2 h. ago Will America’s extended trade truce with China be a boon for farmers in the US Midwest?

There is a major divide in the American heartland. US farm states are facing a drop in exports of key commodities as Beijing turns to alternative suppliers, primarily in Brazil, as a result of Donald Trump’s trade war. Some farmers, however, want to give the US president the benefit of the doubt that his go-slow approach to Beijing will eventually bear fruit in the form of more orders from China as well as other trading partners. Others fear that no combination of new markets will replace the...

Politics

5 h. ago China plotting mission to defend Earth from asteroids: top space researcher

China is planning an advanced mission to strike an asteroid and alter its orbit with a spacecraft to mitigate the threat of an impact, according to a top space researcher. If successful, China will become the second country after the United States to achieve this ability. Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration programme and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, revealed this “kinetic impact demonstration mission” on Friday, saying it would test the feasibility...

Events

5 h. ago China designing mission to defend Earth from asteroids: top space researcher

China is planning an advanced mission to strike an asteroid and alter its orbit with a spacecraft to reduce the risk an impact, according to a top space researcher. If successful, China will become the second country after the United States to achieve this ability. Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration programme and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, revealed this “kinetic impact demonstration mission” on Friday, saying it would test the feasibility of...

Events

7 h. ago China, US, Japan race for control of key African rail routes in critical minerals fight

China, US, Japan race for control of key African rail routes in critical minerals fight  yahoo.com

Sport

10 h. ago China, US, Japan race to control African rail routes in critical minerals fight

A geopolitical contest is unfolding in central-southern Africa, where major global powers are vying for control of key logistical routes amid a global race to secure critical minerals for the green energy transition. At the centre of this rivalry lies the small town of Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia, a strategic hub where three competing corridors – China’s Tazara, the US-backed Lobito Corridor and Japan’s Nacala Corridor – converge. Observers say the race to build these corridors is not just...

Sport

18 h. ago China’s multipolar ambition is making the US sit up and fire back

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin this week, the choreography was striking. Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiled proposals for a development bank, expanded BeiDou satellite services, and cooperation in green technology, artificial intelligence and infrastructure. The message was unmistakable: the SCO is no longer just a security forum. It is evolving into a platform offering...

Economics

25 h. ago US Ally Plans 'Bodyguard' Against Russia and China's 'Satellite Killers'

US Ally Plans 'Bodyguard' Against Russia and China's 'Satellite Killers'  Newsweek

Events

25 h. ago Singapore must be Asia’s gateway, uphold social mobility at home: president

Singapore must remain a reliable base and a gateway to Asia’s dynamism in an increasingly divided world, while addressing social mobility and cohesion at home, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Friday. Tharman, a former cabinet minister, was speaking at the opening of the 15th parliament in Singapore, during which the city state’s president addresses MPs on key issues in the fresh five-year term. He noted that the new parliament was opening amid a more fragmented world where economic...

Politics

31 h. ago Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan  ING THINK economic and financial analysis | ING Think

Politics

32 h. ago ‘Legitimate targets’: Putin warns West about deploying troops in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal. Two dozen countries, led by France and Britain, pledged Thursday to join a “reassurance” force on land, at sea and in the air to patrol any agreement to end the conflict, unleashed by Russia in February 2022. Tens of thousands have been killed in...

Events

36 h. ago China’s Jiangsu Hengrui signs licensing deal with Braveheart Bio for heart drug

Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, a Chinese developer of novel drugs, could receive up to US$1.01 billion in milestone payments after granting a US company exclusive rights to develop a heart disease drug, the latest example of mainland drug makers licensing early-stage assets to international partners. Jiangsu Hengrui entered into a licensing agreement with one-year-old US start-up Braveheart Bio for its innovative drug HRS-1893 to treat obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to a...

Events

48 h. ago Rubio pledges aid for Ecuador, to ‘wage war’ on gangs in drug fight

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday promised security aid to Ecuador and announced terrorist designations as he vowed to ramp up a regional fight against criminals following a US strike on a boat allegedly linked to Venezuela. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, an emerging ally of US President Donald Trump, has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most dangerous. Rubio, meeting with Noboa in the...

Events

49 h. ago Washington DC sues over Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

49 h. ago Washington sues to halt Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop US President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

51 h. ago Europe leaders call Trump after Ukraine security guarantees summit in Paris

European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia. They form part of a push led by...

Politics

52 h. ago How Trump is conditioning Americans to accept his autocratic rule

The images are bizarre yet familiar. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, troops stand watch in full battle dress. Armoured vehicles idle before monuments built to honour liberty. This is Washington, not Kyiv, Caracas or Moscow. It is not the aftermath of a terrorist attack or invasion but rather a president who has discovered that the spectacle of force is itself power. On the orders of US President Donald Trump, National Guard units have been deployed across the US capital. More striking still, he has...

Politics

53 h. ago Hong Kong police deploy drones to enhance road safety in accident

Hong Kong police will, for the first time, deploy drones to detect traffic violations starting on Sunday, with the aim of enhancing road safety in accident-prone areas. The initiative was announced during a briefing in which the force also revealed that the number of fatal crashes in the first seven months of this year had dropped by 47 per cent compared to last year, totalling 288 cases. Similarly, the number of people seriously injured in these accidents fell by 45 per cent, from 587 to...

Events

60 h. ago Qatar joins Gulf neighbours in African funding game with US$103 billion pledge

Global gas giant Qatar has pledged to invest US$103 billion in Africa in the coming years, joining Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as the continent’s biggest financiers amid waning interest from the West and China. Six sub-Saharan African countries are set to benefit from agreements signed during the second half of last month with Al-Mansour Holdings, a conglomerate owned by a branch of Qatar’s ruling al-Thani dynasty. Key critical metals producer the Democratic...

Economics

62 h. ago China’s Imports in 2025: Key Trends and Strategic Implications

China’s Imports in 2025: Key Trends and Strategic Implications  China Briefing

Politics

63 h. ago Top China tour sites assign staff to limit photo time, triggering mixed reactions

A famous tourist site in eastern China has introduced a time limit for photo-taking, captivating social media, and addressing a common complaint among visitors about long queues for pictures at key attractions. The Huangling Scenery Zone in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi province, implemented this rule in August. Workers now hold a timer near a major attraction, allowing each tourist one minute for photography, as reported by state media CCTV. This location has become an “online-celebrity spot,”...

Politics