2 h. ago US stops South African school from transferring NATO military technology to China

US stops South African school from transferring NATO military technology to China  Business Insider Africa

Events

13 h. ago Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application. Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on...

Politics

3 d. ago White House says Biden decision to scrap China Initiative flawed

The White House’s top science adviser on Wednesday said that the Biden administration’s decision to get rid of the Justice Department’s China Initiative was “damaging”, though stopped short of recommending that it should be fully brought back. Asked by Florida Republican Daniel Webster whether the termination of the programme aimed at combating alleged economic espionage from Beijing was detrimental, Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said:...

Politics

4 d. ago EU to exert ‘maximum pressure’ on China, India to stop purchasing Russian oil

EU to exert ‘maximum pressure’ on China, India to stop purchasing Russian oil  Euractiv

Events

5 d. ago Why North Korea’s ‘gang of hooligans’ rebuke signals freeze in ties with South

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister has issued a sharply worded warning to South Korea’s new liberal government after drones were reportedly flown from the South early this month. Calling the country a “gang of hooligans”, Kim Yo-jong used the recent drone incursions to reinforce Pyongyang’s claim that inter-Korean relations were irreparably hostile and blunt Seoul’s renewed push for reconciliation. Kim, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of...

Events

7 d. ago China woman, 23, who exercises 6 times a week, no longer menstruates due to rapid weight loss

A 23-year-old woman in China has captivated social media after she revealed that intense exercise six times a week led to her menstruation stopping. The woman, who lives in Zhejiang province, eastern China, said hospital check-ups discovered that her female hormone levels were about that of a 50-year-old, according to a report by the City Express. “Doctors also said I had obvious symptoms of kidney deficiency and I must suspend workouts. They prescribed piles of traditional Chinese medicine...

Politics

7 d. ago China woman, 23, exercises 6 times a week, stops menstruating due to rapid weight loss

China woman, 23, exercises 6 times a week, stops menstruating due to rapid weight loss  South China Morning Post

Politics

7 d. ago North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

The leaders of South Korea and China wrapped up a summit this week with both underlining support for one of Beijing’s diplomatic priorities but making no tangible progress on North Korea, Seoul’s main concern. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday for a high-stakes summit held just over nine weeks after their first meeting. During the trip, Lee declared 2026 as the year for the “full restoration of South Korea-China relations” and Xi...

Politics

7 d. ago Why Trump's Venezuela raid may not stop China's influence in South America

Why Trump's Venezuela raid may not stop China's influence in South America  NBC News

Politics

7 d. ago North Korea revives drone claims in rebuff to Seoul’s outreach

North Korea’s latest accusations that South Korean drones violated its airspace appear aimed at painting Seoul as a permanent enemy ahead of a key party congress, rather than addressing an actual security breach, analysts say. By reviving claims of cross-border incursions and threatening retaliation, the North is reinforcing its portrayal of inter-Korean relations as irreversibly hostile – just as South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung seeks to reopen channels of communication. Lee, who took...

Events

7 d. ago Body, capsized boat found in Japan waters raise spectre of North Korean ‘ghost ships’

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

7 d. ago Mystery ‘ghost ship’ discovery puzzles Japan. Fisherman, defector or spy?

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong’s Frederick Ma urges deeper support for special needs education

Frederick Ma Si-hang, Hong Kong Special Schools Council chairman, has urged the public to deepen their support for disabled students in the city at a charity golf event organised by the Hong Kong Special Schools Council to raise awareness for this group. The tournament, held on Friday at the Fanling Golf Club, drew 21 teams of 84 people, including one consisting of players with disabilities. Participants competed to win prizes such as a BYD electric car and tickets to see Cantopop singer Jacky...

Politics

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s late summer flu season is over. But official says jabs still vital

Hong Kong has emerged from its summer flu season, which started late and extended into the new year, but a health official is urging the public to get vaccinated immediately to stave off a looming winter surge. This year’s summer influenza season began in early September and reached its peak in mid-to-late October. It lasted about four months, with authorities putting the death toll at 345 people, including three children. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection,...

Politics

9 d. ago North Korea’s Kim expected to cling to nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

The United States’ decapitation operation against Venezuela will reinforce North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, an aspiration that will continue to draw China’s “tacit tolerance”, according to analysts. After the US military abducted Nicolas Maduro during an attack on Venezuela on Saturday, Pyongyang criticised Washington’s actions as “wildly” violating the sovereignty of Caracas. It was one of a slew of countries that issued swift criticism of the US move. In a statement on Sunday, the North Korean...

Events

1 week ago Korean peninsula arms race is heating up. How will China react in 2026?

As the new year unfolds, China finds itself grappling with strategic pressures fuelled by two US treaty allies at its doorstep – Japan and South Korea. In the second of a two-part series, Seong Hyeon Choi looks at how competing pressures in the Korean peninsula may complicate China’s security calculus. Read the first part here. In 2025, there was a major shift in China’s security environment relating to the Korean peninsula, as the North grew more open in its push for nuclear weapons and the...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese President Xi Jinping urges Seoul to be ‘patient’ over North Korean nuclear talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “patience” over North Korea’s nuclear programme, the South’s president, Lee Jae Myung, said on Wednesday. Speaking during a visit to Shanghai, Lee said he had asked Xi to act as a “mediator for peace” on the Korean peninsula, including on the nuclear issue. He said all channels between the North and South had been blocked and there was “zero trust” between the two sides. “President Xi noted the efforts until now and said patience is needed,” Lee said. He...

Politics

1 week ago Report: US Demands Venezuela Stop Selling Oil To Iran, China, Russia

Report: US Demands Venezuela Stop Selling Oil To Iran, China, Russia  i24NEWS

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong transport chief calls for urgent fix to driving licence application queues

Hong Kong’s transport minister has directed her team to urgently address prolonged queues and potential abuses of the application system for test-free driving licences, as long lines formed overnight outside a government office to secure the daily quota of same-day application tickets. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Wednesday publicly urged the Transport Department to find prompt solutions, including ensuring that an enhanced online booking system was available before...

Politics

1 week ago Why China Stopped Publicly Urging for North Korean Denuclearization

Why China Stopped Publicly Urging for North Korean Denuclearization  The Wall Street Journal

Events