2 h. ago Bangladesh’s student leaders ‘sidelined’ by Islamist allies in poll pact

Bangladesh’s student leaders, one of the main driving forces behind the mass protests that brought down former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, now face an uncertain political future. Despite their central role in the uprising, the youth movement has been granted only a small share of parliamentary seats under a new electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami – an Islamist party that was long politically marginalised but has re-emerged as a central player. Under the agreement, the student-led...

Politics

7 h. ago Allies tepid on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ with invited leaders wondering how it will work

Key allies reacted coolly on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, with analysts likening it to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Israel has also been asked...

Politics

7 h. ago Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invitations

Key allies reacted coolly on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s invite to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, with analysts likening it to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The board’s charter, seen by...

Politics

10 h. ago Beijing Targets Former Nuclear Energy Leader in Corruption Probe

Beijing Targets Former Nuclear Energy Leader in Corruption Probe  Caixin Global

Events

13 h. ago Expert says Russia and China will benefit most from tariffs against allies who oppose Greenland

Expert says Russia and China will benefit most from tariffs against allies who oppose Greenland  CBS News

Economics

14 h. ago AstraZeneca pens $630M pact to secure remaining rights to armored CAR

AstraZeneca pens $630M pact to secure remaining rights to armored CAR-T from AbelZeta  Fierce Biotech

Politics

17 h. ago Punch back or punching bag? EU weighs response to Trump’s Greenland tariff threat

After a weekend of Donald Trump threatening to slap tariffs on EU countries for opposing his drive to acquire Greenland, the question on European lips on Monday was: will the bloc finally punch back? A string of national leaders has come out against the US president’s gambit, part of a long-running campaign to make the giant autonomous Danish territory part of America, with speculation mounting that the use of duties could trigger European retaliation. To keep Trump engaged in Ukraine’s war...

Politics

17 h. ago EU weighs response to Trump’s Greenland tariff threat: punch back or punching bag?

After a weekend of Donald Trump threatening to slap tariffs on EU countries for opposing his drive to acquire Greenland, the question on European lips on Monday was: will the bloc finally punch back? A string of national leaders has come out against the US president’s gambit, part of a long-running campaign to make the giant autonomous Danish territory part of America, with speculation mounting that the use of duties could trigger European retaliation. To keep Trump engaged in Ukraine’s war...

Politics

21 h. ago China leverages AI to drive productivity, sustainability and global leadership

China leverages AI to drive productivity, sustainability and global leadership  news.cgtn.com

Politics

26 h. ago China readies Davos sales pitch as US grants Beijing window of opportunity

As political and business leaders gather in the Swiss town of Davos for this year’s World Economic Forum, scheduled to begin on Monday, analysts expect China to continue positioning itself as a reliable trade partner and supporter of multilateralism – stances drawing an implicit contrast with the United States under President Donald Trump. This year’s meeting, themed “A Spirit of Dialogue”, will take place amid heightened global tensions in the wake of several controversial actions by Trump’s...

Events

28 h. ago Japan struggles to weed out plant threatening agriculture, ecosystems

The verdant green leaves and dainty white flowers of the alligator weed are becoming a common sight in waterways across Japan. But while the plant, whose scientific name is Alternanthera philoxeroides, may look innocuous, it is an absolute menace according to Koichi Goka, head of the Invasive Species Research Team at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES). “We first had reports of alligator weed in Japan in Hyogo prefecture in 1989 and it quickly spread from there across...

Events

32 h. ago Chile declares state of emergency as wildfires kill at least 18 people

Uncontrolled wildfires tore through communities in southern Chile, leaving charred ruins in their wake and at least 18 dead, authorities said on Sunday. More than 50,000 people have been displaced by blazes burning for two days now in the Nuble and Biobio regions about 500 km (300 miles) south of Santiago, fanned by strong winds and hot weather. “We had to leave with the shirts on our back. If we had stayed another 20 minutes we would have burned to death,” Matias Cid, a 25-year-old student in...

Events

32 h. ago How Trump’s Venezuela strike humiliated Russia and worried China

US President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, have put Russia and China – widely considered two of Caracas’ most important international partners – in a difficult position. If they do not significantly reduce ties with the Latin American nation, they risk Washington’s retaliation. But who has more to lose, Moscow or Beijing? Unlike previous American leaders, Trump has not made any pretence about protecting democracy and human...

Politics

34 h. ago EU considers US$108 billion in retaliatory tariffs on US over Trump’s Greenland threat

European capitals may hit the US with €93 billion ($108 billion) worth of tariffs or restrict American companies from the bloc’s market in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats to Nato allies opposed to his campaign to take over Greenland, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The retaliation measures are being drawn up to give European leaders leverage in pivotal meetings with Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, the Financial Times report said, citing...

Economics

34 h. ago Europe prepares retaliation as Trump wields tariff threat in bid for Greenland

European Union ambassadors reached broad agreement on Sunday to intensify efforts to dissuade US President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on European allies, while also preparing retaliatory measures should the duties go ahead, EU diplomats said. Trump vowed on Saturday to implement a wave of increasing tariffs from February 1 on EU members Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, along with Britain and Norway, until the US is allowed to buy Greenland, a step major EU...

Politics

36 h. ago A ‘Trump UN’ with US$1 billion entry? Nations cautious on Board of Peace plan

Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations. Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats. Other governments appeared...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong’s URA will boost scrutiny of company heads in enhanced tender platform

Hong Kong will launch an enhanced government-backed tendering platform for private building maintenance projects in the second half of the year to curb bid-rigging while tightening scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their leaders. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media that authorities aimed to launch the upgraded “Smart Tender” platform in the second half of the year. She added that under the new system, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct strict...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong rolling out tender platform upgraded after Tai Po fire in second half of 2026

Hong Kong will launch an enhanced government-backed tendering platform for private building maintenance projects in the second half of the year to curb bid-rigging while tightening scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their leaders. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media that authorities aimed to launch the upgraded “Smart Tender” platform in the second half of the year. She added that under the new system, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct strict...

Events

41 h. ago Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond the Arctic

Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be “unacceptable” if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and turns...

Politics

46 h. ago Seoul takes aim at North Korea’s leadership bunkers with ‘monster missile’ Hyunmoo

South Korea has begun deploying its most powerful conventional ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5 – dubbed the “monster missile” for its massive warhead – to frontline units, military officials said on Sunday, a move that underscores Seoul’s effort to strengthen deterrence against North Korea. The ground-to-ground missile, capable of carrying a warhead of up to eight tonnes, began entering frontline units late last year and is expected to complete full operational deployment before the current...

Events