Saudi Arabia will provide $3 billion in additional support for Pakistan to help the South Asian nation bridge a multi-billion dollar gap in its finances linked to an upcoming debt repayment to the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir during the meeting with…
Hong Kong’s 21 ministerial-level officials spent more than HK$46.6 million (US$5.9 million) on trips over the past three financial years, with finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po accounting for nearly a quarter of the total. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah was the most frequent traveller, making 50 trips in the past three…
BEIRUT, April 9 (Reuters) – Lebanon has spent the last 24 hours advocating for a temporary ceasefire to allow for broader talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters, saying it would be a “separate track but the same model” as a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between the U.S. and Iran. The official…
April 7 (Reuters) – Efforts to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran are still ongoing, two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters on Tuesday, as U.S. strikes on Iran intensified and President Donald Trump’s deadline to unleash “hell” neared. One of the sources, a senior security official, said Iran’s overnight strike…
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…
By Mushtaq Ali and Sayed Hassib PESHAWAR, Pakistan/Kabul, April 1 (Reuters) – Afghanistan and Pakistan have opened a new round of talks in China to end the deadliest fighting between two Muslim nations since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, sources said on Wednesday. Beijing has been trying to mediate a negotiated settlement to…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 27 (Reuters) – Ukraine is close to clinching several security agreements — including with the UAE and Qatar — to counter Iranian attacks, its foreign minister said on Friday, adding that he saw scope to draw China into peace efforts to end the war with Russia. “We have the situation in the…
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has further extended its suspension of all flights to and from the Middle East until the end of May, amid a regional conflict that shows little sign of abating. But the airline will increase flights to Europe starting next month to cater to surging demand. In an announcement…
The Hong Kong government has raised the outbound travel alert for Iran and Israel to black, and expanded the amber alert to include Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The government on Monday announced the escalation “in view of the continued deterioration of the situation in the Middle East…
Hong Kong’s 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 also highlighted the government’s efforts in recent years to attract talent, dismissing concerns…