21 h. ago Why Trump’s ‘best for business’ diplomacy will fail with Russia or China

“All I’ve done all my life is deals,” US President Donald Trump told the Gaza peace summit, going on to say “maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all”. Trump has cultivated his image on being the greatest deal-maker, a legacy central to his identity as a business tycoon and now fundamental to his reputation as a world leader. The ceasefire in Gaza has been framed as a crowning achievement in this repertoire. “Together we’ve achieved what everyone said was impossible, but at long...

Politics

23 h. ago DeepSeek outperforms AI rivals in ‘real money, real market’ crypto showdown

A new real-market cryptocurrency trading experiment that pits leading artificial intelligence models against one another to evaluate their respective investing abilities has seen a DeepSeek model outperform rivals so far. In Alpha Arena, launched on Friday by US research firm Nof1, six large language models (LLMs) were given US$10,000 each to invest in six cryptocurrency perpetual contracts on the decentralised exchange Hyperliquid, including bitcoin and solana. As of 2pm on Tuesday, DeepSeek’s...

Economics

52 h. ago Beijing Halts Chinese Tech Giants’ Stablecoin Ambitions in Hong Kong

Beijing Halts Chinese Tech Giants’ Stablecoin Ambitions in Hong Kong  Crypto News Australia

Politics

53 h. ago China’s naval ‘genius’; 2 million Filipinos’ jobs on the line: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US call centre bill threatens Philippines’ US$30 billion outsourcing boom 2. Chinachem Tower blaze in Hong Kong’s Central put out after 4-hour battle, 4 hurt 3. The aircraft carrier champion and naval genius behind China’s blue sea strategy 4. Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire...

Politics

3 d. ago Massive leak exposes how China’s ‘Great Firewall’ is being exported to other countries

Massive leak exposes how China’s ‘Great Firewall’ is being exported to other countries  PBS

Events

3 d. ago Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire has Hong Kong business links

A Chinese-born businessman sanctioned by the US and UK for alleged human trafficking through a Cambodian-based cybercrime empire and scam farm has operations in Hong Kong and a related company owns an office building in the city, the Post has found. The discovery followed an announcement by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which on Tuesday sanctioned more than 100 business entities including 11 Hong Kong companies linked to Chen Zhi, CEO and chairman of Cambodian conglomerate Prince...

Politics

4 d. ago US Attorneys Expose Beijing’s Legal Campaign Targeting Shen Yun

US Attorneys Expose Beijing’s Legal Campaign Targeting Shen Yun  Vision Times

Events

4 d. ago US seizure of tycoon’s US$13 billion in bitcoin raises anonymity questions

The seizure by US authorities of US$13.4 billion worth of bitcoin from an alleged Cambodian criminal has raised questions over the safety of the digital assets and prompted frantic speculation in the crypto community over how the feat was accomplished. Weak private keys and insider theft could have made it possible for US law-enforcement agencies to track down the bitcoin privately held by Chen Zhi, who is accused of running a massive “pig butchering” operation in Cambodia, according to experts....

Economics

4 d. ago US threats to decouple from China only expose its own vulnerability

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After Beijing announced sweeping export controls last week on rare earths and other critical minerals, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went ballistic. “Maybe there is some Leninist business model where hurting your customers is a good idea, but they are the largest supplier to the world,” he said. Someone from Beijing might have retorted that Washington has been running on some fascist business model whereby it is upending the entire global trade...

Events

4 d. ago As I See It | US threats to decouple from China only expose its own vulnerability

As I See It | US threats to decouple from China only expose its own vulnerability  South China Morning Post

Events

4 d. ago Crypto Markets React as Trump Walks Back 100% Tariff Threat on China

Crypto Markets React as Trump Walks Back 100% Tariff Threat on China  Yahoo Finance

Politics

5 d. ago Bitcoin struggles to find momentum after historic crypto wipeout

After a week-long rout that erased hundreds of billions in digital-asset value, bitcoin has again failed to live up to its billing as a safe-harbour asset. Once cast as a hedge against market turmoil – a “digital gold” for the blockchain age – the original cryptocurrency stabilised on Friday morning in Singapore after sliding alongside global equities and credit to hover near US$109,000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Bitcoin had struck an all-time high of US$126,251 as recently as...

Politics

5 d. ago New index reveals alarming online risks facing Southeast Asia’s children

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events

5 d. ago Southeast Asia’s children face alarming online risks, new index reveals

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events

5 d. ago 3 Singaporeans sanctioned over links to Cambodia’s Chen Zhi scam network

Three Singaporeans have been sanctioned for alleged links to a fraud empire involving a Cambodian conglomerate and its China-born chief executive, as part of the largest crackdown by the United States and United Kingdom on cybercriminal networks in Southeast Asia. Of the three, Chen Xiuling, also known as Karen, has resigned from her position as an independent non-executive director at Taiwan-based live streaming platform 17Live Group, based on a company announcement on the Singapore Exchange...

Politics

6 d. ago Who is Chen Zhi, the ‘untouchable’ tycoon linked to Cambodia’s scam hubs?

US and UK authorities unveiled sanctions this week against Chen Zhi, a British-Cambodian tycoon accused of running cyber scam operations where workers, some trafficked, carry out transnational fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars. Here’s a look at the man, indicted in the US, and his sanctioned company, Prince Holding Group. Who is Prince Group’s Chen Zhi? One of Cambodia’s largest conglomerates, Prince Holding Group, has operated across more than 30 countries with interests in...

Politics

7 d. ago Cambodian tycoon exposed as kingpin behind US$14 billion crypto fraud empire

The US government has seized more than US$14 billion in bitcoin and charged the founder of a Cambodian conglomerate in a massive cryptocurrency scam, accusing him and unnamed co-conspirators of exploiting forced labour to dupe would-be investors and using the proceeds to buy yachts, jets and a Picasso painting. In an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged Prince Holding Group chairman Chen Zhi with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. At the same...

Economics

7 d. ago How Chinese paper mills use AI to create ‘higher quality’ academic fraud

Chinese paper mills are using generative artificial intelligence tools to mass produce forged academic papers, a new investigation by the mainland’s state broadcaster has found. The report, which aired Sunday on China Central Television’s (CCTV) “Financial Investigation” programme, found paper mill workers using generative AI chatbots to help them each complete over 30 academic articles a week. Paper mills that sell authorship or fabricate entire papers are a staple of China’s competitive...

Politics

7 d. ago UK and US sanction Southeast Asian scam networks exploiting trafficked workers

Britain and the United States on Tuesday sanctioned a Southeast Asia-based multinational network accused of operating large-scale online “scam centres” that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world. The British government said the centres, located in Cambodia, Myanmar and across the region, used fake job adverts to lure workers who were then forced to commit online fraud under threat of torture. This included luring victims into fake romantic relationships before persuading...

Politics

7 d. ago Crypto Market Sheds $150 Billion as China Hits Back at the US

Crypto Market Sheds $150 Billion as China Hits Back at the US  Yahoo Finance

Economics