Fatima Bhutto searches for home as world burns

Born into a tragic Pakistani political dynasty, Fatima Bhutto talks about finding a place in “a world on fire”, a theme in her new novel The Runaways, at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Ousted pachinko mogul Okada vows return

After his questioning by Hong Kong’s Independen Commission Against Corruption, Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada says he’s innocent of embezzling accusations and vows he’ll get his company back, including the Philippine casino hotel with his name on it.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Bali finds a way without Chinese tourists

Mainland China visitors represented one in four international arrivals to Bali through October. But the Mount Agung volcano led to a suspension of Chinese airline flights during the December holiday season. Tourism stakeholders on the Indonesian island are managing to cope, but at a price.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

VIPs fuel Macau casino recovery

Macau casino revenue rose 26% in June, its biggest percentage increase since the city’s recovery began last August, to US$2.5 billion. Once again, high rollers led the rebound, even though the government wants to see more mass market tourism.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Tales of Two Cities, one village

At last month’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali, I talked to author Cheryl Tan about the joys of Singlish and her book written in the city-state’s patois, Sarong Party Girls. Also in artsy Ubud, which once a year becomes haven for fans of the written word in all forms, I asked whether the Hong Kong-Singapore rivalry has become a war of words with authors of the Singapore Writers Group/Hong Kong Writers Circle collaboration, Tales of Two Cities. Asia’s two most international cities present unique challenges and opportunities for writers of all stripes.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.