5 h. ago US and Australia agree to partner to break up China's dominance of rare earths

US and Australia agree to partner to break up China's dominance of rare earths  WBFF

Politics

10 h. ago Trump is trying to break China’s monopoly on rare earths, but can’t cut deals fast enough to catch up

Trump is trying to break China’s monopoly on rare earths, but can’t cut deals fast enough to catch up  CNN

Politics

11 h. ago China shop clerk breaks jade bangles worth US$140,000; owner seeks no compensation

A shop clerk in eastern China accidentally broke jade bangles valued at over one million yuan (US$140,000), yet the owner chose compassion over compensation, giving the young man a chance to learn from his mistake. The incident, which occurred in October at a jewellery shop in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was captured on surveillance video. While moving a table, the clerk accidentally knocked over a box of jade bangles, resulting in a loud crash. He attempted to gather the pieces but squatted in...

Economics

17 h. ago Singer Soyou denies intoxication after US flight ‘racial prejudice’ row

South Korean singer Soyou, 34, formerly of girl group Sistar, has denied online claims that she was drunk on a US flight where she said she experienced racial discrimination, clarifying that the incident stemmed from a language misunderstanding rather than alcohol consumption. In a social media post on Monday, Soyou said she only had “a small amount of alcohol served with a meal” at the airport lounge before boarding. “I was not intoxicated, and I boarded without any issue or restriction,” she...

Events

42 h. ago ‘An impossible dream’? South Korea wants to be among top 4 defence exporters

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday that the country would devote a “larger-than-expected budget” in defence and aerospace research until 2030 as it sought to build the world’s fourth-largest defence industry. Lee was speaking at South Korea’s largest-ever arms fair, the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition 2025, where companies showed off new unmanned and artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons from howitzers to suicide drones in pursuit of more global defence...

Politics

43 h. ago BREAKING NEWS: China's GDP grows 4.8% in 3rd qtr, slowing from 2nd qtr

BREAKING NEWS: China's GDP grows 4.8% in 3rd qtr, slowing from 2nd qtr  Japan Wire by KYODO NEWS

Politics

43 h. ago Breaking | China reports 4.8% quarterly GDP growth, moving closer to annual target

Breaking | China reports 4.8% quarterly GDP growth, moving closer to annual target  South China Morning Post

Events

59 h. ago China pupil suffers mental breakdown after watching horror film at school

A Chinese student who suffered a mental breakdown after watching a horror film during a self-study session has won a legal case against her school. A court has ordered the school’s insurance provider to pay 9,182 yuan (US$1,300) in compensation. The incident took place in October 2023 at a school in Hengzhou, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, southern China. As the assigned teacher was on temporary leave, the class was held as a self-study session. During this period, some students...

Events

60 h. ago Meet AMIES, China's new hope in breaking reliance on ASML's chipmaking machines

Meet AMIES, China's new hope in breaking reliance on ASML's chipmaking machines  Yahoo Finance

Politics

67 h. ago China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines

AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem...

Politics

3 d. ago 64 South Korean ‘pig butchering’ suspects return home from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home Saturday. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by authorities in Cambodia over the alleged...

Politics

3 d. ago 64 South Korean cyber scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home on Saturday and were under arrest, police said. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by...

Politics

4 d. ago Outrage over celebrity revels at South Korean breast cancer event

A breast cancer awareness fundraiser by a South Korean high fashion magazine has come under fire for focusing too much on the celebrities and not on the cause itself. Photos and videos of celebrities such as BTS’ V and RM, Aespa’s Karina and Lovely Runner actor Byeon Woo-seok drinking and partying at W Korea’s “Love Your W 2025” breast cancer awareness campaign at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul’s Jongno district on Wednesday sparked criticism that the event looked more like a fashion party than...

Politics

4 d. ago Breaking | China’s No 2 general He Weidong expelled from the Communist Party

Breaking | China’s No 2 general He Weidong expelled from the Communist Party  South China Morning Post

Politics

4 d. ago Indonesia’s North Korea ties stoke worries in Seoul over jet tech leak

Indonesia’s renewed diplomatic engagement with North Korea has raised concerns in Seoul over the possible breach of sensitive technology related to the KF-21, a cutting-edge fighter jet jointly developed with the Southeast Asian nation. South Korean officials maintain that KF-21 data is protected under existing non-disclosure agreements with Jakarta. Still, critics point to Indonesia’s record on the joint project, including payment delays and leak scandals, which have undermined its...

Politics

5 d. ago Alleged China spy breaks silence as MI5 chief brands Beijing a daily threat

Alleged China spy breaks silence as MI5 chief brands Beijing a daily threat  Daily Express

Events

5 d. ago Cambodia deploys South Korean’s ‘peaceful’ video to ease kidnapping fears

Amid growing concern over a series of kidnapping and confinement cases involving South Koreans in Cambodia, the country’s interior ministry has released a social media video featuring a South Korean woman praising Cambodia as a “peaceful and warm country”. The post on Tuesday, which included a message stating that a South Korean resident “wished to share her 13 years of life in Cambodia with Koreans and the world”, is seen as an attempt to ease rising fears among foreign residents following...

Events

6 d. ago South Korea says Yoon wanted special treatment for his pets in 2023 France trips

Former South Korean first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee requested special treatment for their pets from South Korea’s embassy in Paris during their visits to France in 2023, an opposition lawmaker has revealed. The couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them”, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said during a parliamentary audit on Monday, The Korea Times newspaper reported. “There were...

Politics

6 d. ago Did South Korea’s Yoon make ‘absurd demands’ for pet treatment on Paris trips?

Former South Korean first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee requested special treatment for their pets from South Korea’s embassy in Paris during their visits to France in 2023, an opposition lawmaker has revealed. The couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them”, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said during a parliamentary audit on Monday, The Korea Times newspaper reported. “There were...

Politics

6 d. ago South Koreans reveal beatings and organ harvesting in Cambodia’s scam camps

As South Korean victims of Cambodia’s scam camps recount frequent beatings, torture and even organ harvesting, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to step up efforts to rescue citizens trapped in the Southeast Asian nation. “It’s not uncommon for people to die from assault. About one person dies every day,” one South Korean who is a resident in Cambodia told Yonhap news agency on Tuesday. “It’s not just South Koreans who are targeted. There are also people of various nationalities, including...

Politics