The People’s Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, has spoken out against the investment fever around non-fungible tokens (NFTs), questioning whether it is another “zero-sum game hyped by cryptocurrency investors and capital”...

A 23-year-old man was arrested and HK$1.6 million (US$205,000) worth of illegal drugs seized during a raid on a Hong Kong industrial unit used in the production of crack cocaine, police said on Friday.The drugs, including 765 grams of crack cocaine a...

Governments across Europe rushed on Friday to bolster their defences against a fresh coronavirus spike, as South Africa announced it had detected a new Covid-19 strain that scientists fear could torpedo efforts to beat the pandemic.In recent weeks th...

Hong Kong authorities plan to restrict aircrew movements and begin screening high-risk airport workers for Covid-19 every two days ahead of a planned border drill that will put the city’s new health code app to the test next week, the Post has lear...

A pledge by a leading Honduran presidential candidate to embrace Beijing and de-emphasise Taiwan ties if she wins Sunday’s election has prompted diplomatic jostling between Beijing and Washington as each seeks to exert influence on the Central Amer...

Japan’s low Covid-19 count in recent weeks – compared to the resurgence of cases in Europe and parts of Asia – has baffled its experts. On Tuesday, the day before Tokyo reported its five new cases, there were only 107 cases reported across the ...

A Ming dynasty carpet that likely sat under the throne of the emperor sold for €6,881,000 (US$7.16 million) at an online Christie’s auction on Tuesday, making it the most expensive carpet ever sold by the auction house.The carpet sold for US$1.75...

Dozens of Beijing loyalists hoping to claim one of 40 Legislative Council seats granted to a dominant new constituency created in Hong Kong’s sweeping electoral system overhaul are facing off in a first-of-its-kind televised debate.The Friday forum...

China’s “alarming” actions do not match its rhetoric about promoting peace and prosperity in the region, Australia’s defence minister said on Friday after a Chinese navy ship was tracked sailing through the country’s exclusive economic zone...

Fantasia Holdings Group said a major subsidiary was facing a wind-up petition filed by its creditors, which could force the debt-ridden Chinese developer into insolvency.The Shenzhen-based developer said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday evening...

Singapore on Friday extended its quarantine-free travel lane scheme for visitors vaccinated against Covid-19 to six more countries in a bid to regain its international aviation hub status.The inclusion of Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand...

Another Covid-19 outbreak is threatening to spread rapidly through China, with six cases reported in three cities in a single day, just as the country’s last wave of infections has tapered off.Three women in Shanghai were diagnosed with the illness...

Fourth-year medical student Belia Khoo might have to put her studies on hold if she cannot get back to China by May.She went home to Malaysia in January 2020 for the Lunar New Year for what was supposed to be a month-long break. But like many interna...

Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Europe and Latin America on Thursday to demand an end to violence against women, with police in Turkey firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.The rallies took place to mark the International Day for t...

Police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse rioters attacking the home of the Solomon Islands prime minister on Friday, in a third day of political violence that prompted the snap deployment of international peacekeepers.As Australian police ...

An annual charity golf tournament in Hong Kong has raised a record HK$5 million (US$641,350) this year in spite of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organisers have said.The 34th Cup of Kindness, held on October 24 at the Hong Kong Golf Club’s Fanl...

Singaporean father of three YJ works as a warehouse supervisor and used to earn an additional S$1,000 (US$730) a month setting up banners and dismantling fixtures at trade shows and events. That vanished when Covid-19 hit and international travel sta...

The Chinese government has unveiled a controversial new measure encouraging adult children to live with or near their parents in its latest attempt to deal with an ageing society.Under the measure, authorities would roll out preferential policies for...

A recent strike by food couriers against delivery giant Foodpanda might not have caught the eye of customers with many other options for meal orders, but for several of the city’s rights workers, it was a sign labour activism was not dead.It was a ...

China has released guidelines to better accommodate the needs of the elderly, in line with the nation’s efforts to address its rapidly ageing population.To “actively cultivate the silver economy”, the guidelines – released by the State Counci...

Philippine government lawyers have opposed Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa going to Oslo next month to collect her award in person, describing the journalist in court documents as “a flight risk”.Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler, an...

A devastating explosion in a Siberian coal mine Thursday left 52 miners and rescuers dead about 250 metres (820 feet) underground, Russian officials said.Hours after a methane gas explosion and fire filled the mine with toxic fumes, rescuers found 14...

When K-pop sensation BTS announced that their first in-person concerts since the start of the pandemic would be in the United States, Kim Ji-eun immediately booked a flight and hotel, praying that Covid-19 rules would let her attend all four shows.Pe...

Wolf advocates across the US were brooding over the bad news this week: the epic journey of a lone gray wolf that ventured from Oregon to the very edge of Southern California’s crowded suburbs in search of territory and female mates had ended in a ...

Four people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed in an attack by militiamen on an artisanal gold mine in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, civil and military sources said on Thursday.Army spokesman Jules Ngongo said men from the Cooper...

Scientists in South Africa said on Thursday they had detected a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations, blaming it for a surge in infection numbers.The number of daily infections in Africa’s hardest-hit country has increased tenfold ...

The People’s Liberation Army is willing to develop good relations with the US military, but only if Chinese interests are respected, the Ministry of Defence in Beijing said.This came as the ministry spelled out conditions for military talks with Wa...

National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said on Thursday.The office of Premier Mario ...

Just two weeks after a US congressional delegation made a surprise visit to Taiwan, another group of US lawmakers arrived on the self-ruled island for a two-day trip that is certain to rile Beijing.The 17-member group – led by House Representative ...

Britain and France swapped recriminations for the deaths of at least 27 migrants after their boat capsized in the Channel as they tried to cross the dangerous shipping passage in winter weather on Wednesday.After Boris Johnson accused France of not d...

A top adviser to Hong Kong’s leader has received the same type of threatening mail sent to several judges in recent weeks and which led to stronger security measures at the city’s courts.Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, an executive councillor and pro-esta...

Washington will continue to target China’s hi-tech and defence sectors and is taking steps that may lead to a technology decoupling, observers say after the US added more Chinese firms to its export blacklist.A dozen Chinese firms – including qua...

The world’s first international ethics guidelines for artificial intelligence, which ban the technology’s use for “social scoring or mass surveillance purposes”, have been adopted by a United Nations specialised agency that AI powerhouses the...

The number of Hongkongers applying for a new pathway to British citizenship from July to September has dropped by 21.5 per cent compared with the previous quarter, with immigration consultants attributing the downward trend to “lifeboat” options ...

A Covid-19 patient whose “selfish” valve-style face mask was blamed for a cross infection in a quarantine hotel last week has been found to be carrying a new variant of the virus with a high number of mutations, marking the first known appearance...

A Chinese government official has been elected to an oversight role at global crime-fighting body Interpol despite opposition from rights groups and lawmakers from 20 countries.Hu Binchen, deputy director general of the Chinese public security minist...

The Hong Kong government and the education sector were partly responsible for young people’s lack of understanding about the city’s constitutional status and should focus more on improving students’ moral values, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Chen...

China’s top leadership has approved a three-year plan to revamp its state science and technology system amid intensifying rivalry with the United States, zeroing in on technology as the key to the country’s future.The Central Comprehensively Deep...

The Philippines has rejected a demand from China that it remove a naval vessel grounded on a shoal in the South China Sea that has been the centre of heated exchanges between the two countries in recent days.Philippine defence chief Delfin Lorenzana ...

The European Union is recommending a nine-month time limit for the validity of Covid-19 vaccinations for travel into and within the bloc and also is proposing to prioritise vaccinated travellers.The European Commission is proposing that member states...

China’s move to suspend internet giant Tencent Holdings from upgrading apps or launching new ones is a warning to all tech firms in the country that Beijing means business when it comes to rectifying data collection practices, according to analysts...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continued to defend its handling of human rights concerns relating to China, the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, as more countries say they are considering a diplomatic boycott.Australia has joined the Unit...

Hong Kong Polytechnic University had fully moved on from the damage to its reputation and grounds wrought by fierce campus clashes during the social unrest of 2019, its council chairman said while marking the school’s 85th anniversary on Thursday.P...

Taiwan’s relations with Europe are expected to receive a further boost next week, with a visit by lawmakers from the three Baltic states.The 10 parliamentarians from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are expected to meet the Taiwanese leadership and di...

When Leni Robredo announced she was running for president, her campaign used that moment to introduce a new tone to Philippine politics: the colour pink.What seemed like an innocuous palette choice has turned out to be a masterstroke, galvanising and...

Beijing warned Germany’s new coalition government not to interfere over Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and urged it to stick to previous friendly policies after it unveiled a tougher agenda on China.Social Democrat Olaf Scholz on Wednesday announc...

China will look at ways to control methane emissions in key industries and will introduce a nationwide action plan to do so, a senior climate official said on Thursday.“[China will] set effective methane emission reduction measures in sectors such ...

Interpol elected a contentious official from the United Arab Emirates as its new president during the international law enforcement body’s annual General Assembly held in Istanbul on Thursday.Major General Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, inspector general at...

The head of Hong Kong’s securities watchdog categorically defended the government’s restrictive quarantine policy, saying that it will not affect the city’s status as a global finance hub.“There will be no long-term impact on Hong Kong as an ...