Jarrod Watt
@jaywatt.bsky.social
Australian journo in Hong Kong; podcast editor/producer; Aus news correspondent RTHK3; journalism lecturer HKBU; ex SCMP, ABC, PBSFM, RRR; reformed music journo and bartender - https://jarrodwatt.com/
Eight hours in, dozens of flats still blazing and another fire has broken out near Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, located about eight minutes’ walk from Wang Fuk Court and across the Tai Po River. sc.mp/9nemc?utm_so...
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Eight hours in, dozens of flats still blazing and another fire has broken out near Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, located about eight minutes’ walk from Wang Fuk Court and across the Tai Po River. sc.mp/9nemc?utm_so...
This will be the third scaffolding fire in Hong Kong in as many months - the previous two were a building site and a CBD tower and on a Saturday. There are 12 dead so far in this fire in Tai Po.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
November 26, 2025 at 12:07 PM
This will be the third scaffolding fire in Hong Kong in as many months - the previous two were a building site and a CBD tower and on a Saturday. There are 12 dead so far in this fire in Tai Po.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Seeing some quality ex-SCMP staff leading the live blog on the Hong Kong apartment tower fire. This is a shocking event.
November 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Seeing some quality ex-SCMP staff leading the live blog on the Hong Kong apartment tower fire. This is a shocking event.
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
📷: Tyrone Siu / Reuters
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
📷: Tyrone Siu / Reuters
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
(19:07) 30-second snippet of TVB live coverage of the Tai Po fire
November 26, 2025 at 11:13 AM
(19:07) 30-second snippet of TVB live coverage of the Tai Po fire
"Since The Stringer presents a one-sided case with virtually no counter-arguments throughout the film, the vast Netflix audience will likely come away from the movie believing its version of events. Therefore, it is important to scrutinize the evidence put forward.." petapixel.com/2025/11/25/t...
November 26, 2025 at 9:25 AM
"Since The Stringer presents a one-sided case with virtually no counter-arguments throughout the film, the vast Netflix audience will likely come away from the movie believing its version of events. Therefore, it is important to scrutinize the evidence put forward.." petapixel.com/2025/11/25/t...
It’s such a cute quote. Didn’t see any mention of how many seats in the Legco the public actually is allowed to vote for.. “providing benefits to encourage residents to vote aligned with civic rights and duties, which helped promote a more representative legislature…”
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Hong Kong aims to boost Legco voters with HK$5 million worth of offers and perks
‘We want everyone to enjoy a happy and festive mood. The purpose of these government offers is to encourage people to vote,’ Eric Chan says.
www.scmp.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 AM
It’s such a cute quote. Didn’t see any mention of how many seats in the Legco the public actually is allowed to vote for.. “providing benefits to encourage residents to vote aligned with civic rights and duties, which helped promote a more representative legislature…”
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Same same but different: it’s the major label/Spotify deal all over again. And gosh didn’t that go well for artists… “The deal marks a decisive shift from litigation to structured cooperation and may serve as a template for how major record labels engage with AI music platforms in the future.”
Warner Music Drops Lawsuit Against Suno, Only to Cut Deal With Same AI Tech It Tried to Shut Down
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...
Warner Music Drops Lawsuit Against Suno, Only to Cut Deal With the Same AI Tech It Tried to Shut Down
Warner Music Group has dropped its lawsuit against Suno and instead struck a partnership that gives artists full control over how their work is used in the AI platform's new licensed models launching ...
www.ibtimes.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Same same but different: it’s the major label/Spotify deal all over again. And gosh didn’t that go well for artists… “The deal marks a decisive shift from litigation to structured cooperation and may serve as a template for how major record labels engage with AI music platforms in the future.”
"Everybody knows that the war is over/
Everybody knows the good guys lost/
Everybody knows the fight was fixed/
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/
That's how it goes/
Everybody knows..."
Everybody knows the good guys lost/
Everybody knows the fight was fixed/
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/
That's how it goes/
Everybody knows..."
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 26, 2025 at 2:49 AM
"Everybody knows that the war is over/
Everybody knows the good guys lost/
Everybody knows the fight was fixed/
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/
That's how it goes/
Everybody knows..."
Everybody knows the good guys lost/
Everybody knows the fight was fixed/
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/
That's how it goes/
Everybody knows..."
Haven’t seen this angle picked up in Hong Kong…
“China's behaviour toward Japan lands at the worst possible moment for its CPTPP ambitions… China's approach… approving exports one month and threatening to shut them down the next - undermines all of those principles” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
“China's behaviour toward Japan lands at the worst possible moment for its CPTPP ambitions… China's approach… approving exports one month and threatening to shut them down the next - undermines all of those principles” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
China's CPTPP bid runs into an old problem — Japan
China's escalating confrontation with Japan is colliding directly with its attempt to join one of the world's most demanding trade agreements.
www.abc.net.au
November 26, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Haven’t seen this angle picked up in Hong Kong…
“China's behaviour toward Japan lands at the worst possible moment for its CPTPP ambitions… China's approach… approving exports one month and threatening to shut them down the next - undermines all of those principles” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
“China's behaviour toward Japan lands at the worst possible moment for its CPTPP ambitions… China's approach… approving exports one month and threatening to shut them down the next - undermines all of those principles” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Harry Harrison checks in on the new Bruce Lee monument in Hong Kong: today’s cartoon
November 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Harry Harrison checks in on the new Bruce Lee monument in Hong Kong: today’s cartoon
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
"Vietnam has been hit by 14 typhoons this year. Five was the average a few decades ago. The rain from the past few days did not even come from a cyclone — but to add inundation on top of injury, a 15th major storm has just formed off the country’s south central coast."
Vietnam’s Year of Floods, Mud and Death
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:20 PM
"Vietnam has been hit by 14 typhoons this year. Five was the average a few decades ago. The rain from the past few days did not even come from a cyclone — but to add inundation on top of injury, a 15th major storm has just formed off the country’s south central coast."
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
The UN's Population Division has found what many have long suspected - greater Jakarta, not Tokyo, is the world's most populous city. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Jakarta is now the world's largest city dwarfing Australia's entire population
For decades Tokyo held the title of the most populous city on the planet. Yet the Indonesian and Bangladeshi capitals have overtaken the Japanese megacity.
www.abc.net.au
November 25, 2025 at 3:31 AM
The UN's Population Division has found what many have long suspected - greater Jakarta, not Tokyo, is the world's most populous city. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
X’s decision to show where its accounts are based “is, theoretically, a positive step in the direction of transparency”—yet Elon Musk may have instead revealed that the platform is “just a worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors,” @cwarzel.bsky.social argues.
Elon Musk’s Worthless, Poisoned Hall of Mirrors
How X blew up its own platform with a new location feature
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 7:45 AM
X’s decision to show where its accounts are based “is, theoretically, a positive step in the direction of transparency”—yet Elon Musk may have instead revealed that the platform is “just a worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors,” @cwarzel.bsky.social argues.
A political cartoon memento of Donald and Vladimir’s plan for Zelensky… from David Rowe
November 24, 2025 at 6:35 AM
A political cartoon memento of Donald and Vladimir’s plan for Zelensky… from David Rowe
Another great reminder of Hong Kong-Australia connections: the parent company which owns the 100-year old Yallourn coal fired power plant in the LaTrobe Valley has decided to convert it into a renewables hub as it limps towards its 2028 closure date. www.afr.com/companies/en...
November 24, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Another great reminder of Hong Kong-Australia connections: the parent company which owns the 100-year old Yallourn coal fired power plant in the LaTrobe Valley has decided to convert it into a renewables hub as it limps towards its 2028 closure date. www.afr.com/companies/en...
Will Meta/Facebook end up being compared to tobacco companies?
"The allegation of Meta burying evidence of social media harms is just one of many in a late Friday filing by Motley Rice, a law firm suing Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat on behalf of school districts around the country..."
"The allegation of Meta burying evidence of social media harms is just one of many in a late Friday filing by Motley Rice, a law firm suing Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat on behalf of school districts around the country..."
'To the company’s disappointment, “people who stopped using Facebook for a week reported lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison,” internal documents said.'
November 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Will Meta/Facebook end up being compared to tobacco companies?
"The allegation of Meta burying evidence of social media harms is just one of many in a late Friday filing by Motley Rice, a law firm suing Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat on behalf of school districts around the country..."
"The allegation of Meta burying evidence of social media harms is just one of many in a late Friday filing by Motley Rice, a law firm suing Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat on behalf of school districts around the country..."
What could go wrong with drones armed with metal arrows, projectiles and steel nets “only” to be used for hunting feral pigs? There’s a real buzz in China about modified hunter/killer drones… www.sixthtone.com/news/1017872...
China’s Boar-Hunting Drones Fly Into a Legal Vacuum
Drones modified to hunt boars operate in a legal gray area, leading to illegal hunting and livestock theft and prompting calls for tighter regulations.
www.sixthtone.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:54 PM
What could go wrong with drones armed with metal arrows, projectiles and steel nets “only” to be used for hunting feral pigs? There’s a real buzz in China about modified hunter/killer drones… www.sixthtone.com/news/1017872...
A great song and dance about getting people with no representation to vote in Hong Kong: today’s cartoon
November 23, 2025 at 9:26 PM
A great song and dance about getting people with no representation to vote in Hong Kong: today’s cartoon
The detail reported on how the COP30 meeting ended is extraordinary, and the historical context is vital.
"...any language that would have delivered on making this the promised “implementation COP” was absent. The list of issues with the final text was long..."
drilled.media/news/COP30-w...
"...any language that would have delivered on making this the promised “implementation COP” was absent. The list of issues with the final text was long..."
drilled.media/news/COP30-w...
November 23, 2025 at 11:07 AM
The detail reported on how the COP30 meeting ended is extraordinary, and the historical context is vital.
"...any language that would have delivered on making this the promised “implementation COP” was absent. The list of issues with the final text was long..."
drilled.media/news/COP30-w...
"...any language that would have delivered on making this the promised “implementation COP” was absent. The list of issues with the final text was long..."
drilled.media/news/COP30-w...
A story about press freedom in Hong Kong, as reported by Hong Kong's oldest student newspaper. "The exhibition... was set to feature historic photographs documenting key moments in Hong Kong since the late 1980s..." tyr-jour.hkbu.edu.hk/2025/11/22/e...
Exhibition by Hong Kong’s Press Photographers Association cancelled after host venue orders “emergency repairs”
Members of the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association dismantled their exhibit at 12:30am on Saturday at Hong Kong Baptist University, after the host venue cancelled it saying it had to conduct “em...
tyr-jour.hkbu.edu.hk
November 23, 2025 at 9:02 AM
A story about press freedom in Hong Kong, as reported by Hong Kong's oldest student newspaper. "The exhibition... was set to feature historic photographs documenting key moments in Hong Kong since the late 1980s..." tyr-jour.hkbu.edu.hk/2025/11/22/e...
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
A Chinese manufacturer that sells most of the world’s Bitcoin-mining machines — including 16,000 to a venture backed by Trump’s sons — has been the focus of a months-long federal investigation to assess if its products pose risks to US national security
Chinese Maker Behind Most of World’s Bitcoin Miners Has Been Focus of US National Security Probe
Investigators have sought to assess whether Bitmain Technologies’ products pose risks of espionage or sabotage, according to people familiar with the matter. The company says they don’t.
www.bloomberg.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM
A Chinese manufacturer that sells most of the world’s Bitcoin-mining machines — including 16,000 to a venture backed by Trump’s sons — has been the focus of a months-long federal investigation to assess if its products pose risks to US national security
One fine Autumn day in Hong Kong: Harry Harrison’s cartoon
November 21, 2025 at 10:18 PM
One fine Autumn day in Hong Kong: Harry Harrison’s cartoon
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Kaja Kallas didn't hold back on China & Russia in opening remarks of the Indo Pacific Forum in Brussels
"China and Russia are working together to overhaul the global economic and security order. That is certainly of interest to all of us here," she told reps from 64 countries
"China and Russia are working together to overhaul the global economic and security order. That is certainly of interest to all of us here," she told reps from 64 countries
November 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Kaja Kallas didn't hold back on China & Russia in opening remarks of the Indo Pacific Forum in Brussels
"China and Russia are working together to overhaul the global economic and security order. That is certainly of interest to all of us here," she told reps from 64 countries
"China and Russia are working together to overhaul the global economic and security order. That is certainly of interest to all of us here," she told reps from 64 countries
Another great journalist who used to work in Hong Kong, who had her working visa refused renewal... Sue-Lin Wong onstage at a journalism conference in Malaysia, discussing her latest (superb) investigative podcast, this one into scam farms in south east Asia podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
November 21, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Another great journalist who used to work in Hong Kong, who had her working visa refused renewal... Sue-Lin Wong onstage at a journalism conference in Malaysia, discussing her latest (superb) investigative podcast, this one into scam farms in south east Asia podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...