Hong Kongs monetary authority kept its base rate unchanged after a similar move by the US Federal Reserve, as analysts said that the Middle East conflict has added to the uncertainty over the pace of rate cuts this year. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) maintained the citys base rate at 4 per cent on Thursday. Hours earlier, the Fed also kept its ...

China and Japans long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This, the second in a three-part series, looks at whether Beijing overplayed its hand on the Taiwan issue in the face of what is a strategic reality for Japan and how it may leverage its history of ...

Beijings global pharmaceutical push is following a playbook seen in rare earths, semiconductors and electric vehicles, US lawmakers said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the United States reliance on Chinese drug ingredients. China is cornering the market on our medicines from the supply of generic drugs that Americans depend on every day, to the ...

Irans government has been degraded since the war began on February 28, but it appears to be intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking US and allies interests in the Middle East, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday. The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury, ...

China does not currently plan to attack Taiwan in 2027 and seeks to control the island without the use of force, the US intelligence community said on Wednesday, striking a measured tone on one of the worlds biggest potential flashpoints. The assessment in the intelligence agencies annual report on global threats comes as Beijing has stepped up pressure on ...

Irans huge Pars gas field was hit on Wednesday in the first reported strikes on Irans Gulf energy infrastructure of the US-Israeli war, prompting Tehran to announce it would respond with attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf. Oil prices shot up after the attack, a major escalation in a war that has already halted shipping from the worlds most ...

Pakistan announced on Wednesday a pause in strikes against Afghanistan, saying the decision was made ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. In a statement, Pakistans information minister Attaullah Tarar said the pause in strikes on terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan would take ...

Hong Kong authorities have raided three illegal fuelling stations and arrested two men, seizing more than 1,800 litres (475.5 gallons) of petrol with an estimated market value of HK$54,000 (US$6,891) as oil prices continue to spike amid the widening conflict in the Middle East. The joint crackdown by the Fire Services Department and the Customs and Excise ...

Visits to China by foreign leaders are tightly choreographed and meticulously planned affairs, even by the usual standards of international diplomacy. But the chaotic nature of Donald Trumps White House and his request to delay a planned visit to China in the wake of his decision to attack Iran are widely believed to be causing increasing frustration in ...

Hong Kongs securities regulator on Wednesday recommended strengthening the stock exchanges regulations to better protect investors following a review of 2024 compliance and enforcement cases. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) submitted its findings after vetting listed companies internal control reviews, their handling of late auditor resignations ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday urged the European Union to overcome a veto by Hungary on a 90 billion (US$103 billion) loan vital for his country. Zelensky, during a visit to Madrid to meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, said he considered that the main issue of an EU summit to be held Thursday and Friday in Brussels. We are ...

Saudi Arabia is activating its Red Sea Plan B to divert crude via the port of Yanbu, allowing tankers including Chinese very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, though analysts warn the route has limited capacity. The move comes after Iran effectively closed the strait in response to United States and Israeli military strikes, a ...

The Iranian womens soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there. Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they ...

Irans power structure, succession mechanism and geographic conditions are all factors in its military resilience, despite the decapitation of its leadership by the US and Israel, according to Chinese experts. They also said the United States was unlikely to achieve regime change in Iran without deploying ground forces, a lesson one expert argued Beijing ...

A Hong Kong campsite operator has been convicted of murdering his live-in girlfriend four years ago and sentenced to life imprisonment, after telling police he believed she was an alien, with the judge describing the killing as a vicious, brutal and savage attack and murder. A High Court jury of four men and three women unanimously found Tang Lung-fai, 56, ...

In Pakistans southwestern mountains, pickup trucks loaded with plastic cans of fuel smuggled from Iran line dusty roads as youngsters unload the containers, fill smaller cans and strap them onto motorbikes to supply nearby markets. The illicit trade has long thrived in the region but is feeling the knock-on effects of the war which has engulfed the Middle ...

Hong Kongs education authorities plan to establish an internationally benchmarked version of the citys university entrance exam on a pilot basis to allow foreign students to apply for admission to higher education institutions both locally and in mainland China. They revealed that technical explorations and studies with relevant bodies on developing the ...

Hong Kongs labour chief has said geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have made the city, with its relative security and stability, a more attractive place for global talent, including those from Gulf countries. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han highlighted the governments efforts in recent years to attract talent, dismissing concerns ...

As Chinese science makes great strides, some US China hawks have been sounding the alarm. In their view, Chinese scientific progress is a significant national security threat to the United States, as it signals the relative decline of US scientific dominance and potentially creates dependence on China. In one extreme case of this view, Leland Miller, a ...

Cosco Shipping Ports, a unit of state-owned giant Cosco Shipping, reported modest earnings growth for 2025, as management expects to expand in emerging markets amid rising geopolitical risks to global trade. Net profit rose 1.1 per cent to US$312.1 million, and revenue increased 11 per cent to US$1.67 billion, according to its 2025 results. Total container ...

A delegation from Chinas Peoples Liberation Army will travel to Brussels next week for talks with the European Union and Nato amid heightened concerns over global security caused by the war in Iran. The EU-China Security and Defence Consultations will take place next Tuesday, official sources confirmed, with the talks between Nato and the PLAs Office for ...

A former Hong Kong lawmaker on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has denied abetting criminal activity by supporting mainland Chinese dissidents, accusing Beijing of levelling false charges against them. Prosecutors on Wednesday challenged Lee Cheuk-yans claim that he had no intention to incite others to overthrow the mainlands communist rule when he ...

Hong Kongs Airport Authority is partnering with a private company to develop a HK$300 million (US$38.28 million) art storage facility set to open next year, as the city looks to cement its position as a global hub for trading valuable works. Speaking at a contract signing ceremony on Wednesday, authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said Hong Kong was the ...

Hong Kong customs officers have seized 986 smuggled live turtles worth about HK$1 million (US$127,620) from a private car attempting to leave the city, arresting the driver and a passenger. Officers discovered the turtles hidden in seven black plastic bags in the vehicles boot at the Hong KongZhuhaiMacau Bridge control point on Tuesday. A 42-year-old driver ...

China is offering solar energy to Cuba, an old ally left without power amid the US oil embargo, in a show of strength for Chinese renewable-energy credentials and a sign of Beijings economic footprint in Latin America. Beijings ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, on Monday outlined joint energy projects in progress as part of an effort to ease a complex power ...