HONG KONG GOVT spokesperson said economic expansion and tourism will benefit the retail sector.

Russia's antimonopoly regulator has issued a warning to Apple (AAPL.O).

European weather services have issued a red wildfire alert as record heat and below‑normal rainfall sharply increase fire risk and more extreme conditions loom. In France, over 800 firefighters are tackling a blaze that began on Wednesday, which has burned roughly 12 sq km across Hérault, Aude and Bouches‑du‑Rhône. Last year France recorded its worst wildfires in 70 years, with more than 170 sq km scorched and vineyards and farms destroyed.