2 h. ago Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

For much of the modern era, power was easy to recognise. It belonged to the states that could win wars decisively, enforce sanctions effectively and impose political outcomes far beyond their borders. That definition no longer works. The world is moving towards what scholars have described as a form of “distributed multipolarity”, a landscape in which no single actor – not the United States, not China, not Russia – can fully shape events in the way great powers once expected. Tools once seen as...

Events

10 h. ago Netflix’s US$72 billion Warner Bros deal to reshape streaming landscape

Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV, film studios and streaming division for US$72 billion, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood’s most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer. The agreement, announced on Friday, follows a weeks-long bidding war in which Netflix offered nearly US$28-a-share, eclipsing Paramount Skydance’s close to US$24 bid for the whole of Warner Bros Discovery, including the cable TV assets slated for a spin-off. Buying the owner of...

Events

13 h. ago Bioplastics gain momentum as India and China reshape industry

Bioplastics gain momentum as India and China reshape industry  packaginginsights.com

Politics

17 h. ago China's HongShan eyes $2.9 billion Golden Goose deal by Christmas

China's HongShan eyes $2.9 billion Golden Goose deal by Christmas - paper  Reuters

Economics

19 h. ago Aukus deal to move ‘full steam ahead’ after surviving Trump review

The Pentagon said on Thursday it has endorsed the tripartite Aukus security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which would involve Canberra’s acquisition of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines within 15 years. The administration of Donald Trump said earlier this year it was reviewing a 2021 deal for the nuclear-powered attack submarines signed under his presidential predecessor, Joe Biden. The Department of Defence completed its five-month review, which endorsed the Aukus...

Politics

23 h. ago HSBC to occupy over 40,000 sq ft at Hong Kong’s Capitol Centre in 2026

HSBC is set to occupy more than 40,000 sq ft of space in Capitol Centre in Causeway Bay, as Hong Kong’s largest bank joins a growing list of finance and banking firms snapping up commercial space in the city. The London-headquartered lender signed a five-year lease, which starts May 18, 2026, for five levels – ground plus four floors of the building, according to Land Registry records. The deal was registered in late November. The records did not show the size or rent for the leased space, but...

Events

24 h. ago Trump praises DR Congo and Rwanda leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the US government and American companies. The moment offered Trump – who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker...

Politics

24 h. ago Trump praises African leaders, who sign his deal as fighting continues

US President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the US government and American companies. The moment offered Trump – who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker...

Politics

26 h. ago Soybean deal: What the US export business with China actually looks like

Soybean deal: What the US export business with China actually looks like  Table.Briefings

Economics

37 h. ago China is issuing streamlined licenses for rare earth exports, state media says

China is issuing streamlined licenses for rare earth exports, state media says  Reuters

Politics

38 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: Trump meets Nvidia's CEO to talk AI chip curbs; Bessent confirms China on track to keep trade deal

Trump tariffs live updates: Trump meets Nvidia's CEO to talk AI chip curbs; Bessent confirms China on track to keep trade deal  Yahoo Finance

Economics

39 h. ago China says working on streamlining rare earth export licenses By Reuters

China says working on streamlining rare earth export licenses By Reuters  Investing.com

Politics

39 h. ago China says working on streamlining rare earth export licenses

China says working on streamlining rare earth export licenses  Reuters

Politics

43 h. ago Proposal for global minerals deal meets opposition as China looks away

Proposal for global minerals deal meets opposition as China looks away  Climate Home News

Politics

48 h. ago USMCA urged to form joint mechanism to address China’s national security threats

Witnesses at a US trade agency hearing are pushing officials to put economic security high on the agenda to counter China ahead of a high-stakes review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The hearing convened by the Office of the US Trade Representative on Wednesday – the first public session before next July’s joint review of the free trade deal – kicks off three days of testimony from more than 140 representatives from business, think tanks, academia and advocacy groups. “One...

Events

55 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: Bessent confirms China on track to keep trade deal; OECD upgrades US growth forecast

Trump tariffs live updates: Bessent confirms China on track to keep trade deal; OECD upgrades US growth forecast  Yahoo Finance

Economics

57 h. ago What Is Tencent Music? And What Makes China’s Streaming So Unique?

What Is Tencent Music? And What Makes China’s Streaming So Unique?  Hypebot

Politics

61 h. ago Fireworks shop owner dies from pesticide after reporting officials: Chinese media

A fireworks shop owner in Hunan province died from drinking pesticide after publicly reporting officials for disciplinary violations, Chinese media reported. The owner, surnamed Peng, had recently published a video of himself drinking the substance, local authorities in Chenzhou, Hunan province, said in a notice on Monday. A local task force was investigating the matter to ascertain if the allegations were true and would “deal with the incident according to laws and regulations without mercy”,...

Events

3 d. ago Russia says no Ukraine compromise reached after Putin meets Trump envoys

Russia and the US did not reach a compromise on a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine after a five-hour Kremlin meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s top envoys, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Trump has repeatedly complained that ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II has been one of the elusive foreign policy aims of his presidency. The US president has at times scolded both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Talks in Moscow between...

Politics

3 d. ago Beijing streamlines ticketing services for tourist destinations

Beijing streamlines ticketing services for tourist destinations  China.org

Sport