5 h. ago ‘A new China shock’: von der Leyen revives hard line on Beijing at G7 summit

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has accused Beijing of deliberately creating a near-monopoly in the global supply of rare earth elements, then weaponising the world’s reliance on those chains. Addressing the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, von der Leyen made a hawkish return to form, reversing a course of toned-down criticism of China spurred by the return of US President Donald Trump in January. In two separate speeches in the first two months of the year, she...

Politics

5 h. ago Malaysia’s second fatal shooting in 4 days sparks fears of gang menace

A manhunt was under way in Malaysia on Tuesday after masked gunmen shot dead two people outside a Kuala Lumpur shopping centre. The gangland-style shooting, coming just days after a similar incident, has fuelled fears of the organised crime menace in the city. Gun violence is relatively rare in the country, where possession of unlicensed firearms carries the death penalty. But a recent string of apparently targeted attacks, including a daylight assassination in Johor earlier this year, has...

Events

9 h. ago Shocked colleagues mourn PKU climate scientist Wen Xinyu, dead at 45

Chinese climate scientists are mourning the loss of a “pure, passionate” scholar after the sudden death of atmospheric physicist Wen Xinyu at just 45 years of age. The associate professor with the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at Peking University’s School of Physics died on June 14 after suffering a heart attack, according to the obituary published by his home institute. The obituary paid tribute to Wen’s important contributions to the field of climate change and his great...

Events

31 h. ago How Israel’s attack on Iran has sent a shockwave miles away in Beijing and why China may not stay silent

How Israel’s attack on Iran has sent a shockwave miles away in Beijing and why China may not stay silent  The Economic Times

Events

56 h. ago 1 dead, 4 injured in Chongqing after driver runs into crowd: district police

One person is dead and four others injured after a driver allegedly drove into a crowd in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China, on Saturday after onlookers reportedly criticised him for repeatedly sounding the horn on his car. A police statement issued on Sunday by the Banan district branch of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau alleged the driver, surnamed Xiong, repeatedly sounded the horn after finding his path blocked by another vehicle in Banan, a district in southern Chongqing. The...

Events

57 h. ago Public shock as Taiwan actress reveals face pinned with needles from skin therapy

Taiwanese actress and singer Joe Chen Chiao-en has caused shock by revealing photos of herself after she underwent an all-over acupuncture treatment. The glaring images have sparked controversy on social media in mainland China. Known as the Queen of Idol Dramas, Chen, 46, first rose to fame in 2013 for her portrayal of Dongfang Bubai in the series Swordsman. She solidified her popularity with hit dramas such as Fated to Love You and The Prince Who Turns into a Frog. Her performance in Fated to...

Events

3 d. ago “China Is Already There”: Shocking Lunar Strategy Exposes How Beijing Plans to Dominate Space and Rewire Global Power Structures

“China Is Already There”: Shocking Lunar Strategy Exposes How Beijing Plans to Dominate Space and Rewire Global Power Structures  Sustainability Times

Events

3 d. ago Political assassination shocks US ahead of Trump military parade set for Washington

A politically motivated assassination in Minnesota on Saturday sent shockwaves across the US just hours before the start of a major military parade in the nation’s capital. The killing of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the wounding of a second state lawmaker, took place in the early hours of a day that was expected to highlight America’s political divisions. The parade fulfills a long-standing desire of US President Donald Trump, echoing displays more typically...

Events

4 d. ago Air India crash witnesses recount horrific scenes of corpses and dead dogs

It was just another long and languorous summer afternoon for Chirag Patel at his mobile phone retail shop near Ahmedabad’s airport on the outskirts of the western city when he was greeted by a shocking sight in the sky – a massive Air India plane was plunging towards a building. “We are used to seeing planes taking off or landing at the airport, but I was horrified to see one heading right at us. The plane’s tail struck a building that houses a student hostel and got stuck. The front portion...

Events

4 d. ago Japan monk adopts ‘noisy’ abandoned dog, later saved by canine from fierce bear

A Japanese Buddhist monk who adopted an abandoned dog was saved by the canine during a fierce bear attack. Tougen Yoshihara, the abbot of Youkoku Temple, a historic temple in Niigata in central Japan, was taking his one-year-old Beagle, Chico, for a walk in the woods near the temple on May 29 when an unexpected encounter occurred. Suddenly, a 1.6-metre-tall bear appeared before them, leaving Yoshihara in shock, as he had never before faced such a beast. In a panic, he stumbled and fell while...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Overflowing with faeces, urine’: 150 dead cats found in Japanese woman’s home

A volunteer at an animal welfare group in Japan has been arrested after about 150 dead cats were discovered at her home in Kumamoto city. Police and animal rescue volunteers found the bodies, some in an advanced stage of decomposition, on Tuesday after they entered the woman’s home to investigate a pet owner’s complaint to the animal welfare group on May 27. The complainant said she had handed over four of her late mother’s pet cats to the suspect, who had promised her regular updates and...

Events

7 d. ago Beijing’s green mirage: How China drives environmental destruction abroad while claiming climate leadership at home

Beijing’s green mirage: How China drives environmental destruction abroad while claiming climate leadership at home  Lowy Institute

Politics

7 d. ago US arrests another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material

Another Chinese researcher has been arrested upon entering the United States, amid an escalating federal probe into the alleged smuggling of biological materials – marking the second such case in less than a week. Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, was accused of shipping four undeclared packages containing biological materials from China to a University of Michigan lab—and lying to federal agents about it. Her arrest on Sunday...

Events

8 d. ago ‘China is the enemy’: Leaked Russian intel document sparks fury, Beijing fumes over shocking charge

‘China is the enemy’: Leaked Russian intel document sparks fury, Beijing fumes over shocking charge  The Economic Times

Events

8 d. ago Hibor plunge a bigger deal for stock market than Hong Kong’s property sector

Hong Kong needs all the help it can get. Since 2018, the city has suffered one shock after another, preventing a meaningful recovery from taking hold and fuelling concerns about its position as a global financial centre. As an importer of US monetary policy with an economy that is far more synchronised with that of mainland China, Hong Kong has been the biggest casualty of economic and policy divergence between the world’s two largest economies, prompting renewed questions about the suitability...

Economics

9 d. ago EU biodiesel tariffs offer Hong Kong a chance to boost adoption of green fuel

The European Union’s (EU) tariffs on biodiesel and renewable diesel from China present Hong Kong with an opportunity to promote the use of low-carbon fuels, according to a business group, which called for more measures to support its adoption. A dearth of financial incentives and infrastructure has also resulted in limited use by the public and private sector to meet climate goals, according to the Business Environment Council (BEC). “The EU’s anti-dumping tariffs have forced Chinese producers...

Events

9 d. ago The kids are alright: Hong Kong AI scientist offers a vision for ‘parenting’ AI

For years, the story of artificial intelligence (AI) has been cast as a high-stakes contest between the US and China – a technological arms race with global consequences. But to De Kai, a pioneering machine learning scientist and advocate for AI ethics, this framing fundamentally misunderstands the technology. “I would prefer to think about it as the AI climate change challenge,” De Kai said in an interview with the Post at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he is a...

Politics

9 d. ago ‘China steals our ideas, uses it against us’: Commerce Secy Lutnick shocking charge against Beijing

‘China steals our ideas, uses it against us’: Commerce Secy Lutnick shocking charge against Beijing  The Economic Times

Events

1 week ago Chinese TV host praised for helping tourist with altitude sickness in scenic spot

A renowned Chinese television host has been praised for helping a tourist suffering with altitude sickness. The plaudits came after curious online observers dug into her past life and discovered her legendary history. On May 28, television personality Zhu Xun and her colleagues came across a group of tourists after attending an environmental protection event in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, southwestern China. One woman from the group was suffering from altitude...

Politics

1 week ago Caught in a bad bromance: Trump and Musk go for the throat – what just happened?

Hours after US President Donald Trump spoke with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday night and shared optimistic remarks about the call on social media, a public feud escalated between him and his biggest political donor. Elon Musk, once Trump’s most high-profile donor and self-proclaimed “first buddy”, lambasted the “big beautiful bill” earlier this week – one of Trump’s key domestic policy initiatives that was recently passed by the House – lighting the fuse on a public fight that quickly...

Politics