52 h. ago Malaysia’s Anwar given second chance to prove immunity from sexual assault suit

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be allowed to argue that he has legal immunity from a sexual harassment civil suit after the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour on Tuesday, just days before proceedings were due to start. The suit, brought by Anwar’s former research assistant Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, alleges that Anwar sexually assaulted him in 2018 at the then-opposition leader's private residence. Anwar has denied the allegations. The case risks resurfacing controversies that have...

Events

61 h. ago Power struggle in Beijing + German CDU politician calls for course correction + Robot exports grow

Power struggle in Beijing + German CDU politician calls for course correction + Robot exports grow  Table.Briefings

Politics

3 d. ago John Lee exclusive interview, Chinese rethink UK degrees: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Don’t kill your successful DNA’: Hong Kong’s John Lee on tariffs, trade war 2. ‘It’s too much’: Chinese students reconsider UK degrees as policies harden 3. Loitering with intent: Beijing’s new silent South China Sea strategy? 4. Japan grows restless for next-gen fighter jets as progress with...

Politics

3 d. ago China's Rare Earths Weapon Could Kill Europe's Auto Industry

China's Rare Earths Weapon Could Kill Europe's Auto Industry  Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com

Events

4 d. ago ‘Don’t kill your successful DNA’: Hong Kong’s John Lee on tariffs, trade war

Hong Kong will not destroy its “successful DNA” and jeopardise its free-port status by retaliating with counter-tariffs on the US even if geopolitical tensions with China escalate further, the city’s leader has promised. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said his administration had made “contingency plans for the worst” and would increase support for local businesses in finding “blue oceans” in new markets. In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with the Post to mark the third anniversary of his...

Events

6 d. ago With increasing pressure from the West, can Israel resist a China charm offensive?

With increasing pressure from the West, can Israel resist a China charm offensive?  Jewish Insider

Politics

6 d. ago Iran orders materials from China that can make some 800 ballistic missiles – report

Iran orders materials from China that can make some 800 ballistic missiles – report  The Times of Israel

Events

6 d. ago Iran orders material from China that can make some 800 ballistic missiles — report

Iran orders material from China that can make some 800 ballistic missiles — report  The Times of Israel

Events

7 d. ago Japan faces ‘critical’ demographic crisis as birth rate hits historic low

Japan is facing a severe demographic crisis, marked by a historic low in its birth rate alongside a rapidly ageing population. In 2024, the number of babies born in the country fell to 686,061, marking the first time this figure has dropped below 700,000 since record-keeping began in 1899, according to a health ministry announcement on Wednesday. Births dropped by 41,227, or 5.7 per cent, from the previous year. It was only two years ago, in 2022, that the figure fell below the 800,000 birth...

Events

7 d. ago Op Sindoor Sent China a Stern Message: Tharoor, Surya Expose Beijing’s 'Kill Chain' Ties With Pak

Op Sindoor Sent China a Stern Message: Tharoor, Surya Expose Beijing’s 'Kill Chain' Ties With Pak  Times of India

Events

7 d. ago Malaysia’s Anwar faces more woes as sexual harassment case against him proceeds

A crisis of credibility hangs over Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he prepares to face a sexual harassment suit later this month, the latest in a series of controversies that has rocked his administration and cast doubts over his reformist agenda. Anwar faces allegations that he has sexually assaulted a former aide, as the case threatens to dredge up past sex scandals that hounded him for years while he was in opposition. A high court in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday threw out Anwar’s...

Events

7 d. ago Chinese researcher pathogen case ‘politicised’, risks further US talent exodus

The arrest of a Chinese researcher in the United States for allegedly importing an illegal biological pathogen that could kill crops was “politicised” by the US government and could speed up an exodus of Chinese talent from the country, according to some researchers. According to a press release from the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, Jian Yunqing, 33, and her boyfriend, Liu Zunyong, 34, allegedly attempted to smuggle the fungus pathogen Fusarium graminearum into the country. Jian, a...

Politics

1 week ago Israel claims use of laser weapons in real combat. How do China’s compare?

Israel on Wednesday announced that it used a lower-powered version of its laser defence system Iron Beam for the first time last year, intercepting dozens of aerial targets, including unmanned vehicles, that were launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon. In video footage reportedly taken in October and released by the Israeli defence ministry, what appears to be an Iron Beam laser can be seen targeting flying fixed-wing drones before shooting them from the sky. It was Israel’s first known use of...

Politics

1 week ago Taiwan’s opposition KMT keeps focus on mass recall as leadership race plays out

Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang is gearing up for a pivotal leadership election in September – hoping a new party chair can steer it back to power after years on the political sidelines. But before it can look ahead to the 2028 Taiwan leadership race, the KMT faces an existential threat: a sweeping mass-recall campaign engineered by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that could gut its fragile legislative majority and plunge the party into deeper disarray. Analysts warn...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Too little, too late’? Israel’s Western allies turn against it over Gaza

After 1½ years of death and destruction in Gaza, Israel’s closest Western allies have begun to distance themselves from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – but only in their rhetoric, not by their actions. Over the last two weeks, the leaders of Britain, Canada and the European Union have threatened to take “concrete steps” against Israel for violating international humanitarian law by blocking the delivery of food, medicine and other aid desperately needed by Gaza’s starving population. Britain...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong nurse honoured with top medal for 15 years of life

In a makeshift hospital ward in Gaza, reserved for the most severely wounded and dying patients, Hong Kong nurse Walter Leung Wai-yin, 66, walked up to a woman whose face was partially torn in an explosion. The woman was classified as a “blue case”, which indicates catastrophic injuries that are considered beyond saving. In such cases, medical professionals shift to end-of-life care, focusing on reducing pain with the heaviest dosage of morphine. “Her skull was gone and her brain was visible....

Politics

1 week ago Bird watchers flock to Beijing's Central Axis as hobby takes flight

Bird watchers flock to Beijing's Central Axis as hobby takes flight  China Daily

Politics

1 week ago Double standards in war condemnation would ‘kill our own credibility’: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of double standards in condemning conflicts, calling on world leaders to be consistent and form a coalition with a rules-based order in light of the ongoing wars around the world. During his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) on Friday night, Macron took swipes at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s hostilities in Gaza and China’s aggression in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, pointing out that the “big risk” was to forget...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong 47: Jimmy Sham, 3 other opposition figures released from prison

Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, one of 47 Hong Kong opposition figures charged in the city’s largest national security case, has been released from prison after serving his sentence for conspiracy to commit subversion. Sham and three others – Kinda Li Ka-tat, Roy Tam Hoi-pong, and Henry Wong Pak-yu -were released early on Friday, a police source confirmed. They were the second batch of defendants in the high-profile case to complete their sentences. Sham, 38, a former convenor of the now-defunct Civil Human...

Events

1 week ago Beijing Backs Chagos Deal, Undermining Starmer’s Claims of Chinese Opposition

Beijing Backs Chagos Deal, Undermining Starmer’s Claims of Chinese Opposition  Sri Lanka Guardian

Politics