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US sanctions Mahan Air’s China network over alleged support for Iran’s IRGC
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US sanctions Mahan Air’s China network over alleged support for Iran’s IRGC

The United States sanctioned two China-based companies and a Chinese executive on Thursday over their alleged support for Iran’s Mahan Air, which Washington described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ “airline of choice” for transporting weapons, military personnel and equipment. The action marked the second consecutive day that Washington targeted mainland China- or Hong Kong-linked busin...

Selection for next UN chief gets underway with Grynspan early front runner
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Selection for next UN chief gets underway with Grynspan early front runner

Rebeca Grynspan, the former vice-president of Costa Rica, emerged as an early front runner to be the next United Nations secretary general on Thursday, as the Security Council began the selection process, with a first “straw poll” held behind closed doors to evaluate support for candidates vying for the role at the embattled world body. Antonio Guterres, the current UN chief, is set to complete hi...

Selection for next UN chief gets underway with first ‘straw poll’
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Selection for next UN chief gets underway with first ‘straw poll’

The United Nations Security Council began the selection process for the next secretary general on Thursday, with a first “straw poll” held behind closed doors to evaluate support for candidates vying for the role at the embattled world body. Antonio Guterres, the current UN chief, is set to complete his second five-year term on the final day of 2026, leaving the high-profile role open for a new le...

US dad who gave gun to high school shooter gets 15 years in prison
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US dad who gave gun to high school shooter gets 15 years in prison

A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray’s sentencing comes days after his son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the September 4, 2024, shooting at the school 70km (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. Colt Gray had pleaded guilt...

Spain and Morocco move to halt deadly rush on Ceuta after 49,000 migrants cross

Spain and Morocco move to halt deadly rush on Ceuta after 49,000 migrants cross

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Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of a Spanish enclave on Friday and appeared to have halted mass crossings, after around 49,000 people arrived by sea and land in a single day, with at least 19 dead bodies found in the water. The mass crossing into Ceuta, a Spanish-held spit jutting into the Mediterranean from Morocco, caused division in Europe, with Italy threatening to suspend ‌the E...

Spain deploys military as migrants surge across Morocco border, enter Ceuta

Spain deploys military as migrants surge across Morocco border, enter Ceuta

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Spain will deploy its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least nine dying in the attempt. The announcement came after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that boiled over Thursday with large crowds of people breachin...

Spain to deploy military, as migrants surge across Morocco border and enter Ceuta

Spain to deploy military, as migrants surge across Morocco border and enter Ceuta

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Spain will deploy its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory. The announcement comes after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that had been building up before boiling over on Thursday with large crowds of people breaching the bo...

Thousands of migrants breach Morocco’s border with Spain’s Ceuta

Thousands of migrants breach Morocco’s border with Spain’s Ceuta

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Thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, prompting local officials to call on Spain to declare a national emergency and send the army to restore the frontier. Spain’s interior ministry said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border, but that the government could not declare a national emergency over m...

Unitree to launch IPO next week as US-China robotics rivalry intensifies

Unitree to launch IPO next week as US-China robotics rivalry intensifies

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Unitree Robotics will launch its initial public offering in Shanghai next week, the firm announced late on Thursday, as China’s robotics start-ups race to go public amid an intense rivalry with their counterparts in the United States. The Hangzhou-based company plans to sell 40.45 million shares, or 10 per cent of its enlarged share capital. After the listing, Unitree founder Wang Xingxing and rel...

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in trade talks between Bessent and He

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in trade talks between Bessent and He

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China on Thursday voiced “serious concern” over recent US economic restrictions during a video call between Vice-Premier He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The exchange took place as both sides sought to finalise economic deliverables ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States in September. “The Chinese side e...

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in senior trade talks

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in senior trade talks

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China on Thursday voiced “serious concern” over recent US economic restrictions during a video call between Vice-Premier He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The exchange took place as both sides sought to finalise economic deliverables ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States in September. “The Chinese side e...

Uefa votes to boycott World Cup if Fifa goes ahead with private investor plan

Uefa votes to boycott World Cup if Fifa goes ahead with private investor plan

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Uefa member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all Fifa competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. “Uefa and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. “Some things are simply too important to sell,” Uefa said in a ...

Uefa to boycott World Cup in protest of Fifa’s private investors plan

Uefa to boycott World Cup in protest of Fifa’s private investors plan

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Uefa member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all Fifa competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. “Uefa and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. “Some things are simply too important to sell,” Uefa said in a ...

UEFA to boycott World Cup in protest of Fifa’s private investors plan

UEFA to boycott World Cup in protest of Fifa’s private investors plan

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UEFA member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all Fifa competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. “Some things are simply too important to sell,” UEFA said in a ...

As Hong Kong ages and life goes digital, Hang Seng’s Silver Academy helps seniors stay active, connected and confident

As Hong Kong ages and life goes digital, Hang Seng’s Silver Academy helps seniors stay active, connected and confident

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In a city that moves fast, it’s easy to miss a quiet reality: many older people are being asked to navigate a digital world that wasn’t built with them in mind. Payments, appointments, investments, even everyday conversations — they increasingly happen through screens, links and unfamiliar prompts. Most seniors adapt impre...

Top US science journals more likely to reject paper by Chinese authors: study

Top US science journals more likely to reject paper by Chinese authors: study

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Researchers based in China or having a Chinese surname were far less likely than their US and Canadian counterparts to have papers published in the world’s most prestigious journals, according to a new study. Just 2.5 per cent of submissions from China-based researchers were accepted, compared with 8.3 per cent overall for those from North America, a team found after analysing a rare dataset of mo...

Transport authorities order probe after crash paralyses traffic on airport link

Transport authorities order probe after crash paralyses traffic on airport link

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Hong Kong transport authorities have ordered the operator of a major road link feeding the airport to explain its handling of an accident that paralysed traffic during evening rush hour, leaving commuters fuming. Traffic between Lantau Island and Kowloon was snarled for more than three hours after a medium goods vehicle overturned following a collision with another vehicle on the Cheung Tsing High...

US scientist Elsa Reichmanis defends global collaboration amid scrutiny of science exchange

US scientist Elsa Reichmanis defends global collaboration amid scrutiny of science exchange

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American materials scientist Elsa Reichmanis, whose pioneering work helped lay part of the foundation for modern semiconductor manufacturing, said scientific collaboration should transcend rivalry after receiving one of China’s highest honours for foreign experts, describing science as “a universal language” that benefits all of society. Reichmanis, a professor of chemical engineering in Lehigh Un...

China’s smart-vacuum giants swept up in US robot ban, hitting top options for Americans

China’s smart-vacuum giants swept up in US robot ban, hitting top options for Americans

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The fallout from Washington’s fresh import ban on foreign robots appears poised to disrupt the American living room, threatening to lock out market-dominating Chinese smart vacuums. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added foreign-produced “advanced robotic devices” to its so-called Covered List on Tuesday, blocking new models from obtaining the equipment authorisation required for US imp...

Could US subterranean warfare be a future threat to China’s military defences?

Could US subterranean warfare be a future threat to China’s military defences?

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The United States could be developing underground warfare powers and China should guard against the potential threat to its national security, Chinese think tanks have warned. As drones and precision-guided weapons increasingly dominate ground combat in conflicts, military theorists are exploring the strategic potential of subterranean space as a possible dimension of future warfare. Palmer Luckey...

Hong Kong must add specialised services to tackle rising youth suicides, NGO says

Hong Kong must add specialised services to tackle rising youth suicides, NGO says

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Hong Kong should integrate specialised intervention services into its youth suicide response strategy, an NGO has said, as the number of minors taking their own lives reached a 10-year high in 2025. Citing the coroners’ report, the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong said on Thursday that 1,019 suicides were recorded last year, equivalent to 13.57 per 100,000 population. This was down from the 10-year...

Parts of northern Hong Kong face highest climate disaster risk, study finds

Parts of northern Hong Kong face highest climate disaster risk, study finds

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Parts of northern Hong Kong face the highest risk of climate-related disasters, a study by the Hong Kong Red Cross has found, with the charity urging the government to take climate resilience planning into account in developing the area. A report released by the charity on Thursday also said that more than 50 per cent of the city faced high-risk threats from two or three types of hazards, such as ...

New images point to fifth prototype for China’s J-36 fighter jet in air power race with US

New images point to fifth prototype for China’s J-36 fighter jet in air power race with US

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Fresh images and footage have emerged of what some observers say may be a fifth prototype of China’s J-36 sixth-generation combat aircraft. If authentic, the images offer new clues about a rapidly evolving design as Beijing races for air superiority in future warfare against rivals such as the United States. The latest footage, circulating since earlier this month, appears to show further changes ...

US economic growth slows in second quarter but domestic demand robust

US economic growth slows in second quarter but domestic demand robust

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US economic growth slowed in the second quarter amid a widening in the trade deficit, but an acceleration in consumer spending and robust business investment in equipment related to the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure pointed to underlying strength. Gross domestic product increased at a 1.5 per cent ‌annualised rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Anal...

John Lee meets business and innovation leaders over Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan

John Lee meets business and innovation leaders over Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan

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Hong Kong’s chief executive has met the business and innovation leaders advising him on the city’s strategic direction as part of drafting the first local five-year plan, with one adviser saying he was “inspired” by the high-powered group’s discussions. Speaking after the string of lunch meetings held over the past three days, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that the members of h...

Hongkong Land acquires Singapore’s Wheelock Place in US$900m deal

Hongkong Land acquires Singapore’s Wheelock Place in US$900m deal

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Hongkong Land will acquire Singapore’s Wheelock Place for about S$1.1 billion (US$900 million) through its Singapore Central Private Real Estate Fund (SCPREF), marking the fund’s first acquisition since its launch in February. The mixed-use commercial property on Orchard Road is being acquired from an entity owned by Hong Kong-listed Wharf Real Estate Investment Company, according to a statement r...

ByteDance’s US$4b projected AI revenue tops China as it restructures office tool Lark

ByteDance’s US$4b projected AI revenue tops China as it restructures office tool Lark

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ByteDance has integrated its enterprise collaboration unit into other teams, a move that sharpens its focus on using artificial intelligence to serve corporate clients as annualised AI revenue of US$4 billion pushes it to the front of the pack in China, according to sources. The Beijing-based company decided to integrate the product team of office tool Lark, known as Feishu domestically, into the ...

Can the West really decouple from China?

Can the West really decouple from China?

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Over the past 10 years, Washington, Brussels and London have made decreasing economic reliance on China a strategic goal. Western economic plans now stress supply-chain resilience, industrial sovereignty, technological leadership and national security. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted weaknesses in global supply networks. Increasing geostrategic tensions, export restrictions and technological riv...

Viagra shows potential against cancer spread

Viagra shows potential against cancer spread

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Best known as Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil started off as a treatment for reduced blood flow but soon saw its value spike after its other effects became clear. The blue pill could have more uses, according to research by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Tel Aviv. The team found indications that it curbs cancer metastasis via a “newly discovered biological mech...