Finance news

Time for US wishful thinking on North Korean denuclearisation is over

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Pyongyang visit may ultimately be remembered as a turning point in the international debate over North Korea’s nuclear weapons. While most headlines focused on the visit’s timing and the many pledges made by the two leaders aimed at expanding cooperation, the most significant development may have been what was left unsaid. Throughout the visit, neither side publicly referenced the denuclearisation issue. On the contrary, Xi called for expanded cooperation in

US Senator Mitch McConnell admitted to hospital for second time this year, spokesman says

US ⁠Senator Mitch McConnell was admitted to hospital on Sunday, his spokesman said, but there was no immediate information about why he was there or his prognosis. McConnell, 84, was the longest-serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside from that role while finishing his final term, which ends in January. “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesman David Popp said in a statement without elaboration. It was not immediately.

Putin and Zelensky hold phone calls with Trump as US president marks his 80th birthday

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky each held phone calls with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters. On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasised the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European...

Thousands hold G7 protest in Geneva as world leaders prepare for summit in nearby France

Protesters in Geneva clashed with police, set a car on fire and smashed the windows of a bank on Sunday to show their discontent with the G7 group of major advanced economies on the eve of a summit in nearby France to be attended by the group’s leaders including US President Donald Trump. Environmentalists and feminists joined foes of imperialism, defenders of independent media, supporters of Palestinian rights and others in a lakeside park in Geneva for a march across the Swiss city. A boat...

Russia-USA: Putin congratulates Trump on his 80th birthday

US President Donald Trump is celebrating his 80th birthday. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is also among the well-wishers. What did they talk about on the phone?

Iran War: US-Iran deal on the brink? Trump condemns new attacks

A new escalation in the war between Israel and Hezbollah is shaking up the possible conclusion of the framework agreement between the USA and Iran. What happens next?

Market Insight: A new era is beginning not only for SpaceX – also for the US Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve meets for the first time under its new boss. Investors can then form their own impression of Kevin Warsh and hope for positive signals, says Astrid Dörner.

Israeli strikes on Beirut foil US peace plans, Iran says ‘no point’ in talks

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalise a deal to end the US-Iran war. Smoke rose over the Lebanese capital, and the Civil Defense said it retrieved three bodies and six wounded people from the rubble. Iran threatened a military response. Trump wrote on social media that “the attack on Beirut should not have happened,” adding that “We are...

HK$751,000 worth of jewellery stolen while owners dine at Hong Kong luxury home

Residents of a luxury home in Hong Kong have lost jewellery worth HK$751,000 after a break-in while they were dining downstairs. Police received a report of the break-in at 9.50pm on Saturday from a 69-year-old man, the owner of the two-storey house at Greenwood Terrace on Sui Wo Road in Fo Tan. He said his master bedroom had been broken into and a jewellery box pried open, with 10 necklaces, 15 rings and six brooches missing. The loss was estimated at about HK$751,000 (US$95,838). The man said.

Iran: Are these signals signs of an impending opening of Hormuz or a hacker attack?

A system of US navigation buoys was briefly brought online over the weekend. They could be used to cope with the enormous traffic in the strait or simply the result of a hacker attack.

Italian former general starts far-right party in attack on PM Meloni, EU

In a packed auditorium steps from the Vatican, Roberto Vannacci – the former Italian army general known to supporters as ‘Il Generale’ – is rallying followers of his fledgling party, casting himself as an outsider while reshaping Italy’s right and challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of US President Donald Trump. Vannacci’s fast-rising “Futuro Nazionale” party is injecting new uncertainty into the conservative bloc that has underpinned Meloni’s government, exposing tensions...

Matthew Beesley: “We could be at the start of a multi-decade trend”

The head of British fund provider Jupiter expects global investors to slowly reduce the US weight in their portfolios. Europe may not benefit from this.

Iran War: Uncertainty about expected Iran agreement

US President Trump and mediator Pakistan have raised hopes that an agreement to end the Iran war will be signed today. But the signals from Tehran are not clear.

Entertainment industry: Trump administration approves takeover of Warner Bros.

The US government has been examining the takeover of Warner Bros. for months. She doesn't see any restrictions on competition.

Li Ka-shing’s CK Asset sets a 2026 record with US$46.2 million Mid-Levels penthouse sale

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s flagship property developer CK Asset Holdings has sold a penthouse mansion at a luxury development in Mid-Levels in Central for HK$362 million (US$46.2 million), setting a per square foot price record for first-hand transactions this year. The 2,911 sq ft unit on the 20th floor of the second phase of 21 Borrett Road went for HK$124,356 per square foot via public tender, according to a statement from the developer on Sunday. The unit that was sold “boasts an...

‘Number of missing rising’: Filipino helpers in Hong Kong rally for aid after quake

Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong have launched a month-long fundraising campaign to support families affected by the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake in their home country’s south, with organisers saying food, drinking water and medicine are among the most urgent needs. Representatives from the Abra Tingguian Ilocano Society were collecting donations at various locations, including outside City Hall in Central on Sunday, aiming to raise at least HK$20,000 (US$2,550) for affected...

+++ Football World Cup 2026 +++: DFB team starts against Curaçao in the evening – Neuer is in goal

World Cup hype surrounding the US team after 4:1 – ticket prices are skyrocketing +++ Thanks to Vinícius Júnior, Brazil averts a false start – game ends 1:1 +++ The World Cup news blog.

Hollywood deal: US government approves Warner takeover by Paramount

The takeover of Warner Bros. by Paramount is a mega deal that could not only permanently transform Hollywood. The government considers the deal harmless - critics assume the opposite.

Why China is attracting wealthy Gulf families in search of education, tech and business

In April, a family from the United Arab Emirates – four adults, three children and a nanny – spent about 300,000 yuan (US$44,228) on a seven-day educational and business tour to China. The trip was nearly cancelled as the Iran war repeatedly disrupted their flights and travel plans, but they eventually arrived in Shanghai. “Their willingness to make the trip was unwavering,” said Lilian Liu at Middle East-focused tour operator UFOX Travel, who hosted the family. Such clients barely existed a few

US luxury label Chrome Hearts struggles to meet Japan demand

Federal Reserve: Kevin Warsh is under pressure even before his first meeting

This week Kevin Warsh is leading his first interest rate meeting. Can the new head of the US Federal Reserve withstand the pressure from the White House?

Gulf War: Hope for a US-Iran deal to be signed soon

According to US President Trump and the mediator Pakistan, a first agreement to end the Iran war should be signed on Sunday. Will this actually happen?

China builds Southeast Asia expertise as US lets it wither

In the contest for influence in Southeast Asia, the United States and China agree on one thing: the region is indispensable. Yet beneath the flurry of high-level summits lies a quieter divergence in how each cultivates knowledge about the region. The US is hollowing out the university-based programmes that have long trained its students in Southeast Asian languages, history and politics. China, conversely, is elevating area studies into a top-tier, state-backed academic field. Beyond a shift in.

How Iran used US ceasefire to replenish its depleted missile stockpiles

Western allies believe Iran has most likely added new-build Russian weapons to its inventory and reconstituted large swathes of its missile arsenal during the eight-week ceasefire, giving the Islamic Republic the firepower to strike back at nearly full strength if hostilities resume. Tehran has about three-quarters of the munitions it had before the war and can easily build it up further, according to intelligence assessments. That includes unspecified Russian missiles that probably came off the

Thailand, Vietnam team up in an Asean ‘plus or minus’ gamble

It was a gesture that was equal parts diplomacy and theatre: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul coaxing a melody out of a traditional Vietnamese t’rung xylophone at a Hanoi state banquet on Monday. The real music, however, had been made in the meeting rooms. Two days of talks between Anutin and his Vietnamese hosts produced a pledge to nearly double bilateral trade to US$25 billion within four years – and eventually to double it again. Supply chains would be stitched together across...

UFC fight, military flyover, fireworks: inside Trump’s US$60 million 80th birthday bash

Donald Trump celebrates his 80th birthday in a typically forceful style on Sunday, as the oldest US president ever to take office holds a bloody cage match on the White House lawn. The unprecedented “UFC Freedom 250” event will see 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship stars beat each other to a pulp in a giant arena called The Claw. Costing US$60 million, it is linked to this year’s festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but it also happens to fall on the day that Trump enters...

Iran War: Hope for a US-Iran deal to be signed soon

According to US President Trump and the mediator Pakistan, an initial agreement to end the Iran war should be signed today. Will this actually happen?

Chinese man weighing 63kg believes online products could help gain weight loses 6.5kg

A Shanghai man who wanted to gain weight spent 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) on online health products he thought would do the job only to end up losing 6.5kg in a month. The man, surnamed Liu, has trended on mainland social media after his experience was reported by the Shanghai Morning Post. Liu, a truck driver, who is 1.78m tall and weighs 53kg, always thought he was too thin. In March, he saw the social media account of an influencer surnamed Chen who shared her knowledge about helping people put..

Japan adds Indonesia to ‘network of navies’ after Australia, Philippines

Indonesia sits at the confluence of the world’s busiest sea lanes. Its coastline stretches nearly 55,000km (34,000 miles) and its waters encompass the Malacca and Lombok straits, chokepoints through which trillions of US dollars in global trade pass annually. Yet for years the nation’s navy has lacked the subsurface awareness to monitor, let alone counter, what moves beneath the waves. Japan intends to change that. Tokyo confirmed on June 5 that the two countries had agreed to begin formal talks

+++ Soccer World Cup 2026 +++: World Cup hype surrounding the US team after 4:1 – ticket prices are skyrocketing

Thanks to Vinícius Júnior, Brazil averted a false start - game ends 1:1 +++ Draw in stoppage time: Switzerland only 1:1 against Qatar +++ Trump congratulates US national team on opening victory +++ The World Cup news blog.