TOKYO -- The incoming president of the United Nations General Assembly said that getting a positive result at November's COP26 international climate change conference was a matter of "life or death."

Abdulla Shahid, foreign minister of the Maldives, will begin his term presiding over the UN's main body just weeks before the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland -- a gathering that will be crucial to limiting the global temperature rise.

"It is of great importance that during COP26, the

HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong government has purged the last remaining opposition voice from the city's legislature amid a deepening crackdown on dissent.

"We have come to the determination that Cheng Chung-tai hasn't fulfilled the legal requirement of upholding the Basic Law and bearing allegiance to the Hong Kong SAR," Chief Secretary John Lee said on Thursday, referring to the constitution of the Chinese special administrative region.

A committee led by Lee has been reviewing applicants for the Election Committee, which itself will screen legislative

KABUL -- The Taliban is preparing to form a new government as early as the beginning of September with its leaders taking posts in the cabinet, Nikkei Asia learned Thursday.

A senior Taliban leader who spoke to Nikkei on condition of anonymity said that the leadership council, or shura in Pashto, met recently at the presidential palace in Kabul. Two of three deputy chiefs of the organization, Mullah Yaqoob, a son of Taliban founder Mohammed Omar, and Sirajuddin Haqqani have been tasked with finalizing the list of the cabinet. One

TOKYO -- Japanese health and beauty group Shiseido said Thursday it will sell three high-end U.S. cosmetics brands to American private equity firm Advent International for $700 million.

All assets belonging to the brands bareMinerals, Buxom and Laura Mercier will be transferred to Advent by the end of the year. This sale marks a major milestone in Shiseido's restructuring push to jettison acquired brands mired in the red and focus resources on the growing skin care business.

Shiseido bought bareMinerals and Buxom in 20

BEIJING -- China's response to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has been a mix of offers of engagement with tacit pressure as it seeks to play a role in economic development and tamp down potential instability on Beijing's doorstep.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed that Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu has had contact with the Taliban, and asserted that Beijing is ready to "play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction."

While China has not formally recognized the

TAIPEI -- Taiwan will hand out stimulus coupons to consumers again this year, boosting the amount to 5,000 New Taiwan dollars ($179) and encouraging dining and lodging now that the island has eased COVID-19 restrictions.

Taipei will earmark a special budget of about NT$120 billion to fund this year's benefits -- enough to provide one set of vouchers for each of the island's roughly 24 million people. The vouchers, which were announced Thursday

TOKYO -- The currencies of Australia, South Korea and Brazil -- nations reliant on a healthy Chinese economy -- are facing sell-offs in the market as fear of an economic slowdown in China spreads.

"When China sneezes, Australia catches a cold." So says Tokuhiro Wakabayashi, co-branch manager of State Street Bank and Trust's Tokyo branch, commenting on the Australian dollar's sharp depreciation.

The currency touched a roughly nine-month low against the U.S. dollar last week

Benjamin R. Young is Assistant Professor in Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is author of "Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World."

Under President Xi Jinping, China has reemphasized Maoism as a pillar of national identity and revolutionary values.

Reasserting the supremacy of the Chinese Communist Party in all aspects of society, Xi has promoted Maoist-style campaigns of self-criticism and rectification and has built up a Maoist-style personality cult around himself, even

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Congress will not vote this summer on comprehensive legislation to boost American competitiveness against China in semiconductors and other critical technologies, with the House and the Senate struggling to bridge the divide between their proposals.

The Biden administration has been working with legislators on a bipartisan package to support cutting-edge companies and research.

But progress has been slow, and the legislative window has closed for the summer. How soon Congress can enact the legislation will have an impact on America's race with China