Central Asias water insecurity may seem a distant concern. But its rivers underpin Eurasian trade corridors, sustain global food markets and power regional energy systems. As water stress worsens, this is no longer just an environmental issue but a strategic threat across Eurasia demanding urgent attention in Beijing, Brussels and beyond. Central Asia is ...

Queens University Belfast on Monday cut ties with former US Senator George Mitchell over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying it was no longer appropriate to remain associated with the key figure in the Northern Ireland peace deal. The university said its decision followed new information on Mitchell released in the latest trove of ...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced backlash over his trip to China amid claims that the UK government has been tricked by Beijing. Conservative former security minister Tom Tugendhat raised the issue of Chinese sanctions on British parliamentarians after Starmer announced that all restrictions had been lifted on current members. Tugendhat, former ...

Chinas state-owned aluminium giant Chalco and Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto have agreed to buy a controlling stake in Brazils Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) in a deal valued at US$886 million, marking one of the most significant foreign acquisitions in Brazils metals sector in recent years and reinforcing Chinas growing footprint in the countrys ...

The Russian captain of a container ship that crashed into a US tanker off the east coast of Britain in March last year was found guilty in a London court on Monday of causing the death of a crew member through gross negligence. Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Solong when it hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, which was anchored and carrying just over ...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin America relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US wont rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties In the wake of the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3, ...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Monday for Britains former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, to be removed from parliaments upper chamber after new reports emerged of his ties with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a prominent figure in Starmers Labour Party for decades, was fired from his envoy role last year after previous ...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] The world is at a demographic crossroads. Fertility rates have fallen below replacement levels in two-thirds of the global population, threatening economic stability, cultural continuity, and sustainable development. This is no longer a regional challengeit is a global ...

A Chinese student accused of having drugged and raped his girlfriend numerous times while filming her went on trial in Germany on Monday, in the latest case that recalls the plight of French woman Gisele Pelicot. Prosecutors believe that it was only due to coincidence that the Chinese woman did not die during the ordeal and have charged the 27-year-old ...

Hong Kong authorities have found traces of a toxin in another five samples of Nestl baby milk formula, marking the second such discovery since batches of the firms products were withdrawn over contamination fears. The Centre for Food Safety said on Monday night that during its ongoing follow-up investigations, five samples among 22 batches recalled earlier ...

US President Donald Trumps Board of Peace is unlikely to pose a credible challenge to the United Nations, analysts say. They also warn that legal ambiguity, as well as doubts over credibility and funding, make the initiatives long-term viability uncertain. Beijing was likely to respond cautiously but might also see some advantages if Washingtons attention ...

Defying a tight domestic job market, a record wave of overseas graduates is flooding back to China, eager to snatch up opportunities in its fast-growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors. The influx, up 12 per cent in 2025 to an eight-year high, signals determined confidence among globally trained talent, according to findings by job-recruitment ...

Italys Trevi Fountain launched a new ticketing system on Monday, making the famous Rome landmark the latest tourist site to charge entry in a bid to raise funds and battle overcrowding. People posed in the sunshine in front of the Baroque masterpiece after paying the two-euro (US$1.68) fee to access the now largely crowd-free area next to the basin. Tell me ...

Dual impeachment cases were filed on Monday against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, marking a historic first with the nations top two officials each facing twin complaints accusing them of betrayal of public trust. Observers told This Week in Asia that the political exercise, while risking economic collateral damage, could show how a political ...

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings aims to replicate the success of WeChat Pay by splashing cash for its artificial intelligence app Yuanbao, but analysts are sceptical about whether subsidies can move the needle in the increasingly crowded market. Yuanbaos 1 billion yuan (US$144 million) promotional campaign, which gives out cash through digital red ...

The eldest son of Norways crown princess has been arrested, just before his trial opens on charges including rape in a case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family, police said on Monday. Marius Borg Hoiby was arrested on Sunday evening and is accused of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, police said in a ...

Donald Trumps repeated threats against Greenland and rising tensions with Iran may have been a factor in the latest round of talks between China and Russia, according to Chinese observers. On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sergei Shoigu, the head of the Russian Security Council, met in Beijing, where according to the Chinese foreign ministry, ...

China has tightened tax incentives and raised preferential rates in several sectors as part of a broader push to generate more government funds, after experiencing a sharp drop in fiscal revenues amid an economic slowdown and persistent deflationary pressure. The Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration released a slew of detailed provisions ...

Hong Kongs cryptocurrency investors remain cautiously optimistic despite a sharp market sell-off over the weekend that pushed major digital assets to months-long lows. Bitcoin slid to US$74,541 on Monday morning, its lowest level in 10 months, extending a decline of about 40 per cent from its record high above US$126,000. That peak had been fuelled in part ...

More private hospitals in Hong Kong are expected to join the governments free newborn screening programme for rare genetic conditions this year, according to health authorities. The scheme tests newborns for inherited metabolic disorders, enabling early identification and treatment while easing the long-term burden on the public healthcare system. The ...

Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Britains former prince Andrew, called late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a legend and the brother I have always wished for, according to newly released documents. While the friendship between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who was stripped of his royal titles last October and Epstein has been in the spotlight for years, the ...

The shortest wavelength of a laser beam generated from a crystal has been realised in a laboratory at the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to a new paper. At 158.9 nanometres (nm), it leads to all-solid-state lasers with the highest output energy recorded. The all-solid-state solution offers a ...

Business confidence in Hong Kong has reached its highest level in two years, with more than half the companies polled by the American Chamber of Commerce in the city expressing optimism about their outlook for 2026, noting that geopolitical tensions had largely stabilised. However, the chambers survey also found that 43 per cent of respondents ranked ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) may look automated, but it runs on human labour. Behind every chatbot and image generator are thousands of people labelling images, tagging text, moderating content and training systems to understand language and culture. This invisible workforce has quietly become a critical layer of the global AI economy. India has emerged as ...

Thai police have arrested two Russians on suspicion of murdering a fellow national after the victims dismembered body was found in scrubland near the resort town of Pattaya, a heinous crime detectives believe is linked to debts to criminals. Body parts of the 30-year-old victim, Mikhail Emelianov, were found on Sunday scattered across a section of abandoned ...