42 m. ago Venezuela’s Maduro calls for talks after Trump’s threat over military jets

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has called for dialogue with Washington, hours after President Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan military jets if they pose a danger to US forces. Tensions between the two countries soared in recent days after the Pentagon accused Venezuela of buzzing its ships in the Caribbean following a deadly US strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. “None of the differences we have and have had can lead to a military conflict,” Maduro said on Friday in a...

Events

4 h. ago China’s biotech industry is gaining on the US. Can tariffs hold them back?

In the summer of 2015, a time when China’s pharmaceutical market was in a phase of rapid expansion, a sudden regulatory change sent tremors through the industry: drug companies would need to audit the clinical trial data for all pending applications. If withdrawn within a month of the announcement, firms could avoid penalties for submitting flawed applications, but hiding or falsifying data would court severe punishments, including multi-year filing bans. The response from the industry indicated...

Economics

14 h. ago Tesla to award Musk an unparalleled $1 trillion depending on performance

Tesla’s board has proposed a US$1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk in what would be the largest corporate pay package in history, underscoring the hold Musk has over the carmaker as it attempts to transform into an AI and robotics powerhouse. The world’s richest person has consistently said he needs more of a stake in the company, even as a legal battle over his 2018 pay package – then valued at a mere US$56 billion – continues. The regulatory filing puts Musk on a different plane...

Events

14 h. ago Tesla to award Musk an unparalleled US$1 trillion depending on performance

Tesla’s board has proposed a US$1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk in what would be the largest corporate pay package in history, underscoring the hold Musk has over the carmaker as it attempts to transform into an AI and robotics powerhouse. The world’s richest person has consistently said he needs more of a stake in the company, even as a legal battle over his 2018 pay package – then valued at a mere US$56 billion – continues. The regulatory filing puts Musk on a different plane...

Events

17 h. ago Hong Kong must be louder on trade to fight off threat of Trump protectionism

Few economies depend as heavily as Hong Kong on a free and open multilateral trading system. Few have as much to lose if the current US administration succeeds in disembowelling the World Trade Organization and miring international trade in tariffs and other forms of protectionism. Yet as the global trading system faces a protectionist assault, Hong Kong’s voice is nowhere to be heard. Our economy has a vested interest in pushing back against the chaotic trade protectionism that US President...

Politics

18 h. ago China closes biotech gap with US as new drugs, pipelines top 30% of global total

China’s push to become a biotech powerhouse is paying off, with innovative R&D pipelines and newly approved drugs accounting for over 30 per cent of the global total, according to the country’s top economic planner. The sector was showing strong momentum, said Xiang Libin, deputy chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), who cited the figures at the 17th China Bioindustry Convention in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Thursday. China’s bioeconomy, encompassing the research,...

Events

20 h. ago New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo kills 15, prompting WHO response

The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in south-central Kasai province after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, were reported. The outbreak has been confirmed in Bulape and Mweka health zones, with patients presenting symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage. Samples tested this week at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the strain as Ebola Zaire, the World Health...

Events

22 h. ago Europe power guru Wang Xiongfei brings grid stability expertise home to China

One of the European Union’s top power systems experts, Wang Xiongfei, has come full circle after returning to China to take a leading academic role at Tsinghua University. As the newly appointed Xinghua chair professor and doctoral supervisor, Wang brings years of knowledge and experience in European power electronics and grid stability. He has led more than 40 research projects funded by the EU, Denmark, Sweden and various corporations. He has collaborated with grid companies in Germany, the...

Politics

24 h. ago Hong Kong’s top talent scheme succeeds if people are really staying

Since its launch late in 2022, the Top Talent Pass Scheme has become a central component of Hong Kong’s global competitiveness strategy. By July this year, the scheme had attracted close to 140,000 applications. Of these, around 110,000 were approved, resulting in more than 90,000 new arrivals to the city. This influx of skilled residents is a sign that Hong Kong remains a strong magnet for talent. However, as former chief executive Leung Chun-ying and other commentators have warned, the real...

Politics

24 h. ago Success of Hong Kong’s top talent scheme must go deeper than numbers

Since its launch late in 2022, the Top Talent Pass Scheme has become a central component of Hong Kong’s global competitiveness strategy. By July this year, the scheme had attracted close to 140,000 applications. Of these, around 110,000 were approved, resulting in more than 90,000 new arrivals to the city. This influx of skilled residents is a sign that Hong Kong remains a strong magnet for talent. However, as former chief executive Leung Chun-ying and other commentators have warned, the real...

Politics

25 h. ago Chinese province floats new use for digital yuan: paying long

China is mulling the application of its digital yuan – the central bank-backed currency also known as the e-CNY – to tackle persistent payment defaults, a move that would broaden the asset’s scope beyond the set of use cases explored by Beijing since the currency’s launch in 2019. Authorities in the central province of Hunan touched upon the subject when detailing plans to expand the digital currency’s application scenarios and scale, according to a document published last month. Hunan will...

Politics

27 h. ago Venture firm Lanchi doubles down on Chinese AI, robotics start

Chinese venture capital firm Lanchi Ventures is doubling down on investing in China’s artificial intelligence and robotics start-ups while raising a new fund amid increased global investor appetite for the country’s early-stage tech firms, its executives said. Lanchi Ventures, formerly known as BlueRun Ventures China, would continue to be “all in” on AI and robotics, focusing on AI applications, multimodal AI models and firms targeting overseas markets, managing partner Jui Tan said in an...

Politics

27 h. ago Who's Applauding China's 'Victory' Military Parade? Dictators — That's Who

Who's Applauding China's 'Victory' Military Parade? Dictators — That's Who  JAPAN Forward

Events

29 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: Trump files appeal to Supreme Court, says US may 'unwind' deals if it loses case

Trump tariffs live updates: Trump files appeal to Supreme Court, says US may 'unwind' deals if it loses case  Yahoo Finance

Politics

29 h. ago China's Secret AI Weapon: DeepSeek's R2 Agent Set to Disrupt OpenAI's Lead

China's Secret AI Weapon: DeepSeek's R2 Agent Set to Disrupt OpenAI's Lead  Yahoo Finance

Events

38 h. ago Huawei unveils new trifold smartphone before Apple’s iPhone 17 reveal

Huawei Technologies has launched the Mate XTs – its second trifold smartphone, which is more affordable than its predecessor – just five days before Apple is set to unveil its new iPhone 17 series. Powered by Huawei’s self-developed Kirin 9020 chipset and running on the company’s proprietary HarmonyOS ecosystem, the Mate XTs boasted a 36 per cent performance improvement, Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, said during the launch event in Shenzhen on Thursday. The...

Politics

40 h. ago How Trump is helping China extend its massive lead in clean energy

How Trump is helping China extend its massive lead in clean energy  MIT Technology Review

Politics

40 h. ago Weaponised 'robot wolves’ make cameo at China military parade – video

Weaponised 'robot wolves’ make cameo at China military parade – video  The Guardian

Events

40 h. ago In too deep? Filipino couple under scrutiny in flood control scandal

As public furore mounts over the revelation of widespread corruption in flood control projects in the Philippines, few names have captured public attention more than Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya. The couple, once virtually unknown, emerged in the spotlight after Sarah Discaya ran against popular Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in the May midterm elections – only to lose by a landslide. Her biography has since become a lightning rod for scrutiny. Born in London in...

Events

45 h. ago How 2 colours are fuelling Indonesia’s revolt against widening inequality

“RESET SYSTEM” reads graffiti above an intersection in the Javanese city of Yogyakarta, painted hastily in vibrant green and pink after deadly protests swept Indonesia last week. Pink and green have quickly come to symbolise a solidarity movement after violent protests, sparked by discontent over economic inequality and lavish perks for lawmakers, rocked Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. In the capital Jakarta, office worker Dila paused at her desk to apply a bright green and pink filter to her...

Politics