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,…
May 4 (Reuters) – The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday meteorological monitoring equipment at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine had been damaged by a drone. The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine….
By Patricia Zengerle and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration argued that a ceasefire with Tehran had “terminated” hostilities as a legal deadline arrived on Friday for coming to Congress about the two-month Iran war. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president can wage military action for only…
Hong Kong authorities uncovered 23 cross-boundary and transshipment counterfeiting cases in a joint operation with mainland China and Macau in April, seizing about 46,000 items worth an estimated HK$16 million (US$2 million). The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that the operation found that 21 cases involved local express couriers and logistics companies. The…
After winning legislative backing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer basketball betting – an initiative aimed at drawing punters away from illegal online bookmakers and capturing additional tax revenue – the government has now paused the roll-out. Officials say the rise of prediction markets has altered the landscape and warrants closer examination. So,…