🔥 Top Stories
Israel conducted airstrikes on military targets in Tehran on Monday. US President Donald Trump stated a deal could be reached "soon" while not ruling out ground operations. Iran launched fresh strikes against Israel, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia following weekend attacks on its electrical infrastructure that caused power outages in Tehran and surrounding areas. The conflict has significantly impacted the global economy, causing fuel shortages across Asia and stock market volatility.
Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party, will lead a delegation to mainland China from April 7-12, marking her first visit since taking office in November. Beijing's Taiwan Work Office head Song Tao announced that the Communist Party Central Committee and Xi Jinping welcome her visit to Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Beijing to promote cross-strait relations.
The UN Security Council faces paralysis due to permanent members' abuse of veto power, enabling persistent violations of international law. From Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza to Venezuela, the boundaries between permitted and prohibited actions have become increasingly blurred. Permanent members disregard the UN Charter, wielding vetoes as both shield and weapon, affecting millions of lives and leaving trails of death and destruction.
Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-listed company, has signed a collaboration agreement with US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to license its early-stage drug pipeline and provide artificial intelligence platform services. Insilico will receive an upfront payment of US$115 million, with the total deal value potentially reaching approximately US$2.75 billion based on development, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will expand its military operations in southern Lebanon and widen what he termed the existing security strip. Netanyahu stated Israel is determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north, noting that Hezbollah retains residual capability to fire rockets at Israel. Israeli forces continue targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
🏛 Politics
Four senior US senators are visiting Taiwan for two days to urge legislative approval of a NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget proposed by Taiwan's government but delayed by opposition parties as military pressure from Beijing intensifies. The visit signals growing frustration in Washington over the delays. Taiwan faces looming payment deadlines for several US-approved arms packages, with funding still unresolved due to legislative obstacles.
Israel conducted airstrikes on military targets in Tehran on Monday. US President Donald Trump stated a deal could be reached "soon" while not ruling out ground operations. Iran launched fresh strikes against Israel, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia following weekend attacks on its electrical infrastructure that caused power outages in Tehran and surrounding areas. The conflict has significantly impacted the global economy, causing fuel shortages across Asia and stock market volatility.
The Lobito Corridor rail upgrade, a centerpiece of the EU's €300 billion Global Gateway infrastructure initiative launched in 2021 as a counterweight to China's Belt and Road Initiative, has drawn criticism over its ties to Chinese state-owned enterprises. The project connects the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Angola to the Atlantic port of Lobito, but concerns about Chinese involvement raise questions regarding the EU's strategic autonomy.
A peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded at a UN peacekeeping position near southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday, with another critically injured. Indonesia's foreign ministry confirmed the deceased was an Indonesian citizen and reported three additional personnel were injured by indirect artillery fire near the Indonesian UNIFIL contingent's position.
An independent committee investigating the circumstances of Hong Kong's Tai Po fire that killed 168 people suspended its fifth evidential hearing session on Monday when a fire alarm was triggered during the morning break. The committee was examining the company responsible for Wang Fuk Court's fire safety systems.
Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party, will lead a delegation to mainland China from April 7-12, marking her first visit since taking office in November. Beijing's Taiwan Work Office head Song Tao announced that the Communist Party Central Committee and Xi Jinping welcome her visit to Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Beijing to promote cross-strait relations.
The UN Security Council faces paralysis due to permanent members' abuse of veto power, enabling persistent violations of international law. From Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza to Venezuela, the boundaries between permitted and prohibited actions have become increasingly blurred. Permanent members disregard the UN Charter, wielding vetoes as both shield and weapon, affecting millions of lives and leaving trails of death and destruction.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold a roundtable meeting at Downing Street on Monday with senior government and military officials alongside leaders from energy, shipping, finance, and insurance sectors. The discussion will focus on Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and its effects on global oil prices and operational costs across multiple industries worldwide.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will expand its military operations in southern Lebanon and widen what he termed the existing security strip. Netanyahu stated Israel is determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north, noting that Hezbollah retains residual capability to fire rockets at Israel. Israeli forces continue targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday mass for the first time in centuries, according to the Latin Patriarchate. Jerusalem's major holy sites, including the church, remain closed due to the ongoing war with Iran, as the city faces frequent Iranian missile attacks. The Catholic Church criticized the police decision as manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate.
💰 Finance
Oil prices have surged amid escalating US-Israel-Iran tensions, with attacks disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint handling approximately one-fifth of global daily oil consumption. Markets worry this could trigger another major oil crisis similar to the 1970s stagflation period. Analysts examine historical oil shocks to assess current economic risks.
China's pig prices have plunged to their lowest level in nearly eight years as massive industrial farms and post-holiday consumption decline create persistent supply glut. Live pigs averaged 11.05 yuan (US$1.60) per kilogram in the third week of March, down 2.9% from the previous week and 28% year-over-year, according to China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs data.
Malaysian trade associations warn that the energy crisis stemming from the Iran conflict could increase food prices by up to 50 percent. Soaring fuel costs threaten to eliminate already narrow profit margins for roadside vendors and restaurants. The government's fuel subsidy costs are estimated to spike more than fourfold to approximately 3.2 billion ringgit (US$795 million), impacting national finances.
Hong Kong stocks fell on Monday amid escalating Middle East tensions. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched attacks on Israel over the weekend, prompting intensified Israeli strikes on Tehran. The US deployed additional military forces to the region. Oil prices surged in response, with Brent crude jumping 3.7 percent to US$116.80 per barrel, its highest level in over a week, while West Texas Intermediate crude also rose.
Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology, a Shaanxi-based optical communications laser chip manufacturer, has seen its shares surge nearly ninefold over the past year amid the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom. The company now ranks second by share price among mainland-listed companies, trailing only Kweichow Moutai, and is pursuing a Hong Kong listing.
A planned supercomputing hub in Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis could become the city's largest single electricity consumer, potentially surpassing MTR Corporation, when operations begin in 2029. According to The Green Earth's estimates, the project could increase the industry's annual carbon emissions by approximately 70 percent compared with current levels. Environmental groups and experts are calling for energy efficiency standards to limit the sector's carbon footprint.
Harvard University Professor Kenneth Rogoff has repeatedly warned that the US dollar faces a crisis of legitimacy. A former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and chess grandmaster, Rogoff published "Our Dollar, Your Problem" last May, focusing on the dollar's increasingly unstable position in the global financial hierarchy. In this interview, Rogoff elaborates on his views regarding the yuan's potential as a reserve currency.
China's 15th five-year plan designates commercial aerospace as a major pillar of national development. Hong Kong must seize this opportunity to convert national policy into local advantages, testing its ability to integrate with and contribute to China's strategic industries. Commercial aerospace has become a national-level strategic policy within just a few years, spanning multiple sectors including satellites.
💻 Technology
Chinese tech giants Xiaomi and Alibaba Group have launched spring recruitment campaigns to compete for artificial intelligence talent globally. Both companies, leading in smartphones and e-commerce respectively, face commercial pressures in traditional businesses and are positioning themselves as AI-first firms. Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun announced the company's global recruitment initiative on Monday via Weibo.
China's science fiction industry achieved record gross revenues of 126.1 billion yuan (US$18.2 billion) in 2025, representing a 15.7 percent year-on-year increase. Online search traffic for sci-fi content more than tripled compared to the previous year, reflecting surging public interest. The growth is driven by China's technological development initiatives, as detailed in an annual report released at the China Science Fiction Convention.
By age 30, quantum physicist Zhu Zijie had published in prestigious journals Science and Nature with significant discoveries on cold atom behavior. After graduating from Peking University, he pursued graduate studies at ETH Zurich, Albert Einstein's alma mater, and conducted postdoctoral research there for over a year. He has now decided to return to China to pursue pioneering research in unexplored areas.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek suffered a prolonged service outage from Sunday evening through early Monday morning, disrupting access for hundreds of millions of users. The Hangzhou-based AI lab's chatbot website and application went offline, with the company implementing fixes between 1am and 9am Monday according to published maintenance records. The incident prompted user complaints while competitors gained ground during the disruption.
Hangzhou Diagens Biotechnology, following its Hong Kong listing, plans to drive profit growth through AI-powered chromosome testing technology. Founder Song Ning notes that China's declining fertility rate has led many young couples to delay family planning, increasing demand for assisted reproduction services. The company aims to help couples struggling with fertility challenges.
Chinese researchers have established an 11-satellite optical navigation system designed to provide high-precision positioning where GPS signals are unavailable or disrupted. The system serves applications including autonomous vehicles, drones, and deep-space missions. Optical navigation technology has demonstrated anti-jamming advantages in military operations, offering an alternative to conventional GPS systems.
Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-listed company, has signed a collaboration agreement with US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to license its early-stage drug pipeline and provide artificial intelligence platform services. Insilico will receive an upfront payment of US$115 million, with the total deal value potentially reaching approximately US$2.75 billion based on development, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
🌏 International
As Iran conflict enters its fifth week, the Strait of Hormuz remains functionally closed, intensifying global supply chain concerns. Helium supply shortages threaten semiconductor and healthcare industries, while rising fertilizer prices impact global food supply chains. German chemical manufacturers are adjusting prices for both general and specialty chemicals.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced today that Israel will expand its military operations in southern Lebanon. The statement reflects further escalation of tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Specific details regarding the scale and timeline of operations remain to be clarified.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demanded the US formally condemn American and Israeli bombing of two Iranian universities by noon on December 30. The US Embassy in Baghdad issued a warning on December 29, stating that Iran and its proxies may target universities and other US-related facilities, and ordered American citizens to evacuate immediately. Less than five hours remained until Iran's deadline.
Iran and affiliated organizations launched missile attacks against US-allied nations over the weekend, with strikes affecting multiple Middle Eastern locations. Both the United States and Iran have not publicly accepted Pakistan's mediation proposal for peace talks, leaving the conflict escalating and negotiations at an impasse.
US President Trump stated that military operations by the United States and Israel have prompted a change in Iran's government. Trump assured that the US will seek to reach an agreement with Iran. He did not rule out further military action. These remarks reflect the latest US position on the Iran situation.
According to U.S. officials, President Trump is evaluating a military operation to extract approximately 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran. Experts warn this high-risk initiative could require U.S. military deployment within Iranian territory and potentially escalate Middle East tensions. The plan involves complex military and diplomatic considerations with significant geopolitical implications.
Reports indicate US President Donald Trump is considering a military operation to seize approximately 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium in Iran. The potential action has drawn international attention and pushed up global oil prices. The operation involves Iran's nuclear program and could significantly impact Middle East stability.
Pakistan announced on the 29th that it will host talks between the United States and Iran, though both Washington and Tehran have not formally responded and the format remains unclear. Later that evening, Tehran experienced heavy airstrikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards subsequently stated they will target residences of US and Israeli officials, as tensions continue to escalate.
US President Trump expressed interest in Iran's oil resources and did not rule out action regarding Kharg Island, Iran's key oil export hub. The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East to strengthen US military presence in the region.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri was killed during an Israeli military attack on Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Israeli media first reported the incident on the 26th, with Iran officially confirming his death on the 30th. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran's heavy water production facility in Kunduz has ceased operations following an Israeli military airstrike. Heavy water is a critical coolant for nuclear reactors, and the facility's shutdown will impact Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA is monitoring the situation.
The European Commission discovered on March 24 that its Europa.eu website hosted on third-party cloud infrastructure was accessed by hackers. Hackers claimed to have stolen hundreds of gigabytes of data. The EU immediately contained the attack and implemented protective measures. Initial investigation indicates partial website information was compromised, though EU website operations were unaffected. The EU continues investigating the full extent of the incident and has notified affected entities.
Hacker group TeamPCP launched supply chain attacks in late March, infiltrating five major development ecosystems including GitHub Actions, Docker Hub, NPM repository, Open VSX, and PyPI. After previously compromising the Python package LiteLLM, the group targeted the Telnyx package, distributing malware through embedded WAV files to compromise developer systems.
Fertilizer raw materials exported from Persian Gulf nations through the Strait of Hormuz support nearly half of global food production. The strait's current closure coincides with the Northern Hemisphere's spring planting season when farmers urgently need nitrogen fertilizers, potentially impacting worldwide grain production.
A top Iranian military leader has accused the United States of using diplomatic negotiations as a cover for ground military operations. Tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran continue to escalate as talks between the parties have stalled. Iran warns that the US's true intentions are not peaceful resolution but rather to buy time for military deployment while maintaining diplomatic appearances.