US President Donald Trump said attacks on Iran could stop within two or three weeks even without an agreement, leaving a question mark over the reopening of the vital Strait of Hormuz. “We’ll be leaving very soon,” US President Donald Trump tol...

Beijing has confirmed receiving the cremated remains of historic Communist Party spies from Taiwan and hailed historic “martyrs” as encouragement in its pursuit of reunification. Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office, ...

Hong Kong’s retail sales jumped by nearly 12 per cent in the first two months of 2026 against a year ago, with authorities pointing to growth in the local economy and a surge in tourists. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics De...

Malaysia’s government has said it “strongly denies” a claim made in a news report that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sought to delay the release of findings from an investigation into the country’s anti-corruption chief, and will take legal ac...

Prime office supply in mainland Chinese cities and Hong Kong is estimated to peak this year, while demand remains hampered by an economic slowdown and global uncertainties, according to Cushman & Wakefield. At the end of 2025, premium office inventor...

Against a backdrop of war and global uncertainty, Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a clear message at the recent China Development Forum: China is committed to being a “harbour of stability” for the world. The forum, which drew CEOs from global...

Hong Kong International Airport has been voted the world’s best airport, along with accolades recognising its security standards and facilities. An Airport Authority spokesman said on Wednesday that the city’s airport had clinched the title of �...

At a petrol station in the Washington suburbs, drivers confronted the harsh domestic repercussions of the war on Iran, as spiking fuel prices hit household budgets hard. Jeanne Williams, 83, had just driven 160km from Richmond, Virginia, where she wa...

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The Iran war could widen China’s E...

China’s exports of jet fuel have declined sharply in recent weeks amid the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving countries including Australia and Japan facing a supply crunch and scrambling to find alternative sellers. China is Asia-Pacific’s largest j...

When a hiker fell from a 55-metre (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which could not be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie ...

The parent company of Hong Kong online retailer HKTVmall has defended its life science project involving testing the viability of detached animal heads and limbs, responding to animal ethics concerns by saying no pets were experimented on. Hong Kong ...

China’s Ganfeng Lithium, the world’s largest producer of lithium metal, is envisioning an “explosive growth” in the global energy storage system (ESS) market in 2026, spurred by higher prices of the key battery material and buoyant demand for...

Some Hong Kong taxi drivers have yet to install e-payment options even after the city’s mandatory electronic payment choices for taxis came into effect, highlighting a digital divide challenge facing cabbies, the South China Morning Post has observ...

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Wednesday offered to pay for the flight of a London-based key witness to help with its investigation into possible corruption linked to a US$250 million deal signed last year between the government and British c...

Kim Bong-hwan, who runs a barbecue restaurant in Myeong-dong in central Seoul, is feeling the brunt of rising costs, with wholesale beef prices climbing from about 28,000 won (US$18) per kilogram to more than 40,000 won in recent weeks. “Everything...

Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the global economic system into turmoil, yet Israel, which launched attacks on Tehran alongside the United States, has emerged as a rare exception. Since Israel and its US ally started the Middle ...

Two significant decisions within eight days made by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reflect the current state of its mining industry, where Chinese companies have emerged as preferred partners. On March 19, DR Congo’s Mining Regi...

A new solo dining trend among Chinese people is boosting the success of Japanese diner brands such as Sushiro. The conveyor belt sushi chain opened its first mainland shop in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province in 2021. Its popularity ...

The Malaysian government has entered “crisis mode” in response to the ongoing global energy supply disruption, its transport minister has warned. “This is not a laughing or joking matter. It is a very, very serious matter,” Transport Minister...

Amid ongoing talks between the Trump administration and Cuban leaders, Sandro Castro, the controversial grandson of Fidel Castro, told a major US television news network that most Cubans on the island want to embrace capitalism and that the country�...

Pakistan is hoping that its role in building a diplomatic off-ramp from the US-Israel war on Iran will enable it to become a key actor in the Middle East after the conflict ends, analysts say. If Islamabad can deliver without being sucked into the ma...

This article was first published on April 2, 2016. by Eddie Lee Staff, fans bid farewell to broadcaster It was finally curtains for Asia Television last night (April 1, 2016) after a couple of near-shutdowns last month and one dramatic twist after an...

China is doubling down on mega chemical plants to secure the “industrial gold” needed for its green technology and to scale the coal-based production of chemicals whose global supply is stalled by conflict in the Middle East. On March 20, constru...

Japan on Wednesday raised tobacco and corporate taxes to finance a boost in defence spending, with income tax hike set to follow in 2027 as the government projects the tax increases will add some 1.3 trillion yen (US$8 billion) annually in revenue. A...

China and Pakistan unveiled a joint five-point plan on Tuesday to restore peace in the Persian Gulf after five weeks of US-Israeli bombardment of Iran. China, Pakistan five-point initiative for restoring peace in the Middle East by scmp

The seventh session of the independent inquiry into Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades is under way, with the focus turning to ISS EastPoint, the property management firm for Wang Fuk Court. The blaze, which started on November 26 last year and ra...

Japan has moved swiftly to contain the diplomatic fallout after a member of its Self-Defence Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo last week. But observers and local media say the incident has given Beijing an opening to reinforce claims of ...

China has finished digging the underwater section of a high-speed rail tunnel stretching more than 14km (9 miles) under a busy segment of the Yangtze River, as the country increasingly turns to vast subterranean passages to expand its railway network...

Why didn’t China develop its own scientific and industrial revolutions when it made so many discoveries and advances over millennia? That is often called “Needham’s question”, named after the historian of Chinese science and tech Joseph Needh...

A Scottish man, described as a senior figure in an international crime syndicate, was arrested shortly after landing on the resort island of Bali, according to authorities in Indonesia. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into cust...

Tokyo’s Shibuya ward – home to the famous scramble crossing and one of the Japanese capital’s busiest shopping and nightlife districts – is abandoning its long-standing policy of asking people to take their rubbish home. Instead, it is turnin...

In ancient China, it was not uncommon to use animal excrement in beauty treatments, a practice exemplified by Manchu Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who reportedly included bird droppings in her lifelong skincare routine. Cixi, who rose from a lo...

Preserving Cantonese has been challenging due to the dominance of Mandarin, limited learning resources and a lack of a standard written form. With a declining number of young learners, the language faces an uncertain future. Artificial intelligence (...

A ⁠Russian An-26 ⁠military transport plane ⁠crashed into a cliff in Crimea, killing 29 people on board, due to a possible technical malfunction, Russia’s defence ministry said early on Wednesday, according to news agencies. Tass news agency, ...

A national security trial in Britain that thrust the role of Hong Kong’s overseas trade promotion offices into the global spotlight has heard the defendant deny he was spying on prominent activists from the city and UK politicians on behalf of Chin...

Rising fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict could push more Filipinos deeper into debt, analysts have warned, with one regional study describing the Philippines’ credit card burden reaching a “critical” risk level. Although credit card...

President ⁠Donald Trump said the United States could end its military attacks on Iran within two to three weeks and Tehran did not have to make a deal as a prerequisite for the conflict to wind down. The remarks underscored the shifting and at time...

China’s science and technology awards system has been accused of being riddled with loopholes and misconduct, including serious exaggeration of achievements, cultivation of personal connections and even bribery, according to critics within the acad...

A federal judge has revoked the US citizenship of a naturalised married couple from China after their 2021 convictions for stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Tuesday. ...

Almost three years ago, New York City joined governments across the country in banning TikTok from its phones over security concerns about the Chinese social media site. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a bona fide social media star, took to the app...

As with any conflict, the war in Iran has driven people to choose sides and adopt partisan positions. This includes the view that, despite the acts of aggression by the US and Israel, the Islamic Republic somehow “deserves” the attacks due to yea...

Washington’s top trade negotiator suggested on Tuesday that, in a break from usual practice, members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet will not visit Beijing ahead of the expected mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping to prepare or discus...

A US judge blocked Donald Trump on Tuesday from proceeding with construction of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, halting for now one of the Republican president’s most visible efforts to reshape the...

Iran has the “necessary will” to end the war with the US and Israel, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, stressing that Tehran was seeking guarantees the conflict would not flare up again. The comment by the head of state – which boost...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that they would target leading US technology firms like Apple, Google and Meta if more Iranian leaders were killed in “targeted assassinations”. “These companies, starting from 8pm Tehran time on We...

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that ban the discredited practice. An 8-1 High Court majority sided with a Christian counsellor who argues...

A property management worker at the housing estate ravaged by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades was unaware that fire alarms had been deactivated after the hose reel system was shut down for water tank repairs, an evidentiary hearing has been t...

The Philippines said on Tuesday it will rename more than 100 island features in a bid to reinforce its “sovereignty” in the disputed South China Sea, including areas claimed by China. The features to be renamed under President Ferdinand Marcos Jn...

The US-Israel war on Iran has crippled exports of fertiliser from the Persian Gulf, raising the spectre of higher food prices if the conflict drags on. The disruption could hand China – the world’s largest fertiliser producer – greater politica...