Hong Kong bus operators seek fare hikes of up to 17.7% amid Middle East fuel pressure

Hong Kong’s four franchised bus operators have applied for fare hikes of up to 17.7 per cent as they face “significant financial pressure” from soaring…

Why Chinese culture lands so fluently and freely in Vietnam

A recent ISEAS Fulcrum commentary by Hoang Thi Ha and Pham Thi Phuong Thao offers a useful mapping of how Chinese culture and economic opportunity…

Operation Vivaldi: Ukrainian gain on a drone-filled battlefield

Russia’s drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s population and infrastructure continue to dominate coverage of the conflict. But on the ground, Ukraine has been making…

Hong Kong logs 229 taxi driver offences under points system, over half involving refusal of hire

Hong Kong has recorded 229 taxi driver-related offences under a demerit points system that came into effect in 2024, with more than half involving refusal…

They just crossed the crisis line

Now they’re warning of Great Depression

Houthis reframing the narrative casting them as an Iranian proxy

A deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh’s international airport has highlighted how the Yemeni group is reframing its perceived “Iran proxy” role and shifting its regional…

Throttling Ukraine’s Starlink access heightens concerns over Musk

The Ukrainian government on Tuesday night said that its access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet service was throttled, prompting critics to question the wisdom…

Your bunkers won’t save you

Former care home warden jailed 13 years for raping disabled female resident

A former employee at a care home run by local charity Hong Chi Association has been jailed for 13 years for repeatedly raping an intellectually…

India’s ‘Goldilocks’ year curdles on weak rupee, Chinese inputs

TOKYO – Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” campaign has become a global brand. As China’s economy slows and multinationals look to diversify supply chains, the…

Van Gogh work unseen in public for 60 years on show in Hong Kong

Hundreds of people queued on Tuesday outside a Hong Kong gallery to see a Vincent van Gogh painting on public display for the first time…

New China-North Korea bridge to open on Thursday: Chinese state media

A new bridge linking China and North Korea will open this week, Chinese state media reported Wednesday, 12 years after its construction, in another sign…

The slow boiling of Indonesian democracy

The most consequential changes in a democracy do not always arrive with a constitutional crisis. Rather, they come through appointments, legal amendments and seemingly ordinary…

Lam Tin MTR station service suspended during peak hours on 2 consecutive days due to equipment malfunction

The MTR Corporation has suspended services at Lam Tin station during peak hours on two consecutive days due to equipment malfunctions, one of which triggered…

Can AI be conscious? Ask the Indian sages

The debate over artificial intelligence has settled into a familiar rhythm. Will large language models eventually wake up? Do they possess an inner life, or…

Postpone AI public offerings until US Congress acts

Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI models, is preparing what could be the largest initial public offering in history, raising more than $100 billion,…

IMF warns of debt-fueled AI spending as bubble fears grow

The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that the global economy faces serious risks from Big Tech firms taking on massive debt to fund the buildout…

US Navy’s SSN(X) won’t arrive for years as China closes sub gap

As the US Navy lays the groundwork for its next-generation SSN(X) attack submarine to replace its aging fleet, the US’s longstanding undersea supremacy faces an…

After the end of history

As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth winter, the collapse of recent diplomatic initiatives and Washington’s explicit pivot from arming Kyiv to brokering…