World reacts to Israeli strike on Iran over nuclear activity
Smoke rises as a building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Damage to Iran nuclear sites from Israel's strikes appears limited for now, experts say
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that it was unclear whether Iran still has a nuclear programme following Israeli strikes, but experts say the damage to the country's nuclear facilities so far has appeared limited. Israel's attacks succeeded in killing Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists and striking military command and control facilities and air defences, but satellite imagery did not yet show significant damage to nuclear infrastructure, several experts said. 'The first day was aimed at things that you would get through surprise – killing leadership, going after nuclear scientists, air defence systems, the ability to retaliate,' said nuclear expert David Albright at the Institute for Science and International Security. 'We can't see any visible damage at Fordow or Isfahan. There was damage at Natanz,' said Albright, referring to Iranian nuclear sites. But 'there's no evidence that the underground site was destroyed'. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council on Friday that the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site had been destroyed and Iran had reported attacks on Fordow and Isfahan. A satellite image shows an overview of Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment facility, south of Tehran, in February. Image: Maxar Technologies via AFP Grossi said electricity infrastructure at Natanz was also destroyed and the loss of power to a cascade hall may have damaged centrifuges there. But he said the level of radioactivity outside Natanz remained unchanged and normal.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Iran fires missiles at Israel in retaliation for strikes on nuclear sites
Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across Israel following what the country's military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Advertisement Iran's state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in retaliation for Israel's biggest ever attacks on Iran, blasting Iran's huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiping out its top military commanders. 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps … has executed its decisive and precise response against tens of targets, military centres and airbases of the usurping Zionist regime in the occupied territories,' the Guards said in a statement carried by state media. The Israeli military said Iran had fired less than 100 missiles, most of which were either intercepted or fell short. 'A limited number of buildings were affected, some of them as a result of shrapnel from the interception operations,' the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on social media. Advertisement The US military had helped shoot down the Iranian missiles, two US officials said. One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that for now the US interceptions had been carried out by ground-based systems. The official said fighter aircraft and warships had not been used so far.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How Hong Kong can shake off stagnant growth
Hong Kong's economic growth and resilience over the past two decades should serve as a source of pride. Real gross domestic product has grown at close to 3 per cent year on year over the past two decades, a robust figure for a developed services-based economy. But far more impressive is the way Hong Kong has rebounded rapidly and emerged even stronger after each crisis it has faced, whether it was the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2003, the global financial crisis of 2008, or the economic slump of 2012. A closer look shows that Hong Kong's recent economic journey has really been a story comprising two chapters. Between 2004 and 2014, GDP grew by an average of 4.5 per cent, outpacing many of our regional peers. We all remember this period of fast-rising prosperity, fuelled by mainland China's economic boom and breakthrough policies such as the Individual Visit Scheme The past 10 years – chapter two in our story – are more nuanced, however, as Hong Kong's GDP grew by an average of just 1 per cent between 2015 and 2024. The social unrest of 2019 and the three-year period when Covid-19 gripped the city could be written off as one-time events. But the prolonged period of stagnant growth that we continue to live through feels materially different than previous slowdowns. mega-events , Much has been written about the challenges and potential solutions for Hong Kong's economy. Many of the city's recent investments in tourism technology and innovation are encouraging. Hong Kong's pivot will not be easy, though. While everyone understands we need to ensure that our economy is better aligned with the future, not with the past, the kind of change we need to effect requires an entirely new playbook. 'Business as usual' will not suffice. Understanding where future growth will emerge is crucial to Hong Kong's economic transformation. Recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) provides a valuable framework for assessing 'arenas of competition' – dynamic, high-growth sectors poised to reshape the global economy through innovation and value creation.
