World

Milan-listed Brunello Cucinelli shed more than 17% after accusations it breached an EU ban on luxury exports   Shares of Italian fashion house Brunello Cucinelli experienced their steepest slump in over a decade on Thursday following accusations by a London-based short seller that it has continued operations in Russia despite European Union sanctions. Trading in Cucinelli was suspended on the …

Successful bidders for four elevated mass transit projects in Hong Kong, including proposed infrastructure in Kai Tak, will be granted property development rights in the surrounding areas to help provide long-term funding support. The Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body, on Friday approved the granting of property development rights at nominal premiums for three sites in Kai Tak related …

Tourists bringing their dogs to the beautiful northern Italian city of Bolzano may soon find themselves paying a little extra not for their own stay, but for their pet’s. Starting in 2026, authorities in Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, intend to implement a tourist tax specifically for dogs, charging £1.31 per night per animal, in a bid to offset …

Brussels wants to scrap unanimity and move to majority rule as it launches a 19th wave of measures   The European Commission has proposed extending sanctions against Russia by qualified majority rather than unanimity in order to prevent Hungary from blocking them, Politico reported on Friday, citing an EC document. EU diplomats are due to discuss the proposal and a …

At 24, many Brits are still in their first jobs, living with their parents and still socialising with friends they made at university. But at the same age Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang was sitting on his first billion. Wang, who was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1997, had been obsessed with computer programming from his earliest years.  He briefly …

The presidents of Turkey and South Korea have become the latest leaders attending the UN’s signature diplomatic gathering to be forced to wait on the streets of New York City to let Donald Trump’s motorcade pass. Videos shared on social media showed Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s delegation attempting to move past barricades before officers blocked them from crossing a street on …

Firefighters in Russia’s Smolensk Region are responding to a train derailment, in which six cars carrying fuel caught fire, according to the Emergencies Ministry. The incident happened at a road crossing some 45 km west of Smolensk on the railroad leading to Vitebsk, Belarus, when the freight train collided with a truck, the statement said. Ten fire trucks as well …

Sir Tony Blair has emerged as the surprise frontrunner to take control of Gaza once the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas finally comes to an end. The former prime minister has thrown his hat into the ring with an ambitious proposal that could see him leading an interim administration in the war-torn territory. Blair’s controversial scheme has been developed …

Hong Kong stocks headed for the first weekly decline this month as concerns about frothy valuations for global equities dampened sentiment and drug makers slid after the Trump administration announced a fresh round of tariffs. The Hang Seng Index fell 0.9 per cent to 26,238.05 as of 10.04am local time, taking the loss for the week to 1.2 per cent. …

Former FBI Director James Comey has vowed to fight criminal charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice, describing himself as a victim of political retribution by President Donald Trump. In a video statement posted on social media Thursday night, Comey said his family had long expected there would be “costs to standing up to Donald Trump.” “We will …