78 m. ago Trump’s Greenland bid might force EU to stop placating him and fight back

US President Donald Trump’s fixation on Greenland offers an ice-cold reminder to leaders in Europe and abroad: no deal is ever final. Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff, rising to 25 per cent in June, on eight European nations, including Denmark, for saying they would undertake token Nato military exercises in Greenland in response to US sabre-rattling. While the tariffs are not certain to take effect, the threat was a brazen escalation and insult to close US allies, trampling over the US-EU...

Politics

81 m. ago Did China, Russia, Iran joint naval drills in South Africa mark notable Brics shift?

Last week’s naval drills involving China, Russia, Iran and host country South Africa signalled a notable shift for Brics beyond its traditional focus on economic cooperation, analysts said, as the US noted it had closely monitored the exercise. However, observers also described the high-profile exercise as largely symbolic, calling it a diplomatic statement of intent rather than a step towards a formal military alliance. The Will for Peace 2026 drills were launched at a port in Cape Town on...

Politics

1 hour ago Viral bullying clips, mass murder threat sound alarm in Japan over school violence

Recent viral clips in Japan of bullying, including one which later led to a mass murder revenge threat, have sparked concerns in the country about school violence. The latest case centres on an email message sent to the board of education in Oita city, in Kyushu, at 11pm on January 11 warning of an imminent attack. “On Thursday, January 15, I will intrude into the junior high school where the bullying video spread, together with several accomplices, and carry out a mass killing of students and...

Events

3 h. ago Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

Eric Wong is only 20, but his life online is so consuming that he struggles to draw a line between his digital presence and the physical world. A member of Malaysia’s Gen Z – those aged 13 to 29 this year – Wong belongs to the first generation of true digital natives, raised on a steady stream of social media, online gaming and endless internet connectivity. “If there’s time in between classes, me and my friends will gather in the cafeteria or the nearby mamak (food stall) to play PUBG or Mobile...

Events

4 h. ago Global Times Meeting: Bridging the Global South and Gauging China’s Mideast Views

Global Times Meeting: Bridging the Global South and Gauging China’s Mideast Views  Modern Diplomacy

Politics

5 h. ago China Just Applied To Launch 200,000 Satellites, Over Ten Times More Than Even Exist Right Now

China Just Applied To Launch 200,000 Satellites, Over Ten Times More Than Even Exist Right Now  Jalopnik

Politics

9 h. ago Does Russia or China actually threaten Greenland? Experts say Trump's warnings don't match reality

Does Russia or China actually threaten Greenland? Experts say Trump's warnings don't match reality  The Kyiv Independent

Events

12 h. ago Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with minister who is his loyal ally

Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication with him since then, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The officials warned Cabello, 62, against using the security services or militant ruling-party supporters overseen by him to target the country’s opposition, four sources said. That security...

Politics

15 h. ago Iran’s leader says ‘thousands’ killed in protests, Trump a ‘criminal’

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said “several thousand people” died in this month’s anti-government demonstrations, his first acknowledgment of the deadly scale of the unrest. Some of those were killed “brutally and inhumanely”, Khamenei said without offering details in a public meeting broadcast on state TV. He accused the US and Israel of aiding the killings and said the Islamic Republic had evidence to support the claim. Iran did not intend to push the country towards...

Events

15 h. ago REPOST: The Prescient Warning Behind Ottawa’s China Influence File—and Carney’s Beijing Electric Vehicle Gamble

REPOST: The Prescient Warning Behind Ottawa’s China Influence File—and Carney’s Beijing Electric Vehicle Gamble  The Bureau | Sam Cooper

Events

15 h. ago Taiwan faces possible Beijing squeeze after US quits WHO and other agencies

The United States’ decision to withdraw from dozens of UN and other international organisations may have dealt another blow to Taiwan’s efforts to raise its global profile amid mounting pressure from Beijing. While Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s government has sought to play down the impact, observers have warned that Washington’s retreat could further squeeze the island’s already narrow international space. US President Donald Trump on January 7 ordered the US to exit 66 international...

Politics

15 h. ago Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application. Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on...

Politics

16 h. ago As Trump urges cap on credit card rates, could China follow suit for online loans?

US President Donald Trump’s call for American credit card interest rates to be capped at 10 per cent for a year has sparked a debate in China about whether Beijing should impose a similar limit on online loans. The discussion comes as many in China – especially younger people – are being enticed by credit offers amid a weak job market and a boom in online loan services. “Apps now keep luring young people into borrowing,” a finance blogger with nearly 500,000 followers wrote in a social media...

Politics

17 h. ago Chinese man earns US$39,000 in 2 years teaching adults to ride bicycles amid surging demand

A master’s degree student in China, who has taught hundreds of adults and children to ride bicycles over the past two years and earned 270,000 yuan (US$39,000) from it, recently went viral on social media. The man, whose surname is Li, is a third-year master’s degree candidate at Shanghai University of Sport (SUP) majoring in sports education, as reported by the news outlet The Cover. Li shared that years ago, he and a friend recognised the demand for bike-riding instruction and decided to...

Politics

18 h. ago China’s AI ambitions meet the politics of global supply chains

China’s AI ambitions meet the politics of global supply chains  Modern Diplomacy

Politics

19 h. ago China woman, 47, shares civil servant life in Iceland, appreciates culture that respects choices

A 47-year-old Chinese woman shares her idyllic life as a civil servant in a remote town in Iceland, igniting interest and spirited discussions on social media in mainland China. The woman, known as Megan, hails from Beijing. In 2020, at the age of 42, she decided to pursue a second master’s degree in Iceland, a few years after her divorce. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her first master’s in business computing in the UK before transferring to a new energy major at a...

Politics

19 h. ago Thai ruling party courts voters by vowing to end Cambodia conflict, close scam hubs

Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a...

Events

21 h. ago Chinese woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting over 1,000 volunteers to her farm

A woman in southern China who did not know how to slaughter a pig turned to the internet for help, unexpectedly sparking a heartwarming viral reaction that attracted over 1,000 enthusiastic volunteers and transformed the event into a festive gathering. The story began on January 9, when a woman nicknamed Daidai from Hechuan, Chongqing, posted a short video on social media inviting netizens to assist in holding down two pigs for slaughter, while also extending an invitation to enjoy a traditional...

Politics

22 h. ago US airlines warned of ‘potential risks’ when flying over Mexico, South America

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines on Friday to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The FAA said it had issued “Notices to Airmen” covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. They say: “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during...

Events

25 h. ago Musk’s xAI sued over Grok deepfakes – this time, by mother of his child

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitative deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York City against xAI that the images have included a photo of her fully dressed at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, and others showing...

Politics