John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, gave his third annual policy address on Wednesday. He focused on the economy. The territory is battling weakening consumer demand, a property-market crisis and geopolitical tensions. Fewer tourists are visiting; more residents are going to the mainland to dine and shop. Wage inequality is growing. Home prices fell to their lowest level in eight years in June, while shop vacancies reached a three-year high in the third quarter.

Mr Lee announced new measures to boost the economy, including reducing residential-mortgage restrictions and easing the approval process for new listings in a bid to attract more IPOs. He also said government-backed loan schemes will be relaunched for small and medium-sized businesses; in July a survey by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce found that most of their owners—who employ 45% of the private-sector workforce—are worse off than before the pandemic. Mr Lee has promised to steer Hong Kong from “stability to prosperity”. With two and a half years left of his term, that looks ambitious.

Launched four years ago by three entrepreneurs with a passion for surfing, the Blue Earth Summit has become a fixture in Britain’s environmental-business calendar. Moving this year from Bristol to London, the three-day event brings together 300 speakers, and an audience of more than 5,000. Among them are environmental campaigners, academics, celebrity supporters and business representatives from Nestlé, Diageo and British Airways. Sponsors include the Crown Estate, one of Britain’s biggest landowners, whose holdings include the country’s coastal seabed and new offshore wind projects with the potential to generate enough electricity to power roughly 6m homes by 2030.

The summit also hosts what it calls “Europe’s leading pitch competition for planet-positive business”. Thirty shortlisted startups get the opportunity to pitch for a share of a £100m funding pot. Previous success stories include a low-emission tyre maker that now works with Uber, a ride-hailing company, and a project that recycles fisheries’ washed-up gear to make sunglasses.

Last month Bank Indonesia, the central bank of South-East Asia’s biggest economy, made a surprising decision. Hours before America’s Federal Reserve cut rates, the Indonesian bank did so for the first time in more than three years. On Wednesday the bank held rates at 6%. But slowing inflation—in September consumer prices in Indonesia rose by 1.84% year on year, the lowest rate since November 2021—may allow the bank to continue easing rates soon.

Whether that happens will depend in part on Prabowo Subianto , who is to be inaugurated as Indonesia’s president on Sunday. Mr Prabowo wants to increase government borrowing to further boost the country’s economy. His ambitious plans could weaken the international appeal of the rupiah, Indonesia’s currency, and slow the pace at which Bank Indonesia eases. But earlier this week Mr Prabowo reportedly asked Sri Mulyani, a shrewd technocrat who has been Indonesia’s finance minister since 2016, to remain in her job. Her reappointment could please central bankers and investors alike.

In most rich countries the main economic story of 2024 has been falling inflation and cooling labour markets. That has also happened in Britain, but more gradually. Although annual inflation hit the Bank of England’s 2% target in May, core inflation has remained 3-4%, a little above the rate in many other rich economies. Britain’s unemployment rate has fluctuated, but not risen sharply.

Britain’s core inflation is now falling closer to the levels seen in its peer group. The annual rate for September, disclosed on Wednesday, slowed to 3.2% from 3.6% the month before. That will please the Bank of England , which cut interest rates in August but decided not to in September. The next rate cut may come in early November. By then, Britain’s government will also have delivered its first budget, widely expected to contain tax rises and an increase in borrowing.

For years elite male tennis players have grumbled about the competition calendar. There are just six weeks between the year-end ATP Finals and warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open. Still, six big names—including Jannik Sinner (the world number one), Carlos Alcaraz (the Wimbledon champion) and Novak Djokovic (who holds a record number of Grand Slam titles)—have found time to head to Saudi Arabia for a new tournament: the Six Kings Slam.

The event, which begins on Wednesday, does not have accreditation from the governing body, the ATP; players will receive no ranking points. But they will earn a tonne of money . The winner will bag $6m, much more than the $3.6m Mr Sinner got for winning the US Open. Each player will reportedly earn at least $1.5m just for turning up. Golf has shown that athletes will compete in tournaments with no cachet if they get paid enough. Tennis players, it turns out, are no different.