SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025 Archives
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
32 minutes ago
- Zawya
Hong Kong sees broad-based economic resilience under "One Country, Two Systems"
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 August 2025 - Last week, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government published a comprehensive report on the city's business environment, coinciding with the announcement of the city's advance estimates on economic performance in the second quarter of 2025. The report's analysis together with positive economic data accurately reflect Hong Kong's resilient business-friendly environment with strong appeal for companies and talent from around the world. In the April-to-June period, Hong Kong recorded solid 3.1% year-on-year GDP growth. This 10 th consecutive quarter of economic expansion was supported by strong exports performance and improved domestic demand: total exports of goods recorded an increase of 11.5% over a year earlier, while private consumption expenditure increased by 1.9%. This solid broad-based performance could be vividly seen in the high number of visitors to the city, including tourists and business visitors drawn by an array of events across town ranging from trade fairs to cultural festivals to mega sports events. One such event was the first Hong Kong Football Festival at the new Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) which saw close to 100,000 football fans packing the Kai Tak Stadium over two match days featuring games between Liverpool and AC Milan followed by Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur. The crowd included the one-millionth spectator at the Kai Tak Stadium since it opened just five months ago. Hong Kong welcomed about 24 million visitors in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%. Visitor arrivals from the Mainland saw a year-on-year increase of 10% while those from the rest of the world increased 17% over the same period last year. Unique Strengths under 'One Country, Two Systems' The economic statistics fully endorse the analysis in the Government's 102-page "Report on Hong Kong's Business Environment: Unique Strengths under 'One Country, Two Systems'". Under "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong is known for its robust legal and financial systems, simple and low tax regime, strategic location at the heart of Asia, advanced infrastructure, pool of top-notch talent, and high-quality professional services. With its close connectivity to leading global business centres, Hong Kong offers a dynamic, free and open, convenient and safe place for doing business, making it a preferred destination for corporate investment. Beyond tourism services, developments in other sectors have been picking up in recent years, further boosting confidence in the local economy. Despite continued global uncertainties, the sentiment about Hong Kong's stock market has steadily improved. In the first half of 2025, the Hang Seng Index has risen by more than 4,000 points, registering an increase of about 20%. The amount of IPO fundraising reached over US$13.6 billion in the first six months of the year, placing Hong Kong in a leading position among major global exchanges. Vibrant IPO activities continued in July with nine IPOs raising more than US$2.3 billion. Meanwhile, overall investment expenditure increased further alongside the economic expansion. The HKSAR Government's Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) has successfully attracted 84 strategic enterprises to set up or expand their operations in Hong Kong. It is expected that they will invest a total of around US$6.4 billion and create more than 20,000 jobs in Hong Kong in the coming few years. Also, since January 2023, Invest Hong Kong has assisted more than 1,300 overseas and Mainland China companies to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong, bringing in foreign direct investment of more than US$20.3 billion. Initiatives to attract top talents and professionals from around the world are also paying dividends. Various talent attraction schemes have received nearly 500,000 applications with nearly 330,000 of them approved and almost 220,000 talents already arrived in Hong Kong. Amid lingering uncertainties in the external environment, the HKSAR Government will continue striving to promote economic growth on different fronts and make the most of the city's longstanding and unique "One Country, Two Systems" advantages to maintain the city's reputation as a resilient, open, free and competitive economy. Hashtag: #hongkong #brandhongkong #asiasworldcity #economicgrowth #business The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Vladimir Putin on official visit to Russia
President Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin during an official visit to Moscow. A reception ceremony was held at Vnukovo Airport, during which the UAE and Russian national anthems were played and a guard of honour was formed. Sheikh Mohamed was later pictured meeting Mr Putin in the Kremlin after beginning his latest high-profile trip to the country. The two men discussed ways to enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries, in addition to regional and international issues of common interest, state news agency Wam reported. They reviewed co-operation in the fields of the economy, trade, investment, space and energy. Sheikh Mohamed said UAE-Russia relations are based on mutual trust and respect, as well as deep-rooted and constructive engagement spanning more than 50 years. He also highlighted the UAE's commitment to strengthening peace and stability around the world. The two men discussed the importance of the Russia-Arab summit, scheduled for October, and reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East. Sheikh Mohamed thanked Mr Putin for facilitating the UAE's mediation concerning the exchange of more than 4,000 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, while Mr Putin thanked Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE's prisoner swap efforts. Mr Putin said Russia attaches great importance to developing its relations with the UAE, noting the two countries' co-operation continues to grow. He also hosted a lunch for Sheikh Mohamed and the accompanying delegation. Agreements signed On the sidelines of the visit, the two countries signed the Trade in Services and Investment Agreement. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Andrey Nikitin, Russian Minister of Transport, also signed an agreement on transport co-operation. Sheikh Mohamed departed Moscow at the conclusion of his official visit, with military aircraft escorting his plane through Russian airspace. Potential meeting with Trump Speaking to television cameras, Mr Putin said the UAE was a possible site for a meeting with Donald Trump – in what would be his first meeting with a US president since Joe Biden in 2021. "We have many friends who are ready to assist us in the organisation of an event of this kind. One of my friends is the President of the UAE," Mr Putin told Russian state media. "I believe that we will make a decision but it [the UAE] would be one of the fitting, quite suitable venues." A Kremlin official said earlier that a Trump-Putin meeting could take place as early as next week. The announcement of a potential summit came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress towards ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine. The UAE has this year mediated the exchange of hundreds of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have thanked the UAE for its efforts in enabling the exchange. Later that month, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met Mr Putin in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed, where he attended the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting. Sheikh Mohamed's delegation in Russia included:
UAE Moments
6 hours ago
- UAE Moments
Your Career Horoscope for August 8, 2025
Today brings a mix of steady progress and preparation for bigger opportunities ahead. Find daily astrological predictions for all sun signs for August 8. We recommend reading the horoscopes for your rising sign. Aries Career Horoscope It's time to strengthen your working relationships. Unsolicited assistance is always nice, so see who needs what and try to provide it while you work on meeting your own goals. Taurus Career Horoscope Try every tactic in the book to delay finalizing any deals right now. You won't quite be able to evaluate them fully and should take at least a few more days before signing anything. Gemini Career Horoscope Supervisors at all levels are testy today. Evaluations and board meetings will be rocky but ultimately productive and fair. Try to grin and bear it as they work out their issues in front of you. Read More: The Best Careers for Each Zodiac Sign Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for tarot readings, love, health, career, and Chinese horoscopes delivered to your phone daily! Cancer Career Horoscope Take care of planning for the short term now. You have a good head for keeping track of possibilities and probabilities and should be able to help your team navigate uncertainty with ease. Leo Career Horoscope Sometimes you have to think in terms of years and decades. Now you can best boost long-range productivity by doing nothing. It might feel weird, but you will soon see the power of sloth. Virgo Career Horoscope Everything will go just as it should for you today. Any surprises should be beneficial, and if you're lucky you'll find a windfall waiting for you in an unexpected nook of your business. Libra Career Horoscope Financial issues dominate your thinking today, and you can really make a difference. Whether you're responsible for the budget or making suggestions, you'll find you have a lot of influence. Scorpio Career Horoscope You're at the center of some positive energy that will help you meet and exceed your goals while aiding your colleagues. High morale and increased productivity follow you everywhere you go. Sagittarius Career Horoscope You might feel some static in the air as you try to communicate with your coworkers, but it will pass soon. Don't move on any delicate issues that require extra coordination just yet. Capricorn Career Horoscope You will get a jolt of positive energy that sends you through the path of least resistance. It sure is a nice way to travel but maybe not quite as challenging as you'd like in the long run. Aquarius Career Horoscope You can ingratiate yourself with coworkers easily and painlessly. Whether you're putting the finishing touches on a big project or helping them with software issues, you'll rack up a few points. Pisces Career Horoscope Unforeseeable problems will arise and keep you from seeing their underlying cause. Deal with each issue as it pops up. You don't have to know all the answers. You just have to know you have solutions.
