Dying breed: Tunisian dog lovers push to save age-old desert hound

Nemcha, Zina and Zouina, three North African Sloughi hounds, play on the beach in Tunisia where their ancestors have long roamed desert plains, seemingly unaware of the existential threat to their dwindling breed.The Sloughis, known for their speed and slender physique, have for many centuries accompanied nomadic societies across North Africa, and have been featured in art and lore dating back at least to the Roman era.But nowadays breeders and advocates say that unregulated crossbreeding, the decline of nomadic lifestyles and habitat shifts due to urbanisation mean that they might soon disappear.Olfa Abid, who was walking Nemcha, Zina and Zouina along the coast in northern Tunisia’s Ras Angela, said the age-old breed is “part of our heritage, our history”.”We must protect the Sloughi,” said Abid, a 49-year-old veterinarian, her arms wrapped around one of her dogs.Recent years have seen a spike in unregulated crossbreeding, mixing the local Sloughi with other hounds often brought in from abroad to boost its speed for dog races, according to Abid.National kennel club the Tunisian Canine Centre (CCT) has been working to raise awareness and safeguard the breed, including by creating a dedicated registry with a regulated breeding scheme.The organisation’s director Noureddine Ben Chehida said it also seeks to have the Tunisian Sloughi “recognised according to international standards” as a unique breed, under the guidelines of the International Canine Federation, the world’s main dog breed registry.Such recognition would give the local Sloughi population a place on the international stage and help preserve its lineage at home, Ben Chehida said.Also known as Arabian Greyhounds, today the CCT estimates that fewer than 200 pure-bred Sloughis remain in Tunisia.- ‘Noble’ hunters -With their short coats in sandy hues or grey and arched backs, the hounds’ swift gait has earned them a precious spot in Tunisian folklore even as the desert life they once supported gradually vanishes.Historians debate how they first made it to this part of North Africa, but many attribute their arrival to nomadic tribes like the Mrazigs who live in the south of modern-day Tunisia.For centuries, or possibly even millennia, the Sloughis have been vital companions to desert nomads, helping them hunt and guard livestock.”Running like a Sloughi” is still a common saying in Tunisia.”It’s a noble dog that was the pride of its nomadic owners,” said Abid. “It’s a primitive hunter with a purpose when food was scarce.”She said the Sloughi has also had a more privileged standing compared to most dogs that are generally considered impure in Islamic cultures.Unlike other breeds, Sloughis have traditionally been allowed indoors and would even eat beside their owners, said Abid.- Ancestral heritage -In the southern town of Douz, on the edge of the Sahara desert, dog breeder Nabil Marzougui said the “proliferation of hybrid breeds” is putting the Sloughis’ future at risk.”We inherited this dog from our forefathers,” said Marzougui, calling for authorities to intervene to save the Sloughis as well as the ancestral tradition that they embody.The hounds require ample daily exercise, especially where hunting is no longer available or needed.This is why Abid said she had left the city to settle in the quiet coastal village of Ras Angela, on Africa’s northernmost tip, where long stretches of sand serve as an ideal terrain for her three dogs to run around and roam free.Their seaside adventures, which Abid shares on social media, are now followed by thousands of people online.Hatem Bessrour, a 30-year-old agricultural engineer and the proud owner of a Sloughi named Cacahuete, called on fellow dog owners to register their pure-bred hounds with the national canine centre to support its breeding programme.The breed is part Tunisia’s heritage, he said. “We must care for it just like we care for antiquities and archaeological sites.”

Auspicious signs: how the Dalai Lama is identified

Fourteen Dalai Lamas have guided Tibet’s Buddhists for the past six centuries, which believers say are reincarnations of each other, identified in opaque processes ranging from auspicious signs to divination.China says Tibet is an integral part of the country, and many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a rival successor, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950.The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born to a farming family in 1935 and has spent most of his life in exile in India.He has said that if there is a successor, they will come from the “free world” outside China’s control. Here is how previous reincarnations were identified — and what the current Dalai Lama says will happen. – Oracles -With the Dalai Lama turning 90 on July 6, he has said he will consult Tibetan religious traditions and the Tibetan public to see “if there is a consensus that the Dalai Lama institution should continue”.He has said he will “leave clear written instructions” for the future. But he has alternatively suggested his successor could be a girl, or an insect, or that his spirit could transfer or “emanate” to an adult.Responsibility for the recognition lies with the India-based Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.The search and recognition of another leader must be “in accordance with past Tibetan Buddhist tradition”, he said.That includes consulting a protector deity, Palden Lhamo, and the oracle of Dorje Drakden, also known as Nechung, who communicates through a medium in a trance.- Reincarnation recognition -Tibetan Buddhists believe in all reincarnations of the “Bodhisattva of Compassion”, an enlightened being who serves humanity by delaying salvation through another rebirth. All so far have been men or boys, often identified as toddlers and taking up the role only as teenagers.The last identification process was held in 1937.The current Dalai Lama, then aged two, was identified when he passed a test posed by monks by correctly pointing to objects that had belonged to his predecessor.  – Auspicious signs –   Others were revealed by special signs.The year the eighth Dalai Lama was born, in 1758, was marked by bumper harvests and a rainbow that seemingly touched his mother.He was finally identified after trying to sit in a lotus meditation position as a toddler.”Most ordinary beings forget their past lives,” the Dalai Lama wrote in 2011.”We need to use evidence-based logic to prove past and future rebirths to them.”  – Golden urn and dough balls -Divination, including picking names written on paper, has also been used to confirm a candidate is correct.One method conceals the paper inside balls of dough. Another time, the name was plucked from a golden urn.That urn is now held by Beijing, and the current Dalai Lama has warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality”.- Tibet and abroad -Dalai Lamas have come from noble families and nomadic herders.Most were born in central Tibetan regions, one came from Mongolia, and another was born in India.The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in 1682 in Tawang, in India’s northeastern Arunachal Pradesh region.  – Secrecy and disguise –     Past decisions have also been kept secret for years.The Fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso, was born in 1617 and recognised as a toddler.But his discovery was kept hidden for more than two decades due to a “turbulent political situation”, the Dalai Lama’s office says.And, when he died, he told monks to say he was simply on a “long retreat”.When visitors came, an old monk would pose in his place, wearing a “hat and eyeshadow to conceal the fact that he lacked the Dalai Lama’s piercing eyes”.It would take 15 years before his successor was announced.

Iran says no plan for new US nuclear talks, plays down impact of strikes

Iran on Thursday denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of US strikes.The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, but President Donald Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope “for a comprehensive peace agreement”.But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was “speculation” that Tehran would come to the table and said it “should not be taken seriously”.”I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,” he said on state television. “No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.”Araghchi’s denial came as Iranian lawmakers passed a “binding” bill suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.In a televised speech — his first appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel — Khamenei hailed what he described as Iran’s “victory” over Israel, vowed never to yield to US pressure and insisted Washington had been dealt a humiliating “slap”.”The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” Khamenei said, rejecting US claims Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades.The strikes, he insisted, had done “nothing significant” to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Araghchi, for his part, called the damage “serious” and said a detailed assessment was under way.Trump said key facilities, including the underground Fordo uranium enrichment site, had been “obliterated” by American B-2 bombers.Doubts remain about whether Iran quietly removed some 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds) of enriched uranium from its most sensitive sites before the strikes — potentially hiding nuclear material elsewhere in the country.But posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump dismissed such speculation, saying: “Nothing was taken out… too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!”He added that satellite images showed trucks at the site only because Iranian crews were attempting to shield the facility with concrete.Khamenei dismissed such claims, saying “the Islamic republic won, and in retaliation dealt a severe slap to the face of America”.Both sides have claimed victory: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “historic win”, while Khamenei said Iran’s missile retaliation had brought Israel to the brink of collapse.- US defence -In Washington, the true impact of the strikes has sparked sharp political and intelligence debates.A leaked classified assessment suggested the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme may be less severe than initially claimed — possibly delaying progress by only a few months.That contrasts with statements from senior US officials.CIA Director John Ratcliffe said several facilities would need to be “rebuilt over the course of years”.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth accused the media of misrepresenting the operation.He said the United States used massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Fordo and another underground site, while submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles targeted a third facility.”President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating — choose your word — obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth said.- Netanyahu says Iran ‘thwarted’ -Following waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since mid-June — the deadliest between the two countries to date — the US bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities.Initial intelligence reports, first revealed by CNN, suggested the strikes did not destroy critical components and delayed Iran’s nuclear programme only by months.The Israeli military said Iran’s nuclear sites had taken a “significant” blow, but cautioned it was “still early” to fully assess the damage.Netanyahu said Israel had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project”, warning any attempt by Iran to rebuild it would be met with the same determination and intensity.Iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear weapon while defending its “legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic energy.It has also said it is willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.French President Emmanuel Macron told journalist after an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday that US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were “genuinely effective”.But Macron said that the “worst-case scenario” would be if Tehran now exits the global non-proliferation treaty that is meant to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran’s health ministry said.Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.burs-kir/dv/phz/jhb/stu

Japon: exécution du “tueur de Twitter”, condamné pour neuf meurtres

Un condamné à mort, surnommé le “tueur de Twitter”, a été exécuté par pendaison vendredi au Japon, première application de la peine capitale depuis juillet 2022 dans le pays, pour celui qui avait assassiné et démembré neuf personnes rencontrées en ligne.Takahiro Shiraishi, 34 ans, a été pendu pour avoir tué neuf personnes, dont huit femmes, après les avoir contactées via le réseau social désormais appelé X.L’homme visait les internautes qui évoquaient des projets suicidaires en ligne en leur disant qu’il pouvait les aider, et même mourir à leurs côtés. Le ministre de la Justice, Keisuke Suzuki, a précisé vendredi lors d’une conférence de presse à Tokyo, que les crimes de M. Shiraishi, commis en 2017, incluaient notamment “vol, viol, meurtre…destruction et abandon de cadavre”.”Les neuf victimes ont été battues et étranglées, tuées, volées, puis mutilées. Des parties de leurs corps ont été dissimulées dans des boîtes, d’autres jetées dans une décharge”, a expliqué M. Suzuki.Selon lui, l’assassin a agi “pour satisfaire égoïstement ses désirs sexuels et financiers”, par des meurtres qui ont “profondément choqué et inquiété la société”.”Après une réflexion approfondie, j’ai ordonné son exécution”, a-t-il conclu.- Maison des horreurs -Après les avoir attirées dans son petit appartement de Zama, dans la grande banlieue sud-ouest de Tokyo, Shiraishi avait tué ses victimes et démembré les cadavres. Le 31 octobre 2017, la police avait découvert chez lui une véritable maison des horreurs: 240 morceaux de restes humains cachés dans des glacières et des boîtes à outils, saupoudrés de litière pour chat pour tenter de masquer les odeurs de putréfaction.Ciseaux, couteaux, une scie et divers outils de menuiserie avaient été retrouvés à son domicile.La police l’avait finalement arrêté alors qu’elle enquêtait sur la disparition d’une jeune femme de 23 ans, dont le frère avait pu se connecter à son compte Twitter. Il avait remarqué sur la plateforme des échanges avec un compte suspect. Lequel s’était avéré être l’un de ceux qu’utilisait M. Shiraishi pour se présenter comme un “bourreau professionnel”.Il avait été condamné à mort en 2020 pour les meurtres de ses neuf victimes, âgées de 15 à 26 ans.Lors du procès, ses avocats avaient plaidé pour la perpétuité, estimant que ses victimes avaient exprimé des pensées suicidaires sur les réseaux sociaux, et avaient ainsi consenti à leur mort.Le tribunal n’avait pas retenu cet argument, jugeant que l’affaire a “provoqué une grande anxiété dans la société”, et l’avait ainsi condamné à la peine de mort par pendaison, seule pratique utilisée au Japon pour la peine capitale. Il avait renoncé à faire appel.”La dignité des victimes a été piétinée”, avait déclaré le magistrat, ajoutant que M. Shiraishi s’en était pris à des personnes “psychologiquement fragiles”.- Environ 100 condamnés à mort -Cette affaire avait choqué le Japon, pays où le taux de criminalité est très faible, et avait également eu un fort retentissement à l’international.L’affaire du “tueur de Twitter”, comme la presse nippone l’avait surnommé, avait ravivé au Japon des débats sur le contrôle des réseaux sociaux ainsi que sur le suicide et sa prévention. Le Japon a le plus fort taux de suicide parmi les pays industrialisés du G7.Environ 100 prisonniers condamnés à mort attendent actuellement l’exécution de leur peine et parmi eux 49 ont demandé un nouveau procès, a précisé vendredi le ministre Keisuke Suzuki.La loi japonaise stipule que les exécutions doivent avoir lieu dans un délai de six mois après l’épuisement de toutes les voies de recours.Dans les faits, les condamnés restent souvent des années, voire des décennies, dans l’attente de leur exécution, dans des conditions d’isolement strict.Le Japon et les Etats-Unis sont les seuls pays du G7, à appliquer la peine de mort, habituellement pour des personnes condamnées pour de multiples homicides.Les autorités justifient son maintien par le soutien dont elle jouit parmi la population, malgré les critiques venues de l’étranger, en particulier des organisations de défense des droits humains.La dernière exécution au Japon remontait à juillet 2022, avec la pendaison de Tomohiro Kato, condamné pour avoir tué sept personnes en 2008 à Akihabara en fonçant sur la foule avec un camion avant de poignarder des passants.

Japon: exécution du “tueur de Twitter”, condamné pour neuf meurtres

Un condamné à mort, surnommé le “tueur de Twitter”, a été exécuté par pendaison vendredi au Japon, première application de la peine capitale depuis juillet 2022 dans le pays, pour celui qui avait assassiné et démembré neuf personnes rencontrées en ligne.Takahiro Shiraishi, 34 ans, a été pendu pour avoir tué neuf personnes, dont huit femmes, après les avoir contactées via le réseau social désormais appelé X.L’homme visait les internautes qui évoquaient des projets suicidaires en ligne en leur disant qu’il pouvait les aider, et même mourir à leurs côtés. Le ministre de la Justice, Keisuke Suzuki, a précisé vendredi lors d’une conférence de presse à Tokyo, que les crimes de M. Shiraishi, commis en 2017, incluaient notamment “vol, viol, meurtre…destruction et abandon de cadavre”.”Les neuf victimes ont été battues et étranglées, tuées, volées, puis mutilées. Des parties de leurs corps ont été dissimulées dans des boîtes, d’autres jetées dans une décharge”, a expliqué M. Suzuki.Selon lui, l’assassin a agi “pour satisfaire égoïstement ses désirs sexuels et financiers”, par des meurtres qui ont “profondément choqué et inquiété la société”.”Après une réflexion approfondie, j’ai ordonné son exécution”, a-t-il conclu.- Maison des horreurs -Après les avoir attirées dans son petit appartement de Zama, dans la grande banlieue sud-ouest de Tokyo, Shiraishi avait tué ses victimes et démembré les cadavres. Le 31 octobre 2017, la police avait découvert chez lui une véritable maison des horreurs: 240 morceaux de restes humains cachés dans des glacières et des boîtes à outils, saupoudrés de litière pour chat pour tenter de masquer les odeurs de putréfaction.Ciseaux, couteaux, une scie et divers outils de menuiserie avaient été retrouvés à son domicile.La police l’avait finalement arrêté alors qu’elle enquêtait sur la disparition d’une jeune femme de 23 ans, dont le frère avait pu se connecter à son compte Twitter. Il avait remarqué sur la plateforme des échanges avec un compte suspect. Lequel s’était avéré être l’un de ceux qu’utilisait M. Shiraishi pour se présenter comme un “bourreau professionnel”.Il avait été condamné à mort en 2020 pour les meurtres de ses neuf victimes, âgées de 15 à 26 ans.Lors du procès, ses avocats avaient plaidé pour la perpétuité, estimant que ses victimes avaient exprimé des pensées suicidaires sur les réseaux sociaux, et avaient ainsi consenti à leur mort.Le tribunal n’avait pas retenu cet argument, jugeant que l’affaire a “provoqué une grande anxiété dans la société”, et l’avait ainsi condamné à la peine de mort par pendaison, seule pratique utilisée au Japon pour la peine capitale. Il avait renoncé à faire appel.”La dignité des victimes a été piétinée”, avait déclaré le magistrat, ajoutant que M. Shiraishi s’en était pris à des personnes “psychologiquement fragiles”.- Environ 100 condamnés à mort -Cette affaire avait choqué le Japon, pays où le taux de criminalité est très faible, et avait également eu un fort retentissement à l’international.L’affaire du “tueur de Twitter”, comme la presse nippone l’avait surnommé, avait ravivé au Japon des débats sur le contrôle des réseaux sociaux ainsi que sur le suicide et sa prévention. Le Japon a le plus fort taux de suicide parmi les pays industrialisés du G7.Environ 100 prisonniers condamnés à mort attendent actuellement l’exécution de leur peine et parmi eux 49 ont demandé un nouveau procès, a précisé vendredi le ministre Keisuke Suzuki.La loi japonaise stipule que les exécutions doivent avoir lieu dans un délai de six mois après l’épuisement de toutes les voies de recours.Dans les faits, les condamnés restent souvent des années, voire des décennies, dans l’attente de leur exécution, dans des conditions d’isolement strict.Le Japon et les Etats-Unis sont les seuls pays du G7, à appliquer la peine de mort, habituellement pour des personnes condamnées pour de multiples homicides.Les autorités justifient son maintien par le soutien dont elle jouit parmi la population, malgré les critiques venues de l’étranger, en particulier des organisations de défense des droits humains.La dernière exécution au Japon remontait à juillet 2022, avec la pendaison de Tomohiro Kato, condamné pour avoir tué sept personnes en 2008 à Akihabara en fonçant sur la foule avec un camion avant de poignarder des passants.

Bezos, Sanchez to say ‘I do’ in Venice

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are expected to tie the knot Friday at a sumptuous, secluded ceremony attended by celebrity friends on an island in Venice’s lagoon.The tech magnate, 61, and his fiancee, 55, kicked off a three-day wedding celebration Thursday with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.But Bezos — one of the world’s richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers — is different.And the festivities have sparked protests from environmentalists and locals who accuse authorities of pandering to the super rich while the city drowns under tourists.Bezos and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge.They will exchange vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, according to Italian media reports.The wedding itself is expected to take place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from St Mark’s Square.The newlyweds will then be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, the son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the reports said.Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.Italian designer Domenico Dolce — half of the duo Dolce & Gabbana — was seen leaving the Aman hotel on Thursday, possibly following a fitting.- ‘Enchanted’ -Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan’s Queen Rania, US football player Tom Brady, American fashion designer Spencer Antle, singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump — the daughter of US President Donald Trump.The guests reportedly lunched together Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista.The celebrations are set to end Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse.Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto’s regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans.Venice’s oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century “fishermen’s biscuits” for party bags which will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass.Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner.”They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass,” Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had had a go at blowing their own.Some locals say the A-list guests and their entourages bring good business but critics have accused billionaire Bezos of using the UNESCO site as his personal playground.And environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets bringing the rich and famous to the canal city.At least 95 private planes requested permission to land at Venice’s Marco Polo airport for the wedding, the Corriere della Sera said.

Stocks climb, dollar holds on trade hopes and rate bets

Asian markets rose Friday on fresh trade hopes and the dollar held around three-year lows amid bets of cuts to US interest rate cuts. Easing concerns about Middle East tensions also added to the upbeat mood.With the Israel-Iran ceasefire holding for now, investors were able to turn their attention back to the economy and Donald Trump’s tariffs as a deadline for countries to strike deals with Washington approaches.Bets on a Federal Reserve rate cut jumped this week after the US president said he had candidates in mind to succeed boss Jerome Powell when he leaves next year, with reports saying he would make an announcement as early as September.That was followed Thursday by data showing the world’s top economy contracted more than previously estimated in the first quarter and consumer spending grew less than expected.Traders are now fully expecting two rate cuts this year, while there was a pick-up in bets on a third, according to Bloomberg News.Powell, who has faced pressure from Trump to move sooner, appeared to take a dovish turn in a deposition to lawmakers this week, while several other Fed officials have also hinted at a softer approach.All three main indexes on Wall Street rallied, with the Nasdaq hitting a record high and the S&P 500 within a whisker of a new closing peak.The buying continued into Asia, with Tokyo rallying more than one percent to break 40,000 for the first time since January, while Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Singapore were also well up.The prospect of lower borrowing costs sent the Dollar Index, which compares the greenback to a basket of major currencies, to its lowest level since March 2022. And while it edged slightly higher Friday it remained under pressure.Trade war worries were also soothed slightly Thursday after the White House said Trump could extend his deadline for agreeing deals to avert painful tariffs.The president announced a swathe of levies on trading partners at the start of April but quickly said he would pause them until July 9 to allow for talks but few agreements have been reached so far.When asked if there would be another delay, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “Perhaps it could be extended, but that’s a decision for the president to make.”The deadline is not critical.”The president can simply provide these countries with a deal if they refuse to make us one by the deadline.”This means Trump can “pick a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is advantageous for the United States”, she added.The administration also signalled progress on trade with China, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they had “signed and sealed” an understanding reached in Geneva last month.Those talks saw the two slash eye-watering tit-for-tat tariffs and address other key issues including China’s export of rare earths used in smartphones and electric vehicles, while Beijing was keen to see an easing of restrictions on its access to tech goods.In company news, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi soared eight percent to a record high in Hong Kong as it enjoyed strong early orders for its latest sports utility vehicle, its second foray into the competitive electric vehicle market.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.6 percent at 40,215.36 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 24,393.49Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,452.71Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1702 from $1.1701 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3738 from $1.3725Dollar/yen: DOWN at 144.34 yen from 144.44 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 85.18 pence from 85.22 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $65.57 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $68.08 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.9 percent at 43,386.84 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,735.60 (close)