2 h. ago Chinese man sues fiancée for US$7,000 in gifts, dating expenses, claims she eats too much

A “petty” Chinese man has faced online scorn after he sued his fiancée to get back all the money he had spent on her because she “ate too much”. A court hearing involving the ex-couple went viral on social media after it was reported on December 9. According to the Chinese media outlet Zonglan News, the man, surnamed He, sued his girlfriend, surnamed Wang, to secure the return of a 20,000-yuan (US$2,800) initial bride price payment his family had made to her family. He also demanded that Wang...

Politics

3 h. ago Epstein files release highlights Clinton, makes scant reference to Trump

The Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of pages of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday that made scant reference to US President Donald Trump but extensively featured Democratic former president Bill Clinton. The release was intended to comply with a law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in November that mandated the disclosure of all Epstein files, despite the Republican president’s months-long effort to keep them...

Politics

4 h. ago US strikes at Isis fighters in Syria after 3 Americans killed

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced the start of an operation to “eliminate Isis fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites” in Syria following the deaths of three US citizens. “This is not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people,” he said on social media. Two Iowa National Guard members and a US civilian interpreter were killed on...

Events

5 h. ago Rubio says won’t force deal on Ukraine as Europeans join Miami talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday promised not to force Ukraine into any agreement to end Russia’s invasion as European allies joined fresh talks in Miami. The weekend talks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin in an annual news conference vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing battlefield gains nearly four years into his war. US President Donald Trump’s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine,...

Politics

8 h. ago Rome to charge tourists to get close to famed Trevi Fountain

Tourists who want to get close to Rome’s Trevi Fountain will soon have to pay a €2 (US$2.34) fee, the city mayor said on Friday, as authorities look to profit more handsomely from Italy’s many attractions. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters the new payment system would start on February 1, adding that the measure was expected to raise €6.5 million (US$7.6 million) a year. “Two euros isn’t very much and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows,” Gualtieri said, stressing that citizens...

Politics

11 h. ago Trump Justice Department to release partial set of Epstein files for now

US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department announced on Friday that it will release only a partial set of documents related to its investigation into convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has sparked the first major split between Trump’s Make America Great Again support base since he returned to office. The department was compelled by Congress to make the documents public after it passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, a law that required the...

Politics

11 h. ago Trump Justice Department releases partial set of Epstein files for now

US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department on Friday released only a partial set of documents related to its investigation into convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has sparked the first major split between Trump’s Make America Great Again support base since he returned to office. The department was compelled by Congress to make the documents public after lawmakers passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, a measure that required the disclosure...

Politics

12 h. ago UN declares Gaza famine over, but ‘situation remains critical’ amid fragile ceasefire

A famine declared in Gaza in August is now over thanks to improved access for humanitarian aid, the United Nations said on Friday, but warned the food situation in the Palestinian territory remained dire. More than 70 per cent of the population were living in makeshift shelters, it said, with hunger exacerbated by winter floods and an increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures plummet. Although a ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas that took effect in October has partially...

Events

13 h. ago China’s Chip War Strategy Is Fixed. Here’s Why America’s Should Be, Too

China’s Chip War Strategy Is Fixed. Here’s Why America’s Should Be, Too  The National Interest

Events

14 h. ago China solar firms launch consolidation fund to tackle overcapacity

China solar firms launch consolidation fund to tackle overcapacity  https-//www.semafor.com

Politics

14 h. ago US defence policy act overstates ‘China threat’, Beijing says, urges ‘rational’ view

Beijing on Friday accused Washington of using its new US defence policy act to hype up the so-called China threat and interfere in its internal affairs. It also urged Washington to view their relationship “rationally” and refrain from enforcing negative China-related provisions. The latest National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), signed into law by President Donald Trump on Thursday, restricts US outbound investment in Chinese technology and curbs federal contracts with Chinese biotechnology...

Events

14 h. ago Alipay+ announces sponsorship deal with WNBA team New York Liberty amid global push

Ant International, the Singapore-based affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Friday announced a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team New York Liberty. The multi-year initiative would see the company’s Alipay+ fintech platform become an “official sponsor” and “innovation partner for sustainability” of the team, to “jointly support community programmes designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development”...

Economics

14 h. ago India’s parliament approves divisive rural jobs scheme despite opposition walkout

India’s parliament pushed through an overhaul of a rural employment scheme on Friday despite an opposition walkout and a session that stretched well past midnight. The Developed India Employment Guarantee and Sustenance Mission bill will supersede a decades-old rural jobs scheme for millions of the country’s poorest. It replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, a defining legacy of the previous left-leaning Congress government, which was in power from 2004 to 2014. The...

Politics

15 h. ago China growth & income fund reports 29.3% NAV return for 2025

China growth & income fund reports 29.3% NAV return for 2025  Investing.com

Politics

16 h. ago China discovers Asia’s largest undersea gold deposit off Jiaodong Peninsula

China has discovered its first undersea gold deposit – the largest in Asia – marking a breakthrough as Beijing steps up nationwide exploration for the precious metal. The discovery, off the coast of Laizhou, in Yantai, Shandong province, lifted Laizhou’s total proven gold reserves to more than 3,900 tonnes (137.57 million ounces) – about 26 per cent of the national total – ranking it top in both gold reserves and output in China, Yantai’s city government disclosed this week at a conference on...

Politics

16 h. ago Putin vows new Ukraine offensive as Russia advances and US pushes for deal

Vladimir Putin hailed his troops’ progress in Ukraine during Friday’s annual press conference – a staple of his 25-year rule. The Russian president appeared emboldened by recent battlefield gains as the US pushes for a diplomatic end to the nearly four-year war. Addressing the EU’s failed proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv, Putin labelled the plan “robbery”. He warned that “severe consequences” would have followed for the bloc had they followed through, adding, “Why can’t they...

Politics

16 h. ago Putin warns West as Russia eyes more Ukrainian territory, as peace talks stall

Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday said the ball was in the court of the West and Kyiv in talks to end the war in Ukraine, while hailing Moscow’s recent battlefield gains and threatening more. Putin spoke during his annual end-of-year press conference – a staple of his 25-year rule – in which he told Russians Moscow was intent on pressing on in Ukraine, striking a confident tone. The 73-year-old has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Moscow will seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has...

Events

17 h. ago Ukraine diplomat in Beijing for talks; Russian attacks injure scores in southern Ukraine

Ukraine diplomat in Beijing for talks; Russian attacks injure scores in southern Ukraine  Space War News

Events

19 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest 5 over stealing HK$1.8 million from eMPF account holders

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s newly created online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to instantly suspend its digital paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee...

Events

19 h. ago 5 arrested in Hong Kong over HK$1.8 million theft targeting MPF account holders

Hong Kong police have arrested five men on suspicion of posing as Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) account holders to withdraw HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) from the city’s new online pension fund platform. The scam also prompted the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which manages the pension scheme, to immediately suspend its paperless verification process, known as eKYC, for registering online platform users. It apologised for any inconvenience caused. Chief Inspector Lee Chun-man of the...

Economics