China’s envoy to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has warned that any military involvement by Japan in the Taiwan issue would amount to aggression against Beijing, which would “retaliate resolutely”. Fu told a UN meeting on Wednesday that Tokyo had...

Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment and sources in the Palestinian enclave. Hamas’ continuing influence over key Gaza ...

India and France have agreed to strengthen links between two of their largest ports and others, giving fresh momentum for a proposed commercial corridor stretching from South Asia to Europe that analysts say could rival China’s Belt and Road Initia...

A British couple detained in Iran since January last year have been sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage, their family announced on Thursday, prompting condemnation from the UK government. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their fifties, were...

China will not seek reciprocity in its latest trade agreement with South Africa, its ambassador said, as Beijing prepares to roll out an expanded zero-tariff policy for African nations from May 1. The deal means South African goods can enter the Chin...

A novel way of bringing up children, known as “reversed parenting”, has become popular among millennial Chinese parents. The trend sees mothers and fathers mimic the behaviour of their children to promote more equal conversations. It stems from a...

More people in China are choosing to stay away from their villages and families during Lunar New Year, according to Chinese national and businessman Xue Gang, 44. “Our parents do not mind, and even my parents are currently travelling around China. ...

Locals and visitors flocked to popular destinations across Hong Kong on the third day of Lunar New Year on Thursday, despite official data showing a nearly 16 per cent increase in net outflow during the holiday period. Crowds began building up at abo...

A South Korean court on Thursday found former president Yoon Suk-yeol guilty of insurrection and sentenced him to life in prison over his short-lived martial law decree that plunged the country into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades. ...

Peruvian lawmakers picked Jose Maria Balcazar as the country’s new interim president on Wednesday, making him the country’s eighth leader in a decade after Jose Jeri was impeached on corruption allegations. The left-wing lawmaker was elected head...

When told that her taxi fare was S$24 (US$19), a woman said she had no cash and refused the payment options suggested by the cabby. After the woman challenged him to take her to a police station, the elderly taxi driver did so – and she then slappe...

Australian OnlyFans model Gemma Doyle has faced a torrent of online abuse and death threats after being caught stealing a bikini from a boutique “for fun” while holidaying in Bali. Doyle, 26, apologised and admitted to shoplifting the garment fro...

Chinese scientists have used artificial intelligence to make progress on a more than 300-year-old maths problem that has implications for large-scale data storage and advanced telecommunications. Using an AI system called PackingStar, the researchers...

Thailand and Cambodia are battling for narrative control over their border dispute, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet alleging truce violations during a Washington trip – and Bangkok accusing its neighbour of spreading “distorted” informa...

Bill Gates has cancelled his speech that was scheduled for Thursday at a major AI summit in India, the Gates Foundation said, after the Microsoft co-founder was named in the Epstein files. “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remai...

Satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil, experts ⁠say, advancing work at a location reportedly bombed by Israel ⁠in 2024 amid tensions with the U...

Chinese deals in Kenya often move from signing to construction in less than a year, according to the head of the African country’s investment agency, with most of the agreements signed during Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Beijing in 20...

Chinese tech companies from Tencent Holdings to AgiBot have named millennials and even Gen Z talent as chief scientists to lead cutting-edge research into artificial intelligence and robotics. The most watched is Vinces Yao Shunyu, who turns 28 this ...

Some of the roughly 500 Guangdong motorists in the southbound travel scheme drove into Hong Kong’s urban areas during the Lunar New Year holiday for offbeat sightseeing and festive shopping. Authorities said bookings under the “Southbound Travel ...

Producers across the world are likely to ramp up output of commodities such as copper and lithium, limiting the kind of runaway price gains seen in gold even as markets anticipate a prolonged rally in raw materials, Goldman Sachs said. Gold has surge...

Hong Kong immigration authorities have pledged their full support to the family of a 26-year-old resident found dead in a Taipei hotel. The Immigration Department said on Thursday it had immediately contacted the man’s family after learning of the ...

The top commander overseeing US forces in Latin America, General Francis Donovan, and senior Pentagon official Joseph Humire made a surprise visit to Venezuela on Wednesday for security talks, US officials said. The trip is the first by a US military...

A red, white and blue colour scheme championed by US President Donald Trump will become the new look for Air Force One, the US military said on Thursday. The Air Force said a “red, white, gold and dark blue paint scheme” will be used for the upda...

The family behind one of Mongolia’s largest mining conglomerates has bought a detached house in Hong Kong’s upmarket Southern district for HK$247 million (US$31.5 million), with the buyer intending to use it as a “retirement residence”. Land ...

A surge in South Korean visitors wanting to play golf in Guangzhou, fuelled by China’s visa-free travel policy and the city’s warm climate, is keeping Quan Yulan busier than ever at the travel agency where she has worked for 12 years. Compared wi...

A witness to the tragic incident where a family of five were killed in a house in Cherating Damai, Malaysia’s Pahang state, has said that he heard an argument before the alleged murders unfolded. Kuantan Assistant Commissioner Ashari Abu Samah said...

Uber is set to outdo itself on Hong Kong taxi drivers’ meter (of hate) – it is reportedly planning to launch its robotaxi services in Hong Kong by the end of 2026. On the tech side, this is nothing short of a miracle. The Uber robotaxi features L...

I remember when I was four or five years old, my great-grandmother would get busy days ahead of Lunar New Year. She would clean the house, pickle vegetables in an enormous jar and start pre-cooking dishes for the New Year’s Eve family meal. One sta...

A 63-year-old man has died after falling from a Hong Kong high-rise while trying to rescue his pet cat. A security guard at Jubilant Place in Kowloon City district alerted police at 11.27pm on Wednesday after he found the man lying in a flower bed at...

The world’s “most difficult” railway project is taking shape in rugged southwestern China. The line connecting Dali and border town Ruili in Yunnan province is the first to cut through the Hengduan Mountains, traversing some of the world’s mo...

The world’s largest human migration, China’s Spring Festival travel rush, could date back more than 2,000 years and reflects the history and development of China’s transport networks. This year’s Spring Festival rush, or chunyun, takes place ...

Anna Lee*, a Hongkonger in her forties, first realised the profound impact of the violence she experienced as a child when she became a mother herself. As she raised her two children, now aged seven and 10, she was alarmed to find her emotional react...

A bizarre, previously unreported incident involving a naked man at Japan’s Imperial Palace during a new year’s celebration has raised questions about the emperor’s security as the royal household prepares for his birthday audience on Monday. Th...

The White House declined on Wednesday to comment on reports that US President Donald Trump is weighing whether to cancel or delay a US$11 billion arms package to Taiwan, as he seeks to keep an expected April summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on t...

Retail tycoon Les Wexner told US lawmakers on Wednesday that he was “conned” by Jeffrey Epstein and denied any knowledge of his crimes, as Democrats pressed him over his decades-long relationship with the notorious sex offender. The 88-year-old f...

The Trump administration is withdrawing forces from Syria as part of a strategic shift now that the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa is taking control of the fight against terror groups, according to a senior US official. A significant US troo...

With the unveiling of the long-range hypersonic CJ-1000 missiles, China has surpassed the United States in the critical race to field practical scramjet propulsion systems, according to a mainland military magazine. Alongside the ship-launched YJ-19,...

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday he regretted Meta’s slow progress in identifying underage users on Instagram, as he faced stinging criticism at a landmark social media trial over accusations that his company deliberately hooked children. Aske...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the UK’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, warning the deal could create strategic vulnerabilities ami...

Brazil has imposed anti-dumping duties on a broad range of Chinese steel products and hypodermic needles following two investigations that found the imports were being sold at unfairly low prices, harming domestic producers. Approved by the governmen...

US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Wednesday that it would rescind a rule rewarding electric vehicle production – eliminating the so-called “fuel content factor” – the latest in a series of actions rolling back federal ...

Pope Leo lamented ⁠a world “in flames” ⁠due to wars and ⁠the destruction of the environment during an Ash Wednesday Mass, opening the season of Lent for the world’s Christians. Before sprinkling ashes on the heads of participants, a sign ...

US factory production increased by the most in nearly a year in January, offering hope for a manufacturing sector that has been squeezed by import tariffs and high interest rates. Manufacturing output rose 0.6 per cent last month, the largest gain si...

A Hongkonger has been beaten on the head with a beer bottle while visiting Sapporo, prompting the Chinese consulate in the Japanese city to again warn against travel to the country amid frayed bilateral ties. The consulate said the attack occurred at...

Thailand hopes to bring Myanmar back into Asean nearly five years after a military coup, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has said after meeting his Myanmar counterpart. “Thailand wants to be a bridge connecting Myanmar back to Asean,”...

Beijing has quietly tightened restrictions on officials with family members overseas in the past year as part of a sweeping anti-corruption drive, according to sources. Three people familiar with the situation said inspections had been carried out si...

Russia is demanding that European countries who accused Moscow of poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a dart frog toxin provide concrete data to support their allegation, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Britain, Fr...

A Lunar New Year post from the Chinese coastguard on Wednesday provided a rare glimpse at how aerial drones have become essential to daily training and operations near a hotly contested South China Sea reef. The social media post was meant to show of...

China is gearing up to harness the extended Lunar New Year holiday to attract more spending by international tourists, as the country looks to shake off a recent economic slowdown and pivot towards consumption-driven growth. In a rare joint initiativ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron have upgraded their countries’ defence ties, a move analysts say signals New Delhi’s drive to curb dependence on foreign arms imports while cementing a closer security relat...