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Japan’s unstable political landscape is expected to cast doubt over its diplomatic commitments and could hinder progress in its trilateral summit with China and South Korea, analysts have observed.Uncertainties are mounting as the path to the Japanese premiership for recently elected Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi has been complicated by the abrupt exit of the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito.Takaichi, aiming to be Japan’s first female prime minister, remains short of the 233 votes she needs in the country’s House of Representatives.But an alliance with Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and its 35 seats could bring her…

Strengthening economic ties with major economic partners, Pakistan secured a significant boost in investor confidence after the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) agreed to join the Reko Diq lender group, during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s series of high-level meetings in Washington DC with officials from the US, China, and Japan. Aurangzeb continued his engagements on the fourth day of his visit to Washington DC, where he is attending the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, read a statement released on Friday. During his interaction, the finance minister met with Nobumitsu Hayashi, Governor…

Malaysian authorities have rounded up hundreds of homeless people in Kuala Lumpur ahead of next week’s Asean summit, in what has been criticised as a “performative” action to please visiting dignitaries rather than addressing a chronic social issue in the capital.Around 545 people, including 180 foreigners, have been gathered since February in an operation known as KL Strike Force Aktiviti Orang Papa dan Kanak-Kanak, or “activities of the poor and children”.Jointly led by several city authorities, the operation has targeted known homeless hotspots such as Bukit Bintang, Masjid Jamek and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, roughly 4km (2.5 miles) from the…

Apple’s iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its launch in China on Friday, underscoring the device’s popularity among Chinese consumers despite competition from Android devices.The strong sales followed CEO Tim Cook’s visit this week to promote the product in the world’s largest smartphone market amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between China and the US. As chairman of an advisory body at Tsinghua University’s management school, Cook also met Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Thursday.Minutes after bookings opened, the model was sold out at all bricks-and-mortar stores in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in cities like Tianjin, according to Apple’s website.…

ROME (AP) — An explosive device detonated under the car of one of Italy’s leading investigative journalists that was parked outside his home, prompting condemnation Friday from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others. No one was injured.Report, the investigative series on Italy’s state-run RAI3, said the explosion overnight destroyed the car of Sigfrido Ranucci and damaged a second family car and the house next to it in Pomezia, south of Rome. It said the blast was so powerful that it could have killed anyone passing by.Police, firefighters, forensic crews were investigating, Report said.Meloni expressed her solidarity with Ranucci, the lead…

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday celebrated his country’s status as the host of upcoming talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, a meeting where the two leaders are expected to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. Trump on Thursday announced his second meeting this year with Putin a day before he was to sit down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. A date for the meeting has not been set, but Trump said it would take place in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, and suggested it could happen…

Hong Kong stocks slid again on Friday and were set to close out a week whiplashed by renewed China-US tensions, as investors geared up for key China economic data and a high-stakes Communist Party’s gathering that would outline the nation’s development goal in the next five years.The Hang Seng Index fell 1.6 per cent to 25,473.09 at the noon break, stretching the loss to 3.1 per cent for the week. The Hang Seng Tech Index lost 2.8 per cent.On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index slid 1.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index retreated 1 per cent.BYD Electronics International…

Shipping companies are rushing to divert vessels and adjust their corporate structures, as they strive to minimise their exposure to steep new US and Chinese port fees that took effect on Tuesday.European shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, which collaborate as members of an alliance named Gemini, have been among the first to respond to the new fees by diverting two US-flagged vessels away from Chinese ports.Hapag-Lloyd’s container ship Potomac Express skipped its scheduled call at Ningbo in eastern China and instead proceeded to Busan, South Korea. Cargo destined for or transiting through Ningbo would be discharged in Busan and then…

The Hong Kong operations would serve as a strategic base for the Beijing-based carmaker to “oversee its research and development [R&D], intellectual property management and international supply chain functions”, said InvestHK, the Hong Kong government’s investment promotion arm, in a statement on Thursday.Li Auto, one of the few profitable EV makers in mainland China, is the latest car company to set up operations in the city, which is increasingly viewed as a stepping stone for their global ambitions.Domestic rivals such as BYD, the world’s largest EV builder, and Zeekr, a unit of Geely Auto, sell their smart EVs in Hong…

The Hong Kong operations would serve as a strategic base for the Beijing-based carmaker to “oversee its research and development [R&D], intellectual property management and international supply chain functions”, said InvestHK, the Hong Kong government’s investment promotion arm, in a statement on Thursday.Li Auto, one of the few profitable EV makers in mainland China, is the latest car company to set up operations in the city, which is increasingly viewed as a stepping stone for their global ambitions.Domestic rivals such as BYD, the world’s largest EV builder, and Zeekr, a unit of Geely Auto, sell their smart EVs in Hong…