The sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine off Sri Lanka’s coast has raised concerns across South and Southeast Asia that the Middle East conflict may be expanding into the Indian Ocean, while also intensifying political pressure in India ...

Famous Taiwan singer and actress Annie Yi has called for an end to “female competition”, saying that “being 58 years old is nothing to be ashamed of”. The comments have won her widespread praise online. On February 26, Yi, 58, posted a messag...

Airfares from Hong Kong to European, South American and even some Asian destinations have surged amid the latest geopolitical tensions, according to industry insiders, especially on routes that typically transit through Middle Eastern aviation hubs. ...

China set the lowest economic growth target since 1991 as the country contends with global trade tensions, weak domestic demand and rising debt from white elephant investments. A target range for growth of 4.5 to 5 per cent, “while striving for bet...

A Berlin court on Thursday jailed a Syrian man for 13 years for a jihadist-inspired knife attack on a Spanish tourist at the German capital’s Holocaust memorial. The 20-year-old suspect, named only as Wassim Al M., was convicted of attempted murder...

China’s top semiconductor executives have called for a nationwide push to build a domestic alternative to Dutch chip-equipment giant ASML, urging the industry to “abandon illusions and prepare for struggle” amid US sanctions. The current indust...

A Hong Kong man jailed for allegedly poisoning a pastor’s daughter he was infatuated with was freed on Thursday after a judge overturned his conviction, ruling that his recorded confession had been coerced under threat. The High Court found that Ye...

Professor Pan Guang has spent decades focused on Jewish studies, the Middle East and its ties with China. Among his many roles, Pan is founding director of a research centre on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This interview first appeared in S...

For sheer escalatory potential, look no further than the speed at which the six-day-old war in Iran has drawn in countries across the Middle East, causing the biggest energy shock since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While the lon...

A Hong Kong man on trial for allegedly murdering his live-in girlfriend four years ago has said he thought she was an alien because she did not bear his child. A High Court jury of four men and three women heard on Thursday that Tang Lung-fai, 56, ad...

Singapore police have announced arrests of three Singaporeans as part of investigations into ⁠alleged transnational scam syndicate Prince Group and its founder and chairman, Chen Zhi, who is in Chinese detention. Police said the three men were arre...

The first passenger flight to return to Hong Kong from the Middle East on Wednesday night amid the escalating conflict in the region was made possible by safe corridors in United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace, an aviation expert has said, outlining th...

Over six consecutive days since Friday, for the first time in at least three years, Beijing dispatched no warplanes near Taiwan, a pause which analysts say reflects deliberate caution ahead of this month’s Xi–Trump summit. The absence of People�...

Alibaba Group Holding is forming a dedicated internal task force headed by CEO Eddie Wu Yongming in a bid to funnel greater resources into its foundational AI model development efforts. On Thursday, Wu said in a letter to members of the company’s a...

A honeymooning Chinese couple have been separated by the US-Israel strikes on Iran, which caused airspace closures across the Middle East and reportedly affected more than a million passengers. The newlywed couple, from eastern China’s Zhejiang pro...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a newly built destroyer and oversaw a test launch of what state media called a “strategic cruise missile” this week, casting the navy’s build-up as a key part of Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear deterrent...

China will set priorities for technological innovation, economic security, public well-being and carbon reduction over the next five years, vowing to lay a solid foundation for its 2035 target of doubling per capita gross domestic product from 2020 l...

Hong Kong should speed up the construction of the Northern Metropolis megaproject near the border and the development of a commodity trading ecosystem, according to the draft outline of China’s 15th five-year plan. Other priorities included stronge...

Asian carriers like Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines (SIA) are among the best positioned airlines to weather the war in the Middle East as travellers scramble for flights – and pay huge premiums – to escape the conflict. Asian airlines have ...

James Talarico barely mentioned Donald Trump when he finally got to give his victory speech on Wednesday night as Democrats’ nominee for US Senate in Texas. But the 36-year-old state lawmaker is now a frontman for the left’s opposition to Trump, ...

China’s National Development and Reform Commission unveiled its 2026 draft report focused on domestic demand, industrial upgrading and tech self-reliance. Key funding projects include: 250 billion yuan from ultra-long-term special treasury bonds t...

Malaysia’s anti-corruption investigation into a flagship chip-design deal with Britain’s Arm Holdings took a more combustible turn on Thursday after a former government aide declared: “I am not Jho Low 2.0.” The remark – invoking the fugiti...

A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern DR Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine. The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya min...

China’s Ministry of Finance released its draft 2026 budget report, including plans for a more proactive fiscal policy to support the domestic market, advanced technology and public welfare. Major central government expenditures: National defence: ...

#SEAblings – short for “Southeast Asian siblings” – has increasingly been used by young Southeast Asians to signal regional solidarity, be it over a controversial concert or a political event. Whether such moments are fleeting or have the pot...

Beijing laid out a list of priorities for the economy, innovation and the military for this year at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday. Here are the major takeaways from this year...

Japan’s Space One said its Kairos rocket terminated its flight after lift-off on Thursday, failing to achieve the country’s first entirely commercial satellite launch on its third attempt in a row. Three months after another state-run rocket laun...

The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was in the Indian Ocean when a Los Angeles-class US attack submarine fired an MK-48 torpedo, setting off a massive explosion that lifted the ship’s stern out of the water before sinking the vessel. The US Defence Depar...

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called on Hong Kong to leverage its “unique strengths” and pivotal role in connecting with the world, with backing from the rest of the country. In the government work report he delivered at the opening session of the...

The unfolding Iran war has ricocheted across the region and beyond, with nearly every country in the Middle East sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel, many reporting casualties, and key embassies, economic engines and passag...

Hong Kong will roll out targeted measures to attract precious metals companies as part of broader efforts to establish itself as a premier global gold trading hub, according to the city’s agency tasked with attracting foreign direct investment. Inv...

Every few months, another headline announces that artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to “disrupt” the legal profession. Lawyers, we are told, will soon be replaced by algorithms. Judges, apparently, are next, with some recent research suggest...

The bombs falling on Iran have extinguished any remaining doubt. The US-Israeli military campaign has ignited a major regional war. This explosion of violence is the ultimate rebuke to a central promise of US President Donald Trump’s second term: t...

The United States has ordered non-emergency staff at two Pakistani consulates to leave the country and granted permission for staff to leave missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Oman as Iran retaliates over US-Israeli raids. The State Department orde...

A Chinese woman who suffered a heart attack almost missed out on life-saving treatment because of her gel nails. The case has shocked mainland social media and become a wake-up call about the risk of manicures. The 28-year-old woman in central China�...

Beijing says more than 470 Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated from Iran as the conflict with the US and Israel escalates. The Chinese embassy is helping citizens leave via designated land routes and border crossings. Meanwhile, Chinese offi...

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Landlords or operators of subdivided flats in Hong Kong that meet new government living standards can apply to CLP Power for smart meter installation. The smart meters, which now cover 90 per cent of residential households supplied by CLP Power, are ...

In Singapore’s famous Takashimaya shopping centre, those looking for a quick caffeine fix are spoiled for choice. There is, of course, the ubiquitous Starbucks, as well as an outlet of China’s rapidly expanding Luckin Coffee franchise. But it’s...

A bipartisan resolution that would block US President Donald Trump from launching further strikes on Iran failed to pass the Senate floor on Wednesday, as the Pentagon pledged to “accelerate” its actions in a war that’s “just getting started�...

The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday to subpoena US Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions over the Justice Department’s handling of files regarding the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. Five Republicans joined Demo...

A Hong Kong operator has lost control of the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most pivotal waterways for merchant ships, but university researchers said this week that Chinese state institutions have funded hundreds of other seaports around the wor...

The head of the Federal Communications Commission is taking aim at foreign-based call centres with a proposed English proficiency requirement for overseas employees and limits on the volume of calls they can handle. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on ...

In the run-up to this year’s ‘two sessions’ – the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and political advisory body – high-level policymakers have stressed the need to defuse financial risks and root out political corruption, two of ...

When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing for his first visit to China last week, it came at a moment of heightened geopolitical attention. With US President Donald Trump expected to visit Beijing in late March or early April, European...

Russia could halt gas supplies to Europe right now amid a spike in energy prices triggered by the Iran crisis, President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday, linking the possible decision to the European Union wanting to ban purchases of Russian gas a...

As China and the United States compete to shape the future of artificial intelligence, Africa’s rapidly expanding digital landscape is emerging as a new arena for their rivalry, far from the technology hubs of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. With a gro...

Google is facing a lawsuit from the family of a 36-year-old Florida man who allegedly considered carrying out a “mass casualty attack” and ultimately killed himself under the influence of the company’s Gemini chatbot. According to a suit filed ...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump’s plan to increase a broad 10 per cent tariff rate to 15 per cent is likely to be implemented this week. “That’s likely sometime this week,” Bessent said on Wednesday on CNB...

Hong Kong travellers rejoiced on Wednesday evening after arriving home safely on the first flight from Dubai to the city since US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted global air links. Emirates flight EK380 was the first to arrive after Dubai’s two ai...