39 m. ago Japan’s last 2 giant pandas set for early trip home to China as tensions spiral

The last two giant pandas in Japan are set to leave for China on January 27, one month ahead of schedule as bilateral tensions continue to worsen. The return of the twins, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, marks the first time in about half a century that Japan will be without any pandas. Beijing first sent two of the animals to Tokyo to mark the normalisation of diplomatic relations in 1972. The four-year-olds were born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo but technically all giant pandas and their offspring in overseas...

Events

59 m. ago New energy, AI, EV and biotech to drive Hong Kong IPO growth: HKEX

New energy, artificial intelligence, electric vehicle (EV) and biotechnology companies will remain the driving force behind Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market in the coming years, according to the head of bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). “In the past year, dozens of new companies in green energy, automation and other sectors have listed in Hong Kong, enabling them to scale their research and global impact,” wrote Bonnie Chan Yiting, CEO of HKEX, in an...

Science

74 m. ago Why Trump’s Mexico military plan is a blow to Asian exporters to Americas

US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia are adding a new layer of uncertainty for Asian exporters shipping to the Americas, analysts have said, compounding the strain from higher import tariffs and already fragile supply chains. Trump has issued explicit warnings about possible strikes in both countries following a major US operation in Venezuela earlier this month, as part of an escalated regional strategy to counter drug trafficking...

Events

4 h. ago 🇨🇳🇷🇺🇺🇸 CHINA JUST OVERTOOK RUSSIA AS THE WORLD'S #2 NUCLEAR SUBMARINE POWER China now operates 32 nuclear subs compared to Russia's 25

🇨🇳🇷🇺🇺🇸 CHINA JUST OVERTOOK RUSSIA AS THE WORLD'S #2 NUCLEAR SUBMARINE POWER China now operates 32 nuclear subs compared to Russia's 25-28, knocking Moscow to third place for the first time ever. The U.S. still leads with 71, but Chin  x.com

Events

6 h. ago Beijing Puts China's First Commercial Aerospace Research and Production Hub Into Operation

Beijing Puts China's First Commercial Aerospace Research and Production Hub Into Operation  Yicai Global

Technology

8 h. ago Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fall in December

Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fall in December  Reuters

Politics

8 h. ago DeepSeek technique to improve AI’s ability to ‘read’ long texts questioned by new research

A group of researchers from China and Japan has challenged a method unveiled several months ago by Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek that was designed to improve AI’s ability to handle long blocks of text, marking a rare case of the company’s research being publicly questioned. The DeepSeek-OCR (optical character recognition) method, designed to compress text by using visual representations, potentially revolutionising how AI models handle long texts, was flawed due to...

Science

8 h. ago Beijing urges U.S. to stop using 'China threat' excuse over Greenland

Beijing urges U.S. to stop using 'China threat' excuse over Greenland  news.cgtn.com

Events

9 h. ago Urgent: Xi congratulates Central African Republic president on reelection

Urgent: Xi congratulates Central African Republic president on reelection  Xinhua

Politics

9 h. ago Record snow in Russia’s far east blocks building entrances, buries cars

The biggest snowfall in 60 years on Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula created vast drifts several metres tall that blocked building entrances and buried cars, according to Reuters visuals and weather monitoring stations. In some areas more than 2 metres (6.5 feet) of snow has fallen in the first half of January after 3.7 metres in December, according to weather monitoring stations. Heavy snow is not uncommon in Kamchatka - a peninsula which stretches down towards Japan. Reuters...

Politics

9 h. ago Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong charity to help minority youth become sports coaches

A charity founded in 1979 to support Vietnamese war refugee children in Hong Kong will this year launch a programme to train ethnic minority youth as sports coaches for mainstream youngsters. Treats’ “EM-SPARK” project will train 30 ethnic minority youngsters aged 15 to 18 to coach 3,504 mainstream primary school students and community members in kin-ball, a team game where players work together to keep a giant ball in the air, and taspony, a tennis-like sport played with a larger softball and...

Sport

9 h. ago Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong charity to train ethnic minority teens as coaches

A charity founded in 1979 to support Vietnamese war refugee children in Hong Kong will launch a programme this year to train teenagers from ethnic minority groups as sports coaches for mainstream youngsters. Treats’ “EM-SPARK” project will train 30 ethnic minority youngsters aged 15 to 18 to coach 3,504 mainstream primary school students and community members in kin-ball, a team game where players work together to keep a giant ball in the air, and taspony, a tennis-like sport played with a...

Politics

11 h. ago Hong Kong professions ready for new child abuse law but ‘some challenges remain’

Hong Kong professionals mandated to report suspected child abuse cases under a new law taking effect on Tuesday are largely ready, but some have said challenges remain in working with parents from different cultural backgrounds and detecting online crimes targeting youngsters. Under the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance, more than 100,000 people across 25 professions in the social welfare, education and medical sectors are required to report suspected maltreatment of those aged under...

Society

11 h. ago ‘No room for refusal’: Hong Kong professionals brace for tough calls under child abuse law

Hong Kong professionals mandated to report suspected child abuse cases under a new law taking effect on Tuesday are largely ready, but some have said challenges remain in working with parents from different cultural backgrounds and detecting online crimes targeting youngsters. Under the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance, more than 100,000 people across 25 professions in the social welfare, education and medical sectors are required to report suspected maltreatment of those aged under...

Society

11 h. ago China challenges US in AI drug race, but rivals still reliant on each other

China has emerged as a credible challenger to the US in artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, where advantage depends not only on computing prowess but also on the ability to effectively mine data, from genomes to clinical trial results, according to Leung Chuen-yan, a private equity investor and life sciences scientist. “Globally, the way companies develop and use AI to discover drugs is similar, from finding the drug target and designing the molecule to planning clinical trials,” said...

Events

12 h. ago Japan’s Tsushima Maru sinking: will recovery of artefacts end silence on WWII tragedy?

More than 80 years after her mother narrowly survived the sinking of the steamer Tsushima Maru, Tsugiko Taira says the wreck still carries profound meaning and believes artefacts recovered from the seabed could give new voice to one of the worst civilian maritime tragedies of World War II. Her comments come as the Japanese government weighs whether to retrieve items from the deep-sea site for possible public display, following a recent seabed survey and remarks by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru...

Events

12 h. ago Japan weighs disturbing grave of over 700 children to salvage Tsushima Maru

More than eight decades after her mother narrowly survived the sinking of the steamer Tsushima Maru, Tsugiko Taira says the wreck still speaks to her. She believes artefacts lying on the seabed could give new voice to one of the worst civilian maritime tragedies of World War II. Taira’s reflections come as Japan’s government considers whether to retrieve items from the wreck for public display. Officials have conducted a survey and, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, will...

Politics

12 h. ago Japan weighs disturbing grave of over 700 children to recover Tsushima Maru relics

More than eight decades after her mother narrowly survived the sinking of the steamer Tsushima Maru, Tsugiko Taira says the wreck still speaks to her. She believes artefacts lying on the seabed could give new voice to one of the worst civilian maritime tragedies of World War II. Taira’s reflections come as Japan’s government considers whether to retrieve items from the wreck for public display. Officials have conducted a survey and, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, will...

Politics

18 h. ago Canada could send small contingent of troops to Greenland for Nato exercises

Canada is considering whether to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland to take part in Nato military exercises, a source directly familiar with the matter said on Monday. The news was first reported by CBC News and the Globe and Mail newspaper. Military officials have presented plans for the operation to the government and are awaiting a decision from Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. Carney’s office declined to...

Politics

18 h. ago Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada is considering whether to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland to take part in Nato military exercises, a source directly familiar with the matter said on Monday. The news was first reported by CBC News and the Globe and Mail newspaper. Military officials have presented plans for the operation to the government and are awaiting a decision from Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. Carney’s office declined to...

Politics