China aims to lead in AI and robotics at Beinjing World Robot Conference
10/08/2025
The race for robot supremacy: Beijing conference highlights China's push for innovation
Asia / Pacific
07/08/2025
'Highest tariffs since Great Depression': In 1930's, trade plummeted and global depression deepened
Americas
07/08/2025
EU faces major export decline amid sluggish growth in key member states
Americas
06/08/2025
Nuclear weapons states no longer respect 'legal commitment to non-proliferation treaty'
Asia / Pacific
06/08/2025
'The memories of the horrors of nuclear war and radiation seem to be lost on today's leaders'
Asia / Pacific
05/08/2025
Japan: Fire during fireworks show forces five men into the sea
Asia / Pacific
05/08/2025
'Contradictions in objectives' of Chinese Studies Dept & what China would like UK schools to project
UK
05/08/2025
East Asia Hit by Record-Breaking Torrential Rains and Mass Evacuations
Asia / Pacific
05/08/2025
New Delhi slams 'unjustified » US threat over Russian oil
Asia / Pacific
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Hong Kong court to hear closing arguments in mogul Jimmy Lai's trial
The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. Lai has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, with Western nations and rights groups calling for his release. Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication" related to 161 op-eds he allegedly wrote. The tycoon gave spirited courtroom testimony over more than 50 days during the trial, fielding questions about his political ideology, management style and overseas contacts. Lai described himself at least twice as a "political prisoner", which drew sharp rebukes from the three-judge panel. Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly rejected criticism related to Lai, saying last month that his case was "handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law". Antoine Bernard of Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday that Lai's treatment "exposes the authorities' ruthless determination to silence and suppress one of the most prominent advocates for press freedom amid Hong Kong's rapidly deteriorating media landscape". 'External political connections' Prosecutors showed the court a diagram titled "(Lai's) external political connections", arguing that he had exerted influence in the United States, Britain and Taiwan. It featured headshots of top US political figures, including President Donald Trump, his former deputy Mike Pence and ex-secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Former Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen was also among those named. Two prosecution witnesses, Chan Tsz-wah and Andy Li, also accused Lai of financially backing the advocacy group "Stand With Hong Kong" to run overseas newspaper ads supporting the 2019 protests. Lai has denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong and said he never advocated separatism. Four other people who held senior roles in Apple Daily were called upon by prosecutors to testify about how Lai shaped the outlet's political stance. The mogul said his newspaper championed democracy and freedom, adding that he had always disavowed violence. "The core values of Apple Daily are actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong... (including) rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly," Lai said on the first day of his testimony. Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors. Lai is a British citizen and his son Sebastien reiterated in March calls for the Keir Starmer administration to do more, saying: "I don't want my father to die in jail."
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Euronews
'Tiger economy': Vietnam's 2045 get rich quick plan
Beneath red banners and a gold bust of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi's central party school, Communist Party chief To Lam declared the arrival of 'a new era of development' late last year. The speech was more than symbolic—it signalled the launch of what could be Vietnam's most ambitious economic overhaul in decades. Vietnam aims to get rich by 2045 and become Asia's next 'tiger economy'—a term used to describe the earlier ascent of countries like South Korea and Taiwan. The challenge ahead is steep: Reconciling growth with overdue reforms, an ageing population, climate risks and outdated institutions. There's added pressure from President Donald Trump over Vietnam's trade surplus with the US, a reflection of its astounding economic trajectory. In 1990, the average Vietnamese could afford about $1,200 (€1,025) worth of goods and services a year, adjusted for local prices. Today, that figure has risen by more than 13 times to $16,385 (€13,995). Vietnam's transformation into a global manufacturing hub with shiny new highways, high-rise skylines and a booming middle class has lifted millions of its people from poverty, similar to China. But its low-cost, export-led boom is slowing and it faces a growing obstacle to its proposed reforms—expanding private industries, strengthening social protections and investing in technology and green energy—from climate change. 'It's all hands on deck. . . . We can't waste time anymore," said Mimi Vu of the consultancy Raise Partners. The export boom can't carry Vietnam forever Investment has soared, driven partly by US-China trade tensions, and the US is now Vietnam's biggest export market. Once-quiet suburbs have been replaced with industrial parks where trucks rumble through sprawling logistics hubs that serve global brands. Vietnam ran a $123.5 billion (€105bn) trade surplus with the US trade in 2024, angering Trump, who threatened a 46% US import tax on Vietnamese goods. The two sides appear to have settled on a 20% levy, and twice that for goods suspected of being transshipped, or routed through Vietnam to avoid US trade restrictions. During negotiations with the Trump administration, Vietnam's focus was on its tariffs compared to those of its neighbours and competitors, said Daniel Kritenbrink, a former US ambassador to Vietnam. 'As long as they're in the same zone, in the same ballpark, I think Vietnam can live with that outcome," he said. But he added that questions remain over how much Chinese content in those exports might be too much and how such goods will be taxed. Vietnam was preparing to shift its economic policies even before Trump's tariffs threatened its model of churning out low-cost exports for the world, aware of what economists call the 'middle-income trap,' when economies tend to plateau without major reforms. To move beyond that, South Korea bet on electronics, Taiwan on semiconductors, and Singapore on finance, said Richard McClellan, founder of the consultancy RMAC Advisory. But Vietnam's economy today is more diverse and complex than those countries were at the time and it can't rely on just one winning sector to drive long-term growth and stay competitive as wages rise and cheap labour is no longer its main advantage. It needs to make 'multiple big bets,' McClellan said. Vietnam's game plan Following China's lead, Vietnam is counting on high-tech sectors like computer chips, artificial intelligence and renewable energy, providing strategic tax breaks and research support in cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. It's also investing heavily in infrastructure, including civilian nuclear plants and a $67 billion (€57bn) North–South high-speed railway, that will cut travel time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to eight hours. Vietnam also aspires to become a global financial center. The government plans two special financial centres in bustling Ho Chi Minh City and in the seaside resort city of Danang, with simplified rules to attract foreign investors, tax breaks, support for financial tech startups, and easier ways to settle business disputes. Underpinning all of this is institutional reform. Ministries are being merged, low-level bureaucracies have been eliminated and Vietnam's 63 provinces will be consolidated into 34 to build regional centres with deeper talent pools. Private business to take the lead Vietnam is counting on private businesses to lead its new economic push—a seismic shift from the past. In May, the Communist Party passed Resolution 68. It calls private businesses the 'most important force' in the economy, pledging to break away from domination by state-owned and foreign companies. So far, large multinationals have powered Vietnam's exports, using imported materials and parts and low cost local labour. Local companies are stuck at the low-end of supply chains, struggling to access loans and markets that favoured the 700-odd state-owned giants, from colonial-era beer factories with arched windows to unfashionable state-run shops that few customers bother to enter. 'The private sector remains heavily constrained," said Nguyen Khac Giang of Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. Again emulating China, Vietnam wants 'national champions' to drive innovation and compete globally, not by picking winners, but by letting markets decide. The policy includes easier loans for companies investing in new technology, priority in government contracts for those meeting innovation goals, and help for firms looking to expand overseas. Even mega-projects like the North-South High-Speed Rail, once reserved for state-run giants, are now open to private bidding. By 2030, Vietnam hopes to elevate at least 20 private firms to a global scale. But Giang warned that there will be pushback from conservatives in the Communist Party and from those who benefit from state-owned firms. A Closing Window from climate change Even as political resistance threatens to stall reforms, climate threats require urgent action. After losing a major investor over flood risks, Bruno Jaspaert knew something had to change. His firm, DEEP C Industrial Zones, houses more than 150 factories across northern Vietnam. So it hired a consultancy to redesign flood resilience plans. Climate risk is becoming its own kind of market regulation, forcing businesses to plan better, build smarter, and adapt faster. 'If the whole world will decide it's a can go very fast,' said Jaspaert. When Typhoon Yagi hit last year, causing $1.6 billion (€1.4bn) in damage, knocking 0.15% off Vietnam's GDP and battering factories that produce nearly half the country's economic output, roads in DEEP C industrial parks stayed dry. Climate risks are no longer theoretical: If Vietnam doesn't take strong action to adapt to and reduce climate change, the country could lose 12–14.5% of its GDP each year by 2050, and up to one million people could fall into extreme poverty by 2030, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, Vietnam is growing old before it gets rich. The country's 'golden population' window—when working-age people outnumber dependents—will close by 2039 and the labour force is projected to peak just three years later. That could shrink productivity and strain social services, especially since families—and women in particular—are the default caregivers, said Teerawichitchainan Bussarawan of the Centre for Family and Population Research at the National University of Singapore. Vietnam is racing to pre-empt the fallout by expanding access to preventive healthcare so older adults remain healthier and more independent. Gradually raising the retirement age and drawing more women into the formal workforce would help offset labour gaps and promote "healthy ageing,' Bussarawan said.
France 24
21 hours ago
- France 24
South Korea's ex-first lady Kim arrested
The arrest occurred hours after the Seoul Central District Court reviewed the prosecutors' request for an arrest warrant against the 52-year-old. The court granted the warrant, citing the risk of tampering with evidence, after prosecutors submitted an 848-page opinion laying out Kim's alleged "unlawful acts". With the arrest, South Korea now has a former president and first lady both behind bars for the first time in the nation's history. The charges against Kim include violations of capital market and financial investment laws, as well as political funds laws. The arrest caps a dramatic fall for the ex-first couple after former president Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning martial law declaration on December 3, which saw soldiers deployed to parliament but was swiftly voted down by opposition MPs. Yoon, a former top prosecutor, was impeached and removed from office in April over the martial law declaration, prompting the country to hold a snap election in June. He has been under arrest and in detention since July 10. Last week, Kim underwent hours-long questioning by prosecutors, who filed for her arrest warrant the next day. "I sincerely apologise for causing trouble despite being a person of no importance," Kim said as she arrived at the prosecutors' office on Wednesday. Controversy has long surrounded Kim, with lingering questions about her alleged role in stock manipulation. Public criticism was reignited in 2022 when a left-wing pastor filmed himself presenting her with a Dior handbag that she appeared to accept. She is also accused of interfering in the nomination process for MPs in Yoon's party, a violation of election laws. Yoon, as president, vetoed three special investigation bills passed by the opposition-controlled parliament that sought to probe the allegations against Kim, with the last veto issued in late November. A week later, Yoon declared martial law. Mug shot Under prison regulations, Kim will have to change from her normal clothes into a khaki prison uniform and be assigned an inmate number. She will also have to take a mug shot. The ex-first lady is being held in a 10-square-meter (107-square-feet) solitary cell that has a fan but no air-conditioning, as a heat wave grips South Korea. According to the prison's official schedule, she was offered a regulation breakfast including bread, jam and sausages. Local media reported that her cell includes a small table for eating and studying, a shelf, a sink and a toilet, but no bed. While she would typically have been held at the same detention centre as her husband, prosecutors on Monday requested that she be detained at a separate facility about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) away. Upon the issuance of the warrant, the first lady's Presidential Security Service protection was terminated immediately. Kim can be held for up to 20 days as prosecutors prepare to formally indict her, legal expert Kim Nam-ju told AFP. "Once Kim is indicted, she could remain detained for up to six months," said lawyer Kim Nam-ju. The former first lady can challenge the warrant in court as unlawful, "but given the current circumstances, there appears to be a high risk of evidence destruction, making it unlikely that the warrant will be revoked and the individual released," he added.
