6 h. ago EU wins Trump’s focus on China, but can it deliver on ‘impossible’ demand?

For almost a year, European Union officials have been dangling the carrot of joint work on China policy in front of US President Donald Trump in an effort to keep him engaged in supporting Ukraine. For months, their overtures were ignored. Now that the US leader has tuned in – but only on the condition of maximum tariffs – Europe finds itself in a bind. On Wednesday evening, ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states were briefed by the bloc’s sanctions envoy, David O’Sullivan, on his trip to...

Politics

7 h. ago Philippines’ Duterte suffers from deteriorating cognitive condition: lawyers

Lawyers for detained former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte say he suffers from significant cognitive deficiencies that affect his memory and daily functioning, according to documents made public by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Duterte, 80, was arrested and taken to The Hague in March on an arrest warrant that linked him to murders committed during his “war on drugs” where thousands of alleged narcotics peddlers and users were killed. His lawyers have since then argued he is...

Politics

10 h. ago Philippines slams China's plan for nature reserve in disputed shoal

Philippines slams China's plan for nature reserve in disputed shoal  Reuters

Politics

13 h. ago Philippines ‘strongly protests’ China nature preserve in South China Sea

Philippines ‘strongly protests’ China nature preserve in South China Sea  Al Jazeera

Events

13 h. ago Hong Kong court asked to exempt surgeon, 92, from plea in death

Lawyers for a 92-year-old plastic surgeon have asked a Hong Kong court to exempt him from entering a plea in a manslaughter case arising from a botched botox injection in 2018, saying he is no longer fit to stand trial because of his worsening dementia. Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong’s trial started at the High Court on Thursday, with a seven-member jury asked to decide whether the defendant was capable of defending himself during the proceedings. Prosecutors have charged Li with gross negligence...

Events

13 h. ago Hong Kong court asked to exempt surgeon, 93, from plea in death

Lawyers for a 93-year-old plastic surgeon have asked a Hong Kong court to exempt him from entering a plea in a manslaughter case arising from a botched botox injection in 2018, saying he is no longer fit to stand trial because of his worsening dementia. Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong’s trial started at the High Court on Thursday, with a seven-member jury asked to decide whether the defendant was capable of defending himself during the proceedings. Prosecutors have charged Li with gross negligence...

Events

16 h. ago Philippines protests China’s plan for nature reserve at hotly disputed shoal

Philippines protests China’s plan for nature reserve at hotly disputed shoal  The Hindu

Events

23 h. ago Many caught in Hyundai raid appeared to be working legally, US lawyer says

A US immigration lawyer representing more than a dozen workers arrested at a Hyundai facility in Georgia last week said on Wednesday that many of the nearly 500 picked up appeared to be working legally, contradicting allegations by authorities. The lawyer, Atlanta-based Charles Kuck, said his clients included seven South Koreans who entered via the ESTA programme, for countries with visa-free travel to the US, or with B-1 visas for temporary business travel. He said they were legally allowed to...

Events

35 h. ago Miss Philippines Earth blasts flood corruption, says crown not worth her silence

The newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth’s sharp-tongued posts about her country’s deepening flood control corruption scandal have earned her both praise and warnings that she could lose her crown. Joy Barcoma has become an unexpected commentator on the growing political controversy, weighing in with biting humour and fierce advocacy that has won her a legion of new fans who refer to her as “my queen”. Some have urged Barcoma to stay silent to preserve her shot at the international title, but...

Events

35 h. ago China approves nature reserve at disputed South China Sea shoal claimed by the Philippines

China approves nature reserve at disputed South China Sea shoal claimed by the Philippines  Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Politics

36 h. ago New iPhones spark lively debate among Chinese fans amid eSIM limits, AI delay

Apple’s newly released iPhone series, including the groundbreaking iPhone Air, dominated social media discussion in China on Wednesday, with consumers expressing concerns about eSIM adoption and delayed Apple Intelligence features. China Unicom, one of three state-owned carriers, is the only telecoms service provider able to provide eSIM service to iPhone Air users, although China Telecom and China Mobile, two other operators, said they would roll it out later. China’s conditional acceptance of...

Politics

37 h. ago China approves nature reserve at contested Scarborough Shoal

China has approved the establishment of a nature reserve at the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed territory in the South China Sea, a decision that could escalate tensions with rival claimant the Philippines. The move comes months after China published a set of geographic coordinates for 16 base points around the feature, which it calls Huangyan Island and is known as the Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. Beijing has controlled the sea feature since a stand-off with the Philippines in 2012. The...

Politics

37 h. ago Japan, Philippines to boost military tech ties amid China tensions

Japan, Philippines to boost military tech ties amid China tensions  Stars and Stripes

Events

38 h. ago Hong Kong government lacks ‘necessary conditions’ for Lantau reclamation project

Hong Kong’s current government does not have the “necessary conditions” to start reclamation works for the construction of three artificial islands in Lantau waters, the development minister has said, as authorities halted the environmental assessment process in a rare move. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made it clear for the first time on Wednesday that the current administration would not begin the HK$580 billion (US$74.6 billion) project in the waters off Kau Yi Chau, as it...

Politics

61 h. ago Philippine contractors allege political bribery in flood control scandal

Two contractors at the centre of the Philippines’ growing flood control scandal have named nearly 20 lawmakers and government officials they accuse of demanding kickbacks and offered to turn state witnesses, but legal experts say their alleged role in the scheme could undermine their plea for immunity. In sworn testimony presented to the Senate on Monday, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya – a married couple – claimed that corrupt politicians and Department of Public Works and...

Events

64 h. ago France’s Macron facing critical dilemma after second PM ousted in a year

The challenge French President Emmanuel Macron faces in choosing his fifth prime minister in under two years lays bare the depth of a political crisis that in many ways is of his own making, and one with no clear path out. Francois Bayrou was set to tender his resignation as prime minister on Tuesday, a day after the parliament voted to bring down the government over its plans for taming the budget deficit. Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier, had suffered the same fate over his fiscal plans...

Politics

65 h. ago Trump administration launches immigration crackdown in Chicago

US President Donald Trump has started his immigration crackdown in Chicago, with federal agents stepping up enforcement in an escalating campaign against Democratic-run cities that the White House said were suffering from rampant crime and disorder. Operation Midway Blitz has begun in the city and other parts of Illinois targeting “criminal illegal aliens”, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Monday. DHS blamed Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat and potential...

Politics

3 d. ago Macron scrambles to find new French PM after Bayrou is ousted

President Emmanuel Macron will accept the resignation of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Tuesday after his government was ejected in a confidence vote, with the French leader rushing to find a successor and stave off a new political crisis. On Monday, Bayrou suffered a crushing loss in a confidence vote he had himself called, plunging France into fresh uncertainty. The French presidency said in a statement that Macron “took note” of the outcome and said Macron would name a new premier “in the...

Politics

3 d. ago Macron scrambles to find new French PM after government is ousted

President Emmanuel Macron will accept the resignation of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Tuesday after his government was ejected in a confidence vote, with the French leader rushing to find a successor and stave off a new political crisis. On Monday, Bayrou suffered a crushing loss in a confidence vote he had himself called, plunging France into fresh uncertainty. The French presidency said in a statement that Macron “took note” of the outcome and said Macron would name a new premier “in the...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong to review public housing workflow after mother, son suicide case

Hong Kong’s Housing Department has pledged to review its work procedures on public flat tenants with special needs after a mother and son, both reportedly suffering from mental illnesses and facing eviction, committed suicide. Social workers and housing advisers said on Monday that authorities could improve administrative procedures to be more accommodating in such cases, and consider and streamline rehousing arrangements for them. “It is reasonable to take back flats and combat the abuse of...

Events