SalaciousBCrumb

Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, led by tycoon Li Ka-shing, will not sign a deal next week to sell its two strategic ports at the Panama Canal to a BlackRock-led group, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday.

The deal was expected to be signed on April 2, according to the sale announcement made on March 4. It is understood the situation does not mean the deal has been called off, the South China Morning Post added, citing the source.

CK Hutchison and BlackRock did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Chinese authorities have reacted negatively to plans by the conglomerate, while the deal was hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump who wants to retake control of the strategic waterway.

Putin made the remarks while aboard a new nuclear submarine during a visit to an Arctic naval base on Thursday.

He claimed Russian forces have the "strategic initiative" along the Ukrainian front line and had reason to believe his army would "finish them off".

He also reaffirmed his claim that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal.

Hundreds of protests at Tesla showrooms are planned across the US and internationally on Saturday. Organizers have dubbed it Tesla Takedown’s Global Day of Action, the latest and largest in a series of demonstrations that began shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated. Organizers say the rallies will take place in front of more than 200 Tesla locations worldwide, including nearly 50 in California alone.

Israel has conducted an airstrike on Beirut for the first time since signing a November ceasefire with Hezbollah.

Huge smoke plumes rose from the site of the attack in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh and residents reported hearing the explosion from the mountains surrounding the Lebanese capital.

The anonymous letter, mailed from Hong Kong and sent to Ted Hui’s Adelaide office, offered his colleagues $203,000 for information on his whereabouts and his family. It arrived just days after China’s foreign ministry accused the Albanese government of interfering with its internal affairs.

The letter, which contained a picture of Hui and personal details, claimed he was a “wanted person” for a “range of national security related offences including incitement to secession” and “collusion with a foreign country”. It is now being investigated by Australian federal police.

The letter also accuses Hui, who fled to Australia via Europe in 2019, of leaving Hong Kong with $3m in proceeds of crime. Hui, who was a pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong, denies that claim and says it is “fictitious”.

World Athletics chief say rules will uphold the integrity of women’s sport amid debate over inclusion of trans athletes.

The commission’s findings were published on Wednesday following a nearly three-year investigation into complaints filed by 367 of some 140,000 South Korean children who were adopted to six European countries, including Denmark – which called on South Korea to investigate the adoptions back in 2022 – the United States and Australia.

Russia's economy is teetering on the brink of collapse, with industrial production taking a nosedive and major corporations initiating widespread layoffs as the impact of a three-year war with Ukraine inevitably hits home.

The shopfronts are decked out in white, blue and red, with Chinese and Russian flags hanging side by side from the ceiling. Waist-high Russian dolls greet customers at the entrance. Inside, shelves are stocked with an array of Russian goods – from chocolates and cookies to honey and vodka.

In China, pop-up stores specializing in Russian-made products have become an increasingly common sight. Their proliferation has left some residents puzzled, with many on Chinese social media questioning why these stores seem to have sprung up overnight.