50 m. ago New French prime minister greeted with fiery protests on first day at work

Sebastien Lecornu, the loyalist picked by President Emmanuel Macron to be France’s fifth prime minister in two years, took office on a day of sprawling anti-government protests that underlined the depth of the country’s political crisis. Lecornu, a conservative Macron protégé who most recently served as his defence minister, arrived at midday on Wednesday at the prime minister’s residence, where he met former prime minister Francois Bayrou, who was ousted by parliament on Monday over plans to...

Politics

3 h. ago Hong Kong government lacks ‘necessary conditions’ for Lantau reclamation project

Hong Kong’s current government does not have the “necessary conditions” to start reclamation works for the construction of three artificial islands in Lantau waters, the development minister has said, as authorities halted the environmental assessment process in a rare move. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made it clear for the first time on Wednesday that the current administration would not begin the HK$580 billion (US$74.6 billion) project in the waters off Kau Yi Chau, as it...

Politics

5 h. ago Japan Airlines to fire drunk pilot amid rebuke over flight delays

Japan’s transport ministry on Wednesday reprimanded Japan Airlines and urged it to report back on preventive measures it will take after an incident in which a pilot was unable to fly from Hawaii to Japan after failing a preflight alcohol screening, delaying three flights for hours. The major Japanese air carrier has in recent years faced multiple similar drinking incidents involving its pilots, and it comes after a previous warning given to JAL in December by the Ministry of Land,...

Events

7 h. ago After Israel’s Qatar air strikes, the Gulf questions its US dependence

The Gulf Arab monarchies have been left reeling after the United States, their decades-long security guarantor, seemingly did nothing to prevent Tuesday’s unprecedented Israeli air strikes on Qatar, home to the region’s largest American military base. Describing the attack as a “pivotal moment” for the Gulf, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called for a collective regional response after Israeli jets targeted Hamas negotiators in Doha. The strikes have exposed a...

Politics

8 h. ago Fans, TV, perfume: Malaysian singer Eda Ezrin opens up about Thai prison life

Malaysian singer Eda Ezrin has opened up about her time at the Narathiwat Provincial Central Prison in Thailand, a month after her release on August 6. In a TikTok live stream last week, the 30-year-old said she shared a room with 50 other inmates. She added that detainees were allowed to buy food and personal items – including toiletries, toothbrushes, make-up and even perfumes – provided they had money in their bank account. Eda, whose real name is Wan Norsahidah Azlin Wan Ismail, said she...

Events

8 h. ago Abandoned car owners in Hong Kong could face jail, fines starting from December

Hongkongers will face legal consequences starting in December if they fail to properly handle unlicensed vehicles registered in their names, as authorities step up their crackdown on cars abandoned on the streets. Amy Lee Mei-fung, assistant commissioner of the Transport Department, said on Wednesday that the new rule aimed to increase deterrence against improper abandonment of vehicles. From December 22, the department will issue a notice to registered owners of vehicles that have been...

Events

8 h. ago Trump dines out near White House and says he’ll send troops to another US city

US President Donald Trump said he plans to deploy federal troops to another US city, as he made a surprise visit to a Washington DC restaurant in a bid to argue his federal takeover of the city’s law enforcement is working. “We’ll announce it probably tomorrow, and it’s going to be something where we will do like we did here,” Trump told reporters Tuesday outside Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, an upscale surf and turf restaurant near the White House. The president said he was working...

Politics

8 h. ago Poland downs Russian drones, a first for Nato member during Ukraine war

Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday, the first time a member of Nato is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Poland said 19 objects had entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine, and that it had shot down those that posed a threat. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had activated Article Four of Nato’s treaty, under which alliance members can demand consultations with their allies. “We are dealing with a large-scale...

Events

9 h. ago Australia dives deep with US$1.1 billion purchase of drone submarines

Australia will invest A$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) to develop and manufacture a long-range autonomous vehicle, known as ghost shark, as the nation boosts its naval capabilities, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said. Ghost shark will be built under a contract with Anduril Australia, Marles told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday, flanked by Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and the CEO of Anduril Australia. “This is the highest tech capability in the world,” Marles added. “It exemplifies...

Economics

11 h. ago Japan’s Ishiba poised to give a speech on WWII. Why is his party so worried?

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly later this month when he is expected to share his views on the causes of World War II, prompting concerns among conservatives that he may offer a more sweeping apology than any previous Liberal Democratic Party leader. Ishiba announced on Sunday that he would step down, with an election to replace him as party president and prime minister of the nation expected to take place in early...

Events

12 h. ago China offers funding for stablecoin research as global interest grows

China’s largest government-backed research funder has begun accepting applications for the study of stablecoins and their cross-border monitoring systems, a move indicating Beijing’s growing interest - and wariness - towards the emerging digital asset. In a circular posted on its website last week, the National Natural Science Foundation of China – an affiliate of the Ministry of Science and Technology that manages hundreds of billions of yuan in annual funding – solicited proposals for the...

Politics

14 h. ago New British trade minister heads to China for first talks since 2018

New British trade minister heads to China for first talks since 2018  uk.finance.yahoo.com

Politics

14 h. ago Israel strike on Hamas leaders in Doha draws rare rebuke from Trump

US President Donald Trump made a rare public break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the leader’s decision to launch a unilateral attack against Hamas in Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”. The strike on the militant group’s leadership in Doha, the capital of a US ally, dramatically escalated regional tensions and risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. “This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made...

Politics

14 h. ago Lakers star LeBron James did not write article that carried his name in Chinese paper: Sources

Lakers star LeBron James did not write article that carried his name in Chinese paper: Sources  The New York Times

Politics

15 h. ago Iran and UN nuclear watchdog pave way for resuming cooperation

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement on Tuesday in Cairo to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The announcement followed a meeting among Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi. The meeting came at a sensitive time as France, Germany and the United Kingdom on August 28 began the...

Events

16 h. ago Easing Chinese EV tariffs on the table, federal ag minister says

Easing Chinese EV tariffs on the table, federal ag minister says  CBC

Politics

17 h. ago Pacific Islands leaders hold summit clouded by China tensions

Pacific Islands leaders hold summit clouded by China tensions  France 24

Politics

17 h. ago France’s Macron names loyalist Lecornu as new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister on Tuesday, defying expectations he might tack towards the left. The choice of Lecornu, 39, indicates Macron’s determination to press on with a minority government that stands firmly behind his pro-business economic reform agenda, under which taxes on business and the wealthy have been cut and the retirement age raised. Macron was...

Politics

22 h. ago Can Indonesia’s cabinet reshuffle restore public trust and calm protesters?

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet reshuffle is a “tactical” step to restore public trust in the government, according to analysts, but they argue it will not be enough to quell the unrest among protesters if it does not lead to more systemic reform. The shake-up on Monday saw the departure of high-profile officials such as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan, alongside the creation of a stand-alone...

Events

22 h. ago Extending Hongkongers’ UK settlement period to 10 years a ‘breach of trust’: MP

The UK Home Office minister has said that the proposal to extend the settlement period for Hongkongers from five to ten years is subject to consultation, but their economic contribution remains ‘huge and lasting’. Other parliamentarians in the debate agreed that Hongkongers should be exempt from the proposed extension announced by British authorities in May. They argued this change would be a betrayal of trust by moving the goalposts and would delay access to lower university tuition fees in the...

Politics