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China says US ‘invented’ terrorism charges to justify Cuba blockade
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China says US ‘invented’ terrorism charges to justify Cuba blockade

China accused the United States of using “invented allegations” to justify its terrorism case against Cuba, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators he needed no new evidence to tie the island to violent leftist groups across the western hemisphere. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that Washington could not justify its blockade and sanctions against the island, addi...

Trump Jnr tells investors he would avoid investing in China
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Trump Jnr tells investors he would avoid investing in China

US President Donald Trump’s eldest son warned against investing in China during an event for investors on Thursday in Zurich, even as his father’s administration has pushed forward on plans to improve commercial ties between the two countries. “I wouldn’t,” Donald Trump Jnr said when asked at the invitation-only event if he would invest in China. “I don’t think we can pretend they’re an ally. That...

A UK in decline needs to rediscover supply-side economics
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A UK in decline needs to rediscover supply-side economics

I just spent two weeks in a broken Britain, which is an unfortunately apt description for a country that has fallen from its former glory. Its people are funny, witty, creative, intelligent, sports-mad and educated, part of a society that has constantly evolved over the last millennium, its imperial heritage bringing in cultures from around the globe. It is a green and pleasant land, beautiful in ...

US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’
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US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers on Thursday that American dependence on China for food, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs poses an “existential” threat, framing food security as a national security issue while defending the White House’s reduced fiscal 2027 budget request. “If we need to rely on China for our food and our fertiliser and all the things that come with t...

Putin says Trump ideas could bring peace in Ukraine, urges Kyiv to compromise

Putin says Trump ideas could bring peace in Ukraine, urges Kyiv to compromise

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President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s proposals for peace in Ukraine could end the fighting, but said Kyiv needed to compromise – and that he saw no signs of that, so was ready to fight on to victory. Speaking to foreign media editors on the sidelines of Russia’s annual economic forum in what is the fifth ‌year of Europe’s deadliest land war since World War II,...

Canada PM unveils AI strategy, warns of foreign dominance

Canada PM unveils AI strategy, warns of foreign dominance

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Prime Minister Mark Carney launched his AI strategy on Thursday, warning Canada’s slow adoption of the frontier technology had created risks and that domestic capacity needed a boost to avoid it being “weaponised against us”. Reducing Canada’s reliance on the US is a central part of Carney’s agenda, and his AI strategy nodded to concern about the influence of US tech giants. “We are highly depende...

‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi dies ‘of sadness’ aged 56

‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi dies ‘of sadness’ aged 56

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Franco-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film Persepolis, has died aged 56, a year after the passing of “the love of her life”, a member of her close circle said on Thursday. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” they said in a statement. Born in 1969 in Rasht ...

‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi dies aged 56

‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi dies aged 56

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Franco-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film Persepolis, has died aged 56, a year after the passing of “the love of her life”, a member of her close circle said on Thursday. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” they said in a statement. Born in 1969 in Rasht ...

7 taken away as police ramp up patrols around former site of Tiananmen vigil

7 taken away as police ramp up patrols around former site of Tiananmen vigil

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Hong Kong police took away seven people who appeared in Causeway Bay on Thursday evening carrying flowers and dressed in black to mark the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. They included Chan Po-ying, former chairwoman of the now-defunct League of Social Democrats opposition group, and activist Virginia Fung King-man. Police said they stopped and searched five men and two women, ...

Trump foe Bolton to plead guilty in classified information case

Trump foe Bolton to plead guilty in classified information case

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Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the US Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or ...

Trump foe John Bolton to plead guilty in classified information case

Trump foe John Bolton to plead guilty in classified information case

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Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the US Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or ...

EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing

EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing

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EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has called for practical approaches and “meaningful discussion” to tackle the growing trade concerns between Brussels and Beijing, following his meeting with China’s chief international trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, on the sideline of a ministerial meeting at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Sefcovic opened his press confere...

Public Management Programme Puts Humans at the Centre of the AI Revolution

Public Management Programme Puts Humans at the Centre of the AI Revolution

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes economies, labour markets and public services, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is making a clear bet: the defining skill for tomorrow’s public leaders will not be coding, but judgment. At the helm of its Master of Public Management (MPM) programme is Progr...

‘All reasonable steps’ for site smoking ban include CCTV, cigarette storage points

‘All reasonable steps’ for site smoking ban include CCTV, cigarette storage points

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Contractors should take “all reasonable steps”, such as installing CCTV cameras and setting up temporary cigarette storage points, to comply with a coming smoking ban on construction sites, Hong Kong labour authorities have said. They should also ask individuals to stop using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, even though they do not require lighting, the Labour Department said on Thursday,...

Hong Kong signs 96 agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan worth US$1.65 billion

Hong Kong signs 96 agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan worth US$1.65 billion

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Hong Kong has signed 96 agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan worth US$1.65 billion during city leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s visit to Central Asia, which he hailed as a “successful” mission setting the stage for closer government and business ties with the region. Lee on Thursday also said Hong Kong had reached an agreement with Uzbekistan that paved the way for airlines on both sides to launch a...

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation raises €3 billion in its first public euro green bond sale

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation raises €3 billion in its first public euro green bond sale

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Hong Kong rail giant the MTR Corporation has raised €3 billion (HK$27.36 billion) by selling its first euro-denominated public green bonds, in its largest bond deal to date. The semi-privatised corporation said on Thursday that the sale also marked the largest Asia ex-Japan non-sovereign euro green bond offering. Amid a string of new rail projects in Hong Kong, the MTR Corp is raising fresh capita...

Are Japan-Philippines talks a maritime red line for China’s blue-water ambitions?

Are Japan-Philippines talks a maritime red line for China’s blue-water ambitions?

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Beijing’s strong opposition to maritime boundary talks between Manila and Tokyo reflects growing wariness over a shifting balance of power in the western Pacific. And, experts warn, these talks – part of a highly calculated geopolitical effort by US allies – could reinforce the so-called first island chain and restrict Beijing’s naval access in an area vital to any potential conflict over Taiwan: ...

Trump to nominate Todd Blanche as US attorney general

Trump to nominate Todd Blanche as US attorney general

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President Donald Trump said he would ⁠move to ⁠nominate acting US Attorney ⁠General Todd Blanche on Thursday to permanently lead the Justice Department, which would make his former personal lawyer the nation’s top law enforcement officer. “He’s acting attorney general. Tomorrow. ‌I’m instructing Dan (Scavino) and everybody else that’s involved in that very complicated process – which is going to g...

‘Brilliant’: US public cheers dancing Unitree robots while Congress looks to ban them

‘Brilliant’: US public cheers dancing Unitree robots while Congress looks to ban them

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A gulf is emerging between how the American public and lawmakers are viewing Chinese robots, analysts say, following a high-profile performance by Chinese robotics champion Unitree’s humanoid robots on US television show America’s Got Talent, which received a standing ovation from the studio audience. While ratings figures have yet to be announced, the appearance of Unitree’s G1 robots on a prime ...

Hong Kong police to launch 2-week crackdown on distracted drivers and jaywalkers

Hong Kong police to launch 2-week crackdown on distracted drivers and jaywalkers

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Hong Kong police will launch a two-week citywide crackdown on distracted driving and jaywalking after the number of people killed in traffic accidents jumped by more than 40 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026. The force said on Thursday that 51 people died in traffic accidents between January and May 31, up by 42 per cent from the same period last year. Pedestrians accounted fo...

Hong Kong police to launch 2-week crackdown on distracted driving and jaywalking

Hong Kong police to launch 2-week crackdown on distracted driving and jaywalking

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Hong Kong police will launch a two-week citywide crackdown on distracted driving and jaywalking after the number of people killed in traffic accidents jumped by more than 40 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026. The force said on Thursday that 51 people died in traffic accidents between January and May 31, up by 42 per cent from the same period last year. Pedestrians accounted fo...

Small plane crash in Croatia leaves 4 dead, 2 missing

Small plane crash in Croatia leaves 4 dead, 2 missing

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Four people were killed on Thursday in a plane crash on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast, police said. “According to currently available information four people have died” in the crash of the plane in Medulin, on Croatia’s northwestern Istria peninsula, a police statement said. The accident occurred in the Campanoz area, outside the town, and “all emergency services are on the scene”, it added. T...

Croatia plane crash kills 4

Croatia plane crash kills 4

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Four people were killed on Thursday in a plane crash on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast, police said. “According to currently available information four people have died” in the crash of the plane in Medulin, on Croatia’s northwestern Istria peninsula, a police statement said. The accident occurred in the Campanoz area, outside the town, and “all emergency services are on the scene”, it added. T...

China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts

China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts

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China is aiming to boost its “hunt-and-kill” capabilities with a new submarine that boasts futuristic features, according to Chinese analysts. A submarine that appeared to lack a traditional fin was being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, France-based Naval News reported on Wednesday, citing Vantor satellite images dated June 1. A submarine’s fin is a tower on its topside, usually used f...

Chinese carmakers BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

Chinese carmakers BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

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Leading Chinese carmakers like BYD and Chery Automobile are reaping rewards from their efforts to boost sales abroad, as they chase higher profitability amid rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Chery, which spearheaded the go-global drive among mainland China’s automotive groups and is the country’s largest car exporter, delivered three times as many cars overseas as at home last month. The...

Why China’s Latin America ties aren’t immune to Trump’s influence

Why China’s Latin America ties aren’t immune to Trump’s influence

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For over two decades, China’s rise in Latin America has been viewed as one of the most significant geopolitical developments in the western hemisphere. Through trade, investment, infrastructure projects and diplomatic engagement, Beijing built a presence that would have been difficult to imagine at the beginning of the century. The strategy appeared highly successful. Beijing became a leading trad...

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts consumer flying watercraft

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts consumer flying watercraft

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The Soviet “sea monster” is back – and this time it’s for sale. A Chinese company has completed the maiden flight of a passenger craft that skims just above the water’s surface using ground-effect technology, reviving a concept once associated with the Soviet Union’s giant Cold War-era experimental vehicles. Chinese mobility company Navee on Thursday showcased its WaveFly 5X on Lake Taihu in Suzho...

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts flying watercraft

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts flying watercraft

SCMP

The Soviet “sea monster” is back – and this time it’s for sale. A Chinese company has completed the maiden flight of a passenger craft that skims just above the water’s surface using ground-effect technology, reviving a concept once associated with the Soviet Union’s giant Cold War-era experimental vehicles. Chinese mobility company Navee on Thursday showcased its WaveFly 5X on Lake Taihu in Suzho...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs visits Hengqin in push for integration

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs visits Hengqin in push for integration

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Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong and Macau affairs has visited the Hengqin cooperation zone in Zhuhai as part of a drive to help the two special administrative regions align with the nation’s 15th five-year plan. The four-day visit by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), was his third trip to the Greater Bay Area this year. During his trip from Monday to Thur...