Hong Kong, Tokyo stocks rally despite negative sentiment over Middle East conflict

Hong Kong and Tokyo stocks rallied Monday as investors looked past Middle East tensions, drawing optimism from a renewable energy surge and a tech sector rebound, according to a market analyst.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index was up 0.77 percent to close at 26,361.07 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.61 percent to end at 8,899.06 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index rose 0.46 percent to end at 5,065.63 points.

Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network (CGTN), recapped the market performances.

"Things looked fairly decent around the region. Hong Kong's Hang Seng recovered some of Friday's losses to gain three quarters of one percent. Solar stocks performed well today. We are seeing hope of global energy flows returning to something we might recognize as normal - those have seemed pretty vanishingly small at this moment. Xinyi Solar was therefore the biggest gainer on the Hang Seng, adding 6.2 percent," said Pope.

"Elsewhere, we saw Orient Securities as another notable today, initially adding a really hefty 6.8 percent after announcing that it's going to buy rival Shanghai Securities. Reports suggest that this would really move the company up a division into a new weight class, making it one of the country's top 10 brokerages. Orient didn't say how much it's going to pay for Shanghai Securities. It's buying 100 percent of the company. But the brokerage couldn't hold on to its share gains today in Hong Kong, actually ending the session slightly lower, while its Shanghai-listed shares were suspended from trade today for that announcement," he said.

Tokyo stocks also closed higher on Monday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, up 348.99 points, or 0.60 percent, from Friday to end at 58,824.89 points.

"Over in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.6 percent. It inched back towards its latest record high. AI stocks and tech stocks generally on the Nikkei reversed course today after Friday's losses. We saw SoftBank Group adding 5.5 percent. It was one of the biggest notable decliners on Friday. But the global markets and Asia generally are definitely still riding that roller coaster of current events, and in particular, the war in Iran," said Pope.

Hong Kong, Tokyo stocks rally despite negative sentiment over Middle East conflict

A local villager has captured rare footage of a wild giant panda roaming freely on a hillside in southwest China's Sichuan Province, with the creature spotted strolling by a nearby building.

In the clip shot by a local resident in Pingwu County of Mianyang City on May 8, the wild giant panda appears to be quietly going about its business as it slowly climbs a hillside with a calm and unhurried gait.

Many netizens raised questions after seeing the footage online, prompting an expert to share insights about the panda and offer some safety precautions.

Tu Zhengbin, deputy head of the Wildlife Protection Section of Forestry and Grassland Bureau in Pingwu County, explained why the panda is likely to have appeared at this location and detailed its physical condition.

"From the video, there is a reservoir nearby. It may have come down to drink some water. Based on the panda's size and its fur, we can basically determine that it is an adult giant panda. Moreover, you can see that the panda is walking rather briskly, indicating that it is in quite good health," said Tu.

Pingwu is one of the areas with the highest concentration of wild giant pandas in China, with more than 52 percent of the county's land area being designated as part of the Giant Panda National Park.

In recent years, local authorities have continued to capture numerous images of wild giant pandas using unobtrusive scientific monitoring methods such as infrared cameras.

The frequency of wild giant pandas coming down from the mountains and wandering into human-inhabited areas has also notably increased.

With this in mind, Tu also emphasized that proper safety measures should be taken when encountering a wild giant panda.

"If we encounter a giant panda in the wild, the first thing to do is to stay away from it. The second is to not make any loud noises. This way, we can both protect the giant panda and ensure our own safety," he said.

The number of wild giant pandas in China has risen from around 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 today, with the steady increase being largely down to the comprehensive conservation efforts undertaken in recent years.

Rare sighting as wild giant panda spotted strolling on hillside in southwest China