Russian forces largely occupy the Kherson region, which lies next to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

It is increasingly clear that zero-Covid is an unsustainable goal, particularly against stealthier variants.

Tencent says there was ‘a misunderstanding’ regarding online rumours that children will be allowed to play an hour a day during summer.

Long queues of people formed outside the site of the former PM’s funeral to pay their respects, before a hearse bearing his body proceeded through the capital’s streets where black mourning ribbons draped Japanese flags.

China, the world’s largest vehicle market, is expected to see new-energy vehicles sales surge to 5.5 million units this year from 2.99 million last year, according to the China Passenger Car Association’s forecast.

Man’s relative heard him say ‘I’m not jumping’ when he was leaning out window, according to police.

Elon Musk was responding to a tweet from Breitbart News featuring a video of Donald Trump calling the Tesla CEO ‘another bulls*** artist’.

Koo Sze-yiu, unfazed by judge’s ruling, vows to become a ‘martyr’ to democracy and human rights despite the risk of jail.

A number of protesters remain in police custody, while others say distrust of Henan government is rife amid financial scandal, even as authorities vow to begin repayment of deposits up to 50,000 yuan this week.

Abe stood out on several fronts, becoming Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and breaking with his predecessors to lead from the front. His domestic reform efforts were complemented with a push to build international alliances and bolster Japan...

Gotabaya Rajapaksa escaped his official Colombo residence just before it was overrun by tens of thousands of protesters at the weekend. He wants to travel to Dubai, but immigration officers have been refusing to stamp his passport.

Xing Haiming calls for less Western and negative coverage of his country.

White House national security adviser said Russia’s military is facing challenges sustaining its weaponry after significant losses in Ukraine.

City leader says colour-code system will be ‘very specific’ and only target ‘small numbers’.

Until February last year, same-sex activity was defined as ‘conduct against the laws of nature’ in the Buddhist country’s penal code. Now, Tashi Choden is representing Bhutan at Miss Universe – as the nation’s only openly gay public figure.

Experts urge Beijing to focus on reducing deaths and hospitalisations by vaccinating the elderly.

Joe Biden will make his first visit as US president to Saudi Arabia this week, where he will seek to persuade Riyadh to pump more oil to bring down prices that are fuelling inflation to the highest levels in decades.

Italy’s data protection authority warned TikTok after the company announced that it would use targeted advertising without requesting consent for using data stored on user devices.

The region faces a military build-up ‘at a rate unseen since World War II’, Australia’s defence minister said in Washington – after earlier warning that China was trying to ‘shape the world around it in a way that we’ve not seen before’...

A flaw in a widely used medical device that measures oxygen levels causes critically ill Asians, blacks and Hispanics to receive less supplemental oxygen to help them breathe than white patients.

The past fortnight has seen the downfall of Britain’s Boris Johnson and Sri Lanka’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as well as the assassination of Japan’s Shinzo Abe. The quality of Asia-Pacific leadership is rising, in part due to Lee setting the standar...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has dispatched some of his top aides to the region in a broad diplomatic push that follows a lengthy tour of Southeast Asia by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Health authorities say update for ‘Leave Home Safe’ app will rely on traffic-light style electronic system.

Across China, a growing financial burden on local governments is leading many regions to gamble with potentially dangerous debt products aimed at retail investors, reigniting concerns about systemic financial risk.

A father in China dropped his son at kindergarten last week but never showed up to collect him, he later told teachers the boy was not his biological child and that he was now their problem.

Divergent responses to recent property launches suggest buyers in Hong Kong have started preferring larger flats, following a relaxation of mortgage rules and as the market remains soft.

Cleaners and security workers at the prestigious Seoul university have been fighting for more money and better working conditions for months.

Experts call for rethink of Covid-19 policies given rebound in infection numbers, as new health minister reveals plans for colour-coded system for patients.

Commissioning of the Haixun 06 mega patrol ship seen to signal bigger role for the civilian, less controversial Maritime Safety Administration.

Nasa’s US$10 billion James Webb Space Telescope has helped humanity see further an ever into time and space – close to the edge of the universe.

‘We can’t afford to stand still’ amid Beijing’s military advances and ‘force or coercion’ to advance territorial claims, says No 2 Canberra official.

Free screening is offered for colorectal cancer but not lung or breast cancer, even though these are the three most common cancers in Hong Kong. For breast cancer in particular, early detection can make a huge difference to successful, low-cost treat...

The athlete, who says his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin, says he was flown out of Africa illegally and made to look after another family’s children in Britain.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa – whose family is seen as Beijing-friendly – has confirmed he will resign as president, according to the prime minister’s office.

The twangy, menacing piece of music has been used in all 25 films revolving around the suave British secret agent.

The ban, which went into effect in June, requires companies to prove their imports have not involved forced labour.

This would come 4 years ahead of a previous UN estimate, with China expected to see an absolute decline in population as early as 2023.

Shinzo Abe’s three-pronged Abenomics approach has long been cited by Chinese policy advisers as a warning against unconventional policy loosening.

There are currently 11 hopefuls vying for Britain’s top job, after the scandal-ridden PM Boris Johnson was forced to step down last week.

Kyiv calls the leader’s decree ‘worthless’, saying Ukrainians ‘do not need Putin’s citizenship’ and that attempts to impose it by force are ‘doomed to failure’.

Some outlets under the new ‘Vkusno i tochka’ branding have taken fries and wedges off the menu due to a poor potato harvest and supply chain issues.

Chinese foreign ministry office in city condemns ‘hypocrisy and grandstanding’ of US Consul General Hanscom Smith.

Environment minister Tse Chin-wan says authorities ‘totally agree’ with lawmakers that pigeons should be added to legislation prohibiting feeding wild animals.

Hong Kong care homes sound alarm over staff shortages.

Scientists are concerned about the highly mutated BA.2.75, dubbed Centaurus, which is gaining ground in India.

The device’s other military and civilian applications could include mobile intercontinental ballistic missile launch and earthquake detection.

William Lai offers condolences to Abe’s widow at family home but Beijing says it has not been told of arrangements.

The rising costs of gas and food, a Covid-19 resurgence and an ageing population could take precedence over constitutional changes in the Kishida administration’s agenda.

Lockdown sparks panic buying, despite authorities assuring residents there is sufficient stock of necessities.

Sheung Shui in northern New Territories saw a high of 37.4 degrees, while temperature reached 35.8 degrees in Shek Kong in Yuen Long.