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South Korea charges former US diplomat with defaming Lee Jae Myung

Morse Tan, a former US ambassador-at-large, is accused of spreading false allegations about the president in Washington last year The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office reportedly indicted Tan without detention on Thursday on multiple defamation charges. Police had initially launched an investigation after receiving a criminal complaint from a civic group, but later closed the case in April without referring it to prosecutors, ruling that jurisdiction did not apply given that Tan was a foreign national and the statements were made in the US. However, prosecutors requested that the investigation be reopened, arguing that local authorities have jurisdiction since the alleged victim, President Lee, lives in South Korea.

July 23, 2026

Business

China fires up powerful particle accelerator to unlock secrets of atoms

Facility in country’s south will help scientists answer some of the biggest questions in nuclear physics, according to its chief designer China has brought online a record-breaking particle accelerator that can produce the world’s most intense beams of charged atoms. It gives scientists a new tool to create previously unknown atomic nuclei and advance research on cancer treatment and spacecraft materials. Scientific operations have now begun at the 2.6 billion yuan (US$384.1 million) facility in Huizhou, Guangdong province after construction was completed on Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua reported. Known as the High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility – or HIAF – it was developed over 16 years by researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics in Lanzhou, Gansu and their collaborators. The machine can pack up to eight times as many atoms into each pulse as the previous world record, held by a German particle accelerator in Darmstadt. Unlike most comparable facilities in operation – including the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams in the United States – HIAF combines a 100-metre-long linear accelerator, a 570-metre-circumference circular accelerator and storage rings into a single complex.

July 23, 2026

Business

Monkey business on Hong Kong MTR tracks slows rush-hour trains

Trains ran at reduced speeds for about an hour before the animal left on its own A monkey disrupted peak-hour train services in Hong Kong for nearly an hour on Thursday morning after straying onto the tracks near a busy MTR station. Rail operator MTR Corporation said an animal had made its way onto the tracks near Kowloon Bay station, prompting Kwun Tong line trains to run at reduced speeds. While train frequency was unaffected, overall journey times increased by five to eight minutes. Passengers were advised to allow extra travel time. Police said they received a report at 6.45am and later confirmed the animal was a monkey. It was also spotted on the Kwun Tong-bound platform at the station. At 7.35am, MTR said the incident had ended after the monkey left on its own, with services gradually returning to normal. It is not the first time animals have disrupted Hong Kong’s rail network.

July 23, 2026

Business

‘No time to be a detective’: medics warn of split-second calls under new end-of-life law

Formal legal framework will empower Hongkongers to specify in advance which life-sustaining treatments they wish to refuse when terminally ill Hong Kong’s new legislation on end-of-life directives could create significant operational challenges, including verifying patients’ wishes in emergencies and affordability barriers for low-income families, according to frontline responders and patient advocates. The warnings come a week before the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance takes effect next Friday. Under the law, a formal legal framework will empower Hongkongers to specify in advance which life-sustaining treatments they wish to refuse when terminally ill. Sherman Wong Chun-man, chairman of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department Ambulance Officers Association, warned that frontline workers may encounter practical difficulties in implementing the ordinance. He noted that ambulance crews often faced split-second, life-or-death decisions upon arrival at emergency sites, with limited or incomplete information. “Even when the relevant documents are present on site, ambulance personnel must still assess whether they apply based on the patient’s actual clinical condition at that moment,” he said.

July 23, 2026

Business

Iran war: Houthis claim Red Sea attacks on Saudi tankers, raising risk of new chokepoint

The militants say the strikes are part of their military blockade on Saudi Arabia ⁠The Iranian-aligned Houthis on Thursday claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, further raising the risk of a second chokehold on world oil supplies at the Red Sea in coordination with Iran’s attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile the US military said on Wednesday it launched a new round of strikes on Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, marking a 12th successive night of American attacks. The Yemen-based militants, who control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the opposite end of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, said on Monday ‌they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in what some analysts have viewed as a tactical move by Iran to seek leverage in any diplomatic efforts to end the war. Even before the renewed threats to shipping traffic in the Red Sea, Iran’s near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz had stoked inflation around the world, pushing up oil prices and squeezing US petrol consumers at a time when the unpopular war has put Trump’s Republican allies under pressure ahead of congressional elections in November.

July 23, 2026

Business

Chinese investors rush into private funds, pouring US$1.2 trillion into securities

Surge in securities funds drives private fund assets to record for 12th straight month as VC, PE investments in tech rebound China’s private securities investment funds surpassed 8 trillion yuan (US$1.2 trillion) for the first time at the end of June, emerging as the core engine driving the expansion of the country’s entire private fund industry, according to the Asset Management Association of China. Propelled by the huge growth in securities funds, assets under management in the broader private fund industry hit a record 23.66 trillion yuan, the association said. The sector has achieved record-breaking asset levels for 12 consecutive months, and added 1.51 trillion yuan in the first half of 2026. The issuance market also remains active. In June, 2,219 new private funds worth 109.16 billion yuan were registered, and securities products accounted for more than 60 per cent of this volume, the association’s data showed. Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) showed increased activity across fundraising, investment and exits in the primary market, according to a report from data provider CVSource.

July 23, 2026

Business

South Korea’s top conservative ‘a wounded lame duck’ after guilty verdict

A campaign finance conviction threatens to end Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s presidential ambitions, just weeks after winning a fifth term A South Korean court’s conviction of Seoul’s mayor for illegal polling payments threatens to put an end to his presidential ambitions just weeks after he won a historic fifth term. Under South Korean law, any elected official fined more than 1 million won for violating the Political Funds Act forfeits their office and faces a five-year election ban once the ruling is finalised on appeal. Should the Supreme Court uphold Wednesday’s verdict, Oh would be stripped of his position as Seoul’s mayor and forfeit any hope of winning a seat in the 2028 National Assembly elections or entering the next presidential race in 2030.

July 23, 2026

Business

Cuban healthcare workers deployed around Latin America feel the strain

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. For decades, Cuban doctors and medical professionals have been deployed across Latin America and around the globe, to bring much needed healthcare to poor and underserved communities. Cuba’s healthcare system has been a model for the region and its medical diplomacy a key component of soft power, but also hard currency. Now U.S. sanctions are making it more difficult for many countries to continue receiving aid from Cuban caregivers, even when they have helped hundreds of thousands of patients.

July 22, 2026

Business

Brazil and China strengthen trade ties as US raises tariffs

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. New U.S. tariffs on thousands of Brazilian imports have now taken effect, marking a new escalation in the trade dispute between Washington and Brasília. As both governments weigh their next moves, the fallout is already extending beyond trade.

July 22, 2026

Business

BYD surpasses 100,000 cars made in Brazil factory

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. Chinese carmaker BYD has announced a significant milestone in its overseas operations: 100,000 cars produced at its factory in Bahia, Brazil - the largest Chinese car plant outside China. But the company that leads Brazil's electric vehicle market is no longer alone. A wave of Chinese carmakers is arriving, and many are building factories of their own. CGTN's Paulo Cabral has this report.

July 22, 2026

Business

Dr Congo to enforce local ownership rule for mining companies

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. Trucks loaded with copper prepared to leave the Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the world's largest copper and cobalt mines in Tenke, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 17, 2023. /CFP The Democratic Republic of the Congo will begin enforcing a long-delayed law requiring mining companies to transfer part of their ownership to Congolese nationals from July 31, the government said. This is despite concerns from major copper and cobalt producers over its impact on the sector. The 2018 mining code requires companies to allocate 10% of their equity to Congolese nationals, including 5% for employees. However, no mining company has complied, citing uncertainty over how the measure would be implemented. The mines ministry said the July 31 deadline remains in place following talks with mining companies. Companies were previously warned they could face sanctions if they fail to comply, although the government has not specified what those penalties would be.

July 22, 2026

Business

Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridge or power plant after Hormuz attacks

Warning comes as US expands air strikes, Iran targets Jordan and Houthis threaten shipping near another vital trade route US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Tehran attacks a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating Washington’s response as the conflict spread across the region and placed another major shipping route at risk. “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump wrote in a social media post. The warning revived his earlier threat to retaliate against Iranian attacks by striking infrastructure and came after an 11th consecutive night of US air strikes on the country. The US Central Command said its latest operations targeted Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and logistics infrastructure, as Washington sought to weaken Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strait.

July 22, 2026