US President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, which closed on ‌Monday, showed 36 per cent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 40 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over...

French financial prosecutors said on Tuesday that searches were carried out at several locations, including the Paris arm of Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild, as part of an investigation tied to revelations from the files on Jeffrey Epstein. France’s national financial prosecutor’s office said searches were carried out last Friday as part of a preliminary investigation opened last month. Investigators are examining suspicions of bribery involving a foreign public official and complicity...

Delta Air Lines said ⁠on Tuesday it would ⁠suspend special services for ⁠members of Congress, citing the impact of a partial government shutdown that has disrupted US air travel. “Due to the impact on resources from the long-standing government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend ‌speciality services to members of Congress flying Delta. “Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the...

A major Russian drone and missile attack on civilian areas of Ukraine killed four people and injured at least 35, officials said Tuesday, while Moscow’s army stepped up efforts to break through Ukrainian front-line defences in what could be the start of an anticipated spring ground offensive. Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks. The onslaught continued into Tuesday as dozens of drones targeted the capital Kyiv...

Hong Kong authorities will be able to demand external technicians or any “specified person” decrypt electronic devices during national security investigations and may punish suspects who provide wrong passwords or falsely claim to have forgotten them, the security chief has told lawmakers. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung stressed on Tuesday that recent amendments to the national security law’s implementation rules did not create new law enforcement powers. “These amendments have...

Hong Kong will respond to uncertainty brought by intensifying geopolitical tensions “with openness rather than isolation”, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged at an annual forum in Hainan, calling on economies to join hands to promote free trade. Speaking at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference – regarded as a platform for high-level government dialogue – Lee said China had been committed to multilateral trade in a “turbulent world”, urging economies to unite in the face of...

Hong Kong’s legislature will retain the power to scrutinise boundary changes for the Northern Metropolis megaproject proposed by the executive branch, the city’s development chief has said, addressing concerns over proposed laws to fast-track the scheme. Under proposed legislation comprising six main subsidiary laws designed to remove bottlenecks in the massive scheme near the border with mainland China, the city’s leader and the Executive Council will be empowered to adjust its boundaries,...