WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the 2027 U.S. military budget should be $1.5 trillion, significantly higher than the $901 billion approved by Congress for 2026, boosting defense stocks, but sparking skepticism among budget experts. Any such increase in the military budget would require congressional authorization, which could pose a challenge, although Trump’s Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, have shown little appetite for objecting to Trump’s spending plans. rump said in a Truth Social post that he…
the Hong Kong Globe
When Karyna Kovalevska, an 18-year-old from Ukraine, first visited China in 2019 as part of a Confucius Institute summer exchange program, she never imagined the country would one day become her second home. The program began in Anhui province, where she eagerly took on the challenge of learning an entirely new language. Chinese wasn’t easy — but it was exciting. “It’s so different from Ukrainian or Russian,” she said. “It felt like stepping into a whole new world.” Kovalevska was amazed by the kindness and generosity she encountered, even though…
PARIS/BERLIN, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Allies including France and Germany are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, as Europe seeks to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the region. A U.S. military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign…
The Swiss government has frozen any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolas Maduro and people close to the Venezuelan president. The order is to ensure that potentially illegally acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland, the government said in a statement on Monday. The freeze comes into force with immediate effect and will remain valid for four years, until further notice. A total of 37 people are currently affected by the freeze, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in an emailed reply to questions. It declined to given any indication…
Britain faces widespread snow today as an Arctic freeze grips the country for up to a week amid fears over travel chaos and temperatures plummeting to -10C. Yellow warnings for snow and ice were activated this morning for London, southern England, the Midlands and North West as well as Wales and Northern Ireland. Snow has been falling since yesterday in Scotland but significant accumulations are set to build up from midday there when an amber warning comes into force. The Met Office expects daytime temperatures across the UK will struggle…
Veteran actor and martial arts choreographer Yuen Cheung-yan from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region died of illness at the age of 69 on January 1 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, local media reported on Friday morning, citing an obituary notice issued by Yuen’s wife. The funeral service will be held on February 1 at the Universal Funeral Parlour, Hong Kong Economic Times reported. News of Yuen’s passing prompted tributes from netizens on social media platforms, with many expressing condolences and recalling his iconic performances. Born in Hong Kong in 1957,…
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has commissioned a new Type 052D guided missile destroyer, which features upgraded radar, weapon and network systems, leading to enhanced regional air defense, sea attack and task force command capabilities, official media reported. The newly commissioned Type 052D is named Loudi, with the hull number 176, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Thursday. Official media reports show that China’s first Type 052D destroyer, the Kunming, entered service with the PLA Navy on March 21, 2014. Since then, multiple hulls…
The US has halted plans to impose sanctions on China’s Ministry of State Security over a massive cyber espionage campaign in order to avoid derailing the trade truce presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping struck in October. Current and former US officials said plans to impose sanctions on the spy agency — and contractors it is allegedly using to conduct a hacking campaign against US telecom networks called “Salt Typhoon” — were put on hold to avoid undermining the US-China détente. The administration would also not enact major new export…
French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly confirmed on Sunday that the country plans to replace its sole and ageing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a new one. A Chinese expert said that France’s new aircraft carrier seems to be a modern one with larger displacement and electromagnetic catapults, and might see the propulsion issue previously seen on the Charles de Gaulle solved. Macron made the announcement when speaking to troops based at a French military base in Abu Dhabi, according to a Reuters report. The program, known as “Porte-Avions…
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) on Sunday announced cumulative output from the offshore oil and gas at the Bohai Oilfield, China’s largest crude oil production base, has exceeded 40 million tons, setting a new record and providing solid support for national energy security and high-quality economic and social development. Bohai Oilfield is China’s largest and most productive offshore oilfield. Since the beginning of the year, the oilfield has comprehensively strengthened its production capacity, promoted intelligent drilling and completion processes and the standardized upgrading of engineering systems, and many new…