Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday said Hong Kong would expand its renminbi-denominated bond market as part of efforts to strengthen its role as a safe, reliable offshore platform that fully aligns with international rules. Writing in his weekly blog, he said the government would also develop renminbi-denominated gold and commodity markets, to help strengthen the nation's pricing power in these areas. He noted the national five-year plan called for the speeding up the building of a financial powerhouse. He emphasised that Hong Kong plays a clear and unique role in meeting the nation's needs. "Leverage Hong Kong's strengths to serve the nation's needs — the country's high-quality development is Hong Kong's biggest opportunity and source of confidence," he wrote. He added that Hong Kong's first five-year plan is a response to a fast-changing world as markets need longer-term certainty. He said that when businesses can see where Hong Kong is heading over the next five years, they can work better with the government, combining an "active government" with an "efficient market" to drive results. Edited by Tony Sabine
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The private equity firm Blackstone now owns more marinas than anyone in the world.
There's no need to rough it in the back of the plane. View Entire Post ›
The Rhône Valley has been named France’s most photographed wine region in autumn, according to new data released by photo curation app Popsa - with Bordeaux and Provence following close behind. To uncover the most captured wine regions, Popsa analysed millions of customer photos from 2024 and 2025, using location metadata to identify images taken within French wine regions between September and November. Each region was then assigned a Photo Index Score to reflect the relative volume of photos taken there compared with all others in the dataset.
Figures show as few as 64% of eligible families are claiming NHS money to buy milk, fruit and veg.
Cox & Kings, established in London in 1758, today unveils its new Small Group Tours brochure for 2027-28, marking its most ambitious new product launch since joining Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group (AKTG) in 2019. The new collection introduces 18 new tours across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Asia and North America, significantly expanding the company’s programme with new destinations, longer regional journeys, specialist-led tours and dedicated departures for solo travellers.
Blue Lagoon Island’s Project B.E.A.C.H. brought more than 500 volunteers together at Yamacraw Beach on Saturday, Sept. 19, for the 41st annual International Coastal Cleanup, removing marine debris while raising awareness about the importance of protecting The Bahamas’ coastal environment.
For much of the world, Asian cuisine is often seen as just a menu category rather than a rich tapestry of histories from a vast continent. A few familiar dishes have come to represent thousands of regional techniques, ingredients, migrations and memories. The reboot of MasterChef Asia, after a decade off the air, seeks to change that by placing the region’s home cooks, flavours and ambition on screen. Having Asian cuisine represented and judged by chefs with deep, personal connections to the...
The prohibition on certain journalists was a major escalation in President Trump’s war on the media, and will probably face a legal challenge.
"Assume everyone is potentially armed and behave accordingly." View Entire Post ›
"None of this 'let the kid have a shrieking tantrum on the grocery store floor' stuff." View Entire Post ›
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is forming an "AI Force" and will announce an "AI Czar" in the near future.