World

When Hong Kong businessman Sunny Yip Yuk-chik heard about a new scheme that would make it easier and cheaper to borrow Chinese yuan, he immediately called his staff on the Chinese mainland with the news. Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched a 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) Renminbi Business Facility (RBF) that would enable business owners …

RT has achieved tremendous success and is only getting stronger despite Western sanctions, Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said, marking the broadcaster’s 20th anniversary.  “It is a privilege to work in service of our convictions,” Simonyan said onstage during a reception in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre on Friday, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.  “I want to bow to the people …

Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis is more than a mere zoning plan; it is a crucial part of China’s development strategy and a pivotal step towards elevating the Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) global profile. With development now under way, the conversation must shift to a new realm: soft power. The Northern Metropolis should not be just another new town designed to …

France has backed down over a controversial new passport control scheme in a win for British tourists. Following the launch of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) throughout Europe, concerns have emerged regarding France’s border entry procedures. Travellers bound for France had been forced to answer questions on whether they had a return ticket, enough money, reserved accommodation and had arranged …

The Moscow-proposed project envisages a direct 70-mile route under the Bering Strait to link the two countries Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has voiced his opposition to a Moscow-proposed project to build a rail tunnel under the Bering Strait between Russia and the US. The idea, floated by Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev this week as a ‘Putin-Trump unity tunnel,’ envisages a …

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have been observed over restricted US nuclear facilities, with details so sensitive that even presidents receive briefings only on a need-to-know basis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, has claimed. Mr Rubio made his startling admission in a trailer for the documentary The Age of Disclosure, set for release …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to advocate for US-supplied Tomahawk cruise missiles during today’s White House meeting with President Donald Trump, viewing them as a means to extend Kyiv’s reach deep into Russian territory and incentivise Moscow toward a negotiated resolution. Such capabilities would surpass limitations of existing Western arms like ATACMS, which are capped at 300 kilometres, potentially …

EXPERT OPINION — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ready to do business with President Donald Trump. Over the past few years, Mr. Kim has burnished his credentials as a world leader, well-prepared for a fourth substantive meeting with Mr. Trump. Mr. Kim’s recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the new mutual defense treaty with the Russian …

A Polish court on Friday blocked the extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and ordered his release, a ruling that was welcomed by Poland’s prime minister. Volodymyr Zhuravlov, 46, was arrested near Warsaw on September 30 on a German warrant. German prosecutors have described him as …

OPINION — It is worryingly easy to get hold of personal and sensitive data on American military and intelligence personnel. Earlier this year investigative journalists reported that a Florida-based data broker had marketed 3.6 billion location coordinates from devices belonging to U.S. military and intelligence staff stationed in Germany, with the data allegedly sourced through a Lithuanian advertising technology company. …