Thousands of Hongkongers braced for heavy rain as they crossed the border into Shenzhen on the second day of the Easter holiday, taking advantage of the break to enjoy a wider range of shopping, dining and entertainment options at bargain prices. Many travellers on Saturday cited mainland China’s broader selection of shopping centres, restaurants and…
Iran’s paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz has continued to upend global oil and gas markets as the United States-Israeli war on the country enters its second month. After US President Donald Trump pledged to continue aggressive strikes on Iran for another two to three weeks in a speech on Wednesday night, oil prices surged…
More Hongkongers have chosen to head north to mainland China during the Easter holiday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted air traffic, an industry leader has said. Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said the number of outbound tour groups to the mainland during Easter rose 30…
More Hongkongers are expected to travel elsewhere during the five-day Easter weekend from Friday despite a sharp jump in fuel surcharges, according to industry leaders. They also expect more visitors from mainland China during an overlapping Ching Ming Festival holiday, but doubt the influx will deliver any significant boost to the city’s tourism revenue. Some…
April 2 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday offered to provide Ukraine’s expertise in dealing with freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to countries considering how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid conflict in the Middle East. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had taken…
BEIJING, April 2 (Reuters) – China on Thursday repeated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in conversations with Western counterparts, widening its diplomatic effort to end the war that has disrupted the global energy market. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the Middle East situation…
VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) – Pope Leo last May became the first U.S. leader of the global Catholic Church, but for the initial 10 months of his tenure he mostly avoided comment about his home country and never once mentioned President Donald Trump publicly. That era has come to an end. In recent weeks…
MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) – Russia is ready to contribute to resolving the Iran conflict and President Vladimir Putin is continuing to talk with regional leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. “The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution…
The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has urged the government to offer young offenders a “second chance to start anew” and to introduce legal provisions to help those with minor criminal records pursue their careers. In his Easter message, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan encouraged authorities to reduce the use of key performance indicators (KPIs)…
PARIS, April 1 (Reuters) – China will at one point have to engage more directly on how to restore oil traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz because the number of vessels it has going through is probably insufficient, France’s navy chief said on Wednesday. “We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen…