Koukyo Yoneta, a fifth-generation Buddhist priest in a small town in Japans Hokkaido, was struggling to keep up with the maintenance needs of his century-old temple, so he chose a path that would have been unthinkable for his predecessors rather than wait for his congregation to give money they do not have, he invested what they had already donated. The ...

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemens Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islams holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region. Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on ...

Chinese researchers have developed the worlds smallest CT scanner, a portable device designed to produce images of tiny fossils and archaeological relics. Built by the Shandong province-based Rayim, the Xtomo-Cube is about the size of a desktop speaker and weighs just 6kg (13.2lbs). The device can be held in one hand and is the worlds smallest and lightest ...

India and Russia are seeking to push one of Asias oldest defence relationships beyond arms sales and into a more technology-driven industrial partnership, analysts have said, with missile exports and fighter-jet offers emerging as early tests. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shook hands and embraced on Friday ahead ...

The leadership change in Okinawa could deal a quiet blow to Beijings attempts to leverage local opposition to remilitarisation and the US-Japan military alliance, according to analysts. They added that the shift would compel Chinese academics and state media to recalibrate their messaging and approach towards the strategically vital Japanese prefecture. ...

This live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account. Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu will unveil the citys first five-year plan at the legislature on Wednesday morning, followed by his annual policy address. The highly anticipated plan, which comes after a two-month public consultation, aims to align the citys ...

A Seoul court ordered Pyongyang on Wednesday to pay roughly US$32.5 million for blowing up in 2020 an office in North Korea that was intended to foster relations between the two Koreas, Yonhap news agency reported. The lawsuit over the destruction of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office marks the first time the South Korean government has sought damages directly ...

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun gave a keynote speech to the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday, with just over a week until a summit in the United States between the presidents of the two countries. In his 20-minute address, Dong outlined Chinas goals for global governance, multilateralism, conflict prevention and the development of emerging ...

British pharmaceutical giant GSK has agreed to acquire a cancer drug from Chinese firm Chimagen Biosciences in a deal worth up to US$750 million, underscoring Chinas emergence as a global player in biotechnology. GSK announced plans on Tuesday to buy full global rights to a potential best-in-class T-cell engager (TCE) from Chengdu-based Chimagen, targeting ...

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is expected to appear in public for the first time on Wednesday since being transferred to the International Criminal Court 18 months ago to face murder charges related to his war on drugs. Duterte, 81, served as president from 2016 to 2022, before being charged with crimes against humanity for creating, funding ...

The first China shock was fairly easy to understand. Beginning in the 1990s, cheap Chinese goods poured into global markets, displacing large parts of lower-end manufacturing across the world. Now, China shock 2.0 seems to be under way, with China taking the lead in electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, solar panels, semiconductors and other more ...

A woman from northern China has been reunited with her biological family after 26 years, with striking before-and-after images from her disappearance renewing public attention on the plight of human trafficking survivors. Sun Meihua, from Shandong province, was located after an online user known as Chuxin shared her story. During a visit to a village ...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to retain many of her Liberal Democratic Partys (LDP) executives on Wednesday, in her first reshuffle since taking the helm of the ruling party about a year ago. Takaichi is likely to keep the influential former prime minister Taro Aso as vice-president and his brother-in-law, Shunichi Suzuki, as secretary ...

This live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account below. Beijing is hosting Chinas most important annual defence conference, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, bringing defence officials, former politicians and think tank experts to the city from around the world. About 200 specialists and researchers are expected ...

Hong Kongs leader will unveil two bold initiatives on housing and mediation in his policy address, the South China Morning Post has learned, with the government planning to boost home ownership rates among young couples and prioritise settling official commercial disputes through the citys mediation body. The new measures, to be unveiled by Chief Executive ...

Southeast Asian investors have emerged as the largest non-local buyers of Hong Kong commercial property, led by Singapore-based capital, according to Savills. As of Tuesday, local and non-local investors including those from mainland China were behind an estimated HK$30.36 billion (US$3.87 billion) in transactions involving commercial property deals above ...

Singapores ministers are among the worlds highest paid, a system its leaders have defended as necessary to attract capable people into public service and reduce the temptation of corruption. Its latest salary review has once again put the spotlight on that approach, while highlighting a wider regional divide over how Asian governments value political ...

Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched Canada as an investment haven on Tuesday at a gathering of global financial elite but conceded ties with the US remained crucial despite an escalating trade war. Carney convened the Canada Investment Summit as part of his push to diversify an economy he insists had grown too reliant on an increasingly protectionist US. The ...

The US military said on Tuesday that it opened fire and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week that were trying to steal a drone ship in the waters off Iran, the latest back-and-forth fire in the stalemated war. Captain Tim Hawkins, US Central Command spokesman, said the Iranian boats recently attempted to take possession of a US unmanned surface ...

The first vice-chairman of the nations top political advisory body is overseeing an 87-member committee of political and business heavyweights to arrange the state funeral for Hong Kongs first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa. A vigil will be held from 3pm to 10pm on Saturday at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point and a public memorial service will ...

The son of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner will not face the death penalty when he stands trial over the killings of his parents, Los Angeles Countys top prosecutor said on Tuesday. Nick Reiner, who turned 33 on Monday, was arrested in December 2025 after his parents bloodied bodies were discovered at their home in the affluent Brentwood neighbourhood of Los ...

Ed Sheerans tour of North and South America was plunged into chaos Tuesday when four of his supporting acts abruptly quit in solidarity with the rapper Macklemore, who was dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments on stage. Hours after Sheeran posted on social media about Macklemores ousting and attributed the decision to the tours promoters, Irish acts ...

I remember 2011 well. Indonesia was chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and I was serving as deputy foreign minister for Asean cooperation. I learned a great deal, although if I had to summarise the experience in one word, I would say: meetings. Asean members meet. They talk. They disagree. They issue statements. Then, quite remarkably, ...

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last week on the sidelines of the Brics summit, another country loomed large in the background, even in its absence: the United States. After the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintain peace at the disputed border and strengthen economic ties. ...

Rail travel in large parts of the Netherlands ground to a standstill on Tuesday, after what authorities suspect were coordinated acts of sabotage with tubes attached to train tracks in multiple locations. Transport by train in most of the central and eastern parts of the country was virtually impossible after authorities discovered items on the tracks in ...