Targeted viral surveillance of transit passengers at just two major aviation hubs, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, could speed global detection of new variants by about three days, a university study has found. Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, chair of public health virology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said on Wednesday that…
A veteran CIA operative sent to Abu Dhabi to determine whether the United Arab Emirates’ leading artificial intelligence company could be trusted with advanced American technology ultimately helped the Gulf state address Washington’s concerns over its ties to China, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Jonny Gannon was assigned to the UAE in 2023…
Hong Kong’s robust tutoring and exam drilling culture contributed to the exceptional performance of local students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, principals have said, after the city surpassed the average global score by nearly 20 per cent. At least 73 students from 17 Hong Kong schools achieved perfect scores in the latest IB Diploma…
Capital from the Gulf region is showing signs of flowing into Asia, according to Hong Kong’s finance chief, as bilateral trade between the Middle East and the city rose 35 per cent in the first five months of the year. In his weekly blog on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said Hong Kong and…
NAJAF, July 7 (Reuters) – The coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies in Iran, bringing a multi-day procession to one of Shi’ite Islam’s most sacred sites following the leader’s death in a February 28 U.S.-Israeli strike. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali…
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will resume Middle East passenger flights in September, six months after suspending services due to the war. The airline said on Thursday it would progressively restore passenger and cargo operations, starting with freighter flights to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from August 1. Daily passenger flights to Dubai in the…
As part of its decades-old “multi-vector” foreign policy, based on balancing relations between major powers such as China, Russia, the United States and the European Union, Kazakhstan – Central Asia’s largest country – is now actively diversifying its economic and financial policies. While in the past, Astana sought to strengthen cooperation with the United Arab…
Hong Kong’s leader will travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan next month to explore and seize new business opportunities, making Central Asia his latest area of focus and with the largest delegation accompanying him. After several years of promoting the city in the Middle East and Southeast Asia amid geopolitical uncertainties, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu…
A crucial Brics meeting hosted by India concluded on Friday without agreement on a joint statement because of differences over the West Asia conflict, as Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi sought to blame the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the lack of consensus within the bloc. The West Asia conflict cast a shadow over…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a “secret” meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, his office said Wednesday. “During Operation ‘Lion’s Roar’, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab…