Speculation is growing that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is at increasing risk of losing his job, raising questions about the possible implications for US-China relations, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not aut
There is something about the speed of consensus on China’s rocket failures that should give us pause. Within hours of Long March-7A rocket’s disintegration over the South China Sea on August 10, trade reports were pointing to an engine as the likely culprit. The China Aerospace Science and Technolog
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his first state visit to China, an eight-day trip during which he will seek to lift suspensions on 14 Ecuadorian shrimp processors and secure fresh investment in energy and mining. Noboa will hold talks with President Xi Jinping and
Thousands of people gathered in central London late on Monday to hold a vigil for black academic Jason Arday, blaming racism and relentless media pressure for his death last week. The vigil in central Trafalgar Square came as the head of Cambridge University on Monday condemned a “racist feeding fre
US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned the US war with Iran will last a long time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday. Just 33 per cent of respondents in the four-day
Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in an act of gang revenge ordered by a mobster who later boasted of it, jurors heard on Monday, as one of America’s most anticipated trials got under way, 30 years after the murder. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips, one of a p
The theft of four paintings by Renaissance master Antonello da Messina may have involved organised crime and raised troubling questions about security at a museum in the Sicilian artist’s hometown, a local official said on Monday. Enzo Caruso, Messina’s councillor for culture, said it was difficult
Nvidia has agreed to provide a guarantee of up to US$105 billion to help OpenAI lease a sprawling data centre in Ohio being developed by SoftBank-backed SB Energy, in one of the chipmaker’s largest infrastructure financing commitments. The Jensen Huang-led firm said on Monday it will also invest
A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month’s parliamentary election. The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the
New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone posing as Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, it was reported on Monday. According to Politico, which broke the story quoting anonymous sources, the British leader sent a “few messages” via an unspecified communication
More than one in 10 Hong Kong primary and secondary school students have engaged in self-harm, a survey has found, with almost half saying school was their main source of stress. Researchers behind the study, conducted by the Junior Chamber International Lion Rock and the Hong Kong Family Mediation
A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist based in the UK has said that three of his bank accounts with financial services provider Wise have been deactivated, including one for the daily operation of diaspora media outlet Points Media. Finn Lau, an activist, said on X last Friday that Wise had closed his
Taiwan’s government will propose record defence spending for 2027, President Lai Ching-te said on Monday, as the island democracy faces growing military pressure from China. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex the island of 23 million people.
Groups of patriotic Hongkongers have staged anti-Japan demonstrations in front of the country’s consulate on the 81st anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender. Around 20 people gathered outside One Exchange Square in Central, where the consulate is located, on Saturday morning. The
Residents living in “shoebox” flats and other inadequate housing have experienced temperatures that feel like 52 degrees Celsius this summer, a climate NGO has found. The CarbonCare InnoLab said in a press conference on Sunday that it took temperature and humidity readings at 86 househol
Additional reporting: Irene Chan. After climbing four flights of stairs in the August summer heat, Helen was met with a locked metal gate and a printed sign saying Have a Nice Stay had permanently closed. “I didn’t think it would be shut already,” Helen told HKFP on the top floor o
The police force has launched an internal investigation into an officer who appeared in a viral video dancing in uniform with a dog-ear filter. The clip gained traction on platforms in mainland China, including Douyin, the mainland’s version of TikTok. It was captioned “It’s too hot. Let
A Chinese container vessel has set sail for Europe through the Arctic, part of new weekly service on a route that cuts shipment times in half but which environmental groups warn could speed up the melting of polar ice. The “Dubai Tower” left the eastern port city of Ningbo on Saturday ev
By Arnold Welianto and Dessy Sagita in Jakarta Rescuers combed through debris for survivors Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck off Flores island in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 20 people and sending thousands fleeing. As the full scale of the disaster unfolded, rescue official Fathur
Hong Kong has logged over 2,100 investment scam cases in the first half of 2026, with losses totalling HK$1.6 billion, the police have said. Police said on Friday that, while investment scams accounted for only one-tenth of the 20,613 deception cases recorded in the first half of the year, they made