Author: admin

Discussions on the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) are being revived by some of its founders even as questions persist over the political will to implement the ambitious project, with analysts saying the Gaza situation is a key hurdle in hampering progress.Unveiled in 2023, IMEC is positioned as a single economic artery connecting South Asia, the Middle East and Europe through shipping lanes, railways, energy pipelines and high-speed data cables running via the Gulf.Planners for the corridor aim to reduce transit times and costs across the three regions, and counter China’s growing economic footprint through the Belt and Road Initiative.Analysts…

Vaccine expert Hu Haitao, who studied under Drew Weissman, the Nobel laureate and pioneer of mRNA biology, has given up his tenured position at a US research institute and returned to China – a decision that required little explanation in 2025, he said.Even just one year ago, people close to him would have thought it “unbelievable” that he might give up an academic career established over nearly two decades in the United States, Hu told the South China Morning Post.But academic prospects in the US had become more “uncertain and unpredictable” in the past year and “you don’t have to…

Divisive rhetoric and AI-driven misinformation are undermining international cooperation in the wake of the deadly Bondi Beach attack, a leading counterterrorism expert has warned.Adam Hadley, the founder and executive director of Tech Against Terrorism, an advisory organisation supported by the United Nations, said a “dangerous convergence” of interests between hostile states and terrorist groups like Islamic State was being fuelled by populist agendas and commercial interests, with artificial intelligence accelerating the reach of divisive narratives.The warning follows a storm of speculation triggered by last Sunday’s apparently Isis-inspired mass shooting of Australian Jews commemorating Hanukkah in Sydney, which mirrored the aftermath…

LONDON (AP) — Prince William and his eldest son, Prince George, put on aprons to help make Christmas lunch at a homeless shelter, a charity that the Prince of Wales first visited as a child with his mother, the late Princess Diana.The royal father and son were seen decorating a Christmas tree and helping with meal preparations in the kitchen at The Passage in central London, in a video posted to William’s YouTube account on Saturday. “Proud to join volunteers and staff at The Passage in preparing Christmas lunch – this year with another pair of helping hands,” read a…

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of people cheered and danced around Stonehenge as the sun rose over the prehistoric stone circle on Sunday, the winter solstice.The crowds, many in costume, had gathered before dawn, waiting patiently in the dark and cold field in southwest England. Some sang and beat drums, while others took time to reflect among the huge stone pillars.Many make the pilgrimage to the stone circle every summer and winter and consider it a spiritual experience. The ancient monument, erected between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago, was built to align with the movement of the sun on the solstices…

Singapore has long been a proven test bed for international food and beverage chains as a wealthy, brand-savvy market where new entrants can generate instant buzz – and just as quickly disappear for those who fail to cook up a storm.The first part of that pattern was on display this month, with long queues forming outside the first Asia outlet of US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A more than a week after it opened in the city state.The crowds reflect the initial pull of a well-known American brand, but industry analysts say Singapore’s unforgiving dining landscape means early hype is rarely a…

PARIS (AP) — Three men will stand trial next year after a silver steward employed at the official residence of the French president was arrested this week for the theft of items of silverware and table service worth thousands of euros, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The Élysée Palace’s head steward reported the disappearance, with the estimated loss ranging between 15,000 and 40,000 euros (($17,500-$47,000). The Sèvres Manufactory — which supplied most of the furnishings — identified several of the missing items on online auction websites. Questioning of Élysée staff led investigators to suspect one of the silver stewards, whose…

China’s top court has ruled that if an employer fires an employee for sexual harassment it should not have to pay compensation to the dismissed worker – a move lawyers said would make it easier for victims to take action.The ruling was among five cases highlighted by the Supreme People’s Court on Tuesday as examples of “promoting core socialist values” in family relations, the workplace and transport.According to a document released by the court, a man surnamed Wu in the southern province of Guangdong had sued a restaurant that sacked him for sexually harassing a colleague.The restaurant’s employee handbook states…

In Chow Kit, a crowded district of Kuala Lumpur forever caught between progress and prejudice, Amy* moves quietly through narrow alleys – a transgender outreach worker tending to lives the city prefers not to see.Her evenings begin with small rituals: a backpack filled with condoms, test kits and pamphlets; a quick text to let her friends know that she is safe.Then, when she steps out, much of her work happens in passing conversations – careful not to draw too much attention.“The girls know they’re high-risk,” Amy said of the transgender sex workers she visits. “They want to stay healthy. But…

Landlords in Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to continue allocating space to flexible office operators as multinational corporations reshape the sector’s risk profile and fuel long-term demand, according to industry experts.A major driver behind this shift is the rapid change in who uses flexible workspaces. Global companies now represented 41 per cent of Asia-Pacific flex office users, the highest proportion worldwide and nearly triple North America’s 14 per cent, according to Piers Mallitte, head of Workthere APAC at Savills.This marked a departure from the early days of the sector, when operators relied heavily on start-ups and small firms, analysts…