Fewer than 5 per cent of Hong Kong flights have been cancelled for May and June combined, and about 1 per cent during the peak July travel period, the Airport Authority has said, despite a global fuel crisis triggered by the Middle East war, adding it would review charges to ease the industry’s burden. Responding…
Hong Kong’s retail sales jumped by 12.8 per cent in March, bringing first-quarter growth to 9.8 per cent, driven by a spurt in sales of electric cars ahead of the withdrawal of tax breaks. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed that retail sales reached HK$33.9 billion (US$4.32 billion) in…
May 6 (Reuters) – Iran will only accept “a fair and comprehensive agreement” in its negotiations with the U.S. on ending the war in the Middle East, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump cited “great progress” in the process. “We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests…
Hong Kong should develop its shipping insurance and management capabilities, among other areas, to strengthen its status as a global maritime hub amid intensifying geopolitical tensions, former city leader Leung Chun-ying has said. Leung, in his capacity as co-founder and honorary adviser to the Hong Kong Chamber of Shipping, said in a wide-ranging interview last…
For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been a narrow passage with a big footprint. Whenever it comes under tension, the world is reminded that energy security is less a policy construct than an everyday reality for Asia’s economies, factories and prices. For China, Japan, South Korea, India and Southeast Asia, it has always been…
Hong Kong property transactions surged to a four-month high in April, while the value and volume of home sales hit their highest level in 24 months, according to the latest official data, underscoring the resilience of the city’s real estate sector amid uncertainties over interest rates and the US-Israel war on Iran. A total of…
KYIV, May 5 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pitched a drone deal to Bahrain during a visit to the country on Tuesday, advertising Ukraine’s battle-tested security expertise. Since the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran erupted on February 28, Ukraine has been offering its drones and know-how to several Middle Eastern countries suffering from Iran’s…
PARIS, May 5 (Reuters) – U.N. Security Council members will begin talks on Tuesday on a U.S.- and Bahrain‑backed draft resolution that could lead to sanctions against Iran, and potentially authorise force, if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, three Western diplomats said. Fresh exchanges of…
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) – The fragile truce in the Middle East was in jeopardy on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran launched new attacks as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after…
HSBC, Hong Kong’s largest lender, reported broadly flat first-quarter profit as lower interest rates and provisions linked to the Middle East conflict offset solid growth in its wealth management business. Net profit for the first three months of 2026 rose 0.14 per cent year on year to US$6.94 billion, or 41 US cents per share,…