Hong Kong Hints at Reasons for Rare Entry Denial to British MP

 

The Hong Kong government has detailed its reasons for potentially barring a UK member of parliament from entry, a decision without precedent in the almost three decades since Britain’s handover of the city to Chinese control.

In response to media inquiries about the incident involving Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, the government warned that obstructing immigration officials could be a factor in gaining entrance, while noting it couldn’t comment on individual cases. Hobhouse said she was turned back at the border last week.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-15/hong-kong-hints-at-reasons-for-rare-entry-denial-to-british-mp

China orders halts to Boeing jet deliveries in retaliation against US tariffs

 

China has instructed its airlines to stop taking new deliveries of Boeing aircraft and to halt purchases of U.S.-made aircraft equipment and parts, in retaliation for the U.S. imposing 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, according to Bloomberg News. Beijing is also exploring support measures for airlines leasing Boeing jets facing increased costs.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/china-orders-halts-to-boeing-jet-deliveries-in-retaliation-against-us-tariffs/articleshow/120305330.cms

NAYA Biosciences to Separate Fertility and Oncology Businesses into Distinct Operations

 

• NAYA Biosciences announces separation of fertility and oncology businesses.
• Company renamed INVO Fertility, Inc.; Nasdaq ticker changes from NAYA to IVF.
• Separation effective April 14, 2025, subject to necessary approvals.

NAYA Biosciences has announced a strategic restructuring to enhance operational focus by separating its fertility and oncology businesses into two distinct entities. As part of this separation, the company will be renamed INVO Fertility, Inc., and its Nasdaq ticker symbol will change from NAYA to IVF. This restructuring is poised to take effect on April 14, 2025, pending finalization of definitive transaction documents and necessary approvals.

Under the new structure, INVO Fertility will concentrate on operating and expanding fertility clinics, distributing the FDA-cleared INVOcell device, and managing existing revenue-generating centers located in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Georgia. The company aims to leverage its existing operations to expand further across the U.S., aligning with a recent executive order aimed at reducing the cost of IVF and expanding access to fertility services.

Meanwhile, the oncology division will be spun off into a private entity named NAYA Therapeutics, which will focus on the development of bifunctional antibodies. INVO Fertility will retain a minority stake in NAYA Therapeutics, allowing it to benefit from any potential future value appreciation generated by NAYA's clinical developments.

The strategic separation is intended to enable both businesses to pursue focused growth strategies, ultimately maximizing shareholder value. However, this transition does involve execution risks, as the company has delayed filing its 2024 Annual Report to resolve potential financial complexities arising from the restructuring.

https://www.gurufocus.com/news/2778993/naya-biosciences-announces-strategic-decision-to-separate-fertility-and-oncology-businesses-into-distinct-operations-company-renamed-invo-fertility-inc-naya-stock-news

Cathie Wood sees potential positives in Trump’s ’shock therapy’ tariff policy

Cathie Wood, the founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest, has weighed in on President Trump’s tariff policy, which has been a cause for concern among many observers. Wood, however, sees potential benefits from the policy that may not be immediately apparent.

Wood believes that the tariff policy, initially perceived as the most significant and regressive tax increase in US history, could result in positive outcomes. This change in perspective follows President Trump’s decision to assign Treasury Secretary Bessent to lead negotiations with allied nations, a role previously held by Peter Navarro and Howard Lutnick.

Wood suggests that the seemingly chaotic situation, based on unclear "reciprocity" calculations, might have been a strategic move, whether premeditated or not, for serious negotiations. These could lead to reduced tariffs and non-tariff barriers, outcomes that would have been unattainable without the initial shock caused by President Trump’s policy.

"... what once seemed like a chaotic situation based on incomprehensible “reciprocity” calculations could have been a setup—premeditated or otherwise—for serious negotiations that will lead to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers, neither of which would have been possible without the shock therapy that President Trump administered," Woods commented.

Elon Musk, who remains influential in the Trump Administration, has been a strong advocate for this solution to the tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that have developed over the past 50 years.

During the past week, marked by extreme volatility in the stock and bond markets, Wood has been working under the assumption that President Trump is aiming for robust economic growth and a strong stock market in the second half of this year and into 2026, ahead of the midterm elections.

Wood also notes that even before the tariff controversy, ARK Invest had been anticipating strong growth to begin sometime in the second half. This expectation is based on the belief that the last part of a three-year rolling recession will result in negative GDP growth for the first and second quarters.

Wood explains that over the past three years, high-end consumers and the government have kept GDP afloat as different sectors of the economy succumbed to the interest rate shock that began in 2022. However, now, both are faltering, with the government entering its first recession in 30 years.

Wood concludes that this situation could provide the Administration and the Federal Reserve with more flexibility to stimulate the economy than most investors might expect. As much of the economy has stalled due to tariff fears, the drop in activity is likely to be more severe than it would have been otherwise, which Wood sees as a strong signal for tax cuts, deregulation, and lower interest rates.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/cathie-wood-sees-potential-positives-in-trumps-shock-therapy-tariff-policy-3984343

China’s Duality Biotherapeutics surges over 200% in Hong Kong trading debut

 Duality Biotherapeutics Inc (HK:9606), a Shanghai-based biotech firm specializing in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), saw its share price more than triple in its Hong Kong trading debut on Tuesday.

The stock opened at HK$182.20, significantly above the IPO price of HK$94.60, and reached as high as HK$222 on Tuesday.

It was trading at HK$206.80 as of 03:13 GMT.

Duality raised nearly $213 million by selling 17.3 million shares at the bottom of the HK$94.60 to HK$103.2 price range.

The company, established in 2019, has developed a pipeline of internally discovered ADCs, with half currently in clinical trials.

Duality has partnered with BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) on two core ADCs, for endometrial cancer, which is expected to file for accelerated approval by 2025.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/chinasduality-biotherapeutics-surges-over-200-in-hong-kong-trading-debut-3984761

UBS lowers forecast for China 2025 GDP growth to 3.4% on tariff hikes

  UBS has downgraded its China GDP growth forecast to 3.4% for 2025, on the assumption that tariff hikes between it and the United States will remain in place and that Beijing will roll out additional stimulus, it said in a report on Tuesday.

The Swiss investment bank’s previous forecast for China’s growth this year was 4%. It maintained its 2026 forecast at 3%.

The bank also expected China’s exports to the U.S. to fall by two-thirds in the coming quarters and overall Chinese exports to fall by 10% in U.S. dollar terms in 2025, by also factoring in slower American and global economic growth.

"We think some of China’s other trading partners may also raise tariffs on Chinese goods in the coming months, but likely only on specific products and not in similar magnitudes as the U.S. tariffs," it said.

UBS said it was extremely difficult to predict how the tariffs between the U.S. and China could evolve, but said it is still possible that the world’s two largest economies could engage in discussions and negotiations, and for both to "roll off some of the recent tariff hikes in the next month or two".

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/ubs-lowers-forecast-for-china-2025-gdp-growth-to-34-on-tariff-hikes-3984758

Democrats Are Furious As Arizona Plans To Remove 50K Non-Citizens From Voter Rolls

 by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.com,

Another win for election integrity is unfolding in Arizona, where state officials are partnering with DHS to verify voter rolls. Make no mistake about it —this is exactly the kind of action we need to protect our elections from fraud and abuse.

As many as 50,000 non-citizens are expected to be removed from Arizona's voter rolls following a successful lawsuit by America First Legal (AFL) against all 15 Arizona counties. 

“This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans," (AFL) senior counsel James Rogers told Fox News Digital.

As a result of the lawsuit, the 15 counties have now begun working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify the citizenship status of all registered voters in the state who failed to provide proof of citizenship.

While a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prohibits states from imposing voter registration requirements beyond the federal requirement that registrants must check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship, Arizona residents are still required to provide proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

The Arizona law also requires that county recorders perform a monthly list maintenance to confirm the U.S. citizenship of so-called "federal-only voters," a list of nearly 50,000 individuals who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and were not allowed to vote in state or local elections.

Every illegal vote cast effectively cancels out a legitimate vote from an American citizen. But naturally, we can expect Democrats to start screaming about "voter suppression" any minute now.

AFL filed the lawsuit on behalf of EZAZ.org and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen. They argued that counties weren't following state law requiring proof of citizenship for voting in local and state elections, along with monthly checks for non-citizens.

The nearly 50,000 individuals on the "federal-only voters" list failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and were already barred from voting in state or local elections. Obviously, they shouldn't be on the rolls at all. 

But it was the courts that allowed them to be.

Last year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Arizonans to register to vote in federal races without having to prove citizenship. As I said at the time, there is only one reason to allow Arizonans the ability to register to vote without proving citizenship: to let illegals vote. That's why Joe Biden opened up the border, and that's why the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled as it did. Thankfully, Trump won Arizona by a margin greater than any fraud.

While Trump's decisive 187,000-vote victory over Kamala Harris in Arizona wouldn't have been affected by these illegal registrations, 50,000 votes could easily swing a closer race. In fact, many recent congressional and state-level races have been decided by far smaller margins.

Contrary to the claims of the left, requiring proof of citizenship isn't voter suppression; it's common sense. Really, what's so controversial about ensuring only American citizens can vote in American elections? That's cute how Democrats keep insisting that basic election integrity measures somehow discriminate against minorities and women.

The real threat to our democracy isn't voter ID or citizenship verification—it's the erosion of faith in our electoral system. When millions of Americans believe illegal voters are canceling out their votes, that's a recipe for disaster.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/democrats-are-furious-arizona-plans-remove-50k-non-citizens-voter-rolls