91 m. ago Viral Zumba video triggers police probe in Malaysia over revealing attire

A “back to school”-themed Zumba session in Malaysia is being investigated by police and Islamic authorities after viral footage showing headscarf-wearing instructors dressed in revealing attire piqued censorious conservatives’ anger. The aerobics session, live-streamed on Saturday morning, quickly triggered a social media pile-on, with critics accusing the organisers of violating religious and public decency norms in the Muslim-majority country. On Sunday, Selangor’s Islamic Religious Department...

Events

2 h. ago Bangladesh’s student leaders ‘sidelined’ by Islamist allies in poll pact

Bangladesh’s student leaders, one of the main driving forces behind the mass protests that brought down former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, now face an uncertain political future. Despite their central role in the uprising, the youth movement has been granted only a small share of parliamentary seats under a new electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami – an Islamist party that was long politically marginalised but has re-emerged as a central player. Under the agreement, the student-led...

Politics

5 h. ago Taylor Swift label UMG inks licensing deal with China's NetEase Cloud Music

Taylor Swift label UMG inks licensing deal with China's NetEase Cloud Music  Reuters

Politics

6 h. ago Under threat from Trump, Ottawa unveils new trade deal with China

Under threat from Trump, Ottawa unveils new trade deal with China  World Socialist Web Site

Politics

6 h. ago Syria deal with Kurdish fighters appears to unravel as Islamic State prisoners escape

Around 1,500 Islamic State members escaped from Syria’s Shaddadi prison on Monday, the Kurdish website Rudaw reported, quoting a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Earlier, the Syrian army said “a number of” Islamic State (Isis) militants had escaped a prison that had been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, accusing the SDF of releasing them. The prison break took place a day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the...

Events

6 h. ago Syrian deal unravels as sides clash and Isis prisoners escape

A day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the country’s main Kurdish-led force, the agreement appeared to be falling apart on Monday. After new outbreaks of clashes Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement calling for “all of our youth” to “join the ranks of the resistance”. “Just as our comrades in 2014 forged a historic resistance in Kobani and turned it into a graveyard for (the Islamic State group) ... today we affirm with the same...

Events

8 h. ago Carney’s China Tariffs Deal Is Giving Some People the BYD Blues

Carney’s China Tariffs Deal Is Giving Some People the BYD Blues  Bloomberg.com

Economics

8 h. ago Ford bemoans Chinese EV deal, says he still hasn't spoken to Carney

Ford bemoans Chinese EV deal, says he still hasn't spoken to Carney  CBC

Politics

8 h. ago Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs in deal with China

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs in deal with China  Fox Business

Politics

13 h. ago 'Absolutely Rolled': U.S. Officials Blast Canada's Cheap Chinese EV Deal

'Absolutely Rolled': U.S. Officials Blast Canada's Cheap Chinese EV Deal  InsideEVs

Politics

15 h. ago FO° Talks: Trump’s Art of the New Deal: Greenland, Russia, China and Reshaping Global Order

FO° Talks: Trump’s Art of the New Deal: Greenland, Russia, China and Reshaping Global Order  Fair Observer

Politics

16 h. ago Column: Trump says the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian cars. Canada’s China deal signals the feeling is mutual

Column: Trump says the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian cars. Canada’s China deal signals the feeling is mutual  Automotive News

Politics

18 h. ago Issue Brief on “Navigating the Triad: India’s 2025 Dynamics with Washington, Beijing, Moscow”

Issue Brief on “Navigating the Triad: India’s 2025 Dynamics with Washington, Beijing, Moscow”  Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI)

Politics

20 h. ago Even with Carney’s new deal, don’t expect to buy a cheap Chinese EV any time soon

Even with Carney’s new deal, don’t expect to buy a cheap Chinese EV any time soon  The Globe and Mail

Economics

21 h. ago Silver steps out of gold’s shadow as Southeast Asian investors chase record prices

As silver prices surged past S$100 (US$78) an ounce in recent weeks, Singaporean Faris Ghani saw a long-running bet finally begin to pay off. The 35-year-old relocation consultant has been quietly accumulating the metal since he was 21, betting that silver – long overshadowed by gold – would one day have its moment. That moment appears to have arrived. On Monday, spot silver traded near record highs of about US$94 an ounce, more than tripling from around US$30 an ounce a year earlier. The surge...

Economics

22 h. ago Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the PLA’s ‘light aircraft carrier’ that is key to Taiwan

December was a record-breaking month and busier than ever for the Hainan, China’s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship and one of Beijing’s most important assets in the event of any potential military operation against Taiwan. The Yushen-class vessel, one of the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, made an appearance during the People’s Liberation Army’s large-scale military drills around the self-ruled island in late December, the first time a Type 075 took part in such...

Events

22 h. ago Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the PLA ‘light aircraft carrier’ key to Taiwan strategy

December was a record-breaking month and busier than ever for the Hainan, China’s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship and one of Beijing’s most important assets in the event of any potential military operation against Taiwan. The Yushen-class vessel, one of the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, made an appearance during the People’s Liberation Army’s large-scale military drills around the self-ruled island in late December. It was the first time a Type 075 took part in such...

Events

22 h. ago Fancl distributor couple buys Lippo Centre office, shop in US$38.3 million deal

The couple behind the Asia distributor of Japanese skincare brand Fancl has bought prime office and retail space in Hong Kong’s Admiralty district, highlighting selective bargain hunting by cash-rich local investors as commercial property prices remain under pressure. Gourmet Dining Group, owned by Christopher Chan and wife Michelle Ma-chan, agreed on January 5 to buy a shop and a unit on the first floor as well as part of the mezzanine on the second floor at Lippo Centre for HK$299 million...

Economics

23 h. ago Chinese team restores legendary Tang dynasty ‘golden’ armour found in Tibetan tomb

“We will not leave the desert till we beat the foe, although in war our golden armour be outworn 100 times.” Wang Changling’s famous poem from China’s Tang dynasty depicts soldiers in golden armour battling on the desert frontiers. However, for a long time, no Tang dynasty gold-plated armour was unearthed, leaving its appearance to the imagination. But on January 14, the Key Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences and Cultural Heritage at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) unveiled the...

Politics

25 h. ago China’s UBTech partners with Airbus to bring humanoid robots to aviation manufacturing

Chinese humanoid developer UBTech Robotics has struck a deal to supply European aviation giant Airbus with robots for its manufacturing facilities, the latest step in efforts to expand industrial applications of its robots outside China. Airbus purchased UBTech’s Walker S2 robot as part of a plan to jointly explore robotics applications in aviation manufacturing, Shenzhen-based UBTech said in a statement on Sunday. The deal follows a similar partnership last month with US semiconductor maker...

Politics