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…
BELEK, Turkey, March 27 (Reuters) – Iran’s men’s national soccer team wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their anthem played ahead of a match in Turkey on Friday in what a team official said was a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war. Iran were playing a…
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday he had spoken to the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other regional countries and said Malaysian vessels were now being allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Anwar in a televised address thanked Iran’s president for allowing the passage…
ISTANBUL, March 25 (Reuters) – Turkey “is playing a role passing messages” between Iran and the U.S. to encourage de-escalation and direct negotiations, Harun Armagan, vice chair of foreign affairs for President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, told Reuters on Wednesday. He did not elaborate on the messages but said they were also being conveyed to…
Turkey’s largest private bank plans to set up a Hong Kong office, according to sources familiar with the matter, in a move that underscores the city’s role as a gateway for lenders seeking to connect China and Asian markets with the Middle East. Turkiye Is Bankasi’s board approved the Hong Kong expansion plan two months…
DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister called for vigilance and regional coordination in separate calls with counterparts in Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan as the military warned of a tougher response to any further attacks on its energy infrastructure, state media reported on Thursday. After its energy facilities in South Pars gas field and…
March 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Western allies clashed with Russia and China on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear intentions, as Washington sought at the United Nations to further justify the war it launched on Iran two weeks ago. At a meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which is chaired this month by the…
The first passenger flight to return to Hong Kong from the Middle East on Wednesday night amid the escalating conflict in the region was made possible by safe corridors in United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace, an aviation expert has said, outlining the challenges of flying over conflict zones. Captain Steven Dominique Cheung, chairman of the…
At least five Hong Kong universities have backed the government’s proposal to launch study tours aimed at attracting non-local secondary students to pursue higher education in the city, with programmes featuring topics such as AI. The University of Hong Kong (HKU), the city’s oldest tertiary institution, said it would offer up to 35 programmes this…
South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and mainland China are emerging as popular Lunar New Year destinations for Hongkongers this year, as residents take advantage of a calendar arrangement allowing them to enjoy nine consecutive days off by taking just two days of leave. Travel industry representatives said the long break had “significantly stimulated” demand, with departures…