1 hour ago Trump says Ukraine talks with Putin off for now, doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he doesn’t want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I don’t want to have...

Politics

17 h. ago Hong Kong runway on standby a day after plane accident, crew to be questioned

The north runway of Hong Kong’s airport will be reopened on standby mode by noon on Tuesday, 32 hours after an Emirates cargo plane veered off it and struck a ground vehicle, sending it into the sea and killing two staff members, the airport operator has said. A source also said the Air Incident Investigation Authority was expected to meet the four Turkish crew members on the flight as part of investigations on Tuesday, with police questioning them afterwards. The crew were not prevented from...

Politics

17 h. ago Hong Kong runway on standby a day after plane crash, crew to be questioned

The north runway of Hong Kong airport was expected to reopen on standby mode by noon on Tuesday, 32 hours after an Emirates cargo plane veered off it and struck a ground vehicle, sending it into the sea and killing two security workers, the airport operator has said. A source also said the Air Incident Investigation Authority was expected to meet the four Turkish crew members on the flight as part of investigations on Tuesday, with police questioning them afterwards. The four were not prevented...

Events

53 h. ago Trump urged Zelensky to cut a deal with Putin or risk facing destruction

US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine in a White House meeting on Friday, warning that President Vladimir Putin threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it did not comply, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. During the meeting, Trump insisted Zelensky surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, repeatedly echoing talking points the Russian president had made in their call a day...

Politics

53 h. ago Trump urged Zelensky to make concessions to Russia in tense meeting: sources

US President Donald Trump pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give up swathes of territory to Russia during a tense meeting on Friday that left the Ukrainian delegation disappointed, according to two people briefed on the discussion. Trump also declined to provide Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine’s use, and mused about giving security guarantees to both Kyiv and Moscow, comments that the Ukrainian delegation found confusing, added the two sources, who requested anonymity to discuss a...

Politics

2 d. ago China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines

AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump confirms Xi meeting, retreats on 100% tariffs: ‘not sustainable’

In a turnaround from the tough stance he took a week ago, US President Donald Trump said Friday that he planned to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea in two weeks and suggested that imposing an additional 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese goods appeared unworkable. But he also blamed China for the latest stand-off in trade talks. The mercurial president called into question his planned sit-down with Xi seven days ago and threatened the draconian tariff increase in addition to...

Politics

6 d. ago Apple CEO Tim Cook pledges increased investment in China in meeting with MIIT

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday committed the US tech company to increased investment in China, even as trade tensions intensify between the world’s two largest economies. Cook made the pledge in a meeting with Li Lecheng, who heads the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), in Beijing after the US executive spent two days in Shanghai during his second visit to China this year. The two sides “exchanged views on the development of Apple’s business in China and strengthening...

Economics

6 d. ago From ‘love hotel’ meetings to abuse, Japanese politicians get mired in scandals

As Japan grapples with an uncertain leadership transition, a rash of domestic scandals risks further contributing to its political circus. In recent months, a female mayor has been accused of repeatedly taking a male subordinate to a nearby “love hotel”, another dissolved a city council after it was discovered that she had falsified her academic records, and a male mayor from Okinawa is accused of sexually harassing female staff. Elsewhere, a female mayor stepped down after being accused of...

Politics

7 d. ago Russia strikes Ukrainian hospital, days before Zelensky meets Trump

Russian forces launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Ukraine’s second-largest city in overnight attacks, hitting a hospital and wounding seven people, an official said on Tuesday. The strikes came as European military aid for Kyiv dropped sharply and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to ask US President Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles. The Russian attack on Kharkiv in Ukraine’s northeast hit the city’s main hospital, forcing the evacuation of 50 patients, regional...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump to meet Zelensky as Ukraine hopes for peace deal after Gaza ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, where the two would discuss Ukraine’s air defence and long-range strike capabilities. The two leaders spoke on both Saturday and Sunday amid intensifying discussions about the potential provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, and a Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is scheduled to visit Washington before the Friday meeting. Kyiv has been...

Politics

8 d. ago Australia rushes minerals plan ahead of Trump meet to counter China’s curbs

Australia is formulating a plan for its critical minerals reserve that will focus on sales of future production, limiting the need for a physical stockpile, industry sources said, as Australian and US leaders prepare to meet next week. Australia’s critical minerals task force hosted a call last week with miners and project developers across a range of metals as it steps up industry consultations, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The task force is seeking by the end of the year...

Politics

8 d. ago Meet the woman breaking barriers to disability inclusion in Hong Kong

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sa’diyya Nesar has spent much of her life redefining what strength means. Living with a rare congenital muscle condition that requires a wheelchair, she has endured multiple surgeries and long hospital stays. Rather than letting disability confine her, she turned to writing and found her voice. “I started writing not only to cope with life’s difficulties but also to clear misconceptions about disability,” said Nesar, who graduated from the University of Hong Kong in...

Politics

8 d. ago Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: author breaks barriers for disability inclusion

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sa’diyya Nesar has spent much of her life redefining what strength means. Living with a rare congenital muscle condition that requires a wheelchair, she has endured multiple surgeries and long hospital stays. Rather than letting disability confine her, she turned to writing and found her voice. “I started writing not only to cope with life’s difficulties but also to clear misconceptions about disability,” said Nesar, who graduated from the University of Hong Kong in...

Events

9 d. ago New deputy chief of liaison office meets Hong Kong media delegation in Beijing

The new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong has made his public debut, meeting a media delegation from the city in Beijing on Sunday. Sun Shangwu, who was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison office on Saturday, met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. The delegation was received by Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), according to a...

Politics

9 d. ago Deputy director of Beijing office overseeing Hong Kong meets media delegation

Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), has met a media delegation from the city in Beijing. He was joined at the meeting on Sunday by Sun Shangwu, the new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who made his public debut a day after taking up the post. They met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. Sun was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison...

Politics

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s Paul Chan to attend IMF, World Bank meetings in Washington

Hong Kong’s finance chief will attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington for the first time since 2019, despite a dramatic re-escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that aside from the two meetings, which he will attend as part of China’s delegation, he would join other events to promote the city’s strengths and development efforts while also addressing “topics of concern”. In a weekly blog...

Politics

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s Paul Chan to attend IMF, World Bank events in US, a first since 2019

Hong Kong’s finance chief will attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington for the first time since 2019, despite a dramatic re-escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that in addition to the two meetings, which he will attend as part of China’s delegation, he would join other events to promote the city’s strengths and development efforts while also addressing “topics of concern”. In a weekly...

Politics

1 week ago Trump appears to cancel meeting with Xi amid rare earth trade clash, threatens ‘massive’ tariffs

US President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to cancel a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, accusing Beijing of “hostile” trade behaviour after it further expanded export controls on rare earth elements and threatening “massive” tariffs. In a social media post, Trump said he had been “surprised” by China’s move, which he claimed would “clog markets” and hurt global production across industries. “There is no way that China should be allowed to hold the world ‘captive’,” he wrote,...

Politics

1 week ago Trump to slap new 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, along with additional tech controls

In a major escalation of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, US President Donald Trump on Friday announced an additional tariff of 100 per cent on all Chinese imports, on top of levies already in place. “Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a tariff of 100 per cent on China, over and above any tariff that they are currently paying”, he said in a social media post. “Also...

Politics