34 m. ago Russia launches deadly barrage on Ukraine after Putin–Trump summit shelved

Russia launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as the latest peace attempts by US President Donald Trump appeared to be floundering. The attack killed at least six civilians, including two children, with more than a dozen injured across the country in the early hours of Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. Zelensky said that 10 regions came under attack, including Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, adding that while the attack primarily targeted energy...

Politics

6 h. ago China’s $1 Billion of Daily US Exports Show Xi Bargaining Power

China’s $1 Billion of Daily US Exports Show Xi Bargaining Power  Bloomberg

Economics

7 h. ago China Gathers Foreign Firms in Bid to Reassure on Rare Earths

China Gathers Foreign Firms in Bid to Reassure on Rare Earths  Yahoo Finance

Politics

8 h. ago Trump says US Justice Department may owe him ‘a lot of money’ over probes

US President Donald Trump said he believed the Justice Department probably owes him compensation, following a report that he was seeking some US$230 million after he faced multiple federal investigations. “As far as all the litigation, everything that’s going on, yeah, they probably owe me a lot of money,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House. The New York Times reported earlier that Trump had initiated administrative claim processes alleging violations of his rights. The...

Politics

10 h. ago Trump says Ukraine talks with Putin off for now, doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he doesn’t want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I don’t want to have...

Politics

17 h. ago China’s analogue AI chip could work 1,000 times faster than Nvidia GPU: study

Chinese scientists have created a superfast analogue chip that can solve complex maths problems for advanced scientific tasks and artificial intelligence (AI) while using less power than conventional computing, according to a paper published this month. The analogue device designed by researchers from Peking University uses memory chips made of resistive materials. With future improvements, it could perform calculations at a processing rate 1,000 times faster than top digital processors, such as...

Politics

18 h. ago China Reassures Foreign Firms on Export Controls at Huge Meeting

China Reassures Foreign Firms on Export Controls at Huge Meeting  Bloomberg.com

Politics

19 h. ago China’s Unitree builds course for students to learn how to train robot dogs

Unitree Robotics has launched an education platform for students to train robot dogs and understand how they operate based on the start-up’s Go2 system, as adoption of these quadruped machines expands from enthusiasts to mainstream consumers. According to its social media post on Tuesday, Unitree has developed an in-person training course with ready-to-use tools that would enable students to learn the operation, maintenance and applications of a quadruped robot – specifically, the company’s...

Politics

20 h. ago A ‘Pacific eyes’ intelligence body would offset China’s growing presence: report

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid the alleged threat of China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank suggests. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute argued in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework...

Politics

20 h. ago Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help to plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework initially consist...

Politics

21 h. ago From pledges to policy: Indonesia’s Prabowo marks 1 year in office

As Prabowo Subianto marks his first year as Indonesia’s president, the former general is grappling with the challenge of turning his populist campaign promises into lasting policy. While early initiatives such as free meals for children have drawn praise, concerns over civil liberties, economic sluggishness and foreign policy decisions threaten to overshadow his administration’s achievements. Prabowo, who was sworn in on October 20 last year, campaigned on a platform of ambitious social...

Events

22 h. ago Trump retreat from soft power hurts US, Kansas — but helps China | Opinion

Trump retreat from soft power hurts US, Kansas — but helps China | Opinion  Wichita Eagle

Politics

22 h. ago Will corruption backlash against Marcos reshape Philippine politics?

Public anger over corruption has boiled over in the Philippines, sending President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s approval ratings tumbling and potentially tilting the balance of power with his political rivals. The latest survey by Pulse Asia Research shows that Filipinos are increasingly blaming the government’s recent corruption scandals – from flood control “ghost projects” to lavish spending by politically connected contractors – for their daily struggles, such as inflation and inadequate...

Politics

24 h. ago Major foreign banks raise China’s GDP forecast, annual target seen as ‘on track’

Several major banks forecast stronger economic growth for China this year, buoyed by third-quarter data showing slightly better-than-expected expansion despite domestic and external headwinds. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its full-year gross domestic product forecast for 2025 from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent, noting that the government’s target of “around 5 per cent” remains “largely on track”. The bank also revised its estimate for 2026, up slightly from 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent,...

Events

24 h. ago Overseas banks raise China GDP forecasts, say Beijing ‘on track’ for 2025 target

Several major banks forecast stronger economic growth for China this year, buoyed by third-quarter data showing slightly better-than-expected expansion despite domestic and external headwinds. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its full-year gross domestic product forecast for 2025 from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent, noting that the government’s target of “around 5 per cent” remains “largely on track”. The bank also revised its estimate for 2026, up slightly from 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent,...

Events

28 h. ago The UK Shouldn’t Be Conducting Foreign Policy in the Shadows

The UK Shouldn’t Be Conducting Foreign Policy in the Shadows  Bloomberg

Events

31 h. ago Outrage in China as reports surface of human teeth found in sausages, dim sum

Multiple instances of diners discovering human teeth in food have reignited food safety concerns in China. On October 13, a woman reported finding a row of three artificial human teeth in a sausage she bought for her child in northeastern China’s Jilin province. She bought the grilled sausage from an outdoor stall. Initially, the vendor denied that the teeth were present when the sausage was sold but later apologised after local market supervision authorities became involved. On the same day,...

Politics

32 h. ago ‘Reason to be together’: India, Brazil boost ties amid US tariff tensions

India and Brazil are doubling down on economic and climate cooperation in a bid to strengthen Brics and bolster the Global South’s negotiating power as both nations face rising trade tensions with the United States. Analysts say the push – announced during Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin’s visit to New Delhi last week – is not just about shielding their economies from punitive US tariffs, but also about asserting influence on multilateral issues ranging from energy security to global...

Events

34 h. ago To avert war, the West must shatter the mirror by which it views China

In the shadow of escalating tensions between the United States and China, Graham Allison’s concept of the Thucydides Trap has become a staple of geopolitical discourse. Coined by the Harvard scholar, the term evokes the ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ observation that “it was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable”. Allison’s study of 16 historical cases, where a rising power challenged a ruling one, found war in 12 instances. He warns that...

Events

35 h. ago Trump begins White House demolition to prepare for new US$250 million ballroom

Demolition crews were tearing down part of the White House’s storied East Wing on Monday to begin building US President Donald Trump’s ballroom, a project he had said would not interfere with the existing landmark. Large construction equipment was seen picking apart the facade of the building, a part of the White House complex that has housed the first lady’s offices, a theatre and a visitor’s entrance that welcomes foreign dignitaries. The ballroom project is expected to cost upwards of US$250...

Politics