Macau concludes first closed-door nat. security trial against ex-lawmaker and Tiananmen vigil co-organiser Au Kam San

Macau has concluded its first national security trial behind closed doors, a court said on Friday, days after proceedings began in a former pro-democracy lawmaker’s…

The liberal Zionist dilemma

There is a particular kind of essay that appears every few years, usually after some fresh convulsion in Jerusalem or Gaza, asking whether “liberal Zionism”…

Trump’s Greenland deal is worse than you think

In Pictures: Hong Kong sex work exhibition explores violence and bodily autonomy in an underground industry

Boxes of condoms, AI-generated photos of sex workers, and a computer opened up to a part-time girlfriends website sit inside Heath, an event space in…

They’re banning the truth

Merz faces a leadership challenge without a challenger

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Germany’s CDU is entering a…

They just lost over ugly truth

US lawmakers hold hearing on plight of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, as Hong Kong slams ‘hypocrisy’

Hong Kong authorities have condemned US lawmakers for holding a hearing on jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai and colluding with “anti-China and destabilising elements”…

Advocates call for stronger consent laws as Hong Kong to criminalise persistent child sexual abuse and ‘cyberflashing’

A campaign group has continued to urge the government to impose limits on a defence allowing a sexual assault suspect to claim they mistakenly believed…

AI consciousness shaping into next great societal divide

The debate about AI consciousness is growing, in academic articles, newspaper opinion pieces, and even among AI bots themselves. I doubt this is a passing wave of interest.…

Bank of Japan rate hike exposes cracks in Bessent’s facade

TOKYO – Two words sprang to mind when the Bank of Japan lifted its policy rate to a 31-year high of 1.25% on Friday: Scott…

Australian judge William Gummow dies aged 83 after decade on Hong Kong’s top court

Non-Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (CFA) William Gummow has died aged 83. The Australian judge had served on the city’s…

Ex-AMCHAM head’s release no cause to trust Myanmar’s generals

Freeing an American from Myanmar’s custody is a diplomatic win. Turning that win into a case for trusting the country’s coup-maker, rights-abusing generals, however, would…

Friends, rights groups worry for Chinese #MeToo activist’s life after jail

Rio once joined his friend, jailed Chinese #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin, for weekly group discussions on social issues and shared struggles, and now worries…

Australian Hyrox athlete who soiled herself apologises for continuing Beijing race

An Australian athlete who sparked an outcry when she kept competing despite soiling herself midway through an event in Beijing apologised Friday and forfeited her…

Houthi advance aids Iran but saps rebel support in Yemen

It took just a few days for Houthi forces to seize most of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the shores of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait,…

Planned AI ‘City Brain’ system not meant for surveillance – top Hong Kong official

A planned HK$200 million artificial intelligence (AI) “City Brain” system designed to improve urban management and emergency response is not meant for surveillance, a top…

Now they’re inside your home

Land of Smiles takes anti-Semitic turn as Thai-Israel ties fray

BANGKOK – Authorities exhumed four human corpses on September 16 buried in an illegal “Jewish Cemetery” amid escalating investigations into Israelis allegedly breaking the law…

Watch the level of coercion as Russians vote in wartime elections

Russia’s parliamentary elections will take place on Sept. 18-20, 2026, amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. Given the backdrop of an energy crisis, battlefield failures…