The law of unintended consequences, a theory popularised by American sociologist Robert K Merton, has rarely been more applicable to any situation than to US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Those consequences will be far greater than genera...

A prominent Chinese political scientist has cautioned Southeast Asian countries against leveraging China-US tensions for short-term benefits, saying this strategy could backfire. Speaking on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia on Friday, Zheng Y...

Hong Kong authorities have insisted that the three-hour time limit is sufficient for residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court to retrieve their belongings, with discretion to be exercised for those requesting a second entry. Deputy Chief Secretar...

Hong Kong police are searching for a driver who fled the scene after crashing a car into a barricade and hitting a bus on Saturday. The force said it received a report at about 9.20am that a car had crashed into a roadside railing along Pui To Road i...

A month after the US and Israel launched the war with Iran, nothing seems to be going according to President Donald Trump’s plan for a conflict lasting four to six weeks. Despite the assassinations of most of the Islamic Republic’s political and ...

A series of artworks featuring six coats with distinctive features created by an Iranian-American artist for the Art Central festival will allow Hongkongers to reflect on themes of memory and conflict amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Elnaz Ja...

Pope Leo XIV arrived on Saturday in Monaco for a whirlwind visit to the tiny Catholic principality, a millionaires’ playground on the French Riviera that is the pontiff’s surprise pick for the first western European trip of his papacy. Arriving b...

Chinese scientists have created an all-weather electrolyte that could improve lithium batteries, allowing them to operate more efficiently at room temperature and in extreme environments. The research team from Shanghai and Tianjin said batteries mad...

A 55-year-old Chinese medical aesthetics tycoon has shocked the internet by marrying her 25-year-old husband, reportedly with a 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) dowry. Yu Wenhong, 55, was born into a financially modest family in Dalian, Liaoning prov...

Indonesia on Saturday began implementing a new government regulation approved earlier this month that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction. Wit...

Hong Kong authorities have defended legal changes that have made it illegal to withhold smartphone passwords from police in national security investigations, after the United States sent a new alert to its citizens travelling to the city. The governm...

Southeast Asian countries are racing to assert control over their data flows, driven by a potent mix of nationalist sentiment and security anxieties. But analysts warn that while certain measures may deliver domestic economic benefits, the broader pu...

A computer system containing Hong Kong prison employees’ personal data has been hacked, compromising the information of 6,800 current and former staffers. The Correctional Services Department said on Friday evening that a hacker had gained illegal ...

China pledged to continue its support for South Africa on the same day that it emerged that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had been disinvited from this year’s Group of Seven (G7) summit in France following US threats to boycott the event....

After Hong Kong photographer Jacky Lau Kin-sang upgraded his camera systems a few months ago, he was shocked to find that the professional-grade high-capacity SD cards for the set-up cost up to HK$3,000 (US$383) per unit, three times more than expect...

Bank of America has agreed to pay US$72.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the bank facilitated a sex-trafficking ring orchestrated by Jeffrey Epstein, court documents showed on Friday. Bank of America said separately that while...

Nepal’s former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters in September, police said. The detentions came a day after Prime Minister ...

This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prospect that emerged after yesterday’s first...

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington “this week” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month. The war began on February 28 when the United Sta...

The era of price wars in China’s electric vehicle (EV) market is giving way to a new contest: who can deliver better technology at the same price. On a cloudy evening in March, Shenzhen-based BYD put forward its answer with the unveiling of a batte...

The death of one of South Korea’s most notorious police officers, known for his torture methods on prisoners, has revived painful memories of human rights abuses during the country’s era of military-backed authoritarian rule. Lee Geun-an, dubbed ...

The way Stephen Selby tells it, Guiguzi (鬼谷子) sounds like the ancient Chinese version of Dale Carnegie’s enduring self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Given its contents and message, it should have been a text for the ages...

Myanmar’s ageing railway stations are bustling with life, crowded with passengers as surging fuel prices due to the Middle East war drive commuters to choose trains over costly planes and cars. On a journey from the country’s largest city Yangon ...

“Sabah is not a commodity” to solve issues faced by other countries, a politician from the Malaysian state said on Friday. Azrul Ibrahim of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Youth said Sabah is part of a sovereign nation and its position within the fede...

The deployment of mainland China-made rail equipment and technologies by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation can provide a “showcase” for their applications overseas, a top representative of manufacturing giant CRRC has said. Jin Guozhong, chief engine...

A former top official of Guangdong province, widely seen as a “right-hand man” of former provincial governor Ma Xingrui, is under investigation for corruption. The investigation into Guo Yonghang, Communist Party secretary for Guangzhou from June...

A Chinese man who became trapped while taking part in a viral “zip tie escape challenge” at home called for help and was rescued by a passing delivery man. The case involving the man from Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province was rec...

For a few weeks after the bombs started falling on Iran, Southeast Asian governments told their people not to worry. Emergency funds would cushion the blow. Subsidies would hold. Prices would stabilise. A month on, with oil well above US$100 a barrel...

Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87. Lee “passed away peacefully�...

An Iranian missile attack on Friday left at least 10 US service members wounded and damaged several planes at a military base in Saudi Arabia, according to two US officials familiar with the situation. The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base damaged sev...

As US President Donald Trump heads to a delayed, high-stakes mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, he is already claiming victory, touting on Friday past trade talks with Xi as a win for American farmers, a crucial electoral bloc batte...

As one of the biggest targets of wartime looting in centuries past, China is now positioning itself as a global pioneer in repatriating lost cultural artefacts. In this article, the first in a two-part series, Xinlu Liang looks at whether a stolen 1,...

Amid turmoil in the Middle East, including the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil passes, Beijing is pressing ahead with its Zhuri (sun-chasing) project to build solar power statio...

Tiger Woods was released on bail on Friday, hours after his Land Rover clipped a truck, rolled onto its side and the golfer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, officials said. Christine Weiss, a spokeswoman for the Martin County...

China denied on Friday that it had intensified inspections of Panama-flagged vessels in retaliation for Panama’s decision to strip a Hong Kong-based conglomerate of port concessions at both ends of the Panama Canal, accusing Washington of seeking t...

The astronaut who prompted Nasa’s first medical evacuation earlier this year said on Friday that doctors still do not know why he suddenly fell sick at the International Space Station. Four-time space flier Mike Fincke said he was eating dinner on ...

Two aid boats bound for Cuba that were feared missing after they set sail from Mexico have “safely transited” to the island, the US coastguard said on Friday. The Mexican Navy had reported on Thursday that it launched a search and rescue mission ...

A pro-Iranian hacking group claimed Friday to have hacked an account of FBI Director Kash Patel and has posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work résumé and other personal documents. Many of those records appea...

Hong Kong lawmakers have expressed concern over the lack of a car park at the upgraded Huanggang border crossing, saying that providing a shuttle bus service for tour groups or motorists to reach the checkpoint building will not be convenient. Secret...

Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China soon after Donald Trump’s trip in May in a diplomatic double-header that would be the first time Beijing has hosted the leaders of the US and Russia in the same month outside a multilateral event. According...

Beijing has launched two trade barrier investigations into the United States in response to a pair of Section 301 probes that allege unfair trade practices by China and other economies and could pave the way for Washington to reimpose higher tariffs....

Hong Kong commuters have complained about chaotic scenes after services on a section of the East Rail line were suspended for about 2½ hours on Friday when a passenger opened an emergency exit on a train and was later found injured in a tunnel. The ...

China’s new air-based nuclear missile will boost the country’s ability to survive a first strike and retaliate, reinforcing confidence in its no-first-use policy, according to a state-linked military magazine. The Jinglei-1 nuclear-capable air-la...

China’s electric vehicle (EV) king BYD posted its first annual profit drop in four years as it faced intensifying competition from domestic rivals in a cutthroat market. The Shenzhen-based company reported a net profit of 32.6 billion yuan (US$4.72...

Shandong Airlines, a subsidiary of flagship carrier Air China, has announced plans to lease 10 Boeing 737 aircraft, signalling China’s continued demand for the American jets as it looks to refresh an ageing fleet. The airline will pay a total fee o...

The Philippines is seeking broader defence cooperation with Nato’s European members, even as US President Donald Trump remains critical of the transatlantic security alliance’s lack of involvement over the Middle East war. While some observers sa...

Rising fuel costs triggered by the Middle East crisis are emerging as an unexpected tailwind for China’s electric vehicle (EV) makers, as consumers increasingly pivot towards battery-powered cars to avoid surging petrol bills. With Brent crude clim...

Yan Hong, one of China’s leading researchers in hypersonic and high-speed propulsion technologies, has died at the age of 56, according to Northwestern Polytechnical University. Yan, a professor and doctoral supervisor at NPU’s school of power an...

China’s market regulator has told companies including electric vehicle maker BYD and battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) to compete healthily when expanding overseas, amid mounting accusations of unfair competition, subsidies a...

Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macau affairs has concluded a five-day fact-finding trip to three mainland Chinese cities in the Greater Bay Area to explore ways of deepening the international financial hub’s integration into the ...