1 hour ago Adrian Cheng exits as CTFE director, ending role in Hong Kong family empire

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong is no longer a director of New World Development parent company Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), cutting the last tie that connected the former heir apparent to one of the city’s most powerful business empires. His name is no longer listed as a director, according to the Hong Kong Companies Registry, the government body responsible for the incorporation and regulation of companies. It did not indicate when he stepped down from the post. CTFE did not respond to requests for...

Politics

2 h. ago Chinese hold nuanced views of US rivalry and Russia, North Korea friendships

Americans tend to believe that China wants to create a new world order to knock the United States off its perch, but the results of a survey released this week suggest Chinese people are far more nuanced and flexible in this view, providing avenues to reduce US-China tension, experts said on Wednesday. The survey of ordinary Chinese, by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Carter Centre, depicts a public that is optimistic about their nation’s future, economy, military and culture. They...

Politics

3 h. ago Trump’s sons’ American Bitcoin stake worth US$1.5 billion in stock debut

A bitcoin company tied to US President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons more than doubled in value in its stock market debut on Wednesday, valuing the sons’ stake at well over US$1.5 billion as the first family grows their crypto business interests. Shares in American Bitcoin, a bitcoin miner, soared as high as US$14.52 on its first day of trade on the Nasdaq, before pulling back to be up 16.5 per cent at US$8.04 by the end of the day. The company was around 20 per cent owned by Eric Trump and...

Politics

3 h. ago Son of British POW urges Japan to be less ‘touchy’ about WWII criticisms

The son of a British soldier who endured three years as a prisoner of war has expressed deep disappointment that senior Japanese politicians ignored invitations to a commemorative event on Tuesday to mark 80 years since Tokyo’s formal surrender in the second world war and the liberation of thousands of Allied prisoners of war. Terry Smyth, a fellow in the history department at the University of Essex, said it would have been particularly appropriate if Yoshimasa Hayashi, the chief cabinet...

Events

7 h. ago Leaders of China, Russia, North Korea appear at military parade

Leaders of China, Russia, North Korea appear at military parade  NBC News

Events

8 h. ago How an SCO development bank could shift the global financial order

At the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged member states to accelerate the creation of an SCO development bank, a proposal that could mark a turning point in Asia’s financial landscape. While headlines focused on the high-profile presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xi’s proposal points to the SCO’s evolution from a security bloc into a financial actor. Xi also pledged US$1.4...

Economics

10 h. ago US sanctions China’s Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical for alleged fentanyl trafficking

The United States on Wednesday sanctioned a Chinese chemical company that it alleges is manufacturing and coordinating shipments of illicit opioids, such as fentanyl, and chemical agents into the country. The move comes amid recent stepped-up moves in Washington to target China on the fentanyl issue despite stabilising bilateral ties. A Treasury Department statement said sanctions have been placed on Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical, based in China’s southern Guangdong province, and two of the...

Politics

12 h. ago Trump offers more US troops to Poland’s new nationalist president

US President Donald Trump offered Wednesday to send more troops to Poland as he welcomed the country’s new nationalist president Karol Nawrocki to the White House with a military flyover. Trump also hinted at taking stronger action against Russia if it fails to end its war with Ukraine, which has put Nato ally Poland on edge since Moscow’s invasion in 2022. Nawrocki, a conservative historian and fervent Trump supporter, visited the White House during Poland’s election campaign and is now making...

Politics

13 h. ago China, Russia and North Korea unite at Beijing military parade

China, Russia and North Korea unite at Beijing military parade  BBC

Events

13 h. ago WATCH: Trump says China and Russia ‘were hoping I was watching’ the military ceremony

WATCH: Trump says China and Russia ‘were hoping I was watching’ the military ceremony  PBS

Events

16 h. ago Power of Siberia 2: Russia’s Pivot, China’s Leverage, and Global Gas Implications

Power of Siberia 2: Russia’s Pivot, China’s Leverage, and Global Gas Implications  CGEP

Politics

20 h. ago As protests simmer, Prabowo’s China trip carries political risks

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made a swift trip to Beijing to attend China’s World War II victory commemoration parade on Wednesday, with his spokesman citing the importance of maintaining strategic ties and the easing of unrest at home. Analysts said the tightly timed visit reflected Jakarta’s effort to reassure key diplomatic partners and project stability abroad following global coverage of Indonesia’s violent protests over the weekend, but warned it carried “political risks” at home...

Events

21 h. ago Hong Kong’s sustainable debt market grows 15% on eve of Green Week

The sustainable debt market in Hong Kong recorded solid growth in the first half of the year, with estimated issuances rising 15 per cent to US$34.3 billion from a year earlier, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said on Wednesday as the city prepared to host the second annual Green Week event. Kenneth Hui, the authority’s executive director (external), said he hoped the momentum would extend to the second half, noting strong demand from international investors, particularly in Europe and...

Economics

22 h. ago Putin invites North Korea's Kim to Russia after holding talks in Beijing with him

Putin invites North Korea's Kim to Russia after holding talks in Beijing with him  Reuters

Politics

22 h. ago Kim pledges help in ‘any way’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine during Putin meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to continue helping Moscow’s war in Ukraine in “any way” as he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday. That meeting came only hours after US President Donald Trump made harsh accusations against both leaders as the brutal war in Ukraine continued. The bilateral summit between the two neighbours – the first in more than a year – revealed that it was Kim who took the initiative in sending military aid to Russia for its...

Politics

23 h. ago Afghan commandos airdrop to quake zones where helicopters can’t land

Afghanistan airdropped commandos on Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble of homes in mountainous eastern areas ravaged by earthquakes this week that have killed 1,400, as it ramped up efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies. The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s worst in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction when it struck the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10km (6 miles). A second...

Politics

24 h. ago ‘Human barrier’: Chinese men rescue boy trapped between huge rocks in rapid river

A group of Good Samaritans in China used their bodies to block fast-flowing river water and saved a boy who was stuck between giant rocks, earning widespread praise online The boy, 12, was playing in a creek in the countryside of southwestern China’s Guizhou province, on August 24 when he was suddenly washed away by the running water and became trapped between two rocks. Only his head was above the surface of the water as it surged down between the rocks. Hearing his call for help, several...

Events

26 h. ago Russia has identified ‘three problems’ with China in their bilateral relations: Putin

Russia has identified ‘three problems’ with China in their bilateral relations: Putin  Anadolu Ajansı

Politics

27 h. ago Thailand acting leader moves to dissolve parliament to block rival’s PM bid

Thailand’s acting prime minister has moved to dissolve parliament, his party said on Wednesday, after the largest opposition party backed a rival candidate for prime minister. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted last week by the Constitutional Court, leaving a power vacuum in the kingdom’s top office. Her Pheu Thai party – still governing in a caretaker capacity – was jostling for support from the largest opposition bloc, the People’s Party, to confirm a new candidate for prime...

Politics

27 h. ago Thailand’s acting leader moves to dissolve parliament to block rival’s PM bid

Thailand’s acting prime minister has moved to dissolve parliament, his party said on Wednesday, after the largest opposition party backed a rival candidate to lead the country. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted last week by the Constitutional Court over her handling of a border row with Cambodia, leaving a power vacuum in the kingdom’s top office as rival factions jostled to replace her. Her Pheu Thai party – still governing in a caretaker capacity – was jostling for support from...

Politics