China's ambitions to be a global sporting hub took a heavy blow as the postponement of this year's Asian Games further isolated a country already cut off by its hard-line zero-COVID strategy.The ruling Communist Party burnished its global image with an array of dazzling spectacles such as Beijing's 2008 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympics, tennis and golf tournaments featuring all the world's leading stars, and a showpiece annual Formula One grand prix.The country also wants t

The European Union (EU), the United States (US) and more than two dozen other countries vowed Friday to shore up global food security in a joint statement to the World Trade Organization (WTO).Voicing alarm at the "global effects on food security" triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they stressed "the urgency and importance of maintaining open and predictable agricultural markets and trade".That would "ensure the continued flow of food, as well as products

From quoting the national anthem to referencing Hollywood blockbusters and George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984", Chinese web users are using creative methods to dodge censorship and voice discontent over COVID measures.China maintains a tight grip over the internet, with legions of censors scrubbing out posts that cast the Communist Party's policies in a negative light.The censorship machine is now in overdrive to defend Beijing's stringent zero-COVID policy as the

China sent 18 warplanes, including fighters and bombers, into Taiwan’s air defence zone, prompting the island’s air force to scramble jets in response to the second-largest incursion so far this year.Taipei’s defence ministry said the Chinese aircraft crossed into the island’s air defence zone on Friday, forcing the scrambling of Taiwanese aircraft and the deployment of air defence missile systems to track the Chinese planes. Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its own territory, ha

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Russian Fire Overshadows Evacuation Ukrainian troops defending the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol accuse Russian forces of firing during a civilian evacuation, despite a Moscow-imposed ceasefire."A car was hit by Russians who used an anti-tank guided weapon," the Azov battalion, which has been leading the defence, says on Telegram.

Leni Robredo was a neophyte congresswoman in 2016 when she came from behind to narrowly beat Ferdinand Marcos Junior for Philippines vice president.

Since abandoning all COVID safety measures and relying on the government’s “Living with COVID-19” strategy, the United Kingdom (UK) has seen a surge in the number of people becoming infected with the virus. Although numbers are coming down now, they remain at relatively high levels.This new wave is thought to be driven by the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron as well as waning protection from vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic killed around 15 million people worldwide in 2020 and 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated Thursday – nearly triple the number of deaths officially attributed to the disease.The WHO’s long-awaited estimate of the total number of deaths caused by the pandemic – including lives lost to its knock-on effects – finally puts a number on the broader impact of the crisis.The figures give a more realistic picture of the worst pandemic in a century, which has, accor

The streets of Beijing's business district were deserted on Thursday as the government called for people to return to work remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by coronavirus curbs.Chinese authorities have stuck to their zero-COVID policy of lockdowns and mass testing as they battle the biggest outbreak since the early days of the pandemic, with entire neighbourhoods in the capital sealed over handfuls of infections.Beijing reported 50 local cases

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose dictator father and namesake presided over massive plunder and human rights abuses in the Philippines, is on the verge of winning the presidency after a decades-long effort to revive the family brand.Voter surveys show Marcos Jr, known by his nickname "Bongbong", heading towards a landslide victory in the 9 May polls, boosted by a well-funded social media campaign that critics say has tried to rewrite history.In the 36 years since a popular uprising topple