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US Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions for midterms
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US Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions for midterms

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail ballots for the midterm elections, capping a flurry of last-minute legal action with voting already under way. The decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they’ve used for years. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented from the brief order. The Tru...

Iceland’s whaling ban plan threatens to leave Japan alone in defending industry
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Iceland’s whaling ban plan threatens to leave Japan alone in defending industry

Iceland’s move towards a whaling ban could leave Japan more exposed than ever as it defends an industry critics say relies on public money, political symbolism and a shrinking domestic appetite for whale meat. The Icelandic government has announced plans to submit a bill early next year to end whaling – a step that would leave Japan and Norway as the world’s only two nations still carrying out com...

China targets offshore operations of brokerages in crackdown on pay loopholes, corruption
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China targets offshore operations of brokerages in crackdown on pay loopholes, corruption

China’s securities regulator and its industry body are moving to close compensation loopholes for brokerage management and staff, extending anti-corruption oversight to overseas operations for the first time, as Beijing pushes the sector to build world-class investment banks. The Securities Association of China, a self-regulatory body under the supervision of the regulator, recently sent brokerage...

Ukraine says ready for ‘de-escalatory steps’ if Russia does same
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Ukraine says ready for ‘de-escalatory steps’ if Russia does same

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine was ready to de-escalate the war with Russia if its rival did the same, after US President Donald Trump announced that the foes had agreed to end strikes on energy targets. With international oil prices climbing again, Trump had at the weekend berated Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, blaming them for causing a shortage in diesel fuel...

Zelensky says Ukraine is ready for ‘de-escalatory steps’ if Russia does the same

Zelensky says Ukraine is ready for ‘de-escalatory steps’ if Russia does the same

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President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine was ready to de-escalate the war with Russia if its rival did the same, after US President Donald Trump announced that the foes had agreed to end strikes on energy targets. With international oil prices climbing again, Trump had at the weekend berated Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, blaming them for causing a shortage in diesel fuel...

Huawei’s US trial puts jury to the test amid China, Iran links

Huawei’s US trial puts jury to the test amid China, Iran links

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The unique circumstances surrounding Huawei Technologies’ landmark trial in a US court made jury selection especially important to ensuring a fair trial for the Chinese tech giant, according to US litigation experts. Known as voir dire, the process allows the presiding judge and two legal teams to question prospective jurors before the trial begins to identify possible bias and conflicts that coul...

Iran says tanker exploded in Strait of Hormuz as US rejects account

Iran says tanker exploded in Strait of Hormuz as US rejects account

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said late on Monday that an oil tanker had struck a sea mine and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker El Gaia was travelling along the southern route through the strait, which was mined by Iran, state broadcaster IRIB reported, citing the IRGC. The entire vessel went up in flames following the detonation of the mine, it said. The US military ...

Oil tanker has exploded in Strait of Hormuz, says Iran’s IRGC

Oil tanker has exploded in Strait of Hormuz, says Iran’s IRGC

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said late on Monday that an oil tanker had struck a sea mine and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker El Gaia was travelling along the southern route through the strait, which was mined by Iran, state broadcaster IRIB reported, citing the IRGC. The entire vessel went up in flames following the detonation of the mine, it said. The US military ...

Beijing threatens ‘serious consequences’ after Panama lawmakers support Taiwan

Beijing threatens ‘serious consequences’ after Panama lawmakers support Taiwan

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China has warned Panama of “serious consequences” after most of the country’s lawmakers set up a parliamentary exchange group with Taiwan, defying pressure from Beijing’s embassy and a public disavowal by their own president. The warning came from foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who said on Monday that the group seriously violated the one-China principle upheld by Panama and urged what he c...

The classic Chinese parenting playbook won’t survive the AI age

The classic Chinese parenting playbook won’t survive the AI age

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Like many Hong Kong parents, Ms Ng spends her weekend shuttling her eight-year-old son from one tutoring class to another across the city, hoping to strengthen his academic performance. Across Chinese communities worldwide, parents travel the same journey, investing time, money and energy. But as we enter the age of artificial intelligence, we must ask if such striving is still worthwhile. Industr...

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says

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The United States has weapons deployed in space, the US Space Force said on Monday, confirming the presence of such capabilities in orbit for the first time. “The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” a US Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that did not provide specifics on the weapons. “Space control encapsulates th...

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says, for ‘offensive and defensive’ use

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says, for ‘offensive and defensive’ use

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The United States has weapons deployed in space, the US Space Force said on Monday, confirming the presence of such capabilities in orbit for the first time. “The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” a US Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that did not provide specifics on the weapons. “Space control encapsulates th...

Prince Harry’s children changing schools over security concerns

Prince Harry’s children changing schools over security concerns

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The children of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife ⁠Meghan are to swap ⁠schools after just two days because of ⁠concerns over the security of transporting them, the couple’s spokesperson said on Monday. Last month Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and his family relocated to Britain after six years of living in California, with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, starting ‌school in ...

Prince Harry’s children moving to new school after just 2 days over security concerns

Prince Harry’s children moving to new school after just 2 days over security concerns

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The children of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife ⁠Meghan are to swap ⁠schools after just two days because of ⁠concerns over the security of transporting them, the couple’s spokesperson said on Monday. Last month Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and his family relocated to Britain after six years of living in California, with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, starting ‌sch...

UN Security Council to meet on AI threat as rights chief warns of ‘unprecedented risks’

UN Security Council to meet on AI threat as rights chief warns of ‘unprecedented risks’

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The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on artificial intelligence next week amid growing international concern over the threat from the fast moving technology, a French diplomatic source said on Monday. The meeting would be held during the United Nations General Assembly when a host of world leaders are at the UN headquarters in New York and France holds the rotating presidency of the Securit...

UN Security Council to hold meeting on AI amid international concern

UN Security Council to hold meeting on AI amid international concern

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The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on artificial intelligence next week amid growing international concern over the threat from the fast-moving technology, a French diplomatic source said on Monday. The meeting would be held during the United Nations General Assembly when a host of world leaders are at the UN headquarters in New York and France holds the rotating presidency of the securit...

UN Security Council to hold meeting on AI next week amid international concern

UN Security Council to hold meeting on AI next week amid international concern

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The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on artificial intelligence next week amid growing international concern over the threat from the fast-moving technology, a French diplomatic source said on Monday. The meeting would be held during the United Nations General Assembly when a host of world leaders are at the UN headquarters in New York and France holds the rotating presidency of the securit...

Famed ‘Designer to the Stars’ Bob Mackie dead at 87

Famed ‘Designer to the Stars’ Bob Mackie dead at 87

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Bob Mackie, the fashion designer whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s – including putting Carol Burnett in some of her kookiest get-ups and Cher in her raciest ones – died on Monday. He was 87. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” read a statement on his social me...

Bob Mackie, who dressed stars from Cher to Whoopi Goldberg and Pink, dies at 87

Bob Mackie, who dressed stars from Cher to Whoopi Goldberg and Pink, dies at 87

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Bob Mackie, the fashion designer whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s – including putting Carol Burnett in some of her kookiest get-ups and Cher in her raciest ones – died on Monday. He was 87. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” read a statement on his social me...

Israeli army chief orders legal review of award-winning Gaza war film NAZA

Israeli army chief orders legal review of award-winning Gaza war film NAZA

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Israel’s top military officer on Monday ordered lawyers to examine steps against the filmmakers behind the Gaza war documentary NAZA that took the jury’s special prize at the Venice Film Festival. Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir instructed the military prosecutor to “examine and advance possible legal measures concerning the film and those involved in it”, the military posted on social media...

Israeli army chief orders legal review of Gaza war documentary NAZA

Israeli army chief orders legal review of Gaza war documentary NAZA

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Israel’s top military officer on Monday ordered lawyers to examine steps against the filmmakers behind the Gaza war documentary NAZA that took the jury’s special prize at the Venice Film Festival. Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir instructed the military prosecutor to “examine and advance possible legal measures concerning the film and those involved in it”, the military posted on social media...

Trump Jnr confirms Russian businessman paid for post-wedding parties

Trump Jnr confirms Russian businessman paid for post-wedding parties

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A Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin paid for celebrations after the wedding of President Donald Trump’s eldest son and his new bride, the couple confirmed on Monday. Donald Trump Jnr and Bettina Trump said in a jointly signed post on Bettina’s Instagram account that their “dear friend” Umar Kremlev “very generously hosted two incredible nights” of festivities in the Bahamas in May. The ...

Trump Jnr’s wife says Russian oligarch paid for nuptial parties but not the actual wedding

Trump Jnr’s wife says Russian oligarch paid for nuptial parties but not the actual wedding

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US President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law said a Russian oligarch paid for “two incredible nights of celebration” in the Bahamas after her wedding to Donald Trump Jnr but was not involved in the actual nuptials, amid fresh ethics questions involving the first family. The couple had a private marriage ceremony on a Friday in May, Bettina Trump wrote in an Instagram post, and then a celebration th...

UK’s unity threatened by pact between Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

UK’s unity threatened by pact between Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

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The leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland signed a pact on Monday that threatens to lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom. The first ministers of the three semi-autonomous regions of the UK told Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his government to prepare for constitutional change and that their future lies with the European Union. “For people watching across these islands – for people...

British man admits drugging, raping wife over more than 2 decades

British man admits drugging, raping wife over more than 2 decades

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A British man on ⁠Monday admitted repeatedly drugging and raping his wife at their home over more than two decades, shortly before his trial was about to begin. The man – from northern England who ‌is in his 60s but cannot be named as it would identify his wife who is entitled to lifelong anonymity – pleaded guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to 45 charges, having previously admitted...

British man admits drugging and raping wife over more than 2 decades

British man admits drugging and raping wife over more than 2 decades

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A British man on ⁠Monday admitted ⁠repeatedly drugging and ⁠raping his wife at their home over more than two decades, just before his trial was about to begin. The man - from northern England ‌who is in his 60s but cannot be named as it would identify his wife who is entitled to lifelong anonymity – pleaded guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to 45 charges, having ⁠previously admitted...

German intelligence report warns of rising Chinese, Russian spy threat

German intelligence report warns of rising Chinese, Russian spy threat

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Germany’s military counter-intelligence agency, known as MAD, has warned of a growing threat from hybrid attacks and the use of recruited contract agents, or low-level agents, saying Germany is a “prioritised target of Russian espionage activities”. According to the agency’s annual report released on Monday, it cited Germany’s geostrategic position in Europe and Nato the expansion of the Bundesweh...

HKMU powers ahead with new Shenzhen Research Institute

HKMU powers ahead with new Shenzhen Research Institute

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is strengthening its research footprint in the Greater Bay Area with the establishment of its Shenzhen Research Institute, a platform designed to help bridge industry, academia and research and translate research into real-world impact. Prof. Ricky Kwok Yu-kwong, Vice President (Res...

Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’ against AI, says he is only guardrail needed

Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’ against AI, says he is only guardrail needed

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US President Donald Trump downplayed growing concerns about artificial intelligence on Monday, claiming America already has guardrails to regulate the industry and warning that casting doubt on development only benefits China. “The only control or ‘guardrails’ ‌that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump wrote on social media. “We already ha...