Australia-China relations: Canberra to set up Pacific defence school as Beijing seeks rival regional meeting
Canberra also plans to double funding for aerial surveillance in the Pacific region to recoup US$150 million lost each year to illegal fishing, a government minister said. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong opposition camp rues its future: will it be able to find its place in new political landscape?
Left out in the cold, activists are uncertain about the future, with colleagues behind bars or in exile. ⌘ Read more

China’s H-6 bombers in show of air-navy coordination near southern Japan, military experts say
3 PLA planes fly near Okinawa while carrying powerful cruise missiles after Japanese defence minister expresses concern over warship activity. ⌘ Read more

Tragedy in Texas as 46 migrants found dead in truck trailer, likely victims of heat
It may be the deadliest incident of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border in recent decades. ⌘ Read more

Singapore man who preyed on disabled children jailed for record 45 years in ‘exceptionally sickening’ case
Prosecutors said the man committed his crimes over the span of 16 years, including from 2005 to 2018 when he worked as a part-time tutor to ‘gain access to a ready pool of children’ – many of whom were disabled. ⌘ Read more

Chlorine gas blast at Jordan port kills at least 12, injures over 250
A chlorine gas explosion killed 12 people and injured more than 250, authorities said, when a tank that fell from a crane released a poisonous yellow cloud at Jordan’s Aqaba port. ⌘ Read more

Priced out of Hong Kong, young home buyers look to Greater Bay Area for space and value
Twenty-five years after the handover, home ownership in Hong Kong is further out of reach than ever for first-time buyers, some of whom are finding value in Dongguan and other cities in the Pearl River Delta. ⌘ Read more

How an expanded BRICS could lead the world instead of the waning West
Adding new members to BRICS would fragment the world on a scale not seen since the Cold War and amplify the new era of ‘vertical globalisation’. The US would not be at the centre of geopolitics for the first time since World War II, and even France may switch sides. ⌘ Read more

Xi Jinping points to public opinion campaign as example of ‘whole-process democracy’
Month-long effort sets the stage for Communist Party’s national congress, Xi says. ⌘ Read more

China’s yuan liquidity reserve pool highlights efforts to loosen US dollar hegemony
China’s plan to establish a yuan liquidity reserve pool with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) could help boost international use of the currency, while highlighting attempts to loosen US dollar hegemony. ⌘ Read more

Police in China investigate death of two-year-old girl who fell out of 8th-floor window after being forgotten in lift by nanny
Police in China are investigating the death of a two-year-girl who seemingly fell from an eighth-floor window after she was accidentally left behind in a lift and taken to that floor. ⌘ Read more

Can Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee fix the city’s housing crisis?
Years of lethargy have set Hong Kong on its way to an entrenched housing crisis, with homes growing smaller but more expensive. ⌘ Read more

Malaysian immigration slammed over deaths of 149 Indonesians: ‘No clean water, atrocious food’
A report by Indonesian NGOs on Malaysia’s allegedly gross mistreatment of immigration detainees found that some had died due to a lack of basic care. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: airlines want to return to Hong Kong but city’s chance of regaining status of global aviation hub fading by the day, trade body chief warns
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, says some carriers have ‘abandoned plans to regain their Hong Kong network for the moment’. ⌘ Read more

US urged to plan minelaying campaign to halt mainland Chinese attack on Taiwan
A US navy commander suggests that laying mines in the Yellow Sea and Pearl River Delta could help bring Beijing to the negotiating table. ⌘ Read more

Joe Biden swipes at China, signing pledge to combat illegal fishing
The US president’s new national security memorandum comes as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. ⌘ Read more

US-led rare earths pact satisfies South Korea’s ‘definite need’ to cut China dependency
South Korea joined the US-led Minerals Security Partnership earlier this month alongside the likes of Germany, France, Britain, Australia and Japan in a move designed to reduce its dependency on China for key resources, including rare earths. ⌘ Read more

US man shoots Subway worker dead over ‘too much mayo on sandwich’
The gunman argued with two female staff before opening fire, killing one and injuring the other; the wounded woman’s 5-year-old son was at the restaurant at the time. ⌘ Read more

Belgium prime minister cautions against treating China as if it is another Russia
‘The last thing we should do is turn our backs to China the way we are turning our backs to Russia,’ Alexander de Croo says. ⌘ Read more

G7 summit statement will take aim at ‘challenge China poses’, US national security adviser says
Beijing’s non-market economic practices, approach to debt and human rights actions set to be addressed in communique issued from meeting in Germany. ⌘ Read more

A thaw in China-US diplomatic relations? We can only hope
Recent overtures by Chinese diplomats in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney, as well as displays of America’s friendlier side by its new ambassador to China, can’t help but inspire some optimism. ⌘ Read more

Russian missiles hit crowded shopping centre in Ukraine, Zelensky says
More than 1,000 people were in the shopping centre at the time of the attack, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. ;It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims’, he said. ⌘ Read more

China hits back at US over G7 ‘zero-sum’ belt and road alternative
Washington’s revived partnership is an effort to ‘smear Beijing’ and its infrastructure initiative, foreign ministry says. ⌘ Read more

JD.com founder Richard Liu cashes out nearly US$1 billion from e-commerce giant after retreat from top job
Liu has sold Nasdaq-listed JD.com stock and Hong Kong-listed JD Health shares worth a combined US$988 million since April, according to filings. ⌘ Read more

Battered Britain ‘sick man of Europe’ is hurtling towards breaking point
After Brexit and the pandemic, the nation is succumbing to intractable problems marked by plodding growth, surging inflation and a series of damaging strikes. ⌘ Read more

Cryptocurrency is ‘biggest Ponzi scheme in human history’, Chinese execs from state-backed blockchain drive say
Executives from China’s Blockchain-based Service Network say Web3 games and cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum, are investment frauds. ⌘ Read more

Nato to boost rapid reaction force in ‘biggest overhaul since Cold War’
The military alliance will increase the size by nearly eightfold to 300,000 troops, coupled with other measures including the deployment of forces to defend specific allies, chief Jens Stoltenberg says. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s greenhouse gas emissions fall for third year in a row
Greenhouse gas emissions drop, but environmentalists warn more work is needed. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong police arrest 6 men in connection with predawn shooting in Central; 3 others detained in separate firearm cases
Senior Superintendent Tony Ho says six suspects include alleged driver, passenger, one of the owners of three vehicles ambushed by rival gang on June 10. ⌘ Read more

Indonesia’s Jokowi likely to talk food prices with Putin even as he calls for ‘peace’ amid Ukraine war
Jokowi is likely to address immediate issues like food prices that could weigh on his legacy when he leaves office in 2024. ⌘ Read more

Russia to spend US$14.5 billion on aircraft amid sanctions
The aviation industry has been in crisis since the West imposed sanctions banning airlines from countries such as Europe and the US, while foreign plane makers have stopped delivering new aircraft and spare parts. ⌘ Read more

Taiwan, US to hold first trade talks under new initiative
Taiwan’s top trade negotiator John Deng and deputy US trade representative Sarah Bianchi will meet virtually after Deng tested positive for Covid-19. ⌘ Read more

China’s May industrial profits kept tumbling, raising calls for more government support
China’s gross domestic product (GDP) may grow by about 1 per cent in the second quarter, making it ‘arguably difficult’ to reach Beijing’s full-year target, according to a central bank adviser. ⌘ Read more

China to extend yuan trading hours in bid to boost global use of its currency
Regulators led by the People’s Bank of China have told some banks to prepare for an extension of onshore yuan trading hours, according to sources, a move analysts say will help meet increasing demand for yuan transactions. ⌘ Read more

Tuvalu minister pulls out of UN Ocean Conference after China blocks its Taiwanese delegates
Foreign Minister Simon Kofe reportedly withdrew from the event after China objected to the presence of Taiwanese delegates. ⌘ Read more

Ukraine: ‘Help end the war by year’s end’, Zelensky urges world leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said battle conditions in winter would make it tougher for his troops, and pleaded with Western allies to ‘not lower the pressure and to keep sanctioning Russia massively and heavily’. ⌘ Read more

Power company to remove remains of bridge and finish laying cables a week after fire that left 160,000 Hong Kong households without electricity
First phase of cable-laying work completed last Friday and second cable successfully activated on Monday. ⌘ Read more

Asean special envoy appeals to Myanmar junta to spare Suu Kyi prison
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn urged military rulers not to hold deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been put in solitary confinement, he says she plays a ‘critical role in your country’s return to normalcy’. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong star Jackie Chan attracts 5.4 million on Kuaishou as Chinese platforms deploy celebrity live-streams to lure users
In a fierce battle for viewers, Kuaishou, Douyin and WeChat’s Channels platform are making use of star power including Chan, Backstreet Boys, Jay Chou and Andy Lau. ⌘ Read more

Chinese child star attempted suicide after being repeatedly bullied by jealous classmates as teachers turned blind eye, claims mother
A 15-year-old actress attempted suicide last year and was seriously injured after experiencing constant bullying by classmates while teachers did nothing, her mother claims in blistering public comments. ⌘ Read more

Chinese prototype a precursor to hypersonic passenger travel anywhere in the world in 2 hours, says team
Completion of all test flights by 2025 will allow the development of a passenger aircraft that can travel more than 6,000km at Mach 6: researchers. ⌘ Read more

Singapore’s return to tighter Covid rules cannot be ruled out, deputy PM Wong says
The financial hub loosened many pandemic-related rules, including scrapping testing for vaccinated travellers and gathering limits – now average daily infections have jumped to more than 5,500. ⌘ Read more

Japan’s snub of talks with South Korea on sidelines of Nato summit a ‘missed opportunity’
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s move comes apparently out of concern it would be viewed poorly by voters ahead of a local election. ⌘ Read more

HK Express flight lands at Hong Kong airport with smoke billowing from plane, no injuries reported
Flight arrived from Taipei on Monday around 3pm with smoke coming from the aircraft cabin ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong adjusts to new economic role after blazing trail for others
Formerly China’s gateway to the outside world, it now faces stiffer competition from dynamic mainland cities. ⌘ Read more

Is the US setting up an ‘Asia-style Nato’? North Korea thinks so
Pyongyang also blamed US hostility for forcing North Korea to develop stronger defences, following recent joint exercises with South Korea and Japan. ⌘ Read more

Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to begin 2-day trip to Hong Kong on Thursday ‘but will not stay in the city overnight’
Source says outgoing leader Carrie Lam has planned banquet at Government House for the president on June 30. ⌘ Read more

China changes law so it can act if country is insulted at sporting events
National People’s Congress Standing Committee passes revision to the Law on Physical Culture and Sports, but there are no details on what constitutes an infringement of rights or dignity. ⌘ Read more

Nato to pledge aid to Baltics and Ukraine, urge Türkiye to let in Sweden and Finland
Nato leaders meeting in Madrid this week face the unprecedented challenge of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ⌘ Read more

International schoolteachers on the future of education, from pandemic-era online lessons with Zoom and Google tools, to AR and VR – and the importance of social skills and empathy too
We talk to Hong Kong’s international schoolteachers about how education is changing, from lessons learned during the pandemic, to how improved tech needs to be balanced against more human factors ⌘ Read more

Who is Louise Araneta-Marcos, the Philippines’ new first lady?
Louise Araneta-Marcos is widely believed to have been the architect of husband Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jnr’s campaign for the top job. ⌘ Read more

Human cost of China’s zero-Covid policy measured in stress, anxiety
Lockdowns and unpredictable restrictions have led to soaring mental health problems in numbers which may exceed global averages. ⌘ Read more

Ukraine war: Russia defaults on foreign debt for first time since 1918
The default was the culmination of ever-tougher Western sanctions that shut down Russia’s payment routes to overseas creditors. ⌘ Read more

Australia hosts ‘historic’ Nasa launch – first from commercial site outside US
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the launch as the start of a ‘new era’ for the country’s space industry. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong-mainland China ties after 25 years: a chance for a reset or will underlying unease fester?
With Hong Kong at the midway point of Beijing’s pledge to preserve ‘one country, two systems’, can residents reframe how they view the dynamic? ⌘ Read more

China’s education crackdown spurs Japan moves for international schools
British institutions Harrow, Rugby School and Malvern College are betting that scions of wealthy Chinese families will be lured by Japan’s proximity, low Covid-19 rates and fewer restrictions on education. ⌘ Read more

Rupture and reset (2017-2022): Hong Kong’s turbulent years and Covid-19 battle in 25 photos
A months-long anti-government movement that brought the city to its knees was followed by the emergence of a crippling pandemic. These are Hong Kong’s years of hard knocks, but a new chapter beckons that may offer renewal. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific back on hiring spree in anticipation of take-off in global air travel, but faces recruitment challenges
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier keen to add thousands to its roster by the end of next year, but finds many reluctant to return. ⌘ Read more

School in China ditches sleeping on desks at nap time for health reasons and lets students set up their own tents to sleep in
A school in China, concerned by the health impacts of students sleeping with heads on desks, tried something different — now its ‘sleep lying down project’ is winning praise nationally. ⌘ Read more

Why this 25-year-old is not leaving Hong Kong
To those who assert that Hong Kong is dead, that it’s high time to leave, I say: this is my home and I’m not going anywhere. ⌘ Read more

China questions the safety of open source code amid sanctions and tech dependency risks, but can it build a viable alternative?
Beijing has become increasingly worried that the country’s heavy dependence on Western-dominated open source technologies could eventually backfire. ⌘ Read more

Cannabis use has risen with legalisation and Covid-19 lockdowns, according to UN report
In its annual World Drug Report, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said legalisation appears to have accelerated the upwards trends in reported daily use of the drug. ⌘ Read more

Moderna seeking Hong Kong regulatory approval for Omicron-targeted Covid-19 booster vaccine
Patrick Bergstedt, US company’s senior vice-president of commercial vaccines, says discussions with city government at advanced stage, but no green light given yet. ⌘ Read more

Taiwan stocks facing ‘big bully’ prompt Goldman retreat as cross-strait tensions inflict 20 to 40 per cent fund losses
Cross-strait tensions are rising several notches as military threat escalates. Goldman has downgraded Taiwan market, worrying about a spillover of risk from related stocks to the broader market. ⌘ Read more

Higher oil prices help Angola pay off debts to Chinese banks
Second-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa ramping up repayments well ahead of scheduled end of three-year debt moratorium. ⌘ Read more

Dozens arrested in Istanbul as LGBT marchers try to defy Pride ban
Türkiye’s largest city has banned the march since 2015, but large crowds nonetheless gather every year to mark the end of Pride Month. Organisers called the ban unlawful. ⌘ Read more

Suspect in Norway Pride Month shooting ‘refuses to talk to police’
The suspect, described as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested after the shooting in Oslo’s nightlife district early on Saturday ⌘ Read more

Motown singer Diana Ross spreads the love at UK’s Glastonbury music festival
Ross, 78, was due to play Glastonbury in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic caused the festival to be cancelled for two years. ⌘ Read more

New York’s ‘duck sauce killer’ Glenn Hirsch could be freed from prison on bail on Monday
Hirsch was arrested on June 2 on charges of shooting dead Chinese food delivery man Zhiwen Yan. Hirsch allegedly stalked staff at New York’s Great Wall restaurant over his demand for more duck sauce. ⌘ Read more

Biden unveils US$600 billion global infrastructure plan at G7 summit to counter China’s Belt and Road
Clean energy, secure communications technology and health systems among focus areas for programme funded by grants, federal financing and private sector. ⌘ Read more

Iran launches rocket into space as nuclear talks to resume
It is unclear when or where the rocket, Zuljanah, was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport. ⌘ Read more

Two years on, national security law proves its worth in safer, more stable Hong Kong
Rather than ruining Hong Kong, the national security law has bolstered the status quo and returned stability to the streets. Beijing could have shown this rebellious city what abandonment looked like, but it kept faith with Hong Kong and the facts speak for themselves. ⌘ Read more

At least 21 teenagers die in mysterious circumstances at South Africa nightclub
The provincial government of Eastern Cape said seventeen people were found dead inside the Enyobeni Tavern and the others died in hospital. There were no visible wounds on the bodies, officials said. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s largest journalist group insists it operates in accordance with law after being asked by authorities to justify activities
Hong Kong Journalists Association says it received letter from Registry of Trade Unions demanding explanation of group’s operations. ⌘ Read more

No insurance payout over capsizing of Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant, owner says
Jumbo was insured by a type of policy that covered third-party losses instead of losses to the company, statement by Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises says. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong PLA garrison to be combat-ready for ‘toughest and most complicated’ situations amid security threats, commander vows
Major General Peng Jingtang makes promise ahead of President Xi Jinping’s attendance at events celebrating 25th anniversary of city’s handover. ⌘ Read more

Heat turned up on China-Japan relationship with maritime disputes over islands and alliances
Debates in Japan over raising defence spending and potentially developing nuclear-powered submarines will be viewed with concern in Beijing. ⌘ Read more

Prince Charles’ US$3 million bags-of-cash claim, denies any wrongdoing
British royal’s office said the money, from a former prime minister of Qatar, was for the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund – it was handed over in a suitcase and in shopping bags from London’s Fortnum & Mason store. ⌘ Read more

Rent control law fails to help Hong Kong’s poorest and leaves loopholes for landlords, advocacy group says
Society for Community Organisation appeals to government to put caps on rent levels to ease the problem. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s finance chief says he has ‘stood firm’ in defending national, financial security while assessing tenure
Paul Chan says in weekly blog post safeguarding national security and city’s constitutional order is a ‘core infrastructure project’. ⌘ Read more

National, Hong Kong flags found damaged at public housing estates, some with black marks on yellow stars of banners
Twelve national flags hung at Lam Shek House in Kwun Tong found to have been stained, while black marks on yellow stars of some flags were spotted. ⌘ Read more

Pride parades march on with new urgency amid calls for changes in law
The marches come 2 days after a conservative justice said the Supreme Court should reconsider the right to same-sex marriage and laws criminalising gay sex. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: China’s economic slowdown looks like a ‘lifetime of debt’ for some citizens
From business owners to office workers, rising debt and falling incomes are becoming a reality for many Chinese, as the economy faces mounting domestic and external headwinds. ⌘ Read more

Under Xi Jinping China-Russia ties are defined by global interests and unity in opposition, report finds
A German think tank sifted through joint communiques issued by Beijing and Moscow over decades and found they increasingly opposed the West-dominated status quo. ⌘ Read more

Designer perfumes hit by war and weather as vital ingredient becomes ‘liquid gold’
Perfumes by top luxury brands, such as Christian Dior, Estee Lauder and Chanel, will be affected by commodities prices that soared after Russia invaded Ukraine, and heatwave that damaged roses and their oil – a vital ingredient. ⌘ Read more

Chinese authorities unveils plans to ‘maximise display of police force’ two weeks after group assault on women
New public security minister Wang Xiahong promises 100-day ‘hard-fist’ campaign to target criminals in run-up to year’s biggest political event ⌘ Read more

‘We have nothing’ say survivors of deadly earthquake now facing disease outbreak
There is a desperate need for clean water – cholera outbreaks in the aftermath are of particular and serious concern – after at least 1,000 people were killed, 2,000 injured and 10,000 homes destroyed in the devastating earthquake. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong customs intercepts Macau-bound riverboat suspected of smuggling HK$23 million in cash, arrests 2
Two men, aged 45 and 76, arrested earlier this month on suspicion of smuggling goods to Macau. ⌘ Read more

Russia bombs central Kyiv as world leaders gather in Europe for G7 summit
Kyiv had not faced any such Russian air strikes since June 5 and life had begun returning to normal. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus Hong Kong: hospitals experience uptick in Covid-related admissions as city logs over 1,900 cases
Hong Kong records 1,917 cases, comprising 1,799 local and 118 imported infections, and no additional deaths. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Chinese factory hub Shenzhen shuts down Hong Kong border district for 3 days
Wholesale markets, public venues shut in Futian district, with some bus and subway lines suspended and window for Covid-19 test reports halved. ⌘ Read more

This 1.63 million-year-old fossil may have been the first human (hominin) to inhabit China
Scientists used teeth analysis to show that a Homo erectus fossil nicknamed, Lantian Man, likely lived in northwest China and may represent the first known hominin to live there. ⌘ Read more

Netflix hit RRR starring Jnr NTR shows India’s Telugu films are no longer in Bollywood’s shadow
Indian regional cinema and its Telugu, Tamil films accounted for some 47 per cent of the country’s film revenue in 2019. ⌘ Read more

Elderly rural Chinese who embrace ancient art of yoga in region dubbed ‘The First Yoga Village in China’ become unlikely internet hit
Normally practised by young city dwellers, yoga has made an unlikely appearance among a group of seniors in a rural Chinese village 200 kilometres from Beijing. ⌘ Read more

With Roe vs Wade overturned, fears grow online data could be weaponised against abortion seekers in US
Privacy groups worried that social media posts or information on apps could be used by authorities to build cases. ⌘ Read more

Pakistan loves chai so much, it may need to export green tea to fund its addiction
Tea is deeply entrenched across gender and social classes in Pakistan, even as the country explores non-import alternatives like herbal and green tea. ⌘ Read more

Regina Ip is the right choice to steer Hong Kong’s comeback as Exco convenor
Given her qualifications in the political arena and personal experience in overcoming setbacks, she is more than capable of shaping the terrain of Hong Kong’s political landscape. ⌘ Read more

Can Biden broker an Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation deal during his Middle East trip?
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently called Israel a ‘potential ally’, while Saudis have taken to social media to express their support for normalisation. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Hong Kong frontline workers still waiting for Covid-19 subsidies because companies are refusing to apply
Essential workers in Hong Kong still waiting on Covid-19 emergency payments. ⌘ Read more

The Chinese fact checkers taking on the Covid infodemic – a rumour at a time
Journalist Wei Xing started up China Fact Check two years ago to push back against the flood of misinformation about the coronavirus. ⌘ Read more