89 m. ago Hong Kong strives to be ‘fortress’ that safeguards digital security, I&T minister says

Hong Kong is striving to become a “fortress” that safeguards digital security, the city’s innovation and technology (I&T) minister has said, noting that cyber warfare is not just a confrontation of technologies but a “full-spectrum contest” that transcends geographical boundaries and integrates artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking at a conference organised by the Digital Policy Office at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Tuesday, Secretary for Innovation, Technology...

Politics

96 m. ago Trump threatens 200% wine tariff to push France to join ‘Board of Peace’

US President Donald Trump said he will impose a 200 per cent tariff on French wines and champagnes, a move he claimed would push French President Emmanuel Macron to join Trump’s Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. When asked by a reporter about Macron saying he will not join the board, Trump said: “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon.” “I’ll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he...

Politics

3 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

4 h. ago China’s CTG Duty Free to Buy LVMH’s DFS Greater China Stores

China’s CTG Duty Free to Buy LVMH’s DFS Greater China Stores  The Wall Street Journal

Politics

5 h. ago Record snow in Russia’s far east blocks building entrances, buries cars

The biggest snowfall in 60 years on Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula created vast drifts several metres tall that blocked building entrances and buried cars, according to Reuters visuals and weather monitoring stations. In some areas more than 2 metres (6.5 feet) of snow has fallen in the first half of January after 3.7 metres in December, according to weather monitoring stations. Heavy snow is not uncommon in Kamchatka - a peninsula which stretches down towards Japan. Reuters...

Politics

5 h. ago Singapore’s retail ownership data sparks debate about foreign chains’ influence

When Singapore’s trade minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that locals owned nearly 90 per cent of registered retail businesses in the city state while Chinese nationals came in second at a distant 3 per cent, the figures drew mixed reactions from the public and analysts. The discourse online centred on what the statistics implied – critics felt that though the proportion of foreign-owned entities, especially from China, might be minuscule, most could actually be big brands with multiple outlets,...

Politics

6 h. ago Brooklyn Peltz Beckham says ‘I do not want to reconcile with my family’ in explosive post

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of the British celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham, said he did not want to reconcile with his parents after a family rift he described in a lengthy post on social media on Monday. The 26-year-old said that his parents have been controlling narratives in the press about his family and tried to “ruin” his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham. “I do not want to reconcile with my family,” he wrote in a post to his 16.2 million Instagram followers. “I’m...

Events

6 h. ago China wedding goes viral as twin brothers marry twin sisters and both sides have twin uncles

A highly unlikely set of nuptials has taken place in China with a pair of twin brothers marrying twin sisters. Not only that, both sides have a pair of twin uncles. A wedding photo featuring four sets of twins went viral online recently, racking up more than 10 million views. According to the mainland media outlet Jiupai News, the two couples only discovered on the wedding day that their uncles were also twins. The wedding host called it a “miracle”, and the guests were equally astonished and...

Politics

7 h. ago Taylor Swift label UMG inks licensing deal with China's NetEase Cloud Music

Taylor Swift label UMG inks licensing deal with China's NetEase Cloud Music  Reuters

Politics

8 h. ago Under threat from Trump, Ottawa unveils new trade deal with China

Under threat from Trump, Ottawa unveils new trade deal with China  World Socialist Web Site

Politics

8 h. ago Italy uncovers ancient basilica designed by the ‘father of architecture’ Vitruvius

Italian officials on Monday hailed the discovery of a more than 2,000-year-old public building attributed to Vitruvius, the ancient Roman architect and engineer known as the “father of architecture”. “It is a sensational finding something that our grandchildren will be talking about,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli told a press conference. Vitruvius, who lived in the 1st century BC, is celebrated for having written De architectura, or The Ten Books on Architecture, the oldest...

Events

8 h. ago Syria deal with Kurdish fighters appears to unravel as Islamic State prisoners escape

Around 1,500 Islamic State members escaped from Syria’s Shaddadi prison on Monday, the Kurdish website Rudaw reported, quoting a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Earlier, the Syrian army said “a number of” Islamic State (Isis) militants had escaped a prison that had been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of releasing them. The prison break took place a day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the...

Events

8 h. ago Syrian deal unravels as sides clash and Isis prisoners escape

A day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the country’s main Kurdish-led force, the agreement appeared to be falling apart on Monday. After new outbreaks of clashes Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement calling for “all of our youth” to “join the ranks of the resistance”. “Just as our comrades in 2014 forged a historic resistance in Kobani and turned it into a graveyard for (the Islamic State group) ... today we affirm with the same...

Events

10 h. ago Carney’s China Tariffs Deal Is Giving Some People the BYD Blues

Carney’s China Tariffs Deal Is Giving Some People the BYD Blues  Bloomberg.com

Economics

10 h. ago Ford bemoans Chinese EV deal, says he still hasn't spoken to Carney

Ford bemoans Chinese EV deal, says he still hasn't spoken to Carney  CBC

Politics

10 h. ago Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs in deal with China

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs in deal with China  Fox Business

Politics

12 h. ago China hacked our mobile carriers. So why is the Pentagon still buying from them?

China hacked our mobile carriers. So why is the Pentagon still buying from them?  Federal News Network

Politics

14 h. ago Canada could send small contingent of troops to Greenland for Nato exercises

Canada is considering whether to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland to take part in Nato military exercises, a source directly familiar with the matter said on Monday. The news was first reported by CBC News and the Globe and Mail newspaper. Military officials have presented plans for the operation to the government and are awaiting a decision from Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. Carney’s office declined to...

Politics

14 h. ago Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada is considering whether to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland to take part in Nato military exercises, a source directly familiar with the matter said on Monday. The news was first reported by CBC News and the Globe and Mail newspaper. Military officials have presented plans for the operation to the government and are awaiting a decision from Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. Carney’s office declined to...

Politics

14 h. ago China Tourism Group Duty Free Buys DFS's Greater China Retail Business

China Tourism Group Duty Free Buys DFS's Greater China Retail Business  WWD

Economics