35 y. ago State Visit to the People's Republic of China by HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata‘aho

State Visit to the People's Republic of China by HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata‘aho  Matangi Tonga

Politics

56 m. ago China toy platform refund policy requires parents slap child for unapproved spending

A major Chinese second-hand platform has sparked online controversy after allegedly requiring a mother to submit an uninterrupted five-minute video of herself slapping her child as a condition for processing a refund. The case drew public attention when Li Yun, the mother of an unidentified 11-year-old girl, tried to get a refund after discovering that her daughter had secretly spent over 500 yuan (US$70) on trading cards on the Qiandao app. Qiandao is widely regarded as China’s leading platform...

Society

2 h. ago Opinion | Why China should stop worrying and embrace ‘Japanification’

Opinion | Why China should stop worrying and embrace ‘Japanification’  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 h. ago Beijing To Celebrate Contested Taiwan ‘Retrocession’ At Great Hall Of The People

Beijing To Celebrate Contested Taiwan ‘Retrocession’ At Great Hall Of The People  StratNews Global

Culture

4 h. ago Why Tibetan New Year offers feast for dogs and divinatory significance of food choices

In China’s autonomous region of Tibet, during one of the region’s New Year celebrations, a tradition places the fate of households in the paws of their most loyal resident, the family dog. The unusual ritual known as “Inviting the Dog to the Feast” involves families presenting their dog with a meticulously arranged meal of sacred offerings. Each bite is believed to hold divinatory significance, predicting the household’s prosperity in the coming year. Unlike the main Tibetan New Year, the...

Politics

4 h. ago NX China Places 15th in China's International Forwarder Rankings for FY2024: Top

NX China Places 15th in China's International Forwarder Rankings for FY2024: Top-ranked Japanese Company in China's Logistics Market  Yahoo Finance

Events

5 h. ago China’s youth jobless rate falls but remains high after record graduation season

China’s urban youth unemployment rate edged lower last month but remained at a concerning level amid ongoing struggles for many young people to find work in a challenging and crowded job market. The jobless rate for the 16 to 24 age group, excluding students, dipped to 17.7 per cent in September from 18.9 per cent in August. Financial news outlet Cailian reported the figure on Wednesday, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The August figure had hit the highest level since the...

Politics

9 h. ago Japan Post stops forcing delivery staff to ride bicycles as punishment

Japan Post has scrapped a controversial practice of forcing delivery workers involved in minor accidents to complete their rounds by bicycle – even in extreme heat – after admitting the measure “could be perceived” as workplace harassment. The decision followed an internal investigation into an incident involving a delivery worker who was instructed to continue his rounds by bicycle for two weeks during a summer heatwave, despite daytime temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees...

Politics

9 h. ago Naked China boy running on all fours raises concerns over child welfare and safety

A Chinese boy was spotted running on all fours naked and behaving like a dog, while his parents dismissed government inquiries, claiming it was a form of “natural parenting.” On October 15, a video was posted online showing a naked boy running on all fours in a highway service area in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. Social media users were shocked to see the boy acting like a dog, picking up food from the ground with his mouth and sniffing it before eating. His parents were nearby,...

Politics

10 h. ago China's Innovent signs $11.4 billion cancer therapy deal with Japan's Takeda

China's Innovent signs $11.4 billion cancer therapy deal with Japan's Takeda  Reuters

Economics

10 h. ago Why South Korea’s Gen Z are falling prey to the scam gangs of Southeast Asia

A growing number of young South Koreans are vanishing into Southeast Asia’s criminal underworld, lured by the promise of high-paying jobs – only to end up trafficked, tortured or killed. Many, fleeing a stagnant labour market at home, are being deceived by transnational crime syndicates into running online scams and illegal gambling operations. Others join willingly in search of easy money. But all eventually find themselves exploited, victims of criminal enterprises that span the lawless border...

Events

11 h. ago Trump says US Justice Department may owe him ‘a lot of money’ over probes

US President Donald Trump said he believed the Justice Department probably owes him compensation, following a report that he was seeking some US$230 million after he faced multiple federal investigations. “As far as all the litigation, everything that’s going on, yeah, they probably owe me a lot of money,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House. The New York Times reported earlier that Trump had initiated administrative claim processes alleging violations of his rights. The...

Politics

18 h. ago Why China Is Worried About Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s New Prime Minister

Why China Is Worried About Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s New Prime Minister  Forbes

Politics

18 h. ago Europe, Ukraine prepare plan to end war, proposing peace board headed by Trump

European nations are working with Ukraine on a 12-point proposal to end Russia’s war along current battle lines, pushing back against Vladimir Putin’s renewed demands to the US for Kyiv to surrender territory in return for a peace deal. A peace board chaired by US President Donald Trump would oversee implementation of the proposed plan, according to people familiar with the matter. Once Russia follows Ukraine in agreeing to a ceasefire and both sides commit to halting territorial advances, the...

Politics

19 h. ago The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China opens deliberations on the 15th Five

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China opens deliberations on the 15th Five-Year Plan  Peoples Dispatch

Politics

23 h. ago ‘Stealth husband’: Japan PM Takaichi’s spouse shuns the spotlight

Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a “stealth husband”, adding, “Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here.” A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity. The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but...

Events

23 h. ago Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help to plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework initially consist...

Politics

23 h. ago From pledges to policy: Indonesia’s Prabowo marks 1 year in office

As Prabowo Subianto marks his first year as Indonesia’s president, the former general is grappling with the challenge of turning his populist campaign promises into lasting policy. While early initiatives such as free meals for children have drawn praise, concerns over civil liberties, economic sluggishness and foreign policy decisions threaten to overshadow his administration’s achievements. Prabowo, who was sworn in on October 20 last year, campaigned on a platform of ambitious social...

Events

24 h. ago Trump isn’t serious about deterring Beijing from attacking Taiwan: poll

Most people in Taiwan do not see US President Donald Trump as serious about deterring Beijing from a possible attack on the self-ruled island, according to a recent poll released on Tuesday. Asked whether Trump was willing to prevent mainland China from “invading Taiwan by force”, 44.8 per cent of the 1,070 respondents said no, while 34.3 per cent said yes in the poll conducted by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation between October 13 and 15. And on a question as to whether the US leader was...

Politics

24 h. ago Hong Kong plane crash ‘could lead to manslaughter case if negligence found’

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, knocking a security patrol vehicle into the sea and killing two people inside. All four crew members of the Emirates flight, which was operated...

Events