A Singapore fitness instructor linked to former acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs Faishal Ibrahim’s resignation has denied rumours that she was the woman with whom he had inappropriate interactions. Rasidah Caudal told This Week in Asia on Monday that she had filed a complaint with Singapore’s Online Safety Commission, which helps people deal with online harms such as doxxing and harassment, and intended to lodge a police report. Faishal, 58, resigned last Monday from the cabinet, as...

Five young Pallas’s cats, dubbed the world’s grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday. Kobe Animal Kingdom put the four males and one female, all born in May at the facility, on public viewing last week. The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia. They are not commonly displayed at zoos as they are relatively more sensitive to infections, the Kobe zoo said...

Hong Kong exports rose 53.4 per cent year on year in June, their sharpest increase in 42 years, to a record HK$641.1 billion (US$81.7 billion) on strong overseas demand for AI-related products. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Monday showed that the total value of exports climbed to HK$641.1 billion last month, after a 40.8 per cent surge in May. The last time exports rose more than 50 per cent in a month was in March 1987. A government spokesman said the...

Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) received seven tender submissions for a major waterfront residential redevelopment project in Hung Hom, drawing bids from some of the city’s largest developers despite a subdued land market. The authority said on Monday that seven developers submitted tenders for the project before the noon deadline. A tender review panel under the URA board will assess the bids before making recommendations, with the board to decide on the successful...

A Hong Kong court will rule in September on the alleged illegal firing of a former Wall Street Journal reporter, who was dismissed shortly after she took up a leadership role at a press union. Selina Cheng at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Selina Cheng initiated a private prosecution against Dow Jones Publishing, the parent company of her former employer WSJ, for her alleged unlawful dismissal in July 2024, after she was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). The court heard closing submissions on Monday as the trial entered its 12th day at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts. Both parties argued over whether either Cheng’s then-supervisor at WSJ, or a human resources director at Dow Jones, represented the company. The court previously heard that Deborah Ball, WSJ’s Asia editor and Cheng’s supervisor at the time, told Cheng that her intention to stand for office at the HKJA was “not compatible” with her employment with the newspaper. Kerene Ko, a human resources director at Dow Jones at the time, later informed Cheng by email that she “did not seek, and will not receive the company’s approval to pursue this role [HKJA’s chair],” the court had heard. Senior Counsel Nigel Kat, representing Cheng, said on Monday that an employee enjoys “far-reaching protection” from the city’s Employment Ordinance, which prohibits employers from preventing, deterring, or firing a worker for union activities. Both Ball and Ko were “duly authorised” by Dow Jones and acted on behalf of the company, Kat told the court. Wall Street Journal Corporate Headquarters in New York. File photo: John Wisniewski, via Flickr CC2.0. Senior Counsel Benson Tsoi, representing Dow Jones, argued that the prosecution had not proven that Ball and Ko were indeed instructed by the “directing mind and will” of the company in their communications with Cheng. “If anything has been proven in this case, it would be against the individuals,” Tsoi told the court. The prosecution failed to prove the company did commit the offence, he added. Principal Magistrate David Cheung adjourned the case until September 10 for a verdict. The court previously heard that Cheng, who covered the Chinese electric vehicle industry, was fired in July 2024 on the grounds of redundancy, as the WSJ relocated its centre of reporting in Asia from Hong Kong to Singapore. Gordon Fairclough, the WSJ’s world coverage chief, flew to Hong Kong to inform Cheng of her termination in person. Cheng accused Dow Jones of one count of “doing an act calculated to prevent or deter” her becoming a HKJA officer, and a second charge of terminating her employment over her union participation, under the city’s Employment Ordinance. Under the ordinance, an employer could be fined up to HK$100,000 for each of the offence if found guilty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart on Monday that he supports the country in “opposing external interference”, Beijing’s state media said, reporting a call between the leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during a visit to Brazil in November 2024. File photo: Presidência da República do Brasil, via Facebook. The conversation between Xi and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva comes less than three months before a tense election in Brazil pitting the incumbent against right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro. “China highly values Brazil’s international status and important influence,” Xi told Lula, according to state news agency Xinhua. Beijing “supports Brazil in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence, opposing external interference, and contributing to maintaining regional and world peace and stability”, Xi added. According to a statement from the Brazilian presidency, Lula and Xi also “agreed on the importance of speeding up negotiations for a Mercosur-China agreement”, referring to a regional trading bloc. During the call, which lasted “more than one hour”, Lula said he was “committed to diversifying markets and trade partners”, amid tariff pressure on Brazil from the United States, its second-largest trading partner. Washington imposed two rounds of tariffs this month on various Brazilian products, after an initial major tariff hike in 2025 as retaliation for a coup-plot trial that sent former president Jair Bolsonaro to prison. Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the G20 Summit in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, in November 2024. Photo: G20 Brasil, via Flickr. Lula has denounced Washington’s tariff pressure as an attempt to exert political influence in an election year. In another recent development, Brazil denied visas for two officials from the United States who sought to meet this week with election authorities in Brasilia ahead of the October vote, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday. Flavio Bolsonaro — son of the former president and a current senator — has recently renewed unfounded claims that the country’s voting system is insecure, while US President Donald Trump continues to make false claims about American elections. The Brazilian statement on the call between Lula and Xi did not mention whether the issue of “external interference”, mentioned by Xinhua, was raised.

China to legislate on preschool education

China to legislate on preschool education

The company's shares soared by 470% in its market debut, as the AI boom drives chip demand.

The announcement comes as the fast fashion giant prepares for its stock market debut in Hong Kong.

The 'singularity' refers to the point at which AI outpaces human intelligence and becomes difficult to control.

FIFA faced criticism over several issues during the tournament, including a debate over US visa restrictions for teams.