Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the two countries should deepen cooperation “in all sectors”.

The remark was a strong indication that New Delhi would not cut back on crude oil imports from Russia despite pressure from the US.

Modi also expressed strong enthusiasm for welcoming Putin to India, in a subtle rebuke of US President Donald Trump. As they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Modi...

Israel pushed tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb as air strikes killed at least 31 people on Monday, Palestinian officials and witnesses said.

The reports came as the president of the world’s leading genocide scholars’ association said it had passed a resolution stating the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

There was no immediate response from Israel on the accounts of the Gaza City offensive or on...

A charity has called for an exemption to the live-in rule for domestic helpers who give birth in Hong Kong, saying newborns can be separated from their mothers because of the requirement.

A report released on Monday by the charity Pathfinders also called for the implementation of training and guidelines for employers to prevent maternity-related issues. The group supports migrant mothers and their children and handles about 16 pregnant clients a month.

“The reality is, if a pregnancy happens,...

Shares of Cambricon Technologies on Monday closed lower on the Shanghai Stock Exchange after a representative of Alibaba Group Holding denied speculation that it had ordered 150,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) from the Beijing-based AI chip designer.

According to the representative, the platform of Alibaba Cloud – the artificial intelligence and cloud computing services unit of e-commerce giant Alibaba – was powered by multiple Chinese-designed GPUs. Alibaba owns the South China Morning...

Chinese exporters appear to hold significant bargaining power in their trade with the United States, according to an estimate from one of Beijing’s top investment banks, carrying 9 per cent of the cost burden created by the tariffs US President Donald Trump levied earlier this year.

The findings from China International Capital Corporation (CICC) run contrary to earlier claims by US officials – including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – that Washington has been on the winning side of the...

Western media outlets and think tanks have warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential threat to democracy. The early internet and digital communication tools helped disperse political power and strengthen public participation. But today’s advanced algorithms and data-driven systems are often seen as doing the opposite: centralising influence rather than fostering openness.

Another common fear is that AI-generated texts, images and voices could be weaponised to manipulate...

A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said on Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident.

The European Commission said Bulgarian authorities suspected the disruption “was due to blatant interference” from Moscow, but it was not clear if the chartered flight was deliberately targeted.

“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press...

Crime drama Countdown on Amazon Prime Video has drawn criticism for its perceived inaccurate portrayal of Singapore and its citizens in an episode last month.

In the 47-minute show, two American detectives question “Singaporean” Kieran Teo, played by American actor Brian Yang, at his office in Los Angeles after a murder takes place on company property.

The fictional company is called Beruang Holdings, with the characters revealing it is 60 per cent owned by Singapore’s ruling People’s Action...

Hong Kong authorities have invested HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) in developing water pipe robots, modelled after endoscopes, to navigate the city’s complex urban infrastructure and detect leaks, addressing risks posed by an ageing network.

The Water Supplies Department announced on Monday the opening of the Pipeline Robots Joint Laboratory, a collaboration with Polytechnic University and mainland Chinese robotics company Shenzhen Bwell Technology.

Under the two-year collaboration, researchers...

Taiwan has injected new blood from a younger generation into its security team as it seeks to tackle growing threats from Beijing and navigate US President Donald Trump’s transactional approach to policy.

The office of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te announced on Monday that its spokesman Lii Wen and Taipei City councillor Chao Yi-hsiang had been appointed deputy secretaries general of the National Security Council (NSC) with immediate effect. The two men, both in their thirties, replaced...