China blasts ‘unfounded smears’ as Trump’s election claims threaten diplomatic thaw

Donald Trump alleges Beijing stole 220 million voter files, in a prime-time speech potentially clouding Xi Jinping’s planned US visit

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Chinese President Xi Jinping takes US counterpart Donald Trump around the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on May 15. Photo: Pool via AP

Dewey Sim and Khushboo Razdan

US President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on China late on Thursday (Washington time), accusing Beijing of interfering in US elections in a move that

UK’s next prime minister Andy Burnham vows to ‘give hope back’ to Britons

Andy Burnham waves as he leaves Labour’s special conference, where he was confirmed as the party’s new leader and the country’s next prime minister, on Friday. Photo: AFP

Andy Burnham vowed Friday to “give hope” back to the British people as he was confirmed as the ruling Labour Party ’s new leader, set to be the next UK prime minister.

“People and places … have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again … We’re going to give them hope back,” he vowed at a special party conference.

“I am for us, for all of us,

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China hints at retaliation after US tightens visa rules for students and journalists

The changes have heightened concerns among Chinese citizens already studying in the US and those planning to do so

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Student visas will now be limited to four years. Photo: TNS

China lashed out on Friday at “discriminatory” new US visa regulations targeting students and journalists among other groups, warning that it reserved the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.

The changes, announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday


To tackle the climate crisis, start small, think big and act at scale

Sitting by the Tanjung Aru beach in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, watching one of the most stunning sunsets in the world, I reflected on what it would take to prioritise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

I had just finished an intense three days with 170 local and global organisations, such as the conservation organisation WWF, businesses, investors and policymakers on how the world should expand the scale of impact investing in the Sustainable Development Goals in Sabah and beyond.

The UN agreed on its 17 Sustainable Development Goals in


Russian activist arrested a day after predicting Putin will end up in handcuffs

World Russia & Central Asia

Ilya Remeslo faces charges of spreading fake news about the Russian army under censorship laws introduced when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine

Ilya Remeslo was a pro-Kremlin activist before he turned on President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Telegram

A Russian activist who spent years targeting opponents of the Kremlin before unexpectedly denouncing President Vladimir Putin and his Ukraine offensive was arrested on Friday, state media reported.
Ilya Remeslo, 42, faces charges of “spreading fakes on the Russian army”, under censorship laws Moscow introduced when it sent troops to
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Cathay Pacific delays Middle East flights as US and Iran trade attacks

Daily passenger flights to Dubai postponed until October 25, and four weekly services to Riyadh delayed to October 26

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A Cathay Pacific Airways plane takes off at Hong Kong International Airport. The carrier also announced it would drop its previous plan to resume freighter services to Riyadh from August 1, without specifying a new resumption date. Photo. Sam Tsang

The airline said on Friday that its daily passenger flights to Dubai would be postponed until October 25, while its four weekly services to Riyadh would be delayed to October 26.

Earlier this month, the airline

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Chemical tanker seized off Yemen coast in suspected Somali pirate hijack

An armed Somali pirate watches the coastline of Hobyo town. Photo: AFP

⁠Armed assailants are believed to have boarded the chemical tanker Asana off the southern coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden on Friday and are in control of the vessel, according to maritime ‌security sources.
Based on initial assessments, the incident appeared to be related to ‌ Somali piracy rather than Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia, one of the maritime security sources said.

The small tanker, which had no confirmed flag, had

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Malaysia can’t block MMC Port chief as state doesn’t meddle in company matters: minister

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is interviewed as DP World chairman and CEO in Hong Kong on October 8, 2024. Photo: Edmond So

Malaysia ’s government could not interfere in the management of companies and only regulates ⁠shareholding structures, its transport ⁠minister said on Friday, following the appointment ⁠of former DP World chief Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem to lead the country’s largest port operator.
Sultan Ahmed, who in February quit his top post at Dubai-based logistics giant DP World amid scrutiny over his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein , has taken ‌charge of Malaysian firm
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China student discovered on video platform shines as heroine in acclaimed film ‘Dear You’

When 'Dear You', a low-budget Teochew-language story of migration became one of China’s biggest films in late spring and early summer, its lead actress Li Sitong, who played Zia Lamgi, became a university graduate and said she wished to continue her acting career.

The film directed by Lan Hongchun tells a story of a young Teochew man travelling to Thailand to search for his estranged grandfather Ten Baksheng, and ending up discovering that he had long been dead and it was his friend, Lamgi,

Following the sweeping success of her cinematic debut, Li is eager to pursue future acting opportunities. Photo: bjnews.com

‘Let them fight’: Chinese social media reacts to Trump’s election interference claims

US leader’s explosive accusations against Beijing prompt mockery, concern and calls for self-reliance from online commenters

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US President Donald Trump has delivered a national address focusing heavily on US election security. Photo: Pool AFP via AP

Jane Cai in Beijing and Phoebe Zhang in Shenzhen

In his speech on Thursday evening Washington time, Trump focused heavily on US election security and made explosive claims about China, accusing Beijing of orchestrating the “largest compromise of election