Taiwan condemns China over unannounced live-fire naval drills
Taiwan has objected to what it says were unannounced Chinese live-fire naval exercises in busy waters near its south-western coast, in a further sign of disruption caused by the People’s Liberation ...
Porsche-Piech family expands investments beyond struggling car businesses
Porsche SE, the Porsche-Piech family’s investment vehicle, said late on Tuesday that its portfolio of assets would be “dynamically expanded with further investments” to “further diversify the company” ...
Increasing defence budget will require tough trade-offs
Good morning. An awful lot happened yesterday — Keir Starmer announced plans for the most sustained increase in UK defence spending since the cold war, Kemi Badenoch gave a speech about foreign policy ...
Italian defence group Leonardo set for drone tie-up with Turkey’s Baykar
The Turkish defence contractor last month took over the aerospace arm of Piaggio, the Italian motor vehicle manufacturer. “With this acquisition, Baykar is set to expand its influence in the European ...
Hong Kong mulls basketball betting as finances fall short
The Asian financial hub is set to record a deficit of more than HK$87bn (US$11bn) for the year ending in March, financial secretary Paul Chan said on Wednesday. That would mark Hong Kong’s third ...
Stellantis sinks to loss as car sales drop
World’s fourth-largest carmaker is navigating upheaval after sudden departure of chief executive Carlos Tavares ...
Baby bump in South Korea as fertility rate rises for first time in 9 years
South Korea’s fertility rate has risen for the first time in nine years, as a surge in marriages after the pandemic spurs ...
Heathrow pays first dividend since pandemic as passenger numbers hit record high
Heathrow airport plans to pay its owners a dividend for the first time since the pandemic, as it reported record passenger numbers ahead of a new tilt at building a third runway.
Chile reels after worst blackout in 15 years hits copper mines
Chile has been hit by its worst blackout in 15 years after a transmission line failure knocked out power for hours for more than 90 per cent of its population as well as the country’s crucial copper ...
Is the vibe shift for real?
Bearish commentators have pointed to a softening US housing market as a key contributor to the negative vibe shift, and a threat to future growth. Fair enough: existing home sales fell 30 per cent ...
BoE faces sharper two-sided risks
There are two-sided risks to this forecast. Inflation will be likely close to 4 per cent by the May meeting after energy ...
What makes Trump’s magic number $500bn?
The trend in incomprehensibly big numbers is up irrespective of whether the person in charge wants it press-released, which suggests Trump’s love of $500bn is just another piece of Kayfabe. His ear ...