48 h. ago Horrified Malaysian mother disowns daughter after mutilation threats by ‘vile’ loan sharks

The constant threat of genital mutilation of her daughter and son-in-law by loan sharks was so harrowing that a woman in Malaysia has resorted to disowning her own flesh and blood. “The loan sharks are vile. They threatened to sever the private parts of my daughter and her husband,” said the 60-year-old housewife who only wanted to be known as Heng. “A loan shark also sent me gory photos of people with severed genitals, claiming he had carried out the acts himself. It was so upsetting that I...

Events

5 d. ago Canada Anticipates Progress in China Talks to Resolve Trade Row

Canada Anticipates Progress in China Talks to Resolve Trade Row  The Wall Street Journal

Politics

5 d. ago EU and China take new step to resolve row over subsidised electric vehicles

EU and China take new step to resolve row over subsidised electric vehicles  Euronews.com

Politics

9 d. ago Japan zoo makes workers mimic pandas after returning all 4 to China, launches club for fans

A zoo in Japan has allowed its staff to mimic pandas in memory of its last four bears which have been returned to China. The unusual caged activity has been seen as an attempt to continue engaging panda lovers. In June last year, four pandas, the 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring, Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin, were returned to China from the Adventure World amusement park in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. It marks the end of the park’s 31-year history of keeping pandas. Rauhin was also the first...

Society

2 w. ago Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

A little over a decade ago, a diplomatic row with Japan would have been enough to bring people out into the streets in China or at least stir a patriotic retail boycott. In 2012, for instance, tensions boiled over after Tokyo bought and then nationalised three of the Diaoyu Islands, a group of eight uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that Japan calls the Senkakus. China and Japan have a long-running territorial dispute over the islands and authorities appeared to tolerate the...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s diplomatic divide: red carpet for South Korea, cold shoulder for Japanese firms

As a diplomatic row sees Japanese company executives put visits to China on hold, Beijing is preparing to roll out the red carpet for South Korean business leaders accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on a state visit starting Sunday. The contrasting receptions highlight how geopolitics is reshaping corporate ties in East Asia. Analysts expect continued friction between Beijing and Tokyo in 2026 to accelerate Japanese efforts to de-risk from the Chinese market. Conversely, Beijing’s warming...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Repaid kindness’: Japan war orphan raised by multiple China families is now a midwife

A Japanese war orphan raised by multiple Chinese families grew up to become a midwife, honouring the kindness she received from China. Her story, shared in the documentary series Beyond Blood and Borders, aired in December, on mainland streaming platforms and attracted widespread attention. The series follows the lives of 10 Japanese orphans left behind after Japan’s defeat in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945. More than 4,000 children were abandoned in China, primarily in the Northeast and...

Events

2 w. ago Japan may lose GDP race to India amid weak yen, tourism woes and China row

Japan’s economy is likely to fall behind India’s in 2026 to fifth place in the world, according to an International Monetary Fund’s estimate, potentially diminishing the East Asian nation’s presence on the global stage. The subdued economic outlook makes Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s planned growth strategy, due out in the summer, all the more important to combat the burden from the country’s shrinking population, economists say. They call for productivity improvements and further efforts to...

Politics

2 w. ago Philippines in 2025: a year of crisis, from corruption scandal to South China Sea tensions

As the Philippines wraps up a tumultuous year punctuated by colourful barbs thrown across warring political houses, an ongoing corruption scandal surrounding flood control projects threatens to derail President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration. Externally, Manila has been embroiled all year in a long-standing territorial row with Beijing in the South China Sea that shows no signs of waning, while also gearing up for the hot seat as next year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian...

Events

3 w. ago A new destination for panda lovers: Mianyang China Giant Panda Garden

A new destination for panda lovers: Mianyang China Giant Panda Garden  news.cgtn.com

Politics

3 w. ago China Leaves Benchmark Lending Rates Unchanged for Seventh Month in a Row in December

China Leaves Benchmark Lending Rates Unchanged for Seventh Month in a Row in December  US News Money

Politics

4 w. ago Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens loan programme

For more than half a century, pandas have helped serve as ambassadors for China around the world, but their time in Japan appears to be drawing to a close with the last two bears in the country set to return next month. Hopes of receiving new ones soon appear dim given the current tensions between the two countries. Tokyo’s metropolitan government has reportedly been in talks with China about receiving new pandas, but there is no sign of agreement in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae...

Events

4 w. ago Despite political tensions, Japanese sushi chain Sushiro debuts to huge crowds in Shanghai

Japan’s Sushiro, the world’s largest conveyor-belt sushi chain, debuted in Shanghai in early December 2025, to much fanfare. People have been queuing hours for a table, with some resorting to buying tickets from scalpers. The popularity of the Osaka-based restaurant chain appears to have not been affected by the recent diplomatic row between China and Japan. The latest spat has led to mass cancellations of tour groups to Japan and Japanese performances in China.

Politics