1 hour ago China’s party diplomacy in play as communist leaders gather for parade

The past week has been a flurry of not only state-level diplomacy but also party-to-party outreach, with President Xi Jinping receiving a series of leaders from the four remaining communist countries on a single day. Xi held meetings with leaders from Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam, all of whom attended Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the war against Japanese aggression. While Beijing has no interest in promoting a communist...

Politics

3 h. ago Young Chinese are trying out the simple life. Am I missing out?

When my friend Lee first lost his job in 2023, he was terrified. From the moment he graduated in 2016, he had been working nonstop. He had changed jobs a couple of times, but always had a choice – he had never been kicked out of the job market like this. Lee worked in the traditional publishing business, editing children’s books. The industry has been tanking, with the rise of digital books, and the post-pandemic slump doesn’t help. He was laid off with half of his colleagues, with a small...

Events

3 h. ago ‘It’s tough, but good luck’: China eatery refunds meal payment to job

A street snack eatery in Shenzhen refunded 13 yuan (US$2) to uplift two young university graduates new to the city, and the gesture moved many people online. The two young women, Liu and Song, hailing from Hunan and Jiangxi provinces respectively, travelled to Guangdong in southern China for better job opportunities on August 15. On August 16, they visited a branch of Shaxian Delicacies, a well-known street snack chain in Longgang District, where they ordered food totalling 13 yuan and discussed...

Politics

4 h. ago ‘Nobody said anything’: Malaysia confronts its deadly school bullying problem

The guilt hangs heavily over Jerry* whenever his mind drifts back to his school days in Kota Kinabalu and that quiet “awkward kid” he once tormented. Sitting at the back of the classroom, the boy was an easy target for Jerry and his friends, who delighted in humiliating him by stealing his shoes, tugging down his trousers or meting out the occasional beating. They were only 12, behaving as children do, he once thought. But more than two decades later, Jerry feels the weight of what those moments...

Events

6 h. ago Interim NASA head tells agency that it will beat China back to the moon

Interim NASA head tells agency that it will beat China back to the moon  NBC News

Technology

11 h. ago NASA’s acting chief “angry” about talk that China will beat US back to the Moon

NASA’s acting chief “angry” about talk that China will beat US back to the Moon  Ars Technica

Technology

12 h. ago The AI Energy War: How China’s Solar and Nuclear Outshine the U.S.

The AI Energy War: How China’s Solar and Nuclear Outshine the U.S.  CarbonCredits.com

Events

14 h. ago Was Philippine police chief sacked for rejecting ‘overpriced’ gun deal?

A controversy over an alleged overpriced firearms deal has intensified in the Philippines, with insiders claiming that national police chief Nicolas Torre III was removed from his post for rejecting a proposed procurement of 80,000 assault rifles – a transaction some believe was padded by billions of pesos. While officials framed Torre’s dismissal as an administrative matter, multiple sources told This Week in Asia he was sacked for rejecting the “overpriced” 8 billion Philippine peso (US$140...

Economics

16 h. ago Ukraine war must be resolved within UN halls, not on the battlefield

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II and the founding of the United Nations. Humanity learned with great pain that peace and security must coexist for all nations, and the vicious circle of war must not be repeated. In 1941, the United States imposed an oil embargo on Japan in response to its expansion in Asia and invasion of French Indochina. For the US and its allies, Japan’s militant aggression was a blatant violation of peace; for Japan, the embargo was...

Events

16 h. ago Solution to Ukraine war must be found in the UN, not the killing fields

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II and the founding of the United Nations. Humanity learned with great pain that peace and security must coexist for all nations, and the vicious circle of war must not be repeated. In 1941, the United States imposed an oil embargo on Japan in response to its expansion in Asia and invasion of French Indochina. For the US and its allies, Japan’s militant aggression was a blatant violation of peace; for Japan, the embargo was...

Events

16 h. ago Taiwan holds back on penalties for Victory Day parade supporters

Taipei authorities have taken a softer line on Taiwanese individuals attending Beijing’s Victory Day military parade this week, despite repeated warnings in the weeks leading up to the event. Former Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu defied the warnings and appeared on the rostrum overlooking Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, watching the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The next day, Liang Wen-chieh, deputy minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said...

Politics

16 h. ago China’s parade signals power shift, cold war parallels, says Cornell expert

China’s parade signals power shift, cold war parallels, says Cornell expert  Cornell University

Events

18 h. ago Locals will gain from Hong Kong becoming global university hub: education chief

Local students are “beneficiaries and participants” in the process of turning Hong Kong into an international higher education hub, a government minister has said, amid concerns that they will become “victims” whose interests are being undermined. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also told lawmakers on Friday that authorities would closely monitor the need to make further adjustments to non-local student quotas. At a meeting of the Legislative Council’s education panel, lawmaker...

Politics

18 h. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit fliers to enjoy city’s sights

Hong Kong International Airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. The Airport Authority’s CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with China’s largest online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are...

Society

18 h. ago Hong Kong airport offers free tours for transit passengers to enjoy local sights

Hong Kong airport has rolled out a free tour service aimed at attracting 5.5 million transit passengers each year to explore the city’s attractions in Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui. Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Friday that the new initiative, jointly organised with online travel agency Trip.com, was designed for passengers with layovers of more than seven hours to explore Hong Kong’s culture and attractions. “We are thrilled to introduce the free layover...

Society

18 h. ago Chinese delivery rider and biker face off for 4 hours at narrow crossing

A food delivery rider and a man on an electric bike in southern China blocked each other for at least four hours at a narrow crossing, as neither was willing to budge. Video clips of these two determined individuals went viral on mainland China, delighting millions of internet users, according to Dafeng News. The incident took place on August 24 in the bustling Huicheng District of Huizhou, Guangdong province. It involved a food delivery man and a young man, both perched on their electric bikes,...

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Better than being killed’: Japan’s women turn to pepper spray – at legal risk

As dusk falls across Japan’s cities, a sense of unease falls upon many women on their journeys home. Reports of brutal femicides have struck a deep chord, fuelling a surge in the purchase of self-defence items – even as legal experts warn that arming oneself may come at a cost. The recent killing of Megumi Katayama, 24, who was stabbed multiple times by a stranger in a Kobe residential lift last month, has stoked public concern. Social media platforms buzzed with messages urging women to take...

Events

19 h. ago Chinese man detained for ‘inappropriate comments’ about Victory Day parade

A man in the central province of Hubei was detained for allegedly making “inappropriate comments” about China’s Victory Day military parade and spreading rumours. According to cyber police in the city of Xiangyang, the 47-year-old man, surnamed Meng, made slanderous and derogatory remarks on Wednesday while commenting on a social media post about the parade held in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. When others expressed patriotic sentiment, Meng “insulted them and...

Politics

20 h. ago Former China securities regulatory chief Yi under investigation, sources say

Former China securities regulatory chief Yi under investigation, sources say  Reuters

Events

20 h. ago Trump Urges Europe to Cut Russian Oil, Press China in Bid to End Kremlin War

Trump Urges Europe to Cut Russian Oil, Press China in Bid to End Kremlin War  UNITED24 Media

Politics