China

Some Western politicians stoking Nato-Russia clash as Ukraine war strategy falters: Fico

Some Western politicians are seeking conflict between Nato and Russia after ⁠a “failed” strategy to defeat ⁠Moscow in its war with Ukraine, ⁠Slovak…

Anwar was on song in India. Will Malaysia reap the rewards?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim caused a bit of a stir in India recently with his spirited rendition of a Bollywood classic – a lighthearted…

What Hong Kong cinema can take away from a popular Chinese war film

In late August, I took my parents to see Once Upon a Time in the Middle East in their small-town cinema on the mainland. Built around an unnamed…

Chinese lawyers offer coaching for when corruption busters come knocking

Zhang Dongdong has been fielding ever more requests for legal advice from jittery entrepreneurs, nervous government officials or their desperate…

The cooling trap: how Asia’s air conditioners are making heatwaves worse

As heatwaves become more frequent and intense across Asia, the region faces a dangerous power paradox. Soaring demand for air conditioning threatens…

Reporter’s note: two Delhis, one weekend – when the world came to dinner

I grew up in Delhi. Not Lutyens’ Delhi, that quieter, greener stretch of tree-lined avenues and high-walled colonial bungalows where the VIPs live.…

Chinese man sues AI firm after chatbot’s ‘auspicious’ date suggestion leads to disaster

A man in eastern China filed a lawsuit against an AI company after he followed a chatbot’s recommendation for his mother’s burial date, which he…

Ed Sheeran calls Gaza situation ‘unjustifiable’ after Macklemore exit furore

Ed Sheeran opened a concert on Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity…

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, honoured with state funeral

Hong Kong is bidding farewell to its first post-colonial chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, on Sunday at a state funeral – only the third time a…

Why AI giants are choosing Singapore to turn models into real-world tools

When Jordan Seow joined OpenAI in June 2025, he became the company’s first locally hired forward-deployed engineer in Asia-Pacific, joining a…