China’s southern Hainan province implemented a separate customs regime on Thursday, as Beijing seeks to develop the island into an offshore financing and duty-free hub and position it as a strategic hedge against rising external trade barriers. The...

Manus, the high-profile artificial intelligence agent launched by Chinese founders, has crossed US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) nine months after launch, the company said on Wednesday. The achievement makes it the “fastest growing ...

Indonesia is pressing ahead with plans to restore parts of Sumatra devastated by a late November cyclone, pledging billions of dollars and a new coordinating body, even as experts warn that rebuilding in the same area risks a repeat of the disaster. ...

A Chinese influencer’s imitation of Rosé from the South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink at a pop-up shop has ignited an online debate over fan culture and celebrity identity. Rosé, who is known for her unique voice and versatile singing style, ...

Hong Kong’s leader has vowed to turn the city into a leading Asian hub for aircraft recycling and parts trading, with a new locally based training centre set to offer four aviation technician courses next year. The Aircraft Engineering Training Cen...

A leading university in Hong Kong has appointed a veteran academic administrator to be its vice-president in administration – the third person in the role in as many years – after his predecessor resigned less than 12 months into the job. Albert ...

Flat owners displaced by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in seven decades will receive an annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,280) each to rent homes in the private market, under the latest government relief measure. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk ...

Cambodia said Thailand’s military on Thursday bombed the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes. Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Muni...

Facing an ever-increasing trade deficit with China, Europe has limited options to balance the situation in the short term even though it still holds an edge in key sectors including pharmaceuticals, machinery and components, analysts said. China’s ...

China extended its support to Venezuela and opposed “unilateral bullying” in a foreign ministers’ phone call on Wednesday amid rising US pressure on the South American country. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil t...

Indonesian domestic worker Desi Widiana had spent half her life in Hong Kong, caring for other people’s families while her own waited thousands of kilometres away. Now, her relatives in Sambi village in East Java are waiting again – this time for...

A top executive of a multinational logistics group has bought a luxury flat in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels West for HK$132 million (US$16.9 million), adding to a growing list of wealthy buyers acquiring high-end homes as prices soften. Cherry Hill Inves...

Japan’s top government spokesman on Thursday expressed concern over images posted online of the winner of a beauty pageant and some lawmakers in Finland showing them pulling back the corners of their eyes, a gesture widely regarded as racially offe...

Hong Kong has launched its first blueprint for the Chinese medicine sector’s development, with authorities seeking to raise the competency of practitioners and product standards as part of efforts to enhance the industry’s status. The “Chinese ...

A 20-year-old air conditioner has suddenly become the hottest, most sought-after vintage find in South Korea after a video showing that its logo was made of pure gold went viral. The YouTube clip, titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”, show...

Hong Kong’s lawmakers-elect have called for more exchanges with senior officials before policy formulation as they welcomed the first sharing session on Thursday, saying it signalled the government valued ties with the legislature. About 70 of the ...

Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India’s air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told parliam...

Japan will host the leaders of five Central Asian countries in Tokyo this week, a meeting analysts say is meant to show that “Japan is back” as an active player in a region where global powers are competing for influence, minerals and transport r...

Late last year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her second term in office, a giant purple banner was draped over the side of the EU executive arm’s headquarters, declaring: “United for our Future, 2024-2029.” While u...

A frugal food-delivery worker in China who has saved 1.12 million yuan (US$160,000) over the past five years has won admiration online. Zhang Xueqiang, 25, came to Shanghai to take up the delivery job with a major platform in 2020. His move came afte...

More than 700 mainland Chinese drivers have applied to enter Hong Kong’s urban areas under a new scheme starting on Tuesday, with transport authorities saying the number aligned with their expectations. The Transport Department also said on Thursda...

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in victory for his war in Ukraine during a meeting with senior military officials on Wednesday amid a renewed diplomatic push to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict. He said that more than...

A 25-year-old man was fined S$12,000 (US$9,300) on Wednesday for posting social media videos and photos of himself holding or using e-vaporisers in Singapore. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said this is the first time it has prosecuted someone f...

Hong Kong police have arrested one suspect after four armed men robbed the staff of a currency exchange shop of 1 billion yen (US$6.4 million). The force said it received a report at 9.06am on Thursday from a staff member who, together with a colleag...

Dhaka’s already strained relationship with New Delhi has come under fresh pressure after a Bangladeshi opposition leader threatened to shelter separatists targeting India’s sensitive northeast region in retaliation for what he claimed to be elect...

China’s youth-unemployment rate ticked lower in November, though competition remains fierce for university graduates trying to find work that matches their qualifications. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 16.9 p...

China is emerging as a rising powerhouse for scientific innovation at a time when scientific research in the United States faces growing funding instability, according to Belgian neurologist Steven Laureys. Laureys, a pioneer in detecting hidden awar...

The White House has installed new plaques beneath photos of former leaders on US President Donald Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House that sharply criticise his Democratic predecessors. The plaques were a striking addition be...

US President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday, highlighting what he described as his administration’s achievements in 2025 and promising to build on his “Make America Great Again” agenda in the next year. In a defiant 18-minute ad...

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) leader BYD has reinforced its push to build and sell more cars fitted with level 3 (L3) autonomous driving systems after Beijing took its first step towards deregulating the technology. The company collaborated with auth...

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a sweeping crackdown on hate, division and radicalisation on Thursday after a mass shooting killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry....

The US military said on Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the US House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force again...

Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to slash the prison term of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup after losing re-election to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Passed by the lower chamber la...

A charity in Hong Kong that quietly helps hundreds of injured workers every year will soon get much-needed financial support to assist more employees and their families. The Hong Kong Workers’ Health Centre (HKWHC) is one of 13 charities selected t...

A semi-private school in Hong Kong has said accommodation arrangements and scholarships have to be addressed when admitting non-local students under a new government trial scheme. Chan Wai-kai, principal of HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary S...

The People’s Liberation Army has made a rare public appeal for tip-offs about procurement problems in its air force, as Beijing presses ahead with its anti-corruption campaign in the military. The announcement was posted on Monday on the PLA’s of...

I grew up in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district and Wang Fuk Court was a stone’s throw away from my school. In the recent fire, 16 students and one staff member of my alma mater were affected. Fortunately, there were no casualties among them, but homes ...

After a pandemic that swept through the world, an economic slump and record-breaking unemployment rate, young Chinese have finally learned to love themselves. The hottest recent trend on Chinese social media has got to be “love you, good old self�...

There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser said on Wednesday. In a statement, Eduardo Ano said...

Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit. China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website tha...

A Chinese tourist stranded in Japan, having been assisted by a local man who invited him to stay the night, sent 300 masks during the Covid-19 pandemic as a gesture of gratitude. Recently, the Japanese variety show The World’s Astonishing News! hig...

As Australia’s new restrictions on social media use by children under 16 take effect this month, governments across Southeast Asia are rolling out or weighing their own measures aimed at protecting young users online. From platform licensing rules ...

A French aeronautical services company planning to set up Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business has called on the government to support the new industry with measures such as tax breaks, as it launched its training programme for local tec...

A manhunt for the mass shooter who opened fire in an exam room at one of America’s top universities stretched into a fifth day on Wednesday with no apparent police progress in identifying a suspect or a motive. The only new information from police ...

Chinese robotics manufacturers are set to cement their dominance in the global smart vacuum market with Picea Robotics’ acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot, after the US firm’s proposed sale to Amazon.com last year fell through due to regulatory h...

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino will step down from his post next month, he said on Wednesday, ending a short and at times tumultuous tenure as the bureau’s second highest-ranking official. Bongino announced the move on social media hours after Pre...

It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In the third part of a series looking back at the events of 2025, we examine China’s growing military might and how it’s narrowing the tech gap with the US. US defence chief Pete...

Last month, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), the world’s largest battery company, started building a massive joint venture plant in Spain. It came weeks after Spain’s King Felipe visited Beijing, seeking a stronger EU-China relatio...

The Senate on Wednesday approved US President Donald Trump’s renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, following months of backtracking and uncertainty over the space agency’s future. The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in...

Chinese carmaker BYD plans to build a new factory in Brazil within the next three years after rising demand for electric buses filled its existing production capacity and forced the company to redraw its manufacturing strategy in the country. The pro...