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US President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance wrapped up the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention on Thursday night with promises of an America “greater than ever before”, aiming to secure crucial swing voters ahead of November’s battle for Congress. “You got to get out and vote, and you got to pretend I’m on the ballot,” Trump said, while also getting the crowd at the Dallas...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Beijing tells Manila to ‘stop lying’ after minister exposes South China Sea note China has accused Philippine officials of “grandstand...
The Chinese military appeared to fire flares near a Philippine aircraft operating close to the Subi and Mischief reefs, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), as tensions continue to spread to other South China Sea hotspots. The coastguard released video clips on Thursday of footage that it said had been filmed from the aircraft on Monday. PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said on social media th...
The Chinese military appeared to fire flares near a Philippine aircraft operating close to the Subi and Mischief Reefs, according to the Philippines’ coastguard, as tensions continue to spread to other South China Sea hotspots. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) released video clips on Thursday of footage which it said had been filmed from the aircraft on Monday. PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said on s...
Hong Kong police have arrested two tourists at the airport on suspicion of criminal damage after they allegedly broke into an MTR Corporation depot in Chai Wan and spray-painted graffiti on the exterior of two carriages. The force said on Thursday evening that it had received a report at about 2pm the previous day that the two men had forced their way into the depot by cutting sections of barbed w...
India’s proposal to put health warning labels on some food products has sparked a nationwide debate over how the country came to rely on cheap packaged food while companies sold more nutritious versions of the same brands in other markets. With an income per household well below the global average, Indians are keen consumers of cheap food products such as Nestlé-owned Maggi instant noodles and Co...
Kazakhstan’s businesses should prioritise long-term fundraising ambitions rather than quick wins in the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets, the managing director of the Central Asian country’s sovereign wealth fund has said. Saltanat Satzhan, managing director for development and privatisation at sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, said she also aimed to have state-owned rail operator Kazakhs...
Kazakhstan’s businesses should prioritise long-term fundraising ambitions rather than quick wins in the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese markets, the managing director of the Central Asian country’s sovereign wealth fund has said. Saltanat Satzhan, managing director for development and privatisation at sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, said she also aimed to list state-owned rail operator Kazakhs...
At a market in Bangkok, stallholders say they had no idea initially about a boxy structure covered in gunmetal grey panels that was quickly built and installed opposite their stalls. According to them, nauseating oil began to waft through the area, where a hospital is also located, several months ago along Rama XI, an arterial road in the heart of the Thai capital, prompting complaints that led to...
Israel said Thursday it demolished key tunnels built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, triggering a 4.1 magnitude tremor. Agence France-Presse journalists in the area heard several explosions. In a video shared by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a huge fireball can be seen rising into the night sky. The explosion comes a few days...
Israel said Thursday it demolished key tunnels built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, triggering a 4.1 magnitude tremor. Agence France-Presse journalists in the area heard several explosions. In a video shared by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a huge fireball can be seen rising into the night sky. The explosion comes a few days...
Yuen Kee Food Group, the owner of well-known restaurant brand Yuen Kee Dumpling, has cleared its listing hearing with the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), aiming to raise between HK$300 million (US$38.3 million) and HK$400 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The conclusion of the hearing marked its initial public offering (IPO) plan entering its final stage, and the comp...
A chilling new documentary about Israel’s AI-powered mass killing of civilians in Gaza from two Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers received a 25-minute ovation at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. The audience clapped continuously for Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after the screening, setting what is thought to be a record in Venice after a 23-minute ovation for another film abou...
Three former leaders of the now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have been sentenced to up to seven years and three months in jail under the national security law for inciting subversion by calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China. Three High Court judges on Friday also ordered the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Move...
Three former leaders of the now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have been sentenced to up to seven years and three months in jail under the national security law for inciting subversion by calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China. Three High Court judges on Friday also ordered the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Move...
Three former leaders of the now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have been sentenced to up to seven years and three months in jail under the national security law for inciting subversion by calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China. Three High Court judges on Friday also imposed a HK$1.5 million fine on the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of ...
In the second of our series of previews on the five-year plan and policy address, to be announced on September 16, Elizabeth Cheung and Vivian Au drill down on what’s holding back the Northern Metropolis. Read part one here. For employees of surgical robotics company Yuanhua Tech, travelling between their Shenzhen base in Nanshan district and its Hong Kong office in the Science Park means a two-ho...
This article was first published on September 12, 2001. America’s nightmare by Greg Torode in Washington President George W. Bush this morning (September 12, 2001) told the United States that thousands had lost their lives after two hijacked airliners destroyed New York’s World Trade Centre and another smashed into the Pentagon in the most brutal terrorist attacks in the nation’s history. Mr Bush,...
A survey of potential Chinese-American voters suggests a significant gender gap in party affiliation as well as a high level of willingness to vote across party lines, according to results released on Thursday. The data – from the Committee of 100 (C100), a civic group of prominent Chinese-Americans, and a University of Chicago polling firm – challenges the common perception that these citizens fo...
A survey of potential Chinese-American voters suggests a significant gender gap in party affiliation as well as a high level of willingness to vote across party lines, according to results released on Thursday. The data – from the Committee of 100 (C100), a civic group of prominent Chinese-Americans, and a University of Chicago polling firm – challenges the common perception that these citizens fo...
Japan’s hugely popular Sapporo Snow Festival is shifting its focus towards protecting the environment and sustainability, with a climate expert warning that global warming and reduced snowfall across Hokkaido will make it increasingly difficult to stage the event. In August, organisers unveiled a new logo, official mascot and revised concept for the 77th snow festival, an eight-day event running f...
Enflame Technology, one of the major challengers to Nvidia in China, saw its share price surge 179 per cent in its Shanghai trading debut on Friday, giving the Tencent Holdings-backed artificial intelligence chipmaker a market capitalisation of 170.9 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion). The Shanghai-based company opened at 410 yuan, up from its issue price of 142.18 yuan. It surged as much as 234 per c...
Enflame Technology, one of the major challengers to Nvidia in China, saw its share price surge 188 per cent in its Shanghai trading debut on Friday, giving the Tencent Holdings-backed artificial intelligence chipmaker a market capitalisation of 176.4 billion yuan (US$26.3 million). The Shanghai-based company opened at 410 yuan, up from its issue price of 142.18 yuan. The performance reflects conti...
Foreign carmakers have been slashing the prices of petrol-powered cars they make in China by more than 20 per cent to survive in a cutthroat market amid weakening consumer demand. Last month, big international marques including Volkswagen and Toyota offered average discounts of 23.4 per cent on cars powered by internal combustion engines, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association ...
A 106-year-old man in eastern China has inspired many online with his unconventional lifestyle and enduring marriage. Wang Dinggao, from Rui’an in Zhejiang province, remains remarkably independent despite experiencing some hearing loss, according to the mainland media outlet Daxiang News. In contrast to most people, he adheres to a “reverse schedule”: sleeping around 4 or 5pm, waking at 1am, enjoy...
A fraying global economic order could push South Korea and Japan towards deeper trade integration, with business leaders and analysts saying the two neighbours stand to benefit from such a partnership despite lingering historical wounds. The two countries could draw closer as the era of relatively open global trade gives way to tit-for-tat tariffs and supply-chain disruptions due to conflicts in t...
Deep in the southern border zone of Johor, Malaysia, separated from Singapore by a narrow strait, a steady flow of commuters moves seamlessly between the two sovereign neighbours. Beyond the immediate checkpoints, a short 30-minute train ride connects visitors to regional hubs such as Kulai, where a vastly different dynamic comes into view – one defined by the rapid expansion of digital infrastruc...
American artificial intelligence (AI) giant Anthropic has accused its Chinese AI rivals DeepSeek and Moonshot on Thursday of covertly routing customer requests to its Claude models, then showing users the responses as if they were from their own models. The new allegations mark a further escalation in US criticism of China’s AI industry practices. Earlier this week, three US government agencies, i...
Police say five people have died and 40 others were injured after a Dutch tour bus slammed into a roadside crash barrier and overturned in eastern Switzerland. The bus, with 45 people on board, overturned Thursday afternoon between the villages of Susch and Zernez in the Alpine canton of Graubuenden. According to the Dutch Federation of Travel Agencies, the coach left the Netherlands on Monday and...
Several people were killed and injured when a coach carrying Dutch tourists in eastern Switzerland crashed, police said on Thursday. The accident happened at about 4.45pm between the communes of Susch and Zernez in the far-eastern canton of Graubunden. The coach hit a safety barrier before overturning and plunging down an embankment, a local police spokesman told Swiss media. The Dutch Federation ...
