Day: June 4, 2025

Bangladesh’s Yunus resists calls for early poll as revolution fervour fades

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Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus has vowed to stay in power until as late as mid-2026, despite growing political turmoil and calls from opponents and parts of the military to hold a vote and hand reins to an elected government sooner.  The Nobel laureate, who heads an interim government named after last year’s overthrow of Sheikh Hasina in a student-led revolt, also brushed aside concerns voiced by rights groups over a recent ban on her party’s political activities and arrests of people linked to the old regime. “We promise that this election…

Chinese study reveals how birds beat dinosaurs in conquering the sky

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Dinosaur feathers found trapped in Burmese amber have shed new light on the evolution of flight feathers, an essential step that allowed early birds to surpass their dinosaur relatives in conquering the skies, a Chinese study has found. Advertisement Through a detailed structural study of feathers dating back 99 million years to the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years), the researchers were able to gain insight into how feathers evolved during this era. “Feathers are critical for the flight of birds,” the team led by researchers from the Chinese…

Douyin users in Hong Kong swell to 40% of city’s population: report

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Chinese short video platform Douyin now counts about 40 per cent of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents as users, about five years after social media giant ByteDance suspended the operation of hit global app TikTok in the city. Advertisement The number of monthly active users (MAUs) of Douyin in Hong Kong has already surpassed 3 million, according to a report on Tuesday by Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Metropolitan Daily. That marked a nearly 150 per cent MAU growth from the end of 2022. Beijing-based ByteDance did not immediately respond to a…

FirstFT: Apple and Alibaba’s AI rollout in China hit by delay

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This article is an on-site version of our FirstFT newsletter. Subscribers can sign up to our Asia, Europe/Africa or Americas edition to get the newsletter delivered every weekday morning. Explore all of our newsletters here Good morning and welcome to FirstFT Asia. In today’s newsletter: Apple’s AI rollout in China held up by Beijing South Korea’s new president takes charge Shareholders lambast $33bn take-private of Toyota subsidiary Apple’s rollout of artificial intelligence services in China with Alibaba is being held up by a Beijing regulator, as the tech partnership becomes…

Is China’s promise of a new world order a self-serving power play?

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As China has found itself in the midst of a rapidly escalating trade war with the United States after President Donald Trump launched global tariff measures, Beijing launched a sweeping outreach strategy intended to strengthen ties with Russian and Southeast Asian trade partners while also welcoming Latin American and European stakeholders. Advertisement The multifront diplomatic charm offensive has had at its core one clear message: a shift to a multipolar world is accelerating, and Beijing is ready to work with partners to defend the “rules-based, UN-centred” international system that has…

North Korean warship that tipped over during launch is upright again

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Read about this topic in Korean. A North Korean warship that tipped over during its launch ceremony as the supreme leader looked on appears to have been righted, satellite imagery shows. The U.S.-based website 38 North, which specializes in North Korea, said that imagery taken on Monday showed the 5,000-ton naval destroyer now standing upright at a shipyard in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. The warship fell sideways into the sea during its launch at the shipyard on May 21, stoking the anger of leader Kim Jong Un, who…

EU pushes China to address ‘alarming’ rare earth export controls

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The EU has urged China to stop restricting the export of rare earth minerals and magnets, with the bloc’s trade chief saying its industries are in an “alarming situation”. Advertisement The request was made during a meeting between the sides’ top commerce officials in Paris on Tuesday. It comes as sectors across Europe raise the alarm about a shortage of rare earths, which are used to manufacture hi-tech goods ranging from electric cars and smartphones to military tanks and aircraft. “I informed my Chinese counterpart about the alarming situation in…

Tiananmen Mothers face blackout as China tries to silence memory of June 4 crackdown

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On the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, families of victims held an annual memorial at a Beijing cemetery even as authorities left them incommunicado amid a tightening grip by China on commemorations of the 1989 crackdown against pro-democracy protesters. For the first time, authorities banned the members of the Tiananmen Mothers group from carrying mobile phones and cameras as they gathered at the Wan’an cemetery, severing their contact with the outside world. But the elderly mothers still laid flowers for their loved ones who were killed in the June…

Thailand resists Cambodia push to take border dispute to UN court

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Read reporting on this topic in Khmer. Thailand is resisting Cambodia’s push to bring their border dispute to the U.N. International Court of Justice after a firefight last week that killed one Cambodian soldier, raising tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors. In a press statement Wednesday, the Thai government said its troops had acted in self-defense during a routine patrol in an area under Thai sovereignty. About Cambodia’s proposal “to resort to a judicial mechanism or a third party,” Thailand stressed that it is “ready to engage in negotiations with…

The thorny path for South Korea’s new president

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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world South Korea’s presidential election this week was an affirmation of democracy in a country that just six months ago was rocked by conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law. The clear victory for Lee Jae-myung of the leftwing Democratic party repudiated Yoon’s martial law bid and the failure of the ousted president’s People Power party to wholeheartedly condemn it. The result offers the hope of…