44 m. ago China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

A geopolitical contest is unfolding in central-southern Africa, where major global powers are vying for control of key logistical routes amid a global race to secure critical minerals for the green energy transition. At the centre of this rivalry lies the small town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia, a strategic hub where three competing corridors – China’s Tazara, the US-backed Lobito Corridor and Japan’s Nacala Corridor – converge. Observers say the race to build these corridors is not just...

Sport

2 h. ago Hong Kong tutor centres feel squeeze as mainland Chinese firms eye slice of pie

Two major mainland Chinese tutorial school operators are expanding their Hong Kong footprint, increasing the competition for local counterparts already facing challenges caused by a shrinking student population and a curriculum revamp, the Post has found. The moves by the firms come amid rising demand from mainland students to sit Hong Kong’s university entrance exams, with the surge in interest also prompting local tutorial chains to extend their operations across the border. The number of...

Politics

3 h. 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

5 h. ago Japan survey exposes social media’s role in disaster misinformation

More than a quarter of Japanese citizens were exposed to rumours or falsehoods on social media following natural disasters, according to a new survey, with some admitting they inadvertently hampered emergency responses by sharing the misinformation. The study was conducted by the Japanese Red Cross Society in the run-up to Disaster Prevention Day on Monday. The annual event commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, a magnitude-8 tremor that struck some 60km southwest of Tokyo and caused...

Events

6 h. ago ‘Fox in the henhouse’: New report shows Pentagon funds helped Chinese military

‘Fox in the henhouse’: New report shows Pentagon funds helped Chinese military  Straight Arrow News

Events

12 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

16 h. ago Wall Street climbs to new highs on hopes of interest rate cuts

US stocks are rising to more records on expectations that the Federal Reserve will have to cut interest rates soon to help the economy. The S&P 500 climbed 0.4 per cent on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 93 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.7 per cent. The action was much stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields tumbled following the latest weaker-than-expected update on the US job market. That raised expectations for a cut to rates by the Fed later this month....

Politics

16 h. ago US stocks wobble as Wall Street wrangles with whether job market is too weak

US stocks wobbled lower on Friday as Wall Street questioned whether the US job market has slowed by just enough to get the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to help the economy, or by so much that a downturn may be on the way. After rising to an early gain, the S&P 500 erased it and fell 0.3 per cent below the all-time high it set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 220 points, or 0.5 per cent, after swinging between an early gain of nearly 150 points and a loss of 400....

Politics

17 h. ago Seoul expresses ‘concern’ over US immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia plant

South Korea on Friday expressed “concern and regret” over a major US immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large”, though he did not provide an exact figure. His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta...

Politics

19 h. ago China’s ‘silent sanction’ on US semiconductors creates a weapons generation gap

In addition to the spectacle of Wednesday’s military parade in Tiananmen Square, with its rows of never-before-seen weapons and equipment, was a less visible but highly consequential shift. At its heart lies China’s growing dominance in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, giving it a strategic advantage that is reshaping the global arms race, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics. “Behind this technological advancement lies a ‘hidden thread’...

Events

23 h. ago Qantas Airways penalises CEO over data breach with bonus cut

Australia’s Qantas Airways said on Friday it had lowered bonuses for its CEO and her team as the airline shoulders responsibility for a hacking incident that breached personal data of millions of customers. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson will receive A$6.3 million (US$4.09 million) for the year to June 30, including a short-term bonus of A$2.04 million, trimmed by A$250,000 as part of the penalty, its annual report said. The total pay figure remains a fraction of the A$23.9 million received by former...

Politics

23 h. ago Israeli military says it controls nearly half of Gaza City in push for takeover

Israel controls 40 per cent of Gaza City, a military spokesperson said on Thursday, as its bombardment forced more Palestinians from their homes there, while thousands of residents defied Israeli orders to leave, remaining behind in the ruins in the path of Israel’s latest advance. Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire across the enclave had killed at least 53 people on Thursday, mostly in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have advanced through the outer suburbs and were a few kilometres from...

Events

23 h. ago Hong Kong father suspected of murdering his 2 children has depression: court

A Hong Kong father who allegedly killed his two young children before a failed suicide attempt last month is suffering from depression, a court has heard. Salesman Chen Guocheng, 40, appeared in Kowloon City Court for the first time on Friday to face two counts of murder, as prosecutors asked for a 12-week adjournment for police to conduct further inquiries. A psychiatric report issued by Queen Elizabeth Hospital found Chen to be suicidal but fit to attend hearings, the court heard. Deputy...

Events

23 h. ago Hong Kong father suspected of murdering his children has depression, court hears

A Hong Kong father who allegedly killed his two young children before a failed suicide attempt last month is suffering from depression, a court has heard. Salesman Chen Guocheng, 40, appeared in Kowloon City Court for the first time on Friday to face two counts of murder, as prosecutors asked for a 12-week adjournment to allow police to conduct further inquiries. A psychiatric report issued by Queen Elizabeth Hospital found Chen to be suicidal but fit to attend hearings, the court heard. Deputy...

Events

24 h. ago Japan star in dreamland as Jackie Chan blesses her baby bump with ‘miracle’ touch

A lifelong dream came true for Japanese anime icon Shoko Nakagawa, who is nine months pregnant with twin boys, when she met her idol, the legendary Jackie Chan. Chan blessed her baby bump with a heart-shaped kiss in a moment that quickly went viral online. Nakagawa, 40, who is affectionately known as “Shokotan”, is widely recognised as an anime icon and boasts over 345,000 followers on a major social media platform. She is best known as the host of Pokémon Sunday and as the performer of the...

Politics

24 h. ago Japan star in dreamland as Jackie Chan blesses baby bump with ‘miracle’ touch

A lifelong dream came true for Japanese anime icon Shoko Nakagawa, who is nine months pregnant with twin boys, when she met her idol, the legendary Jackie Chan. Chan blessed her baby bump with a heart-shaped kiss in a moment that quickly went viral online. Nakagawa, 40, who is affectionately known as “Shokotan”, is widely recognised as an anime icon and boasts over 345,000 followers on a major social media platform. She is best known as the host of Pokémon Sunday and as the performer of the...

Politics

26 h. ago Thaksin leaves Thailand ahead of court ruling that could see him jailed

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a sudden and surprising departure from the country on Thursday, just five days before a court ruling that could open him up to a new prison sentence. His exit came a week after the Constitutional Court removed his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, from her position as prime minister. The court found her guilty of an ethics violation for a politically compromising phone call with Cambodian Senate president Hun Sen. Parliament was set to...

Events

26 h. ago Thaksin flies to Dubai after missing Singapore airport landing deadline

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a sudden and surprising departure from the country on Thursday, just five days before a court ruling that could open him up to a new prison sentence. Thaksin told Thai immigration authorities at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport that his private jet was headed for Singapore. A police statement confirmed his plane was allowed to take off shortly after 7pm because he had no arrest warrant or court order preventing him from leaving the...

Events

26 h. ago Thailand’s Thaksin flies to Dubai after missing Singapore landing deadline

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a sudden and surprising departure from the country on Thursday, just five days before a court ruling that could open him up to a new prison sentence. Thaksin told Thai immigration authorities at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport that his private jet was headed for Singapore. A police statement confirmed his plane was allowed to take off shortly after 7pm because he had no arrest warrant or court order preventing him from leaving the...

Events

27 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