Philippine defence chief says China talks ‘not possible’ as anti-spy laws loom

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr speaks to the media after a signing ceremony in Ottawa, Canada, last month. Photo: The Canadian Press/AP

For a man sanctioned by Beijing, barred from visiting China and accused of damaging bilateral ties, Gilberto Teodoro Jnr sounded remarkably composed.
Composed, that is, until the conversation turned to the South China Sea – the very subject that landed him in hot water in the first place.
In an interview this week, the Philippines ’ defence chief said that Manila would keep only limited military communication channels open with Beijing, while ruling out broader engagement
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Typhoon Bavi: flights and trains cancelled as China steps up emergency preparations

Boats take shelter at a port in Xiamen, southeast China as Typhoon Bavi approaches. Photo: Xinhua

Authorities across eastern China have stepped up their emergency preparations and cancelled hundreds of flights as Typhoon Bavi , the ninth storm of the season, intensified overnight and barrelled towards the coast on Saturday.

The storm is forecast to make landfall between Taizhou in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province in the early hours of Sunday, packing winds of up to 45 metres


Russia’s diesel export ban deals fresh blow to strained energy market

Russia’s decision to ban diesel exports this week has roiled global energy markets, exacerbating shortages of the industrial fuel and sending prices soaring, even in countries that no longer buy the fuel from Moscow.

Diesel accounts for the largest share of global oil consumption and soaring prices can ripple through the global economy given its wide range ‌of uses, from industrial machinery and farm equipment to heavy transport and electricity generation.

Supply has remained tight for years due to strong post-pandemic demand and output reductions that accompanied refinery closures in


How Hong Kong can lead in longevity medicine as silver economy grows

Illustration: Craig Stephens

Charles Ng is a medical doctor who holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

A profound demographic and economic shift is sweeping through Asia, quietly rewriting the rules of national development. The traditional paradigm of treating population ageing as a passive fiscal burden is being dismantled as Beijing makes the “silver economy” and proactive ageing strategies the pillars of national security and economic growth.

China’s population aged 60 and above reached 32

Filipino workers in Hong Kong ‘recruited as surrogates for Central Asian couples’

Consulate investigates alleged human trafficking cases, warns that women have been recruited through social media posts by former helpers

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The Hong Kong government’s policy is neither to oppose nor actively encourage the use of surrogacy arrangements, the Health Bureau says. Photo: Getty Images
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Malaysia’s Johor votes as government allies turn on each other

Voters wait to cast their ballots inside a polling centre in Puteri Wangsa, Johor, on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Iman Muttaqin Yusof , Ushar Daniele and Vincent Tan

Red, blue and yellow flags crowded the roads into Johor Bahru before dawn on Saturday, lashed to lamp posts, flyovers and roadside trees after a campaign in which Malaysia ’s governing allies spent two weeks trying to cut each other down.

The campaign ended at 11.59pm on Friday, silencing the

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China woman graduates from Tsinghua University 17 years after childhood photo there with dad

A young woman from southeastern China who once posed with her father outside Tsinghua University as a child has fulfilled a long-held dream by graduating from the elite Beijing institution.

Wu Han, from Guangdong province, recently drew widespread attention on mainland social media after sharing two photos taken 17 years apart. In June, she received a master’s degree from Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design.

Widely regarded as one of mainland China’s most prestigious universities, the 115-year-old

Wu first visited Tsinghua with her father during a trip to Beijing in 2009, when she was nine. Photo: Handout

As Typhoon Bavi nears, Chinese bloggers warned amateur AI forecasts may be illegal

Fishing boats in east China’s Jiangsu province are moored on Friday in preparation for Typhoon Bavi, which is predicted to hit the region this weekend. Photo: AFP

As residents of eastern China brace for Typhoon Bavi to make landfall, bloggers have turned to AI weather models to post forecasts on social media, prompting criticism from state media, which warned that the amateur predictions could fall foul of the law.
State broadcaster China Media Group reported on Thursday that some bloggers claiming to be “weather enthusiasts” were issuing forecasts using data from various open-source artificial intelligence weather models .

Some have even begun offering predictions


Southeast Asia’s scammers’ new disguise: your leader’s face

Illustration: Kevin Wong

The victim had received a WhatsApp message purporting to be from the secretary to the cabinet, inviting him to a private meeting.

What followed was not some doctored photo or a 15-second clip designed to fool a distracted doomscroll. It was an entire fabricated summit, complete with assembled officials including Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam , cabinet minister Indranee Rajah and foreign dignitaries, all rendered convincingly enough to believe they were discussing funding tied to the Strait
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China accuses US of ignoring Trump, Xi rapport and targeting Chinese firms

Beijing claims US misused its power by blacklisting more than 60 Chinese companies after goodwill generated at Trump-Xi summit in May

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump enjoy a friendly exchange after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Photo: AFP

China on Friday accused the United States of misusing its national power by blacklisting more than 60 Chinese companies, alleging that Washington has “disregarded the consensus” reached between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader