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US software company SAS Institute has withdrawn from mainland China and dismissed its local staff, according to a Beijing-based employee affected by the move, as the analytics specialist ended more than two decades of operations amid intense domestic competition and geopolitical tensions.The company on Thursday announced the lay-offs via an email and hosted a short video call, in which executives thanked local employees for their contribution and cited “organisational optimisation” for the exit, according to the employee.“SAS is ceasing direct business operations in China,” an SAS spokeswoman said on Friday in response to the Post’s inquiry. “This decision reflects a…

Japan – with China, North Korea and Russia in mind – plans to test its hypersonic missile-tracking technology in space, after its new HTV-X cargo spacecraft completes a resupply mission at the International Space Station.The spacecraft was launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre on Sunday, carried by an H3 rocket. It arrived at the ISS on Thursday, where it was captured by the station’s robotic arm and docked in.On board is 4.4 tonnes of food and supplies as well as scientific research materials that will be delivered to the ISS.The spacecraft was carried by an H3 rocket and arrived at…

Filipino actress-turned-influencer Heart Evangelista has shared a quote about successful people who do not step on others, as she continues to fend off accusations of her being a “nepo-wife” and is exploring legal options against her critics.The 40-year-old is married to Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who was ousted as senate president in September after being linked to the country’s 545 billion peso (US$9.3 billion) flood-control corruption scandal.Since the scandal erupted in July, those with even tenuous links to it – such as Evangelista – have had their lifestyles scrutinised. The fashion influencer has been defending herself on her favourite medium:…

Gold prices fell in European trading on Friday, resuming losses after a brief rebound the previous day from a three-week low, as the metal once again traded below the $4,000 per ounce mark under pressure from a stronger US dollar across global markets.   The decline came after the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting this week delivered a more hawkish tone than markets had expected, reducing the likelihood of another rate cut in December following two consecutive 25-basis-point reductions.   Despite today’s weakness, gold remains on track to post a third consecutive monthly gain, supported by persistent safe-haven demand amid heightened…

A glass lift being built into one of Bali’s most photographed cliffs has triggered outrage from locals and travellers after viral photos showed construction piercing through the island’s iconic Kelingking Beach – a site often nicknamed the “T-Rex” or “dinosaur” cliff for its striking shape.The 182-metre-high lift and adjoining 64-metre bridge are being built by Chinese developer China Kaishi Group to replace the steep and often treacherous hike down to the beach on Nusa Penida, a small island off Bali’s southeast coast. The project is valued at more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million).But when images of the lift shaft…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has deployed around 170,000 troops in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region where they are trying to capture the stronghold of Pokrovsk in a major push for a battlefield victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.“The situation in Pokrovsk is difficult,” Zelenskyy said, while also rejecting recent Russian claims that the devastated city is surrounded after more than a year of fighting. He acknowledged that some Russian units had infiltrated the city, but insisted that Ukrainian defenders are weeding them out.“There are Russians in Pokrovsk,” Zelenskyy told a media briefing in Kyiv. “They are being destroyed, gradually…

A government plan to spend nearly US$1 million on decorative lights and other cosmetic upgrades in Kuala Lumpur’s famed Bukit Bintang district has drawn fierce backlash, with residents questioning the priorities of city planners as floods and ageing infrastructure continue to plague the Malaysian capital.The Housing and Local Government Ministry on Wednesday unveiled the “I Lite U” initiative – a 4 million ringgit (US$950,000) project to illuminate Bukit Bintang and spruce up its streets ahead of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 tourism campaign.Minister Nga Kor Ming said the goal was to make the entertainment district “no less than Ginza street…

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre will install streetside anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices in the next two months, France’s culture minister said Friday, after facing pressure following the Oct. 19 heist of crown jewels at the museum. The announcement follows a provisional investigation that found a “chronic, structural underestimation” of the risk of theft at the Paris landmark. Culture Minister Rachida Dati has said that alarms worked during the robbery, but acknowledged “security gaps,” refused the resignation of the museum director and cited four failings: underestimated risk, underequipped security, ill-suited governance and “obsolete” protocols. “On public roads, anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices…

India and the United States have renewed a 10-year defence framework, reaffirming their strategic partnership despite simmering tensions over trade and Delhi’s deepening defence ties with Russia.The timing of the signing has put a spotlight on the balancing act required to maintain India–US defence ties, in which Delhi’s pursuit of American weapon systems is complicated by its deepening military dependence on Moscow, according to analysts.The agreement was signed on Friday in Kuala Lumpur by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, who hailed it as a milestone for bilateral military cooperation. They were holding talks on…

Pakistan has invited the US Critical Minerals Forum, funded by the US Government, to present a structured framework for collaboration in the country’s minerals and mining sector, marking a key policy-level opening for US investment and technology transfer as Islamabad seeks to unlock the potential of its critical minerals landscape. The development came during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Robert Louis Strayer II, President of the Critical Minerals Forum (USA), who was accompanied by H.E. Natalie Baker, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States at the Ministry of Finance, on Friday. Senior officials from the Ministry of…