2 h. ago ‘Pattern emerging’: is China intentionally provoking Japan with close fly

Tokyo has expressed “serious concerns” to Beijing after a Chinese fighter jet came close to a Japanese aircraft operating in international airspace over the East China Sea on two occasions this week, with analysts suggesting that a pattern is emerging of China being increasingly willing to challenge Japan at sea and in the air. According to Japan’s Defence Ministry, a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flew within 70 metres of an Air Self-Defence Force YS-11EB electronic surveillance aircraft on...

Politics

3 h. ago Japan, China take step towards resuming Japanese beef exports to China

Japan, China take step towards resuming Japanese beef exports to China  Reuters

Events

5 h. ago Asean accuses Israel of ‘openly committing genocide’, demands end to Gaza war

Southeast Asian leaders on Friday called on the United States and others to bring a swift end to the Gaza war, accusing Israel of “openly committing genocide” in its assaults on the Palestinian enclave with little consequence. More than 56,000 people, mostly women and children, have reportedly been killed so far under aerial bombings and ground assaults by Israel in its nearly two-year war against Hamas, which has levelled much of Gaza and displaced millions. The war was triggered by a deadly...

Politics

8 h. ago 2 Americans rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji prompt more calls for tougher rules

Two Americans have had to be rescued from Japan’s Mount Fuji in separate incidents before the official climbing season began on Thursday, prompting renewed calls for tougher penalties on rule-breaking hikers who endanger themselves and drain local resources. The deployment of Shizuoka prefecture’s mountain rescue teams twice in two days to rescue the pair has again triggered criticism of people who insist on trying to ascend the 3,776-metre peak outside the season without adequate preparation...

Events

14 h. ago Brazil plans retaliation to Trump tariffs as analysts warn of growing China ties

Brazil scrambled to craft a measured but strong response to US President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike on Thursday in hopes of shielding key industries, while analysts predicted the tariffs would drive the country closer to China. Trump sent a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday confirming that Brazilian exports would face 50 per cent duty starting August 1. He claimed the measure would punish what he called “unfair trade barriers” and political “persecution” of...

Events

14 h. ago Brazil plans retaliation to Trump tariffs as analysts predict growing China ties

Brazil scrambled to craft a measured but strong response to US President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike on Thursday in hopes of shielding key industries, while analysts predicted the tariffs would drive the country closer to China. Trump sent a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday confirming that Brazilian exports would face 50 per cent duty starting August 1. He claimed the measure would punish what he called “unfair trade barriers” and political “persecution” of...

Politics

18 h. ago Hong Kong police vow to pursue fugitive singer Tommy Yuen ‘to the end’

Hong Kong police have said they will pursue Cantopop singer Tommy Yuen Man-on “to the end” after he failed to appear in court to face a shoplifting charge. The force on Thursday condemned Yuen’s “shameful act” of fleeing Hong Kong to avoid facing justice, calling it a blatant challenge to the rule of law. “All offenders should not have delusions that they can escape justice by fleeing Hong Kong,” a police spokesman said. He said police would pursue fugitives to the end unless they surrendered...

Events

21 h. ago Chinese business owners now in US see American dream become reality of hardship

As the US wields tariffs in a bid to lure manufacturers back home, an erratic trade policy, a controversial immigration crackdown and weakening consumer demand have taken the shine off the American dream for some Chinese investors already stateside. On Monday, President Donald Trump postponed the roll-out of a new round of his so-called reciprocal tariffs – originally slated for July 9 – pushing the effective date to August 1. His latest measures include tariffs of up to 40 per cent on imports...

Politics

23 h. ago China blasts ‘immoral’ US trade practices, courts Asean on free trade unity

China’s top diplomat drew sharp contrasts in trade practices between Beijing and Washington as he pressed Southeast Asian countries to protect free trade and not undermine the interests of “the third party” while the region confronts sweeping US tariffs. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called US trade practices “unreasonable and immoral” during a meeting on Thursday in Malaysia with Md. Touhid Hossain, adviser for foreign affairs of the interim government of Bangladesh. “China-Bangladesh...

Events

23 h. ago Goodbye, Lucifers: why a notorious Japanese gang just called it quits

A notorious street gang in central Japan has disbanded in a rare public ceremony held at a police station, a symbolic move that officials say could help break the cycle of youth violence – though some remain sceptical it will lead to lasting change. About 30 members of the gang known as the Lucifers gathered on Sunday at Atsuta Police Station in Aichi prefecture, where they formally announced the group’s dissolution after nearly three decades of notoriety in Nagoya’s criminal underworld. The...

Events

23 h. ago Beyond gold: India sees America’s bitcoin reserve – and eyes its own

A call by a prominent member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve for the country has stoked debate among digital finance experts over its feasibility. Insisting that New Delhi had a “unique opportunity to lead” and pointing to trailblazers such as Bhutan, party spokesman Pradeep Bhandari drew attention to whether India’s rapidly growing economy would benefit from a “measured bitcoin strategy” which could strengthen economic resilience and project...

Politics

26 h. ago EU on edge: why the bloc has no quick fix for China’s rare earth dominance

The European Union is facing growing calls to act against Beijing’s dominance over rare earth supply chains, highlighting persistent tensions just weeks before the coming EU-China summit. “Europe faces dual coercion: Trump’s tariffs and more threateningly, China’s strategic chokehold on rare earth exports,” said Bart Groothuis, MEP for Renew Europe, a centrist group in the European Parliament led by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. “This is not collateral damage from the...

Politics

26 h. ago EU urges China for rare earth access amid US tariffs, growing supply worries

The European Union is facing growing calls to act against Beijing’s dominance over rare earth supply chains, highlighting persistent tensions just weeks before the coming EU-China summit. “Europe faces dual coercion: Trump’s tariffs and more threateningly, China’s strategic chokehold on rare earth exports,” said Bart Groothuis, MEP for Renew Europe, a centrist group in the European Parliament led by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. “This is not collateral damage from the...

Politics

30 h. ago Rubio assures Malaysia has more time to negotiate US tariffs, Anwar says

Malaysia will have “about a month” to negotiate a better tariff deal with the United States, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said, as the Southeast Asian nation scrambles to bring down punishing levies that threaten to cut growth and ruin businesses reliant on American demand. US President Donald Trump earlier this week revealed he had sent letters to 14 nations announcing tariffs of between 25 and 40 per cent that would take effect from August 1, much of it focused on members of the...

Events

31 h. ago China Calls on Southeast Asia to Back Openness as US Levies Loom

China Calls on Southeast Asia to Back Openness as US Levies Loom  Bloomberg

Politics

33 h. ago ‘Missing’ Chinese man spends six days in the mountains to forget ex, sparks search

A lovelorn young Chinese man has shocked social media after he spent six days wandering in the wilderness, often without food or water or a mobile phone, all in an attempt to forget his ex-girlfriend. Police in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in southeastern China received a call from a man in Changsha, Hunan province, reporting that his younger brother, identified as Xiaolin, had been out of contact for three days while working alone in Hangzhou. He said he last heard from Xiaolin...

Events

33 h. ago ‘Missing’ Chinese man spends 6 days in mountains to forget ex, sparks search

A lovelorn young Chinese man has shocked social media after he spent six days wandering in the wilderness, often without food or water or a mobile phone, all in an attempt to forget his ex-girlfriend. Police in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in southeastern China received a call from a man in Changsha, Hunan province, reporting that his younger brother, identified as Xiaolin, had been out of contact for three days while working alone in Hangzhou. He said he last heard from Xiaolin...

Events

34 h. ago Revealed: the secret Japanese past of North Korean leader Kim Jong

A new book published in Japan has shed fresh light on the life of Ko Yong-hui, the mother of Kim Jong-un, whose background the North Korean leader would prefer remains shrouded in secrecy. Published last month, Ko Yong-hui: The Zainichi Korean Who Became Kim Jong-un’s Mother, was written by journalist and author Yoji Gomi and draws on interviews with relatives still based in Japan, detailing how Kim Jong-un’s maternal grandfather made a precarious living as a smuggler and had to flee to North...

Politics

40 h. ago Head of US House panel urges schools to reconsider ‘nefarious’ Chinese scholarship programme

Representative John Moolenaar, the head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is calling on seven American universities, including Dartmouth College, to reconsider partnerships with a Chinese scholarship organisation. The move is the latest congressional attempt to curb the flow of Chinese students to the US over national security concerns. Since taking over as chair of the committee, Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, has made ending US-China partnerships a priority. In...

Politics

43 h. ago Hard Numbers: Beijing calls Taiwan’s “bluff”, Copper prices soar, Russia breaks drone attack record (again), wildfire threatens France’s second city

Hard Numbers: Beijing calls Taiwan’s “bluff”, Copper prices soar, Russia breaks drone attack record (again), wildfire threatens France’s second city  GZERO Media

Events