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What Hong Kong cinema can take away from a popular Chinese war film

In late August, I took my parents to see Once Upon a Time in the Middle East in their small-town cinema on the mainland. Built around an unnamed conflict widely understood to be the US-led Iraq war, the film has become the kind of phenomenon no marketing budget could buy, projected to reach 2.5 billion yuan (US$372.5 million) largely through word of mouth. Its Hong Kong and overseas release will revive geopolitical arguments over a Chinese commercial film entering a narrative world long...

September 20, 2026

Business

Ed Sheeran calls Gaza situation ‘unjustifiable’ after Macklemore exit furore

The pop star decried the ‘devastation and loss of children’s lives’ in the Palestinian enclave during a solo concert in Philadelphia Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert in Philadelphia on Saturday with comments about Gaza, saying what is happening is “catastrophic and unjustifiable”. “My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” Sheeran said in the night at Lincoln Financial Field. Sheeran also said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. He then addressed the controversy that unfolded since his supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

September 20, 2026

Business

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, honoured with state funeral

Funeral follows a vigil attended by political and business heavyweights paying their respects to the late leader Hong Kong is bidding farewell to its first post-colonial chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, on Sunday at a state funeral – only the third time a Hongkonger has received such an honour since the 1997 handover. Tung, who died at the age of 89 on September 8, led Hong Kong through a series of ups and downs, including the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2003 Sars outbreak and the V-shaped economic recovery that followed. Sunday’s funeral follows a vigil held the previous day at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, which drew dozens of political and business heavyweights paying their respects to the late leader. The state funeral was arranged by an 87-member committee chaired by Shi Taifeng, top vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Communist Party Politburo. Members of the public can pay their respects by signing condolence books at three community halls until noon on Sunday.

September 20, 2026

Business

Why AI giants are choosing Singapore to turn models into real-world tools

The city state is emerging as a regional hub for turning frontier AI models into practical applications The 29-year-old is now part of a fast-growing workforce built in Singapore by the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies. Experts say the city state is emerging as a regional hub – not for training the latest AI models, but for the increasingly crucial task of deploying and adapting them for practical use. Seow told This Week in Asia that the growing presence of global AI firms was opening new doors for local talent. “It also makes roles that combine technical depth, customer engagement and practical implementation more visible,” Seow said. “You don’t necessarily have to follow a purely research or software engineering path to contribute meaningfully to AI.”

September 20, 2026

Business

Trump says he plans to form AI Force, appoint AI ‘Czar’

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. The OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco, California, US, September 16, 2026. /VCG US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is forming an "AI Force" and will announce an "AI Czar" in the near future. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said he would not stand by and let the "decimation or destruction" of AI happen. "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows! However, we will also be looking for BAD, and we can do that, very easily, with our already existing Criminal and Civil Justice System," Trump said. Trump also described AI as the next Industrial Revolution or Internet, and said it could possibly account for as much as 25% of US gross domestic product. Trump did not provide details on the structure of the planned "AI Force" or the role of the "AI Czar." The announcement comes amid growing debate in the United States over the rapid development of AI and its potential risks.

September 20, 2026

Business

Named as an enemy: Indonesia’s uneasy Aukus moment

Aukus inquiry testimony in Australia cast Indonesia as a foe in a hypothetical war, reviving old suspicions Michael Pezzullo, a former deputy secretary of strategy in Australia’s defence department, made the remarks in testimony on September 2 to the Aukus Public Inquiry, an independent, crowdfunded review of the trilateral defence pact. His remarks were first published by media outlet News24 on September 5, then edited and republished two days later by The Strategist, a journal run by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, under the headline “Aukus has put Australia’s submarine effort back on track”.

September 20, 2026

Business

Analysts tip a stronger hand for China ahead of Xi-Trump summit in Washington

Chinese confidence could be boosted by US push to make progress on its war on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, experts say When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the second part of a series, Fan Chen looks at Beijing’s stronger position going into the high-stakes visit. Chinese confidence could be further reinforced by the United States’ latest push to make headway on conflicts in Ukraine and Iran – wars that observers say Washington may need Beijing’s cooperation to help resolve – even if a near-term truce remains unlikely.

September 19, 2026

Business

What China really means when it says it’s being ‘strategic’

Rather than geopolitical manoeuvring or calculation, this diplomatic label aims to convey seriousness, patience and a willingness to work for mutual long-term benefit He called for an objective and rational “strategic” perception. That means the two sides should treat each other as partners rather than rivals, and as opportunities rather than threats. In Chinese official and diplomatic language, the term “strategic” is routinely used to denote matters of high importance, long-term significance and central weight in the nation’s interests and development. When China defines a bilateral relationship as “strategic”, it signals that the relationship is viewed from a high level, beyond immediate disputes or short-term calculations. It implies a willingness to invest sustained political attention and effort, and a belief that the engagement can generate mutual benefits and positive externalities for the wider region or the world.

September 19, 2026

Business

Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital, after flames seen near Riyadh airport

The militants say they targeted ‘sensitive’ sites, along with an Aramco facility in the Red Sea city of Yanbu Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city’s main airport. Saudi Arabia had sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around Riyadh, amid an escalation in attacks by the Houthis in the kingdom. Reuters video and photographs ‌showed a huge pillar of black smoke rising in the area, with the airport highway, main terminal building and other facilities in the foreground. At one point in the video, flames were visible rising from behind what appeared to be fuel tanks. While the Iranian-backed Houthis have launched repeated attacks against Saudi Arabia since July, Saturday’s claim appeared to be their first reported strike on Riyadh since the current escalation began.

September 19, 2026

Business

Trump says he will create ‘AI Force’, name AI tsar

‘We will not in any way hinder or stifle’ the growth of the industry, the US president insisted US President Donald Trump ⁠said in a social media post ⁠on Saturday that he plans to appoint a new artificial intelligence adviser, known as an “AI tsar”, and create an “AI force”, though he did not provide details about either initiative or how they would be implemented. Fears are growing in Washington among lawmakers about the risks posed ‌by AI technology on humans and property. Earlier this month, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said that “people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade”. Trump has repeatedly downplayed concerns about AI and argued that additional regulation is unnecessary. “We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry,” Trump said on social media.

September 19, 2026

Business

White House bars CNN, MS Now and Politico reporters after Trump ban

All three news outlets separately said their teams’ press passes were ‌confiscated on Saturday morning The White House on Saturday denied access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico, following through with US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would ban them from the building’s grounds. All three news outlets separately said their teams’ press passes were ‌confiscated on Saturday morning when their journalists went to the White House. They have signalled that they may contest the ban on the grounds that it conflicts with the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press. A CNN statement on Saturday called the ban “an illegal assault” on its constitutional right to do journalism without interference from the government. In separate statements, MS Now and Politico said they ⁠would “defend our First Amendment rights”.

September 19, 2026

Business

Hong Kong’s political, business elite pay final respects to Tung Chee-hwa

Hong Kong’s political and business elite bade a solemn farewell to Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, at a vigil on Saturday, as Beijing leaders sent wreaths ahead of his state funeral and members of the public streamed into community centres to sign condolence books. Hundreds of wreaths lined the pavement at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, spilling into a nearby playground, while inside the hall the mood was hushed as top officials, former politicians and business...

September 19, 2026