Finance news

Hong Kong official defends U-turn on public flats at Pak Shek Kok rail stop site

A senior Hong Kong official has defended the exclusion of public flats near the proposed site of the Pak Shek Kok rail station, arguing it will not align with the existing private housing already there and that the area lacks the necessary community facilities. Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho Pui-ling stressed on Friday that the revised proposal would not affect the government’s 10-year housing plan. “We already have sufficient land for our 10-year housing plan, so even without the.

Railway lines: Hamburg-Hannover and Cologne-Hagen will soon be open again

Deutsche Bald wants to reopen two important routes on Friday evening after several months of construction. But the next major general renovation is already underway between North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.

India ramps up missile sales in Indo-Pacific as China’s assertiveness turns neighbors wary

India has signed a third pact for the supply of missiles in the Indo-Pacific region as countries in the region grow wary of China's growing assertion.

Hong Kong, Macau central to China’s commercial space expansion, GalaxySpace says

Hong Kong and Macau are integral to mainland China’s ambitions to build a globally competitive commercial space industry, according to executives at Beijing-based commercial space company GalaxySpace, as it bets on the two cities to help take its technologies and services overseas. “We have come to realise in recent years that Hong Kong and Macau hold irreplaceable strategic positions and industrial value in the development of China’s commercial space sector,” Xin Yichun, general manager of...

Bundestag: Federal government relieves states and municipalities with four billion euros

The federal government is helping heavily indebted cities and communities. But it's not just them that will be relieved - but also the wealthiest German federal states.

Heating Act: Vote in the Bundestag – what is now changing when it comes to heating

The Union has achieved its goal: Habeck's “Heating Act” will be abolished. But why this reform is also controversial - and why things could still get exciting after the Bundestag decision.

Savings program: Volkswagen leaves cuts in “future plan” open

CEO Blume announces a radical restructuring at Volkswagen. How deep the cuts will go remains unclear.

Artificial intelligence: How to transform your workforce for the future

How do you lead properly in the AI ​​age? Companies have to redistribute tasks, train employees and redefine virtually every job.

Capital: Growth at family holding company Cofra: New boss for asset manager Anthos

The holding company of the C&A entrepreneurial family Brenninkmeijer is filling the head position of its asset manager. He should attract even more external capital from family offices and foundations.

Japanese city upends 30-year Muslim park prayer custom, straining multiculturalism

A decision by a city near Tokyo to bar a mosque from holding a long-standing outdoor prayer session in one of its parks has triggered debate over multicultural coexistence in Japan, with questions raised over whether officials had sufficient grounds for the move. The dispute began in May when a mosque in Ichikawa, Chiba prefecture, was denied permission to hold a group prayer in the public park, located in a residential neighbourhood, during a festival that had been held there for years with...

China recovers reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of Long March 10B

China succeeded in recovering part of its Long March 10B reusable rocket on its maiden launch on Friday, marking the country’s first controlled orbital-class booster recovery and making it only the second nation in the world to achieve the feat. Unlike the methods pioneered by Elon Musk’s US-based SpaceX, the Chinese rocket achieved the first-ever use of a unique sea-based, net-capture system. The 70-metre (230-foot) tall, 5-metre wide medium-lift rocket lifted off from southern China’s...

Morning Briefing: Volkswagen boss Blume's shrinking plan is shrinking - for now

Plant closures and job cuts: The VW supervisory board has not agreed to the board's radical proposals. The group remains like its home country – a reform construction site.

Real estate: Ban on expropriation: Can the coalition outsmart the Basic Law?

The government wants to ban expropriations of housing companies. But is it allowed to circumvent the Basic Law, which contains socialization? Is the whole thing a “nasty sleight of hand”?

Morning Briefing Podcast: Volkswagen: Blume’s shrinkage plan is shrinking – for now

Plant closures and job cuts: The VW supervisory board has not agreed to the board's radical proposals. The group remains like its home country – a reform construction site.

Summer heat: Topless in public: Is that allowed?

Anyone who walks through the city without a T-shirt can be committing a misdemeanor. However, the assessment always depends on the respective situation and the environment. What applies when.

Economic Challenges: “Nationalization of structural change” – How much state does Germany’s economic transition need?

The coalition has agreed on its reform package - but is it enough to get Germany out of the economic downturn? Bert Rürup and Michael Hüther discuss the lack of measures.

Before the “midterms”: Trump pushes members out of the independent election commission

US President Trump wants to influence the November midterm elections in favor of the Republicans. This is also noticeable in an election commission that is actually independent.

Disrupt: Is your invention machine the last invention of humanity, Tim Rockpurse?

Tim Rocktäschel did pioneering work in AI development at Meta and Google. Now he has founded a start-up with a celebrity from the AI ​​scene - and is causing a stir.

China sets July 4 precedent with US; Cathay plane triggers Nato alert: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s Xi Jinping sets new precedent with July 4 message for Trump and US In a departure from convention, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the United States on Independence Day. Beijing does not usually...

Meckel & Matthes: Merz's 90s CEO rhetoric, center without means against the AfD, search for the vision

Together with Helene Bubrowski, Sebastian Matthes looks at a chancellor with historically poor approval ratings, a country of whiners and the question of whether the AfD can still be stopped.

Location Germany: Is there anything else coming after Volkswagen?

The federal government is daring to introduce reforms to improve the location. But something is still missing: a decisive plan for new high-tech prosperity beyond the ailing industry.

Why the Philippines is losing out in Southeast Asia’s investment boom

The Philippines still lags behind its neighbours in attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) after its inflows remained stagnant in 2025, even as a financing influx swept the region. This has cast the spotlight on a corruption scandal that has roiled the country and dented investor confidence to some extent, on top of long-standing systemic issues, analysts say. Manila ranked sixth in Southeast Asia after capturing just US$9 billion of the US$244 billion capital boom last year, according to..

Former top prosecutor in Hong Kong court over injuring man while drink-driving

A Hong Kong prosecutor turned barrister is facing criminal charges over allegations that he seriously injured a man while driving under the influence of alcohol earlier this year. Franco Kuan Bak-on, 45, appeared in Sha Tin Court on Friday to face charges of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and driving a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration in his breath exceeding the legal limit. Police arrested Kuan at around 1.50am on January 11 after he allegedly drove recklessly along Hung

Nikkei, Topix,: Micron and SK Hynix fuel Asian stock exchanges

The hype about artificial intelligence is displacing concerns about the Middle East conflict. In Japan, technology stocks benefited from investment plans by US memory chip manufacturer Micron.

‘Extremely hot’ weather in Hong Kong over the weekend as Typhoon Bavi subsides

Hong Kong will be “extremely hot” and hit by occasional showers as Typhoon Bavi moves across the seas east of Taiwan towards Guangdong on the weekend, with unstable offshore weather already disrupting a number of flights. The city’s Observatory said that as Bavi moved across Taiwan and then towards the vicinity spanning northern Fujian and southern Zhejiang, its outer airstream would subside, resulting in “mainly fine and extremely hot weather” in Guangdong from Friday to Sunday. “High...

Open water swimming: Preventing emergencies: How useful are swimming buoys?

Don't you just splash around in the swimming lake, you also swim really far out? Then a swimming buoy can be helpful for you. What the inflatable aids can do - and what they can't.

The situation at a glance: USA wants to talk to Iran despite attacks - Khamenei is buried

After mutual attacks between the USA and Iran, the search for a negotiated solution continues. The conflict overshadows the funeral of Iran's supreme leader. Is Tehran planning revenge?

Used car check: Volt ahead: The Hyundai Ioniq 5 at the TÜV

Thanks to large drive batteries, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can travel between 400 and 570 kilometers. The electric car also shows a certain stamina during the general vehicle inspection. And what else?

US lawmakers urge justice agency to fully investigate Tiananmen display break-in

The heads of a US Congressional committee and a commission focused on China have called on the Justice Department to fully investigate a break-in and reported vandalism at a California museum commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown. “The Justice Department and FBI should investigate vandalism at the [June 4th Memorial Museum] to protect the inalienable rights of the Chinese diaspora seeking freedom in the United States,” said a three-page letter delivered to the agency on Thursday. The note

SK Hynix: South Korean memory chip titan raises $26.5bn in the US