Axing of Maki Otsuki performance in Shanghai the latest in spate of cancelled cultural events involving Asia’s two biggest economies
Japanese “One Piece” singer Maki Otsuki was forced to halt her performance on stage in Shanghai, her management said, one of the latest events hit by a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing.
Otsuki, known for the theme song of the popular anime, had been slated to perform for two days from Friday at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 in the Chinese...

The US hasn’t just left Ukraine vulnerable; it is also provoking Xi’s intensifying attitude towards what he considers a renegade province
Sheer ignorance, fed by malign intent, historical prejudice and mutual misunderstanding, is often the crucial spark that ignites simmering international conflicts. If Adolf Hitler, remarkably ignorant of the US, had grasped the true extent of American industrial might, would he still have fatefully declared war on Washington in 1941?
When the Soviet...

Police on Saturday detained one person who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding accountability
Anger over a deadly blaze at a high-rise apartment complex simmered on Sunday as Beijing warned against attempts to use the disaster to disrupt the city, while people across the financial hub continued to mourn for the .
Police on Saturday detained one person who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding government accountability, an independent probe into...

At least 128 people have died and hundreds remain unaccounted for following the fire which engulfed several tower blocks.

The Leapmotor B05 electric hatchback has launched in China with a price that seems almost impossible by American standards. The entry-level 515 Plus trim starts at just $13,100 during the early-bird ...

Democratic safeguards won’t work unless they’re backed by the will of the people, argues Peter Loschi, while Roger Heppleston calls for wholesale reform of the British political system. Plus letters from Rob Hunter, Peter Buckman and Dr Piers Brendon
Timothy Garton Ash has produced an excellent list of safeguards against extremism (). Unfortunately, they don’t work in the long term. The finest minds of the Enlightenment devised the checks and balances of the US constitution, and an...

Authorities say 89 bodies are unidentified and 79 people remain injured after Wednesday's blaze.

About 200 people still unaccounted for, say officials, as fire chief confirms no alarms went off in any of the eight towers


The death toll from the Hong Kong apartment complex fire that began on Wednesday has risen to 128 with as many as 200 missing, officials have said, as rescue operations were declared over.
Firefighters had been combing through the high-rises on Friday, attempting to find anyone alive after the massive fire that spread to seven of eight towers in .

Volunteers that emerged during the pro-democracy protests regroup to help those affected by the blaze
Hong Kong’s grassroots community groups have sprung into action to help coordinate and deliver aid to the survivors of the Wang Fuk Court fire, a that is confirmed to have killed at least 128 people, with hundreds still missing.
Restaurants, churches and gyms in the Tai Po area, where the Wang Fuk Court housing estate is located, have been turned into temporary shelters for people in...

The Monkey King, a rebellious 16th-century Chinese superhero, is finally breaking into the U.S. through Netflix films, blockbuster video games, and a sold-out San Francisco Opera production.