An EU-China dialogue on digital matters has been postponed as tensions between the two sides threaten to boil over. The meeting, initially scheduled for June 23 in Beijing, will no longer take place, with no immediate date set for a follow-up, people...

Three Indian sailors on a commercial vessel hit by the United States off the coast of Oman are dead, New Delhi’s shipping minister said on Thursday. “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello,...

The Philippines may be taking steps to curb gambling addiction, but for Bridges of Hope founder and director Jon Ty, the number of helpline calls that he has received over the past year tells a different story. Such calls to the rehabilitation centre...

A high-ranking workplace safety official in central China’s Shanxi province has been placed under investigation over a massive coal mine explosion that killed 82. Zhang Heping, deputy director of the provincial department of emergency management, i...

Zou Jiayi is president and chairwoman of the board of directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development lender headquartered in Beijing and inaugurated in 2016. Before leading AIIB, Zou was deputy secretary gene...

Three men were charged on Thursday for their alleged involvement in a scheme to falsely declare China-made mattresses as Singapore goods in an apparent attempt to evade US import duties. Singaporeans Loh Yew Kong, 68; Leong Yu Fong, 41; and Loh Chen ...

The vast majority of Uber passengers consider the government’s plan to cap ride-hailing vehicle permits at 10,000 “very insufficient”, according to a survey by the firm, as the company attempts to challenge elements of the proposed regulatory r...

Hong Kong’s business community has signed six agreements with Kazakhstan to support the development of the country’s new hi-tech and economic hub, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu positioned the city as the project’s gateway to global capita...

A Thai court on Thursday sentenced two ethnic Chinese Uygur men to death for the 2015 bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan shrine, the deadliest attack on the city in recent history that killed 20, including tourists from China, Malaysia and Singapore. The ...

The mayor of a southern Philippine town that was devastated by a powerful earthquake pleaded on Thursday for helicopters to transport food to stave off hunger in several landslide-isolated villages. The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, one of the strong...

Robotic snakes have been deployed in southwestern China to inspect power lines and ensure a stable power supply during the country’s high-pressure national college entrance exam. The snakelike robots spiral around power lines in Kunming, the provin...

As China’s gaokao, or national college entrance exam, fell on June 7 to 10 this year, the bigger challenge that female candidates face during the test is receiving increasing attention online. Gaokao is an exam that most Chinese secondary school pu...

Japan’s signing of a 20-year LNG supply deal with Malaysia’s Petronas has cast the Southeast Asian country as a valuable energy and security partner, as Tokyo looks to protect itself from global supply shocks and deepen ties with trusted allies. ...

Police blasted water cannons at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence Wednesday over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore b...

Hong Kong customs has arrested six people over the alleged smuggling and online sale of counterfeit Fifa World Cup merchandise, with an estimated market value of HK$156 million (US$20 million). The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday it ha...

Hong Kong has become the top listing choice for tech firms amid the rise of Asia in global innovation, according to Bonnie Chan Yiting, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). The tech listings boom has prompted the city’s exchange to revie...

Hong Kong parents have voiced shock and grief over the apparent suicides of a mother and daughter on Wednesday, believed to be tied to academic pressure, with education leaders calling for stronger mental health support for families and youth. Police...

China said it had carried out a scientific expedition in Scarborough Shoal, amid renewed confrontation with the Philippines over the disputed South China Sea atoll. The research mission – which began on May 20 – involved deploying a floating plat...

The Hong Kong government should expand its planned mandate for driver-monitoring systems on public buses to other modes of transport and upgrade road infrastructure as part of a multipronged strategy to cut down on traffic accidents, industry leaders...

South Korea imposed on Thursday a record US$409 million fine on e-commerce giant Coupang over a leak that exposed the data of more than 30 million customers, provoking ire from US lawmakers. The move caps a months-long probe into the country’s larg...

India is taking unprecedented measures to restore confidence in its national student examination system after a series of scandals fuelled angry protests from young people and put pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Last month, a...

Singapore police said arrest warrants for fugitive financier Jho Low remain active, even as the Malaysian continues efforts to seek clemency from US President Donald Trump. “Warrants of arrest and Interpol red notices for both Tan Kim Loong and Low...

Through the invitation of a good friend, I had the privilege last Saturday of attending a charity movie screening held by SideBySide, a non-profit social service organisation. The film chosen for the event was We’re Nothing At All, a recently relea...

As demand for AI servers soars, leading Japanese and South Korean multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) makers are shifting further upmarket, opening the door for Chinese competitors to gain share in lower-end segments despite lagging their rivals in a...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In Hong Kong, few conversations among parents are as charged as the one about school places. From the moment a child turns three, families begin plotting pathways in an alrea...

North Korea is gaining in strategic importance for China to counter the United States, but Pyongyang may refrain from intensifying military ties with Beijing, analysts say. During his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday, Chinese Pr...

Chinese AI-enabled equipment can help police assess the physical health, mental state, and even risk level of suspects, according to demonstrations at a law enforcement equipment exhibition in Beijing last week. Chinese firms presenting their latest ...

Wang Junming from central China’s Hunan province may be 25 years old, but he is still the size of a baby. Standing at 66cm tall, Wang has the IQ of a child. He is spoiled by his family, including his 21-year-old sister, who all call him “baby”....

Our report that China’s landmark Pinglu Canal is set for trial operations in September was one of the most read the week it was published. Interestingly, most of those who read the report were from the United States, followed by Malaysia, Singapore...

A Kazakhstan-based commercial bank backed by China Citic Bank is seeking to collaborate with Hong Kong financial institutions and investors to develop new financing channels for the Central Asian country through the city’s thriving offshore renminb...

The global energy crisis has helped propel BYD back into pole position in China’s automotive sector, allowing it to regain ground on Geely Auto as demand for battery-powered vehicles accelerates worldwide. The Shenzhen-based electric vehicle (EV) m...

The Philippines’ armed forces chief has moved to quell fears of political intervention after a bitter Senate leadership crisis triggered tighter security, stalled military promotions and fuelled concern that partisan groups could exploit “rumblin...

Canada’s culture minister on Wednesday introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit production of harmful content. The proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada th...

The FBI said on Wednesday that it seized more than a dozen internet domains used by Chinese intelligence services to gain personal information in hopes of fooling, conscripting or blackmailing Americans with security clearances into divulging sensiti...

Chinese propagandists have been trying to ⁠use OpenAI’s flagship chatbot ⁠to gin up opposition to Donald Trump’s ⁠tariffs and intervene in American debates over data centres and AI, OpenAI said in a report published on Wednesday. The compan...

US ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠said on Wednesday that the United States ⁠might not renew its free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and criticised trade deficits with those countries, although he said he was talking with their leaders about t...

In early April, hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” in a prime-time address, China’s yuan-denominated cross-border payment system set a record for transaction volume in a single day. The Cross-...

During a recent discussion in Shenzhen with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, I was reminded that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only a technological race. It is a test of whether major economies can build the ins...

Pope Leo on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world’s tallest church. A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes and...

The United States ramped up pressure on Iran on Wednesday by carrying out strikes for a second straight day and the Treasury Department slapped fresh sanctions on entities that it says “have supported weapons procurement” on behalf of Tehran, inc...

Nasa’s administrator Jared Isaacman on Wednesday defended the make-up of the space agency’s latest Artemis crew, an all-male group. The nominations have earned criticism that Nasa may have acted in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s di...

Bill Gates told members of Congress on Wednesday that he “did not fully understand the extent” of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes when he associated with the late convicted sex offender to raise money for his philanthropic foundation. Gates also testi...

The use of social media in planning violent protests over the Belfast knife attack has drawn condemnation, with Britain’s ruling Labour Party accusing Elon Musk of stoking divisions. The tech billionaire, who continued overnight to promote calls fo...

Winning consortiums bidding for core land parcels at an innovation hub near Hong Kong’s border must post a HK$100 million (US$12.7 million) construction bond and meet a tight 30-month development deadline, according to tender documents obtained by ...

The Pentagon’s newly expanded blacklist of Chinese military-linked companies has tested the fragile stability reached at last month’s summit, highlighting that intense competition persists despite recent efforts to ease bilateral tensions. On Mon...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday brushed off concerns about consumer inflation surging to a fresh three-year high in May, on the back of soaring energy prices caused by his war in Iran. “The numbers were great … I love the inflation,” Tru...

As the 2026 Fifa World Cup prepares to kick off on Thursday, the world’s elite players are vying for more than just glory – they seek a shimmering prize whose bullion value has eclipsed all previous benchmarks. The trophy set to be hoisted in the...

The Trump administration’s export controls, sanctions and tariffs are hurting American firms in China without achieving their policy goals of blocking critical technology or reviving US manufacturing, according to a new business survey. “US expor...

China’s Qianfan network has hit a national milestone by placing over 200 broadband satellites in orbit, but there are concerns its deployment could be too slow and costly. The constellation now has 201 satellites after a successful launch on board ...