Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japans first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a stealth husband, adding, Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here. A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially drawn to the contrast ...

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid the alleged threat of Chinas growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank suggests. Dubbed Pacific Eyes, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help plug institutional gaps that external powers particularly Beijing were ...

The bereaved families of the two airport staff killed when an Emirates cargo flight veered off a runway have said they have not received any condolence messages from the airline, and are demanding a comprehensive investigation into the accident as soon as possible. A dozen relatives of security patrol vehicle driver Vincent Ho Kwok-cheung, 41, and his ...

China has accused the United States of showing a lack of basic respect for Central America following its threat to ban officials and others from the region with ties to the Communist Party from entering the country. The State Department said last month that it would restrict US visas for Central American nationals intentionally acting on behalf of the ...

As Prabowo Subianto marks his first year as Indonesias president, the former general is grappling with the challenge of turning his populist campaign promises into lasting policy. While early initiatives such as free meals for children have drawn praise, concerns over civil liberties, economic sluggishness and foreign policy decisions threaten to overshadow ...

A Chinese woman has been arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris, in one of several recent high-profile break-ins targeting French cultural institutions, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. The theft by what the museums director at the time said was an extremely professional team took place on September 16, about a ...

Ophthalmology professionals in Hong Kong have cautioned residents about the risks of wearing cosmetic contact lenses sourced from unregulated channels especially during Halloween warning of potential visual impairment caused by improper use. The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists on Tuesday also urged authorities to introduce a ...

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, ...

Hong Kong will play a pivotal role in pushing for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in an effort to raise the citys status as an international aviation hub, the citys transport chief has pledged. Speaking at the International Air Transport Association (IATA)s World Sustainability Symposium hosted in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Secretary for Transport and ...

Singapores coordinating minister for national security has warned that countries that weaponise technology are fuelling a cyber arms race, as officials and experts at a major regional summit call for deeper global cooperation to tackle online threats. Opening the Singapore International Cyber Week on Tuesday, K Shanmugam said nations must rebuild trust and ...

A shop clerk in eastern China accidentally broke jade bangles valued at over one million yuan (US$140,000), yet the owner chose compassion over compensation, giving the young man a chance to learn from his mistake. The incident, which occurred in October at a jewellery shop in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was captured on surveillance video. While moving a ...

A new real-market cryptocurrency trading experiment that pits leading artificial intelligence models against one another to evaluate their respective investing abilities has seen a DeepSeek model outperform rivals so far. In Alpha Arena, launched on Friday by US research firm Nof1, six large language models (LLMs) were given US$10,000 each to invest in six ...

US singer-songwriter Ryan Adams has labelled Australia as the worst country ever in an expletive-laden tirade after wrapping up a controversial anniversary tour, while also hinting he may have played his final international gig. Adams recently performed in Australia and New Zealand to mark the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album, Heartbreaker, but the ...

Public anger over corruption has boiled over in the Philippines, sending President Ferdinand Marcos Jnrs approval ratings tumbling and potentially tilting the balance of power with his political rivals. The latest survey by Pulse Asia Research shows that Filipinos are increasingly blaming the governments recent corruption scandals from flood control ghost ...

Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) plans an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai as soon as the first quarter of next year, eyeing a valuation of up to 300 billion yuan ($42.12 billion), according to two sources briefed on the matter. Founded in 2016 with government backing, CXMT leads Chinas strategic push to build a foothold ...

Frances ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of an EU state to be jailed Tuesday, proclaiming his innocence as he entered a Paris prison. Frances right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of seeking to acquire funding from Muammar Gaddafis Libya for the campaign that saw him elected. The 70-year-old - who has ...

Wong Lee Ping, the grieving mother of 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen, whose brutal murder on October 14 shocked Malaysia, has expressed profound gratitude for the outpouring of community support, describing it as a beacon of light in our darkest hour. We are truly touched and humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and presence from all of you during this ...

The Chinese people have been urged to stay calm and objective about the countrys advances in cutting-edge weapons by a veteran rocket scientist, who warned a lot of effort was still needed. An array of advanced rockets, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, featured in last months Victory Day parade in Beijing along with other hi-tech weapons, ...

Sea founder Forrest Li told employees a trillion dollar market capitalisation an increase of about 10 times is possible as the Southeast Asia e-commerce leader joins tech companies globally betting on artificial intelligence for growth. In a memo to staff Monday, seen by Bloomberg News, Li compared the rapid growth of AI to the personal computer and ...

The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is poised to serve as a major infrastructure for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and markets beyond, as a fresh surge of Chinese companies moves to expand globally over the next decade, according to the head of the citys Airport Authority. We mustnt see the HKIA just as an airport for Hong Kong, said Fred Lam Tin-fuk, ...

Hong Kong has retained its leading position in three out of six major industries within the Greater Bay Area, according to an index comparing the relative advantages of 11 cities across the southern Chinese region. Shenzhen held onto its top spot in innovation and technology as well as manufacturing, while Guangzhou remained the leader in real estate. The ...

Hong Kongs legislature will break from another tradition by withdrawing a valedictory motion marking the end of its four-year term, with a veteran lawmaker citing concerns over electoral fairness. Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Legislative Councils House Committee, who was supposed to move the farewell motion, revealed on Tuesday that she withdrew ...

Several major banks forecast stronger economic growth for China this year, buoyed by third-quarter data showing slightly better-than-expected expansion despite domestic and external headwinds. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised its full-year gross domestic product forecast for 2025 from 4.8 per cent to 4.9 per cent, noting that the governments target of ...

He wont call himself a duke any more, but that is not enough for many of Prince Andrews critics. Buckingham Palace and the British government were under pressure Monday to formally strip Prince Andrew of his princely title and sumptuous home after new revelations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After discussions with his ...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMPs coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US call centre bill threatens Philippines US$30 billion outsourcing boom As dusk settles over Angeles City, Justin Cunanan prepares ...