3 h. ago Historic diamond brooch abandoned by defeated Napoleon to go up for sale

A diamond brooch owned and abandoned by Napoleon Bonaparte after the Battle of Waterloo will go up for auction for the first time. The brooch, made of nearly 100 diamonds, was left behind after the emperor fled Waterloo’s battlefield to return to Paris, and was given to the king of Prussia three days later as part of the trophies his armies took back. The Battle of Waterloo, in 1815, was Napoleon’s final defeat. The brooch will go under the hammer for the first time in Sotheby’s The Royal and...

Culture

10 h. ago From ‘hell’ to Asean: East Timor’s president talks growth, China and the future

In East Timor’s presidential palace in the capital Dili, President Jose Ramos-Horta leans back in his chair, radiating a calm demeanour ahead of a momentous occasion in his country’s young history. “We are in the last few hours before joining Asean,” he told This Week in Asia. “Looking back, it has been a 23-year journey since independence was proclaimed and when I look at where we were then compared to now, it is like heaven and hell.” On Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, East Timor is set to formally...

Politics

23 h. ago EV battery maker Gotion abandons plan for US$2.4 billion factory in Michigan

A subsidiary of Chinese battery company Gotion has abandoned a plan to build a US$2.4 billion plant in Michigan to produce essential materials for electric vehicle batteries, the state said on Thursday. The plan, first announced in October 2022, was expected to create 2,350 factory jobs but came under criticism from some lawmakers for the company’s Chinese ownership. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) said none of a US$125 million state grant for the project was ever disbursed...

Economics

23 h. ago Plug pulled on Chinese firm Gotion’s US plant, days before Trump meets Xi

After years of fiery protests, lawsuits and intense scrutiny over alleged Communist Party ties, the plan for a controversial multibillion-dollar Chinese electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan is officially dead. The setback comes just days before President Xi Jinping will meet US counterpart Donald Trump to talk about fair trade and economic relations in South Korea. On Thursday, the state’s economic arm announced that it had suspended US$175 million in grants for the enterprise after...

Politics

38 h. ago Gotta sell ‘em all: Malaysian offers Pokemon cards for US$441,993 or a Porsche

A collector has offered Malaysia’s growing trading-card community a chance to own a piece of Pokemon “history,” putting part of his rare trove up for sale for 1.87 million ringgit (US$441,993) with an alternative deal: he is willing to trade it for a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S plus additional cash. Damiral Imran listed his collection on social media, where he described it as “history, rarity and legacy in one vault”. According to screenshots from Shiny, a global card-valuation tracker, Damiral’s...

Politics

42 h. ago Japan’s new PM talks up ties with South Korea but her past casts a long shadow

As Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, she wasted no time extending an olive branch to South Korea, calling it an “important neighbour” and praising its culture. But how long will the goodwill last? Concerns linger in South Korea that Takaichi, known for her nationalist leanings, may eventually adopt a more hawkish stance, risking again straining ties over long-standing issues such as Japan’s wartime history and territorial disputes. “I would say there is optimism about the...

Politics

51 h. ago Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi ‘scheduled’ to take place in South Korea

After repeated on-again, off-again signalling in recent weeks, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has a “pretty long meeting scheduled” in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ensure that “we can work out a lot of our questions and our doubts”. This followed comments by Trump on Tuesday that the meeting between himself and Xi might not take place. The mercurial US president has a history of teasing events for publicity and in order to extract last-minute concessions from...

Politics

55 h. ago China’s Exports to US Looked Dented Not Defeated by Trump Tariffs

China’s Exports to US Looked Dented Not Defeated by Trump Tariffs  Bloomberg.com

Politics

60 h. ago Starbucks’ China sale reported to be entering its final stages

Starbucks’ China sale reported to be entering its final stages  Dao Insights

Sport

3 d. ago Chinese woman charged in Paris gold theft from Natural History Museum

A Chinese woman has been arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris, in one of several recent high-profile break-ins targeting French cultural institutions, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. The theft – by what the museum’s director at the time said was an “extremely professional team” – took place on September 16, about a month before an audacious jewellery heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum on Sunday. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in...

Culture

3 d. ago Hong Kong eye specialists warn of risks of wearing unregulated contact lenses

Ophthalmology professionals in Hong Kong have cautioned residents about the risks of wearing cosmetic contact lenses sourced from unregulated channels – especially during Halloween – warning of potential visual impairment caused by improper use. The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists on Tuesday also urged authorities to introduce a mandatory registration system to regulate the import, distribution and sale of medical devices, including contact lenses, and reduce the risks...

Events

3 d. 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

4 d. ago Apple’s new iPhone 17 outsells previous generation by 14% in US, China

Apple’s latest generation of iPhones is off to a faster start than usual, with its most basic model surging in popularity in the US and China. The iPhone 17 series outsold the iPhone 16 range by 14 per cent over their respective first 10 days on sale in the US and China, according to Counterpoint Research. The data, giving the first quantified indication of consumer response in Apple’s top two markets, shows the standard iPhone 17 is in much higher demand than the corresponding US$799 model last...

Politics

4 d. ago How iPhone Air’s eSIM debut reshapes China’s telecoms landscape

The launch of the iPhone Air as the first eSIM-supported smartphone sold in China marks a pivotal moment in the country’s telecoms history, as state-owned mobile carriers vie for dominance in a changing landscape. Beijing approved “commercial trials” of the handset’s eSIM function by the country’s “Big Three” telecoms operators – China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom – last week, and the iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its release on Friday. Domestic brands quickly followed suit....

Politics

4 d. ago Treasury opposed forced sale of China’s stake in UK chipmaker

Treasury opposed forced sale of China’s stake in UK chipmaker  The Times

Politics

5 d. ago How Chinese landscape paintings reflect changing art styles through history

How Chinese landscape paintings reflect changing art styles through history  South China Morning Post

Politics

7 d. ago King Charles to be first UK monarch to pray with pope in centuries

The Catholic Church and Church of England, divided for centuries over issues that now include the ordination of female priests, will take a historic step on the path to unity next week when Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in the Sistine Chapel, officials said Friday. The October 23 ecumenical prayer service, drawing on the shared concern for care of God’s creation, marks the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two Christian churches pray together. Buckingham...

Politics

7 d. ago Envoys take special tour of Hong Kong’s exhibition on Chinese side of WWII

China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has organised its first tour for diplomats and business chamber representatives of an exhibition on the country’s war of resistance against Japan, with a Beijing official saying the event promotes remembering history, cherishing peace and creating a better future. More than 20 consuls general, consuls and representatives from foreign commerce chambers on Friday afternoon joined the visit to “United in Arms, Standing for Peace: 80th Anniversary of Chinese...

Events

7 d. ago Envoys given special tour of Hong Kong exhibition on Chinese victory in WWII

The Chinese foreign ministry’s arm in Hong Kong has organised its first tour for diplomats and business chamber representatives of an exhibition on the country’s war of resistance against Japan, with a Beijing official saying the aim of the visit was to remember history, cherish peace and create a better future. More than 20 consuls general, consuls and representatives from foreign chambers of commerce joined the visit on Friday afternoon to the “United in Arms, Standing for Peace: 80th...

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong to showcase 4,000 years of ancient Egypt, reinforcing belt and road ties

A nearly three-metre-tall (9.8-foot) statue of Tutankhamun, ancient Egyptian jewellery and other historical artefacts covering 4,000 years of history will be exhibited in Hong Kong next month, as ties between China and the African nation deepen under the Belt and Road Initiative. The exhibition, titled “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums”, will be held at the Hong Kong Palace Museum from November for nine months. It is also organised in anticipation of the 70th anniversary...

Politics