Cathay Pacific plans to grow its revenue beyond flying passengers, envisioning a set-up similar to US retail giant Amazon, in which customers are encouraged to spend on goods, services and products through the airline rather than just buying air tick...

The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the head of the government’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement said on Sunday.Deliveries of the vaccine, among seve...

Discounts enticing consumers to buy items they actually want, and the flexibility of spending on daily commutes will discourage Hongkongers from abusing a HK$36 billion government voucher scheme by cashing out through product refunds, the city’s fi...

Every year around International Yoga Day on June 21, Indians commemorate the 5,000-year-old practice in the digital age by flocking to live-streamed Facebook classes, virtual boot camps helmed by Bollywood celebrities and online sessions featuring wo...

The organisers of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday threw open the doors of the Olympic Village to the media, showcasing virus upgrades including a fever clinic just over a month before the Games begin.Organisers are in the home stretch of preparations be...

Marine Le Pen’s far-right party looks set to win control of at least one French region for the first time ever in elections starting on Sunday, in a sign her campaign is building momentum before next year’s presidential contest.Polls open at 8am,...

As some governments and pharmaceutical officials around the world prepare for Covid-19 vaccine booster shots targeting more-infectious virus variants, a World Health Organization (WHO) scientist says it is too early to tell if they will be required.�...

Bangkok’s celebrated food scene is in turmoil as the kingdom struggles to control the coronavirus pandemic, leaving restaurateurs wheezing under the weight of overheads without customers and raging at a government that has imposed an alcohol ban bu...

Hong Kong’s largest business chamber has urged the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19, citing HK$600 billion (US$77.3 billion) in losses for the city amid the pandemic, and warning of a further toll on the economy if the low inoculation rate...

Five people have died after a residential building collapsed in the central China province of Hunan.The building, which had 27 inhabitants, was in Rucheng county and collapsed around noon on Saturday, the state broadcaster CCTV reported.Seven survivo...

Jacqueline Kwan walks into the Kowloon branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), a parade of dogs behind her.There’s Freddie the Shih Tzu, who was abandoned by its owner at a police station; Burita, a schnauzer, rescued...

Singapore pips Hong Kong in quarantine facilities for visitors and returnees, an advantage that gives the city state the edge in resuming business travels to kick start the local economy.One in every four Singapore hotels is usable as a facility for ...

Unable to turn a blind eye to the worsening Covid-19 crisis in Nepal, Sanjaya Rai is determined to help.Rai, 27, who came from Hong Kong from Nepal in 2004, lives with his parents and younger brother while pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical e...

When software entrepreneur Tom Coyne moved to Malta from Hong Kong with his family last summer, he imagined he’d be taking a temporary break from pandemic life in the city. But after spending nearly a year in the small European country with his wif...

Taxi firm boss Chan Ming-sang’s jaw dropped when he received an insurance firm’s letter in March, setting the annual premium for one of the cabs in his company’s fleet at almost HK$150,000 (US$19,300).“I was totally shocked,” he told the Po...

China administered its billionth dose of Covid-19 vaccine over the weekend, an important milestone for the world’s largest inoculation programme as it seeks to protect the country from imported infections.It follows a significant stepping up of the...

China’s latest response aimed at blunting the effects of US sanctions will do little to relieve the pressure on companies currently denied access to key technologies from Western countries, but it could further the ongoing decoupling process, acco...

Parties negotiating a revival of the Iran nuclear deal will hold a formal meeting in Vienna on Sunday, the European Union said on Saturday.Iran and six world powers have been negotiating in Vienna since April to work out steps for Washington and Tehr...

Five building workers were confirmed dead on Saturday a day after a school construction site partially collapsed in the Belgian city of Antwerp.The last two bodies were pulled from rubble on Saturday afternoon, Antwerp’s fire department said, meani...

Champ, one of the Bidens’ two German shepherds, died on Saturday at the first family’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, after months of his health declining, the US president said. Champ was 13.“We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always...

In Africa’s feature phone market, one company leaves every other in its wake.Shenzhen-based manufacturer Transsion accounted for more than three-quarters of all the phones in the category sold on the continent in the first quarter of the year, well...

Parades, picnics and lessons in history were offered to commemorate Juneteenth in the US, a day that carried even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to observe the end of slavery.A new holiday was “re...

Brazil’s health ministry is working to speed up Covid-19 vaccinations as the death toll rose to more than 500,000 since the start of the pandemic.The nation of 210 million people has been reporting an average of more than 2,000 daily deaths in rece...

The largest gay pride parade in central Europe took place again in Warsaw for the first time in two years after a pandemic-induced break – and amid a backlash in Poland and Hungary against LGBTQ+ rights.Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski walked at the ...

Renewed battles between government forces and Houthi rebels over the strategic city of Marib in northern Yemen have left 47 dead, including 16 pro-government forces, military sources said on Saturday.The Iran-backed rebels are seeking to seize contro...

Five police officers were injured overnight in western France as they broke up a 1,500-strong illegal rave, authorities said on Saturday, with one partygoer losing a hand in the clashes.Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, who defied an 11pm ...

Covid-19 vaccines delivered by Israel and then rejected by the Palestinian Authority (PA) over their expiration date were fine, the Israeli health ministry said on Saturday.Israel and the PA on Friday announced a vaccine swap deal that would have see...

To most people, a narrative is a story or an account of an event or situation, but to advertising, communications and PR professionals, it is about a strategically articulated vision and all associated messages that bond with the target audience.Mark...

Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday rejected a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an arms embargo against the Southeast Asian nation and condemning the military’s February seizure of power.Myanmar described the resolution, which passed...

Iran summoned Britain’s ambassador on Saturday to protest what it said were violent incidents targeting its expatriates as they voted in presidential elections at polling stations set up in the UK.A foreign ministry spokesman in the Islamic republi...

This year’s World Refugee Day offers a chance to reflect on the uncertainty faced by those forced to flee their homes, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett said as the world grapples with the unpredictability of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Australian actor, a...

Japan is considering scrapping its plan to procure US-made long-range anti-ship missiles with stand-off capabilities for the Air Self-Defence Force’s F-15 fighter jets, government officials said on Saturday.The plan to change its policy is due to b...

Russian investigators said on Saturday they have detained a man on suspicion of murder after finding the body of a foreign woman the media identified as a missing American student.Russian news agencies identified the woman as 34-year-old US citizen C...

Trade shocks fuelled by unilateral tariffs between the United States and China have undone three to five years worth of growth among global value chains in affected countries, according to a United Nations policy brief.The report from the UN Developm...

There was good news and bad news for China this week with US President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe.The eight-day tour, which included summits with G7, Nato and European Union leaders, was designed to unify the West’s stand against China on human r...

Thousands of heavy metal fans were camping, singing – and even moshing – on Saturday at Britain’s first full music festival since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.The three-day Download Festival, taking place at Donington Park in central E...

Passports belonging to a group of 31 South Koreans who arrived in China earlier this month were accidentally burned by sanitation workers after they mistook the travel documents for rubbish, local media reported on Saturday.The incident happened afte...

Heated debate has erupted on the internet in China over a non-peer-reviewed scientific paper in which researchers claim to have impregnated male rats surgically attached to female ones.A Weibo hashtag related to the study posted on the preprint serve...

Digital payment providers have ramped up rewards and discounts to tempt consumers to their platforms for the government’s HK$5,000 (US$650) electronic voucher roll-out, while Hong Kong’s finance minister has warned merchants against conspiring wi...

Local governments across China are investigating ways to raise the birth rate as the country prepares to adopt legislation to allow all couples to have three children.At a meeting on Friday night chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, China’s cabinet, the ...

Hong Kong homebuyers returned in droves to snap up new flats in Ho Man Tin on Saturday, showing confidence in the city’s property market amid the improving local coronavirus situation and early signs of economic recovery.Vanke Holdings (Hong Kong),...

The organisers of next year’s international Gay Games have asked the Hong Kong government to let them book public venues directly a year in advance, or risk the cancellation of some key sports events.Hong Kong beat out competition from Washington a...

Veterinarian Alex Grioni whistles as he opens a heavy metal door at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden’s Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Hong Kong’s New Territories.Then he bends down quickly to stop a large radiated tortoise from escaping. The e...

China has paid tribute to Zambia’s founding president Kenneth Kaunda as a liberation hero and “old friend of the Chinese people”.Kaunda, one of the last of the generation of African leaders who fought colonialism, succumbed to pneumonia while i...

An unprecedented statement of support for Taiwan from the G7 last weekend has boosted the self-ruled island’s importance and is likely to renew Taipei’s efforts in securing membership of, or participation in, international organisations, analysts...

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and part of a city locked down in southern China as the coastal province of Guangdong tries to stamp out transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.Guangdong’s health commission re...

Ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi was declared the winner Saturday of Iran’s presidential election, a widely anticipated result after many political heavyweights were barred from running.Raisi won 62 per cent of the vote with about 90 per cent...

Alanna Sethi had just moved to Hong Kong from Britain when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Social distancing quickly became part of daily life and classes at the Australian International School, where she had just enrolled, shifted online. Sethi soon ...

India on Saturday mourned the loss of track legend Milkha Singh, who overcame childhood tragedy to seek Olympic glory, after he died aged 91 following a long battle with Covid-19. Singh, a four-time Asian Games gold medallist who was dubbed the ‘F...

Just under a third of the more than 300 adverse events reviewed by Hong Kong health authorities following Covid-19 vaccinations so far could be linked to the jabs, a top government adviser has revealed, though few have involved serious side effects.W...