Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu, everyone now wants to go nuclear
Business

Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu, everyone now wants to go nuclear

After waging a war on the pretext of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have ignited a new arms race And, talking about extermination, what Israel has been doing in Gaza and southern Lebanon speaks for itself. People have long been used to Netanyahu crying wolf with his unrelenting but specious warnings about Iran’s nuclear programme for almost as long as he has been in office. Now, perhaps due to the sheer criminality and brutality of the joint Israeli-American war, even some Western media outlets have become, if not sympathetic, at least less critical of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran. Others are warning of a new round of nuclear proliferation among so-called middle powers. “Iran didn’t have a nuclear weapon before this war. But you can see why it would develop one now,” reads a headline by Guardian columnist Simon Tisdall. “If lawless aggression by ‘might is right’ nuclear-armed powers spreads unchecked, what other option do middle-ranking countries have?”

Traffic hit as truck catches fire in tunnel of Hong Kong’s mega bridge
Business

Traffic hit as truck catches fire in tunnel of Hong Kong’s mega bridge

Truck catches fire in undersea section of 55km cross-border link leaving only one lane available to motorists An articulated truck caught fire inside the undersea tunnel of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge forcing the temporary closure of city-bound lanes and disrupting traffic on Tuesday evening. The blaze was reported before 8pm in the tunnel tube of the 55km (34.17 miles) cross-border bridge. Video footage showed flames beneath the cargo truck and thick smoke filling the tunnel. The city’s Transport Department announced soon after that all Hong Kong-bound lanes were closed, leaving only one lane available to motorists. Images posted online showed cars at a standstill on the mainland section of the bridge. Tuesday is one of the designated days under the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme, when motorists do not need to reserve slots to use the bridge, except on public holidays or the day before public holidays. The scheme has drawn large numbers of Hongkongers to mainland China, particularly Zhuhai and Zhongshan, for leisure and entertainment.

Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers
Business

Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers

The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years Japan’s defence minister pledged to deepen military cooperation with the Philippines during a visit Tuesday to Manila, aiming for the “early transfer” of Abukuma-class destroyers to the archipelago nation. The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years, including the signing of a reciprocal access agreement allowing for the deployment of troops on each other’s territory. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit came as a contingent of 1,400 Japanese personnel was taking part for the first time in annual US-Philippine military exercises, and just weeks after Tokyo eased decades-old arms export rules in a major policy shift. Japan’s new arms export rules trigger Chinese warning against ‘moves towards militarism’ Speaking alongside Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, Koizumi – who signed a defence pact with Indonesia a day earlier – said that the two countries would create a working group focused on defence equipment.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi to visit China days ahead of Donald Trump
Business

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi to visit China days ahead of Donald Trump

Foreign Minister Araghchi will arrive on Wednesday and hold talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Beijing has announced Araghchi was set to arrive on Wednesday and hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. The two top diplomats have held multiple rounds of calls since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered the current conflict in late February. Throughout, Wang has consistently called for a ceasefire and the guarantee of freedom of navigation, while reaffirming Beijing’s support for Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security. The trip is the latest in Araghchi’s diplomatic efforts to end the war with the United States and Israel, following recent visits to Russia, Oman and Pakistan to engage high-level officials and seek international support. Three months into the war, global energy markets remain in turmoil as a dual blockade of the critical Strait of Hormuz sends crude oil prices to record highs and tests a fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. Meanwhile, efforts for Washington and Tehran to resume talks remain stalled.

The debate over Mekong ‘control’ misses the point
Economy

The debate over Mekong ‘control’ misses the point

It is a question of whether cooperation can be made to work for the people who depend on it A person harvests river weed, or khai, in the Mekong River along the Thai-Laos border on Feb. 6, 2023 © Reuters Meas Sopheak is a technical adviser at the Cambodia National Mekong Committee. An Pich Hatda is a secretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, and former chief executive officer of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat.

Capsule toys capture overseas visitors in Japan’s latest cultural craze
Economy

Capsule toys capture overseas visitors in Japan’s latest cultural craze

Tourists use last coins at vending machines for a ball with a random miniature A tourist from Thailand shows off the capsule toy she obtained from a vending machine at the Gashapon Bandai Official Shop in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. (Photo by Yuji Murakami) TOKYO -- Insert a coin into a vending machine slot, turn the handle clockwise, and a small toy in a translucent capsule pops out at random. It's a shopping habit that increasing numbers of foreign visitors to Japan are enjoying as capsule toys catch on.

Video game engines find new homes in construction and retail
Economy

Video game engines find new homes in construction and retail

Software repurposed for urban redevelopment planning and designing virtual kimonos General contractor Taisei virtually renders urban redevelopment projects using a game engine. (Taisei) TOKYO -- Software used to create 3D graphics for video games has gained an extra life with long-established companies in the construction and retail industries looking to innovate.

Indonesia’s 5.61% Q1 growth hides weak fundamentals, economists warn
Economy

Indonesia’s 5.61% Q1 growth hides weak fundamentals, economists warn

Seasonal consumption and front-loaded spending drive expansion but pressures remain Millions of Indonesian Muslims traveled to their hometowns for Eid al-Fitr, which fell in late March this year. Increased household spending during the holiday helped the economy grow 5.61% on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2026. © Reuters JAKARTA -- Indonesia's economy posted its fastest growth in almost three years in the first quarter of this year, despite mounting internal and external pressures, but economists cast doubt on the durability of the expansion.

Ni hao, new hire: Africa’s growing Mandarin job boom
Business

Ni hao, new hire: Africa’s growing Mandarin job boom

While Chinese firms have long brought their own translators to the continent, they are now often hiring local linguists The change is partially being driven by the expanding footprint of smaller Chinese companies, which would rather hire locally than bring their own staff from China, and by the increasing role played by African firms in trade. Few of the thousands of Chinese executives, managers and workers who pour into Africa every year are proficient in the languages of their host countries, according to recruiters and analysts. This is true for the most widely spoken official languages like English or French, and is especially the case with indigenous African languages. “There is now a greater need for Chinese language skills than before,” said Heidi Haugen, a professor of China studies at the University of Oslo in Norway. Recent job posts on the networking site LinkedIn reveal continent-wide demand for Mandarin skills in sectors including real estate, mining, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing.

Chasing L5: WeRide CEO sees ‘ChatGPT moment’ in driverless cars within 10 years
Business

Chasing L5: WeRide CEO sees ‘ChatGPT moment’ in driverless cars within 10 years

The global commercial robotaxi fleet was estimated to be 7,000 vehicles in 2025, and is expected to surge to about 6 million by 2035 WeRide boss Tony Han Xu believes the first fully autonomous cars may arrive on streets by 2035, as global carmakers and tech firms accelerate the application of self-driving technologies despite roadblocks. A vehicle capable of full automation is known as Level 5 (L5), according to a set of standards published by SAE International in 2014. Referring to L5 as “Super Drive”, Han, co-founder, chairman and CEO of WeRide, said its reality was not far off. “I think within 10 years, we will achieve ‘Super Drive’,” Han said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. “That means a car can drive anywhere better than a human being.” There are six automation levels, ranging from L0 where the car is completely controlled by a driver, to L5 where a vehicle can operate anytime, anywhere and under any weather without human intervention.

Sea robbery fears stalk Singapore and Malaysia’s busiest waterways
Business

Sea robbery fears stalk Singapore and Malaysia’s busiest waterways

Opportunistic nighttime raids in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are testing security in a vital maritime chokepoint The crew managed to raise the alarm in time and thankfully no one was hurt. But by the time the vessel was searched the intruders were gone, vanished back into the water with a clutch of spare engine parts in tow. The nighttime raid on the Taipan was the latest in a steady drumbeat of low-level robberies along one of the world’s most consequential shipping corridors: a narrow, reef-strewn passage through which an estimated 70 per cent of Asia’s oil imports flow, alongside trillions of dollars in annual cargo. Analysts are careful to stress that the attacks are not signs of a looming security collapse. But they are a symptom of nagging vulnerabilities in a globally important shipping chokepoint.

America builds AI, China uses it. That gap may decide the future
Business

America builds AI, China uses it. That gap may decide the future

The US still leads in AI development but lags in large-scale deployment behind China, which is rapidly becoming the leader in implementation This difference is not primarily about technological capability. It is about implementation. Economists have seen this pattern before. During the electrification of manufacturing, factories that simply replaced steam engines with electric motors saw little productivity improvement. Real gains only came when companies reorganised entire production systems around electricity – a dynamic often associated with economist Robert Solow and later expanded by Erik Brynjolfsson in the context of digital transformation.