25 h. ago BTS’ comeback concert sees South Korean city’s hotel prices soar by up to 10 times

BTS’ long-awaited full-group comeback concert in Busan is still months away, but hotel prices in the South Korean southeastern port city have already hit exorbitant levels, rekindling anger over “rip-off” room rates whenever mega-events come to town. Some properties have reportedly hiked prices by up to 10 times and even asked guests with existing bookings to cancel so they could resell at higher prices. The K-pop group is returning as a full act for the first time since all members completed...

Politics

43 h. ago Why is China’s Xi Jinping putting the political heat back on illegal villas and resorts?

Chinese President Xi Jinping has refocused national anti-corruption efforts on illegal villas and “private resorts”, luxury developments that have come to symbolise excess and graft over the past two decades. According to newly released excerpts of a speech, Xi singled out the developments for special mention at the central urban work conference in July, highlighting them as examples of the need to improve governance, combat corruption and promote sustainable urban development. “[Officials must]...

Politics

4 d. ago How a snap election in Japan could put Sanae Takaichi in a stronger position with China

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be weighing up an early election, a move that could put her in a stronger position with both China and the United States if she secures a decisive win, according to observers. But a diplomatic thaw between Japan and China is not expected any time soon. Media reports in recent days have suggested that Takaichi may call a snap general election to capitalise on her high approval ratings. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri Shinbun reported on...

Politics

5 d. ago China closely monitoring situation in Iran, no reports of Chinese casualties so far：FM spokesperson

China closely monitoring situation in Iran, no reports of Chinese casualties so far：FM spokesperson  Global Times

Politics

6 d. ago Over half of Canadians support stronger trade ties with China as Carney reportedly prepares to visit Beijing

Over half of Canadians support stronger trade ties with China as Carney reportedly prepares to visit Beijing  Global Times

Politics

6 d. ago Over half of Canadians polled support stronger trade ties with China as Carney reportedly prepares to visit Beijing

Over half of Canadians polled support stronger trade ties with China as Carney reportedly prepares to visit Beijing  Global Times

Politics

6 d. ago 8 hurt as coach with mainland Chinese tourists hits KMB bus in Hong Kong

Eight people were injured when a coach filled with tourists from mainland China crashed into the back of a KMB double-decker bus in Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin neighbourhood. Both vehicles were travelling along Lung Cheung Road towards Kwun Tong at about 11.40am on Sunday when the KMB bus slowed down near Wong Tai Sin Square. The coach reportedly failed to brake in time and slammed into its rear. Three passengers on the KMB bus – a man and two women aged between 63 and 80 – and five on the tour...

Events

8 d. ago China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nuclear weapons ‘overnight’

China released an official report on Thursday stating that Japan “may already have produced weapons-grade plutonium in secret” and “has the technological and economic capabilities to achieve nuclear armament in a short period of time”. The report assessing Japan’s nuclear threat cited former US president Joe Biden’s direct message to Chinese President Xi Jinping that Japan had the capacity to have nuclear weapons “virtually overnight”. Biden first disclosed the information in an interview with...

Events

8 d. ago Russia says it fired new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in strike against Ukraine

The Russian military said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, something Kyiv has called a lie. It was the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound. The missile is...

Events

8 d. ago Russia says fired new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in strike against Ukraine

The Russian military said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Kyiv has denied. It is the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound. The missile is...

Events

1 week ago China accuses extradited billionaire Chen Zhi of running a crime network from Cambodia

Cambodia has extradited to the mainland a billionaire Chinese tycoon whom Beijing accuses of operating a transnational crime network, including opening a casino and engaging in fraud. At the request of Chinese authorities, Cambodia arrested three Chinese nationals – including Chen Zhi, the founder of Prince Holding Group – and transferred them to China on Tuesday, Cambodia China Times reported on Wednesday night. The Cambodian Ministry of Interior said in a statement that law enforcement from...

Economics

1 week ago China woman, 62, gets pregnant through IVF after death of only child, sparking controversy

A 62-year-old woman in China, who has been pregnant for six months and regards the baby as the return of her deceased son, her only child, has trended on social media, sparking a heated discussion. On a leading mainland social media platform, a woman in Songyuan from Jilin province, in northeastern China, provides regular updates on the pregnancy life of her elder sister, Dahe News reported. The grey-haired expectant mother is pregnant for the second time in her life. In January of 2025, she...

Events

1 week ago Venezuela’s Maduro copied my dance – but Melania hates it, Trump says

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Nicolas Maduro of imitating his dancing, among other crimes, as he celebrated the capture of the Venezuelan leader in a freewheeling speech to Republican lawmakers. Trump’s comments come after a New York Times report that Maduro’s regular public dancing in defiance of US threats convinced White House officials that it was time to act. “He gets up there and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit,” Trump told lawmakers at the Kennedy Centre in...

Politics

1 week ago 6.5% of shark fins sold in Hong Kong are protected, much higher than reported: study

An extensive study of 16,000 shark fin samples taken from Hong Kong retail markets has found that 6.5 per cent of them were globally protected species, surpassing the figure officially declared by local authorities under a Geneva-based international agreement. The study published in Science Advances on Monday also revealed a shocking disparity: the volume of critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark fins sold in the city was 70 times higher than what officials reported under the Convention on...

Politics

1 week ago 6.5% of shark fins sold in Hong Kong are protected, higher than reported: study

An extensive study of 16,000 shark fin samples taken from Hong Kong retail markets has found that 6.5 per cent of them were from globally protected species, surpassing the figure officially declared by local authorities under an international agreement. The study, published in Science Advances on Monday, also revealed a disparity: the volume of critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark fins sold in the city was 70 times higher than what officials reported under the Convention on International...

Politics

1 week ago North Korea links Sunday’s missile launch to ‘recent geopolitical crisis’

North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the Sunday test-firing of hypersonic missiles in a drill made necessary by “the recent geopolitical crisis”, state media quoted him as saying. The report on Monday by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed and added details about North Korea’s first missile launch of 2026, including that it employed a “cutting-edge” new weapon system using hypersonic missiles first tested in October. Kim was not present for that launch, reports at the time...

Events

2 w. ago S.Korean president to visit Beijing, Shanghai in upcoming trip; NSA says ROK respects one

S.Korean president to visit Beijing, Shanghai in upcoming trip; NSA says ROK respects one-China policy: media report  Global Times

Politics

2 w. ago JFK’s granddaughter, journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, dies at 35

American environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of late president John F. Kennedy, has died from cancer at the age of 35, her family announced on Tuesday. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the family wrote in a statement posted on the JFK Library Foundation’s Instagram account. Schlossberg, a science and climate reporter for The New York Times, wrote movingly about her diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia in an essay...

Events

2 w. ago Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and JFK’s granddaughter, dead at 35

American environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of late president John F. Kennedy, has died from cancer at the age of 35, her family announced on Tuesday. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the family wrote in a statement posted on the JFK Library Foundation’s Instagram account. Schlossberg, a science and climate reporter for The New York Times, wrote movingly about her diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia in an essay...

Events

2 w. ago Illegal activities by relevant countries threaten Huangyan Dao's ecology in S.China Sea, Chinese govt’s report shows

Illegal activities by relevant countries threaten Huangyan Dao's ecology in S.China Sea, Chinese govt’s report shows  Global Times

Events