When US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr removed the vaccine advisory panel of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he framed it as a move for the restoration of public trust. But the implications stretch far beyond domestic politics. In dismantling one of the worlds most respected sources of vaccine expertise, the United States is ...

Chinese scientists have created a carbide ceramic capable of withstanding temperatures up to 3,600 degrees Celsius (6,512 degrees Fahrenheit) in an oxidising environment, exceeding current thermal limits on hypersonic flight. The development holds significant potential for applications in aerospace, energy and other extreme high-temperature fields. Modern ...

Nine individuals with suspected triad backgrounds have been arrested by Hong Kong police following a violent brawl, which left a 68-year-old suspected gang member dead. The group comprising five men and four women aged between 27 and 44 were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and affray. They were still being detained for questioning on Sunday afternoon. ...

Until recently, Jiahaos guest house in a quiet corner of Cairo was a modest pit stop for Chinese tourists on their way to visit the Egyptian pyramids. But this spring, the hostel suddenly began to attract a different kind of client. Jiahao, the hostels 26-year-old owner, began welcoming groups of factory owners from across China and Southeast Asia grizzled ...

Hong Kong police have arrested a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man in connection with a phone scam that swindled an 85-year-old woman out of HK$50,000 (US$6,369) by pretending to be her daughter and falsely claiming to require bail money. The force said on Sunday that the victim reported the incident on Friday. After receiving a call from someone ...

A woman in China set up a scheme to save 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to buy a house by dating rich men, moving in with them and then looting their homes. Yin Xue, 24, from rural Hunan in central China, grew up in a poor family. At the age of 18, she went to the lavish wedding of one of her boyfriends friends, according to the mainland media outlet ...

Chinese officials already have to deal with a series of inspectors knocking on their doors to keep tabs on their activities, but now they will also have a new group of performance observers looking over their shoulders to check that they are not wasting government funds. Local officials in China are often castigated for spending money on white elephants, ...

Hong Kong police have begun issuing electronic fines for parking and traffic offences, with some drivers calling for increased publicity over the measure and a longer transition period. The digital system began operation on Sunday, allowing penalty tickets to be delivered via SMS or email. Drivers can review the fines on a new website and mobile app. The ...

Hong Kong and Singaporean police have teamed up to smash a cross-border syndicate suspected of spending about HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) to buy prepaid SIM cards for running phone scams. Over in Hong Kong, a police raid on seven offices led to the arrest of four local men, aged 23 to 48, with officers also seizing various telecommunications equipment, ...

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has invited international students worried about finishing their courses at Harvard University in the US to continue their studies at one of Hong Kongs universities. Other universities in Malaysia and Japan have put forward similar suggestions. This comes as Hong Kong is considering how to make best use of the part of the ...

Mainland Chinas top official on Taiwan affairs has called on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to oppose Taiwan independence and external interference and promote closer integration. Taiwan independence forces and their activities undermine national sovereignty and territorial integrity, disrupt peace and stability in our homeland, and incite confrontation ...

Hong Kongs housing authorities have suspended a key public residential development in a northern town consisting of 8,300 homes due to the suspected high costs of building the flats on deep rock strata, according to a lawmaker. The suspension of the development, including its site formation and infrastructure works, in Fanling came to light on Sunday in a ...

The expected increase in market demand for stablecoins will encourage licensed institutions overseas to issue such cryptocurrencies in Hong Kong, boosting competitiveness, according to the citys financial chief as it prepares for its regulatory regime to take effect in August. In his weekly blog on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said that the ...

The Taliban may be the unexpected beneficiaries of India and Pakistans recent conflict, as both countries court Afghanistans hardline government, which is yet to be formally recognised by any nation since seizing power four years ago. Several days after launching air strikes against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in a militant attack which killed 26 ...

Donald Trumps first large-scale military parade in decades has prompted Chinese commentators to compare and mock the contrast between the US presidents pageantry and the nationwide unrest sparked by his immigration policies. The festivities in Washington on Saturday occurred on a day marked by protests around the nation that underscored the countrys deep ...

Pet dramas generated by artificial intelligence (AI) have become a fresh hit on short video social media platforms, with many clips attracting millions of views. In April, an AI-generated video of a ginger cat took one platform by storm. It had amassed almost 150 million views by the time of writing. The 59-second video tells the story of a poor ginger cat ...

The US Armys parade through Washington on Saturday offered no surprises, Chinese military observers said, while cautioning that the full force of American power was not on show. The parade for the US Armys 250th anniversary showcased a range of American equipment, including Abrams tanks, Paladin artillery, robot dogs, reconnaissance drones, AH-64 Apache ...

The potential legalisation of gambling in Indonesia has resurfaced as a means for higher state revenue, but opponents argue the activity risks fraying the cultural fabric of the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation. Lawmaker Galih Kartasasmita floated the idea during a meeting with the finance ministry on May 8, where he said Indonesia should follow the ...

At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain in the Chinese city of Xian, the ancient Guanyin Chan Temple is home to a ginkgo tree with a history spanning over 1,400 years. As autumn approaches each year, this ancient ginkgo tree bursts into a spectacular golden display. The tree is said to have been planted by Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang dynasty (618-907) during a ...

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) plans to host a conference next year to foster collaboration with Gulf states, the bodys new head has said, adding that US President Donald Trumps unpredictable policies could result in further changes to its export projections. Frederick Ma Si-hang, who took office on June 1, also said on Sunday that the ...

What do you get when you mix outdated regulation, asset bubbles and an on-demand economy? In Hong Kongs case, a taxi system on life support clinging to the hope of million-dollar medallions (taxi licences) while app-based ride-hailing services quietly reshape the market. The government has finally committed to regulating these ride-hailing platforms, ...

One person is dead and four others injured after a driver allegedly drove into a crowd in Chongqing, a city in southwestern China, on Saturday after onlookers reportedly criticised him for repeatedly sounding the horn on his car. A police statement issued on Sunday by the Banan district branch of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau alleged the driver, ...

Taiwanese actress and singer Joe Chen Chiao-en has caused shock by revealing photos of herself after she underwent an all-over acupuncture treatment. The glaring images have sparked controversy on social media in mainland China. Known as the Queen of Idol Dramas, Chen, 46, first rose to fame in 2013 for her portrayal of Dongfang Bubai in the series ...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Israels attack on Iran an unacceptable breach of international law and urged measures to de-escalate tensions in phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts on Saturday. He told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that China could play a constructive role in the peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear ...

With Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr about halfway through his six-year term, questions are growing over whether his successor will uphold his firmer stance on the South China Sea or, as one senior official has warned, retreat to the symbolic jet ski posturing and softer policies seen under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Last months midterm ...