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In global discourse, a script has been handed to us: the United States and China are locked in a “tech race”. But this is really a misnomer. True competition requires a level playing field. When one runner trips the other to ensure victory, it’s not a competition; it’s cheating. So, when Washington deploys an arsenal of sanctions, export controls and diplomatic strong-arming to hamstring China’s t...
President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a two-day ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine on May 8-9 to mark Russia’s World War II victory, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting earlier, on the night of May 5-6. Putin had first spoken of a possible ceasefire coinciding with commemorations of the 81st anniversary of the victory in ...
President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a two-day ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine on May 8 and 9 to mark Russia’s World War II victory anniversary but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting earlier, on the night of May 5 to May 6. Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement on Monday that Moscow expected Ukraine to follow t...
Russia has ordered a two-day ceasefire in the war against Ukraine to coincide with Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Monday that this would apply on May 8 and 9, following an order from President Vladimir Putin, adding that Moscow expects the Ukrainian side to observe the truce. “If the Kyiv regime attempt...
Russia has ordered a two-day ceasefire in the war against Ukraine to coincide with Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that this would apply on May 8 and 9, following an order from President Vladimir Putin, adding that Moscow expects the Ukrainian side to observe the truce. Ukrainian President Vo...
China’s top diplomat on the US-Mexico border denounced protectionism as a dead end at the weekend, delivering a pointed defence of open trade just weeks before Mexico, the United States and Canada sit down to review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that governs North American commerce. Consul General Fu Xinrong told a business gathering in Tijuana that unilateralism benefits no on...
China’s top diplomat on the US-Mexico border denounced protectionism as a dead end at the weekend, delivering a pointed defence of open trade just weeks before Mexico, the United States and Canada sit down to review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that governs North American commerce. Consul General Fu Xinrong told a business gathering in Tijuana that unilateralism benefits no on...
Troubled pop princess Britney Spears on Monday admitted to reckless driving involving alcohol, in a plea deal that means she will avoid jail. The “Toxic” singer was arrested in March after police spotted her driving erratically on a freeway in Ventura County, near Los Angeles. She was initially charged with DUI – driving under the influence – but under the plea deal confirmed Monday she admitted t...
Britney Spears on Monday admitted to reckless driving involving alcohol, in a plea deal that means she will avoid jail. The “Toxic” singer was arrested in March after police spotted her driving erratically on a freeway in Ventura County, near Los Angeles. She was initially charged with DUI – driving under the influence – but under the plea deal confirmed on Monday she admitted a lesser charge of r...
Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, whose films from Nomadland to Hamnet have become awards-season favourites, will join the jury for the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off next week, organisers announced on Monday. The film extravaganza on the French Riviera, one of the world’s most important annual cinema events, hands out a host of prizes, including the prestigious Palme d’Or for best film, decide...
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday pressed China to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz even as he stressed that the US has “absolute control” over the strategic waterway. “Let’s see [China] step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said in a Fox News interview. “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and China has...
The China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed into a hillside in 2022, killing all 132 people on board, had its fuel supply cut mid-flight, newly released investigative material shows, which bolsters the theory that the aircraft was intentionally brought down. While China still has yet to release a final report on the accident, findings released by the US National Transportation Safety Board this ...
A car ploughed into a crowd in the historic centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday, killing two people and injuring several others, authorities said. The driver, a 33-year-old German man, was arrested at the scene and officials said his motivation was unclear. Germany has been shaken by a series of car-ramming attacks in recent years, including one targeting a Christmas market in 2...
Two people were killed and two severely injured when a car ran into a crowd in the centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday, local broadcaster MDR reported, citing police. A suspect has been arrested. “A car hit several people on Grimmaische street and fled the scene,” police said in a post on social media. “The driver has been arrested and no longer poses any danger.” A damaged V...
Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov will visit Hong Kong two days after a 200-strong delegation from the Central Asian country arrived in the city via a charter flight on Monday to explore collaboration opportunities. It was understood that a high-level Hong Kong delegation will also visit Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan soon. Commissioner for Belt and Road Initiative Nicholas Ho Lik-chi said he was “ve...
A German woman convicted of keeping her young daughter locked up at home for years was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday. The woman, who had kept her daughter confined to the home of the girl’s grandparents, was found guilty of kidnapping, abduction of a minor and mistreatment of a vulnerable person, according to a court spokeswoman. The grandmother was given a two-year suspended sentenc...
World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture co-founded by US President Donald Trump and his sons, said on Monday it had filed a defamation lawsuit against Hong Kong-based crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, in the latest escalation of a dispute between the project and one of its most prominent backers. World Liberty posted a copy of its lawsuit on X in which it accused Sun of launching a “public sm...
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party on Monday wrested control of the state of West Bengal, an opposition stronghold, in a key election. The Election Commission of India released partial results showing the Bharatiya Janata Party won at least 124 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly, and was leading in 83 others. Final results are expected on Monday evening....
The Supreme Court on Monday restored broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone, blocking a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation. The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Those rules had been in effec...
The US-Israel war on Iran could bolster Beijing’s leverage on issues such as hi-tech supply chains and Taiwan during the coming Trump-Xi summit, according to American experts. US President Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, next week. “He’s not going to move to reschedule it,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, a...
Seoul said on Monday that an “explosion and fire” had struck a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial Middle Eastern waterway effectively blocked following US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The foreign ministry said that, at around 8.40pm in Seoul, “an explosion and fire occurred on a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company … anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates in...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. UN bloated, costly, but China fears to keep US involved, House committee told The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pull...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. UN bloated, costly, but China fears to keep US involved, House committee told The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pull...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Quad summit plan turns uneasy as India pushes ahead without top leaders: sources A stretch of awkward diplomacy was unfolding in the Indo-Pacific in April: New Delhi was planning to host a forei...
US technology companies should stay in China, despite persistent political pressure for their exit, to capitalise on revenue potential and stifle local competition while monitoring consumer trends, according to a Washington-based policy think tank. Sales generated by American firms within China can be reinvested in research and development back in the United States, thereby helping “sustain US inn...
Hong Kong recorded a 4.8 per cent increase in mainland Chinese visitors in the first three days of the Labour Day “Golden Week” holiday, but industry players warned that uneven spending and more flexible travel patterns could weigh on business despite hotel occupancy rates potentially reaching 90 per cent. Immigration Department data showed mainlanders made 714,765 visits into the city between May...
The US stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights on Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Duelling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a US Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1 per cent, coming off its latest all-time high. T...
Wall Street dipped and oil prices jumped early on Monday on conflicting reports of a strike by Iran on a US Navy vessel outside the Strait of Hormuz. Futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.2 per cent before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.5 per cent. Nasdaq futures dipped 0.1 per cent. Oil prices initially jumped 5 per cent on the news that a US ship had be...
A couple in their late eighties have been found dead in a To Kwa Wan flat, prompting Hong Kong police to launch an investigation. A security guard at Lok Seen Lau, a residential block in Lok Man Sun Chuen estate on Kau Pui Lung Road, reported a strange smell coming from the flat at around 4.15pm. Firefighters forced entry into the flat and discovered the couple, an 89-year-old man and his 87-year-...
Amid the trade war with the United States, the last thing China needs is an economic confrontation with the European Union – Beijing’s major export destination. But with the EU seemingly determined to protect its market by introducing measures that many see as controversial, an economic stand-off appears inevitable. When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blamed China last June for...
