That is because a government pandemic scheme that suspended rent payments for three months ended in July. The head of the Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades told Damon Pang that eateries were in a dire situation as they relied on local patronage due to the current Covid border restrictions:

Legislator Chan Siu-hung is urging the government to act quickly to prevent a wave of food outlet closures, following the ending of a three-month rent moratorium. He urged the government to offer tax cuts to landlords who were willing to defer or reduce rental payments, as well as extend its interest-free loan programme for property owners who rely on rent payments. Chan also told Ben Tse that relaxing Covid restrictions here and reopening the border would improve the business environment:

Health authorities say daily coronavirus figures have risen slightly after the Mid-Autumn Festival, as the number of new cases surpassed the 8,000 mark. Officials also said just over 2,800 Covid patients were being treated in public hospitals. Frank Yung reports:

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development says he will seek to "tell the good stories of Hong Kong" during his visit to Cambodia this week for a meeting of Asean economic ministers. Algernon Yau says he also plans to hold talks on regional cooperation. Mike Weeks reports:

New People's Party chairwoman Regina Ip says the government should pay people $20,000 to have babies, as well as offer a $50,000 subsidy to encourage people to freeze their eggs or sperm for later use. The suggestions were submitted to the Chief Executive John Lee ahead of his upcoming policy address. Ip, who is also the convenor of the Executive Council, told Samantha Butler that the money would signal to people here that the government was aware of the "population crisis" facing the SAR and was willing to help:

The Consumer Council says over 90 percent of margarine and spreads it has examined contain cancer-causing substances. One had levels exceeding European Union limits, as Vanessa Cheng reports:

The Competition Commission is taking legal action against a seasoning manufacturer for allegedly imposing a minimum resale price when supplying MSG powder to its two main local distributors. As Frank Yung reports, it is the first time the commission has brought a case of resale price maintenance to the Competition Tribunal:

Police say they believe a man whose body was discovered in Ta Kwu Ling on Thursday was killed eight to 10 days ago. They clarified that he was not kidnapped as previously reported. The suspects will be charged with murder and are scheduled to appear at Fanling Magistracy on Friday. Joanne Wong reports:

The financial news outlet, Yicai, says property developers in Guangzhou will be allowed to cut sale prices of homes by up to 20 percent to try to boost sales. The move is the biggest cut allowed by a top-tier mainland city, as Vanessa Cheng reports:

Macau's gaming licence holders are facing surprise competition. A company linked to Malaysian tourism and gambling conglomerate Genting Group, GMM, has submitted a bid for one of the six licences currently held by SJM, Sands, Wynn, MGM Mirage, Galaxy and Melco Resorts. Local media say GMM is controlled by Genting chairman Lim Kok Thay. Some analysts see little chance of it getting a foothold in Macau. But Maybank Investment Bank gaming analyst and associate director, Samuel Yin, told Joanne Wong that he thought Genting stood a good chance:

A woman has been arrested in South Korea over the deaths of two children found last month in suitcases in New Zealand. Their remains were discovered after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer-load of items at an auction for abandoned goods near Auckland. Natale Ching reports: