67 h. ago Hong Kong consumer watchdog urges better elderly services after 9,206 complaints

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has called on businesses to improve services for elderly customers after receiving more than 9,200 complaints in the past three years, including a woman who spent HK$400,000 (US$51,294) on beauty treatments. The Consumer Council said on Thursday that improving services for seniors would help boost the spending potential of the “silver economy”, a priority for the city’s government amid a rapidly ageing population. “The council urges traders to review their sales...

Politics

4 d. ago How Maduro’s Removal Could Help China in Venezuela and Latin America

How Maduro’s Removal Could Help China in Venezuela and Latin America  Bloomberg.com

Politics

4 d. ago China woman buys US$28 ‘love insurance’, claims US$1,400 when she gets married a decade later

A Chinese woman who bought a “love insurance” policy for 199 yuan (US$28) in 2016 claimed a 10,000-yuan (US$1,400) payout ten years later. The payout came after she and her partner officially registered their marriage in 2025, following a decade long relationship. The woman surnamed Wu from Xian, Shaanxi province in central China, met her husband, surnamed Wang, in secondary school. The pair began dating and officially entered a relationship in 2015 after enrolling at the same university. They...

Economics

8 d. ago China ‘instant reply providers’ offer solace by promptly responding to client ventings online

A new profession known as “instant reply providers”, or miao hui shi in Chinese, has trended on mainland social media. For a price, people who do the job offer quick and soothing replies for those who are angry, upset or in need of an emotional outlet. Not only do they respond very quickly, so-called instant reply providers are good listeners and offer emotional support. They can earn as much as 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month, according to a report by Guangming Daily. The charges for their...

Politics

9 d. ago Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even...

Events

9 d. ago 2026 Beijing Book Ordering Fair displays over 400,000 titles

2026 Beijing Book Ordering Fair displays over 400,000 titles  Global Times

Politics

1 week ago Energy markets are political – Venezuela is the latest proof

The United States’ forcible removal of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power has reignited a debate over international law and sovereignty. But this risks obscuring a more consequential fact: global energy markets are not governed primarily by liberal market logic, but are shaped by geopolitical strategy. Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China economic competition. For decades, many assumed that energy...

Politics

1 week ago US ouster of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region. The operation, which removed President Nicolas Maduro and placed Venezuela under a US-managed “transition”, marked the most direct American military action in Latin America in...

Politics

1 week ago US ousting of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region. The operation, which removed President Nicolas Maduro and placed Venezuela under a US-managed “transition”, marked the most direct American military action in Latin America in...

Politics

1 week ago Photo of Singapore NMP in ruling party shirt reignites debate on scheme’s neutrality

A photo of newly nominated member of parliament (NMP) Haresh Singaraju in a shirt sporting the design of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has raised eyebrows and reignited debate over the non-partisan nature of the scheme in Singapore. The scrutiny over the now-removed photo of the family physician comes after critics questioned the effectiveness of the NMP scheme in February last year in the lead-up to the city state’s general election in May. Two NMPs at the time made the unprecedented...

Politics

1 week ago US removal of Maduro has potential to reshape global oil market: analysts

The United States’ seizure of Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has the potential to reshape the global oil market, as America gains effective control over a country with the world’s largest proven oil reserves, analysts said. While crude prices may rise marginally in the short term, the move could boost long-term supplies and tighten the US’ grip over the oil market at a time when its position was starting to look more vulnerable, they said. “Once the US gains control of the country,...

Politics

1 week ago Suspicious bets on Maduro’s removal raise eyebrows as user nets over US$400,000

A new user on the prediction market Polymarket has attracted attention after winning hundreds of thousands of dollars on bets that appeared to predict the United States’ seizure of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro. The anonymous user set up an account on the platform eight days ago and then placed a series of wagers worth nearly US$34,000 before the assault, which had raked in profits of more than US$409,000 by Sunday afternoon, Polymarket data showed. The wagers included predictions that...

Politics

2 w. ago Towering teen boy and girl, 9, in China figure skating partnership raise eyebrows

Towering teen boy and girl, 9, in China figure skating partnership raise eyebrows  South China Morning Post

Politics

4 w. ago Starbucks, Burger King raise eyebrows after selling massive stakes to Chinese private equity funds: 'Enables the business to operate at China speed'

Starbucks, Burger King raise eyebrows after selling massive stakes to Chinese private equity funds: 'Enables the business to operate at China speed'  MSN

Economics

last month French doctor Frederic Pechier jailed for life for poisoning 30 patients, 12 fatally

A French court on Thursday sentenced a doctor to life in jail for poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, reportedly in an attempt to discredit colleagues. Frederic Pechier, 53, worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon, when patients went into cardiac arrest in suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017. Twelve could not be resuscitated. Pechier’s youngest victim, four-year-old Teddy, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery...

Events