8 h. ago Navy Seals killed North Korean civilians in botched 2019 mission: US report

US Navy Seals shot and killed a number of North Korean civilians during a botched covert mission to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019, The New York Times reported on Friday. Citing unidentified sources, including current and former military officials with knowledge of the still-classified details, the newspaper said US President Donald Trump approved the operation during his first administration, as he was involved in...

Events

8 h. ago Texas law curbing Chinese property rights takes effect, no relief in sight for months

A Texas law restricting property ownership and leasing by Chinese citizens came into effect this week, thrusting affected residents into legal limbo with no path to relief before November. The law, which restricts real estate purchases by companies, individuals and government entities linked to countries that the federal government deems a threat to the US, took effect on September 1 after a legal challenge failed to block it in time. The legislation identifies China, Iran, North Korea and...

Society

9 h. ago DeepSeek and the digital battleground: China’s AI influence abroad

DeepSeek and the digital battleground: China’s AI influence abroad  Global Voices

Events

10 h. ago Europe should stand with China in upholding correct historical perspective on WWII: Global Times editorial

Europe should stand with China in upholding correct historical perspective on WWII: Global Times editorial  Global Times

Events

17 h. ago Hong Kong must be louder on trade to fight off threat of Trump protectionism

Few economies depend as heavily as Hong Kong on a free and open multilateral trading system. Few have as much to lose if the current US administration succeeds in disembowelling the World Trade Organization and miring international trade in tariffs and other forms of protectionism. Yet as the global trading system faces a protectionist assault, Hong Kong’s voice is nowhere to be heard. Our economy has a vested interest in pushing back against the chaotic trade protectionism that US President...

Politics

17 h. ago ‘Legitimate targets’: Putin warns West about deploying troops in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal. Two dozen countries, led by France and Britain, pledged Thursday to join a “reassurance” force on land, at sea and in the air to patrol any agreement to end the conflict, unleashed by Russia in February 2022. Tens of thousands have been killed in...

Events

20 h. ago China’s Jiangsu Hengrui signs licensing deal with Braveheart Bio for heart drug

Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, a Chinese developer of novel drugs, could receive up to US$1.01 billion in milestone payments after granting a US company exclusive rights to develop a heart disease drug, the latest example of mainland drug makers licensing early-stage assets to international partners. Jiangsu Hengrui entered into a licensing agreement with one-year-old US start-up Braveheart Bio for its innovative drug HRS-1893 to treat obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to a...

Events

24 h. ago China Unveils Large Shipboard Laser System for "Maritime Attack"

China Unveils Large Shipboard Laser System for "Maritime Attack"  The Maritime Executive

Events

25 h. ago Japan’s ‘house of cards’: Ishiba clings to power as hawks demand LDP election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is presiding over a political “house of cards” that analysts say is looking more shaky every day, as he continues to resist growing calls from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to step down. This week, the chorus demanding Ishiba’s resignation grew louder after the LDP released an internal report examining its dismal performance in July’s Upper House election. The party lost 18 seats, leaving it short of a parliamentary majority even with its...

Politics

31 h. ago China offers summer aquaculture, fisheries training programs, aiming to fill widening soft power gap

China offers summer aquaculture, fisheries training programs, aiming to fill widening soft power gap  SeafoodSource

Politics

32 h. ago Chinese Navy holds "routine patrol" in South China Sea after joint Philippine drills

Chinese Navy holds "routine patrol" in South China Sea after joint Philippine drills  Baird Maritime

Politics

32 h. ago Alarm as ‘dangerous’ Madeleine McCann suspect set to be freed in Germany

German law enforcement authorities have voiced alarm that the “dangerous” chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British three-year-old Madeleine McCann will soon leave prison and could flee the country. Prosecutors believe Christian Brueckner, 48, killed the girl in a Portuguese resort in a missing persons case that has captivated the world and remains unsolved. But lacking sufficient evidence to lay charges, they are helpless as Brueckner – who has a history of violent sex crimes – is due...

Events

35 h. ago Sean Duffy on US, China space race: Beating China is ‘critically important’

Sean Duffy on US, China space race: Beating China is ‘critically important’  Fox Business

Politics

37 h. ago How Trump is conditioning Americans to accept his autocratic rule

The images are bizarre yet familiar. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, troops stand watch in full battle dress. Armoured vehicles idle before monuments built to honour liberty. This is Washington, not Kyiv, Caracas or Moscow. It is not the aftermath of a terrorist attack or invasion but rather a president who has discovered that the spectacle of force is itself power. On the orders of US President Donald Trump, National Guard units have been deployed across the US capital. More striking still, he has...

Politics

37 h. ago Afghan earthquake deaths top 2,200, survivors face aid crunch

Rescuers on Thursday pulled bodies from the rubble of homes razed in Afghanistan’s earthquakes as the confirmed death toll topped 2,200, while homeless survivors faced a bleak future with global aid agencies warning of dwindling resources. Search operations continued in the quake-hit mountainous eastern areas, the Taliban administration said, announcing a new death toll of 2,205 with at least 3,640 people injured. “Everything we had has been destroyed,” said Aalem Jan, whose house in the...

Events

38 h. ago While the PLA was on parade in Beijing, its navy patrolled the South China Sea

China’s navy conducted a “routine patrol” in the contested waters of the South China Sea as “deterrence” on the same day the PLA mounted a massive military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. The patrol on Wednesday took place in the wake of Exercise Alon, the biggest-ever joint drill between Australia and the Philippines, which ran from August 15 to 29. A Canadian frigate also took part in the exercise, while several countries, including the United...

Politics

40 h. ago In too deep? Filipino couple under scrutiny in flood control scandal

As public furore mounts over the revelation of widespread corruption in flood control projects in the Philippines, few names have captured public attention more than Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya. The couple, once virtually unknown, emerged in the spotlight after Sarah Discaya ran against popular Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in the May midterm elections – only to lose by a landslide. Her biography has since become a lightning rod for scrutiny. Born in London in...

Events

42 h. ago Filipino influencer causes outrage with ‘halal pork’ post – ‘mocking us Muslims’

A Filipino content creator is facing a warning from a government agency and a torrent of online backlash after posting a message on social media asking where to find “halal pork” – a contradiction in Islamic belief that critics say crosses the line between satire and hate speech. The post made on Tuesday by Crist Briand has since been deleted, but screenshots of his remark continue to circulate online, prompting angry reactions and calls for accountability. One social media user challenged...

Politics

49 h. ago Fear travels: Cambodians in Japan silenced through threats to loved ones

It begins with a knock at the door in Phnom Penh: police officers asking about a son, sister or cousin living thousands of miles away – and warning the family to make them stop. Cambodian dissidents who thought they had found safety in Japan are still facing threats delivered not to their own doors, but to the homes of loved ones left behind, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. The NGO’s Tokyo office said on Tuesday that nearly all of the 23 Cambodian nationals it interviewed in Japan...

Events

49 h. ago ‘Make them stop’: Cambodian exiles in Japan face intimidation tactics back home

It begins with a knock at the door in Phnom Penh: police officers asking about a son, sister or cousin living thousands of miles away – and warning the family to make them stop. Cambodian dissidents who thought they had found safety in Japan are still facing threats delivered not to their own doors, but to the homes of loved ones left behind, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. The NGO’s Tokyo office said on Tuesday that nearly all of the 23 Cambodian nationals it interviewed in Japan...

Politics