Shanghai eased a range of COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday in a step towards returning to normal after a two-month lockdown that confined residents of the megacity to their homes and battered China's economy.The commercial hub of 25 million people was closed down in sections from late March, when the Omicron virus variant fuelled China's worst outbreak since COVID first took hold in 2020.After some rules were gradually relaxed over the past few weeks, authorities on Wednesday bega

For the first time in 33 years, church services to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown will not be held in Hong Kong, erasing one of the last reminders of China's bloody suppression of the 1989 protests.Since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 to snuff out pro-democracy demonstrations, once-packed candlelit vigils have been banned, a Tiananmen museum has been forced to close, and statues have been pulled down.The annual Catholic masses were one of the last ways for

Wang Yi urges Pacific region not to be ‘too anxious’ about China’s aims after failing to agree on a sweeping security deal.

Emily Caffee, a physical therapist and lifelong athlete, cut her primary care provider slack for suggesting an antidepressant when she complained of fatigue, body aches and brain fog in the months after she became sick with COVID-19 in March 2020.“She did a very thorough medical workup, and a lot of the lab values came back ‘normal’,” said Caffee, a 36-year-old Chicago resident. “We didn’t have very much to go off of in those early days.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with leaders and top officials from 10 Pacific Island states Monday, part of a regional diplomatic blitz that has stirred deep Western concern.The virtual summit is expected to discuss leaked proposals for China to radically increase its involvement in the security, economy and politics of the South Pacific.Wang is in the Fijian capital Suva, where he will co-host a virtual meeting with regional foreign ministers – many of whom are also leaders of

Samoa signed a bilateral agreement with China on Saturday, promising "greater collaboration" as Beijing's foreign minister continues a tour of the South Pacific that has sparked concern among Western allies.The deal's details are unclear, coming midway through a Chinese delegation's eight-nation trip – but an earlier leaked draft agreement sent to several Pacific countries outlined plans to expand security and economic engagement.The mission has prompted Western leade

The United Nations (UN) rights envoy on Saturday defended her contentious visit to China, but urged authorities to avoid "arbitrary and indiscriminate" measures in Xinjiang, a region where Beijing is accused of widespread human rights abuses.Michelle Bachelet's remarks were swiftly criticised by activists and NGOs, who accused her of providing Beijing with a major propaganda win.Bachelet's long-planned trip this week has taken her to the far-western Xinjiang region, where

China will hold naval exercises in the South China Sea (SCS) on Saturday, its maritime authority said, after a week of recrimination from Western powers over its military ambitions across the Pacific region.The exercises, set to take place in the sea less than 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) off the coast of south China's Hainan province, come as the United States (US) leads warnings over China's growing military and economic presence in an area spanning from the SCS to the Pacific Islan

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Pro-Russian Forces Claim Key Eastern Town Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine say they have captured Lyman, a strategic town between the city of Severodonetsk and the eastern administrative centre of Kramatorsk, which remain under Kyiv's control.The pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region say they have "liberated and taken full control of 220 settlements, including Krasny Liman", using an old n

Decades after fleeing the Philippines with bags and boxes stuffed with jewels, gold and cash, former first lady Imelda Marcos has achieved her ultimate ambition: her son winning the presidency.The frail but flamboyant 92-year-old matriarch has been the driving force in the family's comeback from exile to the peak of power in the 9 May polls.President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos has described his mother as "the supreme politician in the family", one who wields a