Hong Kong authorities have proceeded to confiscate properties linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing scheduled in three months to address the court order. According to a court document inspected by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s properties aft...
Hong Kong authorities have proceeded to confiscate properties linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing scheduled in three months to address the court order. According to a court document inspected by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s properties after he was sentenced to serve 20 years in jail. A 60-minute hearing is scheduled for July 8 to handle...
Pro-government demonstrators poured onto the streets of the Iranian capital after the announcement of the two-week conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Pro-government demonstrators poured onto the streets of the Iranian capital after the announcement of the two-week conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Hong Kong Mortgage Corp. is considering raising up to HK$12 billion (US$1.5 billion) through its first digital bond sale, according to people familiar with the matter, in what may turn out to be the biggest-ever such offering globally. The potential sale from the Hong Kong government-owned financial services provider comes as the city is looking to cement its role as a digital asset hub. Hong Kong...
Hong Kong Mortgage Corp. is considering raising up to HK$12 billion (US$1.5 billion) through its first digital bond sale, according to people familiar with the matter, in what may turn out to be the biggest-ever such offering globally. The potential sale from the Hong Kong government-owned financial services provider comes as the city is looking to cement its role as a digital asset hub. Hong Kong Mortgage Corp., which has total assets of about HK$221.8 billion, is considering marketing the multi-tranche bonds denominated in Hong Kong dollars and offshore yuan as early as next month, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. The size of the offering would be between HK$10 billion and HK$12 billion, the people said. The terms are under discussion and could change, they added. Digital bonds, which are debt instruments that utilize blockchain technology for their issuance, trading and settlement, have been gaining momentum in Asia . That’s coincided with a push by the Trump administration to enhance the US’s adoption of digital assets in finance. Hong Kong, in particular, has encouraged regular issuance of such debt as part of its broader drive to develop the sector. The notes, also known as tokenized bonds, can help shorten settlement cycles and lower operational costs due to automation and fewer intermediaries, compared with conventional bonds. If the offering size is at the upper end of the range, it would eclipse a HK$10 billion -equivalent digital bond sale by the Hong Kong government last November as the world’s largest deal of its kind, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Hong Kong Mortgage Corp. declined to comment. Hong Kong Extends Digital Bond Ambitions With Third Offering Hong Kong’s Digital Bond Market Gains Steam With Fresh Offerings Hong Kong Will Continue Issuing Tokenised Bonds on Regular Basis At least six other corporate issuers, including state-backed Chinese firms Shenzhen Futian Investment Holdings Co. and S...
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York City on April 7, 2026. Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images U.S. stock futures jumped early Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he was suspending Iran attacks for two weeks just ahead of his 8 p.m. ET deadline, pausing a five-week conflict that closed a crucial waterway for global energy suppl...
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York City on April 7, 2026. Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images U.S. stock futures jumped early Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he was suspending Iran attacks for two weeks just ahead of his 8 p.m. ET deadline, pausing a five-week conflict that closed a crucial waterway for global energy supply and sent equity prices reeling. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 1,056 points, or 2.25%, by 4:00 a.m. E.T. S&P 500 futures added 2.45%, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 3.2%. West Texas Intermediate crude futures tumbled more than 15% to $95.75 a barrel following Trump's declaration. International benchmark Brent for June delivery lost more than 13% to $94.40 per barrel. "I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," Trump posted on Truth Social. "We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate." Trump noted that the "double sided" ceasefire was contingent on Iran agreeing to an opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Supreme National Security Council has agreed to reopen the waterway for two weeks as long as all attacks are halted, according to a statement from Iran's Foreign Minister. The statement said transit would need to be coordinated with Iran's Armed Forces. Israel agreed to the ceasefire as well, according to media reports. "It wasn't much of a surprise that there was an announced reprieve in the Iranian conflict. The market has gotten much better at sniffing out" Trump's next move, said Jay Woods, chief market strategist for Freedom Capital Markets. "The concern now is if this all too familiar 'two-week' timeframe is going to lead to a resolution." During the regular session Tuesday, the S&P 500 eked out a gain of 0.08% as traders bet that a ceasefire could be achieved. The Nasdaq Composite inched 0.10% higher on Tuesday, while the Dow lost 85.42 points. St...
Nearly a quarter of Hong Kong companies are expected to widely adopt AI this year, a threefold increase from a year ago, while a growing number of business leaders believe the technology will result in smaller headcounts, a survey has revealed. Professional services firm KPMG released the Hong Kong Employment Outlook 2026 on Wednesday, with the poll showing that 24 per cent of organisations were s...
Nearly a quarter of Hong Kong companies are expected to widely adopt AI this year, a threefold increase from a year ago, while a growing number of business leaders believe the technology will result in smaller headcounts, a survey has revealed. Professional services firm KPMG released the Hong Kong Employment Outlook 2026 on Wednesday, with the poll showing that 24 per cent of organisations were set to widely adopt artificial intelligence (AI), up from just 8 per cent in the previous...
Greece will ban access to social media for children under 15, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. The regulation will come during the summer of 2026 and will enter into force on Jan. 1 2027, Mitsotakis said Wednesday in a message on TikTok. “Greece is one of the first European countries to take such an initiative, but I am sure it will not be the last,” Mitsotakis said. “Our aim is to pressur...
Greece will ban access to social media for children under 15, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. The regulation will come during the summer of 2026 and will enter into force on Jan. 1 2027, Mitsotakis said Wednesday in a message on TikTok. “Greece is one of the first European countries to take such an initiative, but I am sure it will not be the last,” Mitsotakis said. “Our aim is to pressure the European Union toward that direction.” The move makes Greece the latest European country to try and restrict social media use for children and teenagers. France voted in January to ban children under 15 from using apps like Meta Platforms Inc. ’s Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance Ltd. ’s TikTok and Snap Inc. ’s Snapchat. Meanwhile, Spain has said it will block children from using social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok. Portugal recently approved a bill restricting access for those under 16. The momentum is likely to put the continent in conflict with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the EU’s approach to digital regulations affecting large American tech firms.
Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to North Korea on Thursday for a two-day visit, according to China’s foreign ministry. The visit, at the invitation of the North Korean foreign ministry, will be Wang’s first trip to North Korea since early September 2019, when he travelled to Pyongyang for three days. Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cemented his leadership at the l...
Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to North Korea on Thursday for a two-day visit, according to China’s foreign ministry. The visit, at the invitation of the North Korean foreign ministry, will be Wang’s first trip to North Korea since early September 2019, when he travelled to Pyongyang for three days. Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cemented his leadership at the latest congress of the country’s ruling party. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his...