The anxiety gripping Seoul is palpable. Under US pressure, South Korea signed a US$350 billion investment deal last November for a 10-percentage-point tariff reduction, billing it as a strategic alliance. Barely a year on, the facade has crumbled. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced a US
France is bracing for another day of mass protests on Saturday, with the government promising that 70,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed across the country amid fears that last weekend’s scenes of violence and looting could repeat themselves. For many Chinese students living in Paris, the eve
Two Philippine Air Force aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of the capital Manila, killing four pilots, the military said on Saturday. The aviation accident on Friday involved two SF-260 aircraft at the Fernando Air Base in Batangas province, the Philippine Air Force s
Hong Kong authorities should act as a “visible hand” to break down barriers erected by vested interests and revive growth momentum through reform under its maiden five-year plan, a former Beijing official overseeing the city’s affairs has said. Deng Zhonghua, former deputy director of the State Coun
Israel’s military launched an operation in the occupied West Bank on Friday it said would last several days and include searches and building demolitions, after gunmen killed two soldiers days ahead of Israeli elections featuring security as a key focus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked i
The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung rented a village house flat under false pretences and bought a meat mincer and multiple saws as he allegedly prepared for the model’s killing, a court has heard. More evidence emerged regarding how three of Choi’s former in-law
China is challenging India’s long-held dominance of the African market for antimalarial drugs in 12 of the continent’s hardest-hit countries, according to a new study. Last year, Chinese exports of antimalarial drugs reached US$89.3 million, nearly matching India’s US$89.6 million, according to Indi
About 16,000 Hong Kong residents have signed up for a joint exam to drive taxis or ride-hailing cars, the transport chief has said. Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the allocation arrangement for the 10,000 ride-hailing vehicle permits
Drinking water has been scarce for over a decade in Taiz, but the problem has reached crisis levels in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels besiege Yemen’s third-largest city in their escalating conflict with government forces. The needs of Taiz’s more than 1 million residents are now barely be
Hong Kong customs officers seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks in the first three quarters of this year, the department chief has said, as he revealed plans to roll out more advanced contraband detection equipment. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat told a radio programme on Sat