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Russia has freed 24 Filipinos who have been detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr raised concerns about them in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Philippine officials said on Saturday. The 24 were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two flights early on Sunday, with the first batch to be welcomed by Philippine Foreign Secretary ...
One of Iceland’s two remaining whaling ships set out this week to hunt the giant mammals after a two-year hiatus, local media and campaigners reported on Saturday. Iceland is one of only three countries that still openly permit whaling, alongside Norway and Japan – despite international opprobrium from the public and animal welfare organisations. A protester chained himself to the mast of the vess...
Hong Kong police have arrested a man in connection with three burglaries in Ma On Shan involving losses of more than HK$700,000. Police said on Saturday that they received three burglary reports between April 26 and June 3, concerning two flats at the Sausalito private residential estate on Yuk Tai Street and a house in nearby Tai Shui Hang Village. All three homes showed signs of ransacking, with...
Iran on Saturday said that it closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and warned that while negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks with the US on their interim agreement, not much likely will happen if the fighting does not stop. US President Donald Trump, in response, threatened to impose US tolls in the crucial waterway if a final deal with Iran is not reached...
Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there. Key mediator Pakistan, meanwhile, said the technical-level talks will begin on Sunday in Bürgenstock, Swi...
Hong Kong’s rail giant has launched an investigation after a woman was injured when a ceiling panel fell and hit her leg at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay. The MTR Corporation, which also manages the shopping centre, said on Saturday that a section of the ceiling near an entrance to Phase One had become loose and fallen shortly before midnight on June 18. Shopping centre staff immediately attended t...
As the US voluntarily dismantles its global hegemony, China has neither the will nor the capacity to fill the role, a prominent Chinese foreign policy expert has argued. Beijing was forging an alternative path rooted in sovereign equality and multilateralism, rather than a quest for global dominance, said Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy. “I ...
US President Donald Trump escalated a diplomatic row with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, accusing her of repeatedly seeking a photograph with him and linking the dispute to tensions over Iran and Nato. The clash has opened an unusually personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders, who had sought to cast herself as a bridge between Washington...
US President Donald Trump escalated a diplomatic row with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, accusing her of repeatedly seeking a photograph with him and linking the dispute to tensions over Iran and Nato. The clash has opened an unusually personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders, who had sought to cast herself as a bridge between Washington...
A motorcyclist was killed in Hong Kong following a collision with a KMB double‑decker bus on Saturday afternoon. Police said the crash occurred at about 4pm on New Clear Water Bay Road outside the Shun Lee Disciplined Services Quarters in Sau Mau Ping. The rider suffered multiple injuries and was left unconscious. He was rushed by ambulance to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong, where he was l...
US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will visit China “at some point” this year sets the stage for an unusually frequent series of face-to-face meetings between the American and Chinese leaders – potentially up to four encounters in 2026. The two leaders have already met once this year for a summit in Beijing and Xi is expected to travel to the United States in September for a state vi...
A Spanish court has ordered the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Begona Gomez, to stand trial by jury for corruption and banned her from leaving the country, according to a court order released on Saturday. The case is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, threatening to topple his minority coalition government. Judge Juan Carlo...
Shipping services in Guinea are being upended as the West African country ramps up iron ore exports for China’s “green steel” production lines to take advantage of much higher prices. Vessels that usually ship bauxite from Guinea have been diverted to iron ore to maximise exports before heavy seasonal rains grind production to a halt, according to international shipbroking and maritime research fi...
Hong Kong police have arrested a man in connection with an attempted robbery at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, where the victim was allegedly attacked with a rock early on Saturday. Police said that a 36‑year‑old man reported that he had been assaulted while parking his car at the terminal at about 4.10am. The assailant allegedly hit him with a rock in an attempt to rob him but fled empty‑handed, police...
Beijing will make maritime surveys in the waters east of Taiwan a routine matter as it seeks to assert its sovereignty following talks between Japan and the Philippines, state media reported on Friday. An article published by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said mainland China was “diversifying” its claims to the waters with a range of activities, ran...
Beijing will make maritime surveys in the waters east of Taiwan a routine matter as it seeks to assert its sovereignty following talks between Japan and the Philippines, state media reported on Friday. An article published by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said mainland China was “diversifying” its claims to the waters with a range of activities, ran...
At least 30 people have died since the start of May in one camp for displaced civilians in northeastern Congo, a death rate that camp officials said was unprecedented, with some confirmed to have died from Ebola in a sign the disease could be spreading fast there. It was not possible to confirm the causes of all the deaths because patients or their relatives in Kigonze camp in Bunia – the epicentr...
One person died after two freight trains collided on a bridge in Munich overnight, causing loaded cars to plunge to the road below, police said on Saturday. Two cars of one train fell about 5 metres (16 ft) from a bridge and came to rest at round 1.40am, according to a spokeswoman. It was unclear what caused the collision on the bridge, which caused one of the trains to derail. The nature of the c...
Taiwan’s first International Booker Prize-winning novel has reignited debate over the island’s shifting identity, with its portrayal of a distinctly Taiwanese historical experience at odds with narratives long promoted by Beijing. The attention surrounding Taiwan Travelogue comes at a sensitive time in cross-strait relations, as rival interpretations of Taiwan’s history increasingly shape public d...
Hong Kong police have arrested seven people in connection with a robbery involving six gold bars worth HK$7 million (US$893,102), with some suspects believed to have fled to mainland China. The force said on Saturday that four men and three women were arrested on Thursday after a 36-year-old man reported the robbery at about 12.30am the same day at a car park at the airport. According to the victi...
Hong Kong police have arrested seven people over robbery of six gold bars worth HK$7 million (US$893,102), with some suspects believed to have fled to mainland China. The force said on Saturday that four men and three women were arrested on Thursday after a 36-year-old man reported the robbery at about 12.30am the same day at a car park at the airport. According to the victim’s account, he had bee...
Led by Japan, East Asia seems to be setting off along a road to nowhere – beyond tension and maybe eventual conflict. This may seem a harsh indictment yet consecutive Japanese leaders have shown a lack of vision on the constructive role their country could play in achieving regional peace and economic integration. The latest manifestation of this is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s proposa...
A 77-year-old man in southeastern China has spent nearly six decades turning homesickness, hardship and family duty into letters sent across the sea. Jiang Mingdian, from Quanzhou in Fujian province, is regarded as one of China’s last active professional letter writers, though no public figures show how many still practise the trade. Over 59 years, he has reportedly written more than 100,000 lette...
Hong Kong could position itself as a magnet for international organisations and lead on setting standards, according to analysts who have weighed in how the city can contribute to Beijing’s global governance reform after the publication of a new white paper expanding on that initiative. The white paper published by China’s State Council on Wednesday, titled “More Just and Equitable Global Governan...
Bolivia’s crisis intensified on Saturday as President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency, enabling wider military deployment to clear blockades and restore order after protests brought the economy to a halt over the past 50 days. The emergency declaration gives Paz broader constitutional tools to restore order, such as sending armed forces to clear blockades. While the order goes into effe...
Authorities will review the age threshold defining older residents in need to better identify priority cases and prevent more tragedies from happening, the welfare chief has vowed after an elderly Hongkonger was found hanging in his flat. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han made the pledge on Saturday after a 70-year-old man was found hanging in his flat in Lai King Estate in Kwun T...
Hong Kong will review the age threshold of elderly residents in need to better identify priority cases and prevent more tragedies from happening, the welfare chief has vowed following the latest suicide by an elderly resident. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han made the pledge on Saturday after a 70-year-old man was found hanging in his flat in Lai King Estate the day before. Polic...
Hong Kong will review the age threshold of elderly residents in need to better identify priority cases and prevent more tragedies from happening, the welfare chief has vowed following the latest suicide by an elderly resident. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han made the pledge on Saturday after a 70-year-old man was found hanging in his flat in Lai King Estate the day before. Polic...
The Trump administration’s indictment of former Cuban president Raul Castro and sanctions on his successor, Miguel Diaz-Canel, suggest Washington now views regime change in Havana as a viable policy objective. This adds to Cuba’s mounting woes. The fall of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro in January severed the subsidised oil lifeline that had long kept the island nation afloat, plunging Cuba into its w...
More areas within the Northern Metropolis could benefit from new measures to the ease the cross-border flow of data, materials and capital, with pilot initiatives set to launch this year in the innovation zone Hong Kong shares with Shenzhen. The details were revealed in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council by the Development Bureau, which provided an update on drafting dedicated legislatio...
