4 h. ago China’s Wang Yi urges new international deal on Iran after US, Israeli attacks

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for a “new international agreement” on Iran while accusing the United States and Israel of destabilising the Middle East through military actions on Iranian nuclear facilities. Speaking at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris on Friday, Wang also voiced deep concerns about escalating tensions in the region and warned of the looming spectre of a “nuclear disaster”. His remarks came as Beijing, a key ally of an...

Politics

4 h. ago ‘Risk is very real’: Malaysia’s Anwar gambles on petrol subsidy cuts

Expertly switching between woks as he whips up appam, the coconut and rice batter pancakes that draw morning commuters to his roadside stall in a Kuala Lumpur suburb, Raj Kumar harbours anxieties that simmer away beneath the calm: petrol subsidy cuts are looming and prices may soon rise again. At 44, Raj feels every shift in Malaysia’s rising cost of living – both in the prices he pays for ingredients and the rueful faces of his customers. “Our suppliers raised prices after diesel subsidies were...

Events

5 h. ago Hongkongers forge ahead with Japan travel amid July 5 ‘megaquake’ fears

Some Hongkongers have pressed ahead with trips to Japan on Saturday morning despite “slight worries” about a widely discussed prediction that a mega-earthquake will hit the country today. While travellers told the Post they would pay more attention to the local news, they acknowledged being unprepared for potential earthquakes. “I felt a little uncomfortable at first, but my son and his wife already got the tickets. It is summer vacation for my grandson, so we seized the chance,” said Ho...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong’s redomiciliation push lures global firms from tax havens

Christopher Hui Ching-yu has recently been on a world tour, conducting roadshows in Canada, the UK and Norway, in an effort to urge global businesses to redomicile in Hong Kong. The main talking point for Hui, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, has been a new law, enacted in May, that sought to make it easier for overseas companies to reincorporate in the city. Just a few days after the law came into force, Hui flew to Canada to meet senior executives from insurers Manulife...

Economics

11 h. ago Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts

In the calm of his kitchen, Christy Yoong once raised a glass to retirement – good wine, imported cheese and the spoils of a life’s work. But as Malaysia’s new tax regime lands with a thud, even these modest pleasures are slipping out of reach. When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his unexpected tax on imported luxuries in June, he promised the pain would be felt only by the affluent. The intent was clear: shore up government coffers by targeting the better-off. Yet the reality, for many...

Events

21 h. ago Brandy Was a Hit Drink. Now It’s a Poster Child for the Trade Wars.

Brandy Was a Hit Drink. Now It’s a Poster Child for the Trade Wars.  WSJ

Events

22 h. ago Beijing Moves to Prop up Solar Panelmakers Hit Hard by Price War

Beijing Moves to Prop up Solar Panelmakers Hit Hard by Price War  Asia Financial

Events

24 h. ago Did Trump get his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ at the US dollar’s expense?

The passage of a sprawling budget bill has raised concerns over the long-term debt of the United States, which analysts said could compound already heightened worries over the reliability of the country’s currency as a safe-haven asset. Winning a narrow 218-214 vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” – which raises spending on border security and defence while making the record tax cuts enacted in 2017 permanent – now heads to US President Donald Trump...

Politics

24 h. ago Kuala Lumpur’s Aerotrain suffers double trouble after US$100 million relaunch

Malaysia’s long-delayed Aerotrain at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has suffered fresh embarrassment after experiencing two service disruptions within three days, just a week after its US$100 million relaunch and a test ride by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The most recent incident occurred on Friday morning, when a flooded tunnel forced Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to temporarily halt the 1.2km (0.75 miles) rail service linking the main terminal to its international...

Economics

25 h. ago Indonesian can leave Hong Kong pending decision to drop fallen tumbler case

A Hong Kong court has allowed an Indonesian tourist to return home while awaiting authorities’ decision on whether to continue with his prosecution over a fallen tumbler that hit another visitor at The Peak. Merchant Satnauli Bangun, 44, was not required to enter a plea on a count of allowing an object to fall from a height when he first appeared at Eastern Court on Friday. Court prosecutor Jennifer Cheung Toi-ling said the Department of Justice needed time to decide whether to press on with...

Politics

26 h. ago Singapore money laundering: UBS, UOB among banks hit with millions in penalties

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued nine banks, capital markets services licence holders and trust companies composition penalties totalling S$27.45 million (US$21.55 million) over breaches tied to a S$3 billion (US$2.36 billion) money-laundering case that shook the city state. MAS said on Friday the latest regulatory moves marked the end of enforcement action against financial institutions with connections to the case. All nine financial institutions have accepted the penalties...

Economics

27 h. ago US aircraft carrier marks South China Sea focus but also ‘crowded’ region

The presence of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the South China Sea this week and its port call at Manila signals renewed American commitment to the Philippines, though observers warn that Beijing could view the move as a “containment” effort and ramp up its own naval activity in the disputed waters. Flight deck operations were opened to the media aboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered vessel, with commanding officer Captain Timothy Waits telling reporters his ship’s mission...

Transport

27 h. ago USS George Washington’s Manila visit signals US commitment amid ‘crowded’ seas

The presence of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the South China Sea this week and its port call at Manila signals renewed American commitment to the Philippines, though observers warn that Beijing could view the move as a “containment” effort and ramp up its own naval activity in the disputed waters. Flight deck operations were opened to the media aboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered vessel, with commanding officer Captain Timothy Waits telling reporters his ship’s mission...

Politics

31 h. ago Malaysia’s latest gangland shooting linked to international crime syndicate

Malaysian police believe a man gunned down in his Ipoh home last week was the victim of an international organised crime syndicate, marking the latest in a string of unresolved gang-related assassinations in public places that left five people dead and shocked the country last month. Gun violence is rare in Malaysia, where unlicensed gun ownership and even brandishing a firearm as intimidation are capital crimes. But a series of shootings over 12 days in June has sparked public fear - as three...

Events

41 h. ago US House passes Trump bill, which heads to White House for president’s signature

The US House of Representatives passed a massive tax-and-spending bill on Thursday that President Donald Trump has sought since returning to the White House, an initiative that fundamentally revamps government spending and jeopardises dozens of planned clean energy projects with ties to China. Passing in a 218 to 214 vote, the sprawling One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which would lock in Trump’s priorities on border and defence financing, and make permanent tax cuts that Congress passed at Trump’s...

Politics

43 h. ago Will the Maghreb States Have to Pick Between the U.S. and China?

Will the Maghreb States Have to Pick Between the U.S. and China?  Middle East Council on Global Affairs

Politics

48 h. ago Hong Kong water taxis, harbour cruise firm cash in on aircraft carrier’s visit

Some water transport operators are cashing in on the high-profile visit of the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong and its strike fleet to Hong Kong by ferrying visitors for a better look, although marine police have stopped their vessels from getting close. Hong Kong Water Taxi, owned by the Oriental Pearl Cruise Company, organised special sightseeing tours for visitors to get a closer look on Thursday afternoon, and demand was so strong that it was adding more trips on Friday. Another firm,...

Economics

49 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest teenager who was alleged driver in fatal hit

Hong Kong police have apprehended a 19-year-old man in connection with a suspected hit-and-run accident that killed a 71-year-old man on a bicycle on Tuesday, the Post has learned. The arrest came a day after a couple, including a woman believed to be the suspect’s grandmother, were taken into custody. A source familiar with the matter said the suspect, who was allegedly the driver of the car involved in the incident, was arrested before 10am on Thursday at his home in Mai Po Village in Yuen...

Events

50 h. ago Hong Kong court quashes government decision to refuse permits to 2 Uber drivers

A Hong Kong court has quashed a government decision to refuse hire car permits to two prospective Uber drivers seven years ago, rejecting authorities’ contentions that the move could open the floodgates for ride-hailing services and private vehicles to operate as “pseudo-taxis”. In a written judgment handed down on Thursday, the High Court found the Commissioner for Transport’s dismissal of two litigants’ requests for a permit in 2018 to be based on an “impracticable, illogical and unworkable”...

Politics

50 h. ago Hong Kong crowds welcome aircraft carrier Shandong as city leader hails visit

China’s first independently designed aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong waters on Thursday morning, with thousands of people flocking to the coast and hilltops and even renting water taxis to welcome the vessel and three other warships to the city. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu inspected a guard of honour on the deck of the 70,000-tonne carrier, accompanied by two senior naval officers, and was given a tour of the ship in the late afternoon. He attended a welcoming ceremony...

Politics