Thousands march in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as clashes kill at least 15
An uneasy silence has blanketed the capital, with empty streets, closed shops and patrolling police.
Read full story →Thousands march in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as clashes kill at least 15
An uneasy silence has blanketed the capital, with empty streets, closed shops and patrolling police.
Read full story →Kazakhstan bank turns to Hong Kong as gateway to offshore renminbi finance
A Kazakhstan-based commercial bank backed by China Citic Bank is seeking to collaborate with Hong Kong financial institutions and investors to develop new financing channels for the Central Asian country through the city’s thriving offshore renminbi market. Murat Baisynov, chairman of Altyn Bank, told the South China Morning Post that three clients of the Almaty-headquartered lender were currently exploring the issuance of dim sum bonds in Hong Kong, a trend he expected to continue. “Hong Kong...
Read full story →BYD powers past Geely as oil shock charges up global EV demand
The global energy crisis has helped propel BYD back into pole position in China’s automotive sector, allowing it to regain ground on Geely Auto as demand for battery-powered vehicles accelerates worldwide. The Shenzhen-based electric vehicle (EV) maker, which lost its title as mainland China’s largest carmaker in the first quarter of 2026, rebounded strongly in the following two months as the US-Israel war with Iran drove up oil prices. Its overseas deliveries surged 76 per cent year on year to...
Read full story →Philippine military chief assures no political intervention amid Senate turmoil
The Philippines’ armed forces chief has moved to quell fears of political intervention after a bitter Senate leadership crisis triggered tighter security, stalled military promotions and fuelled concern that partisan groups could exploit “rumblings” inside the ranks. Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr acknowledged unease among some personnel but told This Week in Asia that the military would remain out of politics. “Political intervention is far from our mandate,” Brawner said...
Read full story →Canada moves to ban under-16s from social media, regulate AI
Canada’s culture minister on Wednesday introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit production of harmful content. The proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada the latest in a wave of countries cracking down on social media platforms over concerns of harm to children. “We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have … The safety of children cannot be an afterthought,” said Culture Minister...
Read full story →FBI disables 13 Chinese suspected spying websites targeting US officials
The FBI said on Wednesday that it seized more than a dozen internet domains used by Chinese intelligence services to gain personal information in hopes of fooling, conscripting or blackmailing Americans with security clearances into divulging sensitive information. “The fake consulting company domains seized by the FBI illustrate the lengths the Chinese government’s intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit, or coerce current and former US...
Read full story →The furious dispute over what caused Air India flight 171 to crash
The final conclusions of the investigation have yet to be published, although more could become apparent in the coming days.
Read full story →The furious dispute over what caused Air India flight 171 to crash
The final conclusions of the investigation have yet to be published, although more could become apparent in the coming days.
Read full story →Chinese propagandists stoking dissent over Trump tariffs and data centres, OpenAI says
Chinese propagandists have been trying to use OpenAI’s flagship chatbot to gin up opposition to Donald Trump’s tariffs and intervene in American debates over data centres and AI, OpenAI said in a report published on Wednesday. The company said its efforts, dating to late 2025 and early 2026, appeared to have had little or no effect, but it is another indication of how central generative AI is becoming in digital influence campaigns – even those aimed against AI companies themselves. The...
Read full story →Trump says US might not renew trade deal with Mexico and Canada
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States might not renew its free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and criticised trade deficits with those countries, although he said he was talking with their leaders about the matter. The three countries need to approve a renewal of their existing agreement by July 1 or signal their intention to exit the pact, a process that would take 10 years and would buy time for alterations. “I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said at...
Read full story →An Everest guide's miraculous survival raises questions for tourism industry
Why was a cook leading clients up the world's highest peak? And why was he left to rescue himself?
Read full story →An Everest guide's miraculous survival raises questions for tourism industry
Why was a cook leading clients up the world's highest peak? And why was he left to rescue himself?
Read full story →As de-dollarisation trends persist, can the yuan take the euro’s place?
In early April, hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” in a prime-time address, China’s yuan-denominated cross-border payment system set a record for transaction volume in a single day. The Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) skyrocketed to 1.22 trillion yuan (US$180.3 billion) on April 2, almost doubling the daily average volume in February. The spike occurred as more oil-producing nations rapidly scaled up their share of yuan settlements...
Read full story →China-UK cooperation vital in ensuring the AI era puts people first
During a recent discussion in Shenzhen with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, I was reminded that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only a technological race. It is a test of whether major economies can build the institutions, standards and economic systems needed to integrate intelligent machines into human society. Britain has every reason to enter this new era with confidence. It has contributed to much of the modern world’s foundations. In 1687, Isaac Newton...
Read full story →Pakistani strikes kill 13 civilians in Afghanistan
Islamabad violated Afghan airspace in launching the overnight attacks, a Taliban spokesperson has allegedHostilities flared up on the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as strikes by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, Afghan officials have said.The strikes took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesman
Read full story →Pakistani strikes kill 13 civilians in Afghanistan
Islamabad violated Afghan airspace in launching the overnight attacks, a Taliban spokesperson has allegedHostilities flared up on the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as strikes by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, Afghan officials have said.The strikes took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesman
Read full story →Pakistani strikes kill 13 civilians in Afghanistan
Islamabad violated Afghan airspace in launching the overnight attacks, a Taliban spokesperson has allegedHostilities flared up on the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as strikes by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, Afghan officials have said.The strikes took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesman
Read full story →Pope Leo blesses new tower at Spain’s Sagrada Familia
Pope Leo on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world’s tallest church. A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes and was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The stained-glass windows in various colours shone brightly in between the treelike columns of the temple as Leo delivered his homily in Spanish, Catalan...
Read full story →PM Modi thanks world leaders for wishes on record tenure as India's longest serving continuously elected Prime Minister
New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for her warm wishes on becoming the longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister in India's history.He said he looks forward to building on the momentum in the India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership for the mutual benefit of both nations and their peoples.
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