91 m. ago Australia posts US$659,000 reward for gunman’s arrest over police killings

Australia posted a US$659,000 reward on Saturday for the arrest of a gunman on the run for a 12th day after allegedly killing two police officers. Police in the eastern state of Victoria said they were offering the “life-changing” amount in their hunt for the 56-year-old fugitive, Desmond Freeman. Freeman is accused of opening fire when police arrived at his home in Victoria with a search warrant. The shooting killed 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim de...

Events

4 h. ago Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours

Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours  South China Morning Post

Politics

6 h. ago China’s multipolar ambition is making the US sit up and fire back

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin this week, the choreography was striking. Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled proposals for a development bank, expanded BeiDou satellite services, and cooperation in green technology, artificial intelligence and infrastructure. The message was unmistakable: the SCO is no longer just a security forum. It is evolving into a platform offering...

Economics

9 h. ago Canada’s Carney unveils billions in relief hit by Trump and China tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday rolled out a multibillion-dollar relief package for businesses battered by tariffs imposed by both the US and China. Carney said his government will invest C$5 billion (US$3.6 billion) through a new fund to help firms adapt, diversify and grow, as well as boost Business Development Bank of Canada loans for small and medium-sized businesses and expand a loan facility for tariff-hit large enterprises. He also said his government would waive 2026 model...

Politics

11 h. ago Navy Seals killed North Korean civilians in botched 2019 mission: US report

US Navy Seals shot and killed a number of North Korean civilians during a botched covert mission to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019, The New York Times reported on Friday. Citing unidentified sources, including current and former military officials with knowledge of the still-classified details, the newspaper said US President Donald Trump approved the operation during his first administration, as he was involved in...

Events

14 h. ago Was Philippine police chief sacked for rejecting ‘overpriced’ gun deal?

A controversy over an alleged overpriced firearms deal has intensified in the Philippines, with insiders claiming that national police chief Nicolas Torre III was removed from his post for rejecting a proposed procurement of 80,000 assault rifles – a transaction some believe was padded by billions of pesos. While officials framed Torre’s dismissal as an administrative matter, multiple sources told This Week in Asia he was sacked for rejecting the “overpriced” 8 billion Philippine peso (US$140...

Economics

16 h. ago China, Pakistan pledge stronger tech and trade cooperation amid US charm offensive

China and Pakistan have pledged to expand trade and deepen technological cooperation in areas ranging from agriculture to space exploration, at a time when Islamabad is warming to the United States. During a meeting on Thursday with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Premier Li Qiang said Beijing would advance the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative. “Global instability and uncertainty have grown...

Politics

17 h. ago Tesla to award Musk an unparalleled $1 trillion depending on performance

Tesla’s board has proposed a US$1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk in what would be the largest corporate pay package in history, underscoring the hold Musk has over the carmaker as it attempts to transform into an AI and robotics powerhouse. The world’s richest person has consistently said he needs more of a stake in the company, even as a legal battle over his 2018 pay package – then valued at a mere US$56 billion – continues. The regulatory filing puts Musk on a different plane...

Events

17 h. ago Tesla to award Musk an unparalleled US$1 trillion depending on performance

Tesla’s board has proposed a US$1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk in what would be the largest corporate pay package in history, underscoring the hold Musk has over the carmaker as it attempts to transform into an AI and robotics powerhouse. The world’s richest person has consistently said he needs more of a stake in the company, even as a legal battle over his 2018 pay package – then valued at a mere US$56 billion – continues. The regulatory filing puts Musk on a different plane...

Events

17 h. ago China’s cities feed the AI monster with dedicated services for economic roar

China’s city governments are racing to stake out a role in artificial intelligence, with Wenzhou this week becoming the nation’s first to set up a dedicated bureau for AI-related matters – underscoring how local officials are ramping up efforts amid Beijing’s push to gain an edge in the AI race with the United States. Authorities in Wenzhou, located in the provincial economic powerhouse of Zhejiang, announced the bureau’s formation at a high-profile AI Innovation and Development Conference on...

Economics

17 h. ago Analysts mixed on outlook for Sun Hung Kai Properties’ shares

Analysts said they had mixed views about Sun Hung Kai Properties’ (SHKP) shares after Hong Kong’s largest property developer by market capitalisation reported a slight increase in its full-year earnings. On Friday, Morningstar cut its price target for SHKP to HK$105 from HK$115, but said the company was trading at a good discount. UOB Kay Hian and Morgan Stanley said the earnings were largely in line with expectations. The US investment bank had an overweight recommendation and expected earnings...

Politics

18 h. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit fliers to enjoy city’s sights

Hong Kong International Airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. The Airport Authority’s CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with China’s largest online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are...

Society

19 h. ago Hong Kong should crack down on illegal medical practices, DAB party urges

Hong Kong authorities should step up efforts against illegal medical practices, the city’s largest political party has urged, after the organisation received about 100 complaints related to non-professionals allegedly offering pain relief services. Lawmaker Chan Wing-kwong of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) said on Friday that some of the services cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars – more expensive than the treatments provided by registered...

Events

21 h. ago 512 arrests and 14 tonnes of drugs seized from Hong Kong’s cross

Authorities of Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province have called for increased joint operations to combat narcotics following their efforts over the past 18 months, which have resulted in the arrest of 512 people and the seizure of 14.4 tonnes (31,746lbs) of drugs. Officials from mainland China’s central and local anti-drug authorities warned on Friday that the fight against narcotics had become more severe and complicated, with new technologies and types of drugs emerging. Hong Kong hosted...

Events

21 h. ago Posts claiming S.Korea official sidelined in China share cropped photo

Posts claiming S.Korea official sidelined in China share cropped photo  AFP Fact Check

Politics

23 h. ago China slams EU official's 'autocratic alliance' claim as irresponsible

China slams EU official's 'autocratic alliance' claim as irresponsible  ecns.cn

Politics

23 h. ago China’s Giant Iron Ore Trader Expands Clout Selling Vale Cargoes

China’s Giant Iron Ore Trader Expands Clout Selling Vale Cargoes  Bloomberg

Transport

25 h. ago Trump threatens tariffs on chip imports from firms not producing in US

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the US, speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. Since returning to office in January, Trump’s threat of tariffs has alienated trading partners, stirred volatility in financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs...

Politics

26 h. ago Trump renaming Department of Defence the ‘Department of War’

US President Donald Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defence to the Department of War, the White House announced on Thursday, after the US leader repeatedly insisted the rebrand would project a more powerful image. Trump will sign an executive order permitting the use of the Department of War as a “secondary title” for the sprawling department, a White House document said, apparently due to its official name being set in law. That signing was expected to take place on Friday,...

Politics

27 h. ago Chinese province floats new use for digital yuan: paying long

China is mulling the application of its digital yuan – the central bank-backed currency also known as the e-CNY – to tackle persistent payment defaults, a move that would broaden the asset’s scope beyond the set of use cases explored by Beijing since the currency’s launch in 2019. Authorities in the central province of Hunan touched upon the subject when detailing plans to expand the digital currency’s application scenarios and scale, according to a document published last month. Hunan will...

Politics