10 h. ago China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

The rebuilding of a World War II-era airfield in Micronesia with the help of Chinese companies has raised alarm in the United States, with US defence analysts warning about Beijing’s growing footprint in the strategic western Pacific. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, posted a video on social media last week showing an airport runway being rebuilt on Woleai, a remote 4.5 sq km atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. “Chinese company...

Events

11 h. ago Malaysian cook’s toddler abuse at Singapore preschool covered up by staff who deleted CCTV

Three former members of a Singapore preschool’s senior management admitted on Friday to covering up the offences of a cook who molested toddlers at the preschool where they all worked. The cook, 61-year-old Teo Guan Huat, had molested three toddlers during naptime over seven months in 2023. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than nine years’ jail last month. The three members of senior management were the 59-year-old executive director, 61-year-old principal and 49-year-old...

Events

12 h. ago Alipay+ announces sponsorship deal with WNBA team New York Liberty amid global push

Ant International, the Singapore-based affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Friday announced a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team New York Liberty. The multi-year initiative would see the company’s Alipay+ fintech platform become an “official sponsor” and “innovation partner for sustainability” of the team, to “jointly support community programmes designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development”...

Economics

13 h. ago Nike's China conundrum deepens as turnaround stagnates, shares slump

Nike's China conundrum deepens as turnaround stagnates, shares slump  Reuters

Politics

13 h. ago Singapore cracks down on scammers with mandatory caning as fraud cases surge

Singapore’s government said on Friday that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from December 30, under changes to criminal law to deter surging fraud cases. The changes, passed by parliament last month, strengthen penalties that already include imprisonment and fines. The Home Affairs Ministry said the enhanced punishment “ensure that our criminal laws remain effective, fair, and responsive to emerging challenges”. Under the changes, scammers, including recruiters and members...

Politics

13 h. ago China’s video game sales reach record in 2025 amid overseas expansion, AI investment

China’s video game industry revenue grew 7.7 per cent to a new high this year, as domestic titles from the likes of Tencent Holdings and NetEase continued to expand globally and bets on artificial intelligence paid off, according to data released on Friday by the country’s semi-official gaming industry association. The country’s gaming market posted total sales of 350.8 billion yuan (US$49.8 billion) for the year, breaking the previous record of 325.8 billion yuan set last year. The numbers were...

Economics

13 h. ago China’s video game sales reach record amid overseas expansion, AI investment

China’s video game sales reach record amid overseas expansion, AI investment  South China Morning Post

Economics

16 h. ago Hulk smash as Malaysian officer rips car door off its hinges

A Malaysian police officer’s superhero moment has gone viral after dashcam footage showed him wrenching open a suspect’s car door with his bare hands during a chase. The two-minute clip, widely shared on social media, shows a car being driven against the flow of traffic on a busy road in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah on Malaysian Borneo, before it is intercepted by police. In the video, the suspect’s vehicle screeches to a halt as an officer repeatedly orders the driver to step out. When...

Events

16 h. ago Hulk smash? Malaysian officer rips car door off hinges while chasing suspect

A Malaysian police officer’s superhero moment has gone viral after dashcam footage showed him wrenching open a suspect’s car door with his bare hands during a chase. The two-minute clip, widely shared on social media, shows a car being driven against the flow of traffic on a busy road in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah on Malaysian Borneo, before it is intercepted by police. In the video, the suspect’s vehicle screeches to a halt as an officer repeatedly orders the driver to step out. When...

Events

17 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest 5 over stealing HK$1.8 million from eMPF account holders

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s newly created online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to instantly suspend its digital paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee...

Events

17 h. ago 5 arrested in Hong Kong over HK$1.8 million theft targeting MPF account holders

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s new online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to immediately suspend its paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee Chun-man of the...

Economics

17 h. ago 5 arrested in Hong Kong over HK$1.8 million stolen from eMPF pension accounts

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s new online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to immediately suspend its paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee Chun-man of the...

Economics

19 h. ago Chinese rookie cop resembles Taiwan actor Eddie Peng goes viral, attracts 1 million likes

A Shanghai police officer who looks uncannily like the famous Taiwan actor Eddie Peng Yu-yan has trended on social media. A video clip of the officer, who only joined the force quite recently, has racked up over one million likes. Officer Gu Chenhan, who is in his early 20s, patrols underground stations across Shanghai accompanied by a police dog nicknamed Fries, according to a report by Shanghai TV. Gu first attracted attention in September 2023 when, as a police university student, he was sent...

Events

19 h. ago Chinese rookie cop resembling Taiwan actor Eddie Peng goes viral, attracts 1 million likes

A Shanghai police officer who looks uncannily like the famous Taiwan actor Eddie Peng Yu-yan has trended on social media. A video clip of the officer, who only joined the force quite recently, has racked up over one million likes. Officer Gu Chenhan, who is in his early 20s, patrols underground stations across Shanghai accompanied by a police dog nicknamed Fries, according to a report by Shanghai TV. Gu first attracted attention in September 2023 when, as a police university student, he was sent...

Events

22 h. ago Nike’s China Stumble Deepens As Sales And Market Share Slide

Nike’s China Stumble Deepens As Sales And Market Share Slide  Finimize

Economics

23 h. ago As global scrutiny grows, Chinese firms look to call Singapore home

As global scrutiny grows, Chinese firms look to call Singapore home  Reuters

Politics

23 h. ago Hong Kong stocks head for longest rising streak in 3 weeks on cooling US inflation data

Hong Kong stocks rose for a third day on Friday, putting the benchmark gauge on course for its longest winning streak in three weeks, after softer US inflation data bolstered the case for monetary easing. The Hang Seng Index advanced 0.3 per cent to 25,588.85 as of 10.04am local time. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.6 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.2 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.1 per cent. Bottled water maker Nongfu Spring gained 3.4 per cent to...

Politics

23 h. ago Hong Kong stocks cap longest rising streak in 3 weeks on cooling US inflation data

Hong Kong stocks rose for a third day on Friday, sending the benchmark gauge to its longest winning streak in three weeks, after softer US inflation data bolstered the case for monetary easing and allayed concerns about frothy valuations of global equities. The Hang Seng Index advanced 0.8 per cent to 25,690.53 at the close, paring the weekly loss to 1.1 per cent. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite...

Politics

23 h. ago Haute Heritage: Beijing Palace Museum Treasures Reimagined As Wearable Art

Haute Heritage: Beijing Palace Museum Treasures Reimagined As Wearable Art  Harper's Bazaar Singapore

Politics

25 h. ago Chinese team builds optical chip AI that is 100 times faster than Nvidia’s market leader

Chinese scientists have unveiled an optical computing chip that outperformed Nvidia’s leading AI hardware by over a hundredfold in speed and energy efficiency – particularly for generative tasks such as video production and image synthesis. The LightGen chip was developed by a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University, harnessing the speed of light to execute complex artificial intelligence workloads. With more than 2 million photonic neurons integrated into a compact chip,...

Politics