Modern simplified Chinese characters form a tightly connected network from just 514 basic components that evolved through a process similar to natural selection, according to researchers who say their findings could change how Chinese writing is taught. “Chinese characters evolve like living organisms,” lecturer Xie Yonghui of Shanghai Normal University said on August 24. The research into the evolution of Chinese writing over thousands of years, led by Huang Wei, of Beijing Language and Culture...

Australian home prices fell for a fifth month in August in the biggest downturn since the pandemic, and there is further pain ahead as stubborn inflation puts upward pressure on interest rates. Figures from property consultant Cotality released on Tuesday showed national home prices fell 0.9 per cent in August from July, when they dropped 1.2 per cent. Sydney ‌and Melbourne again led the monthly decline with falls of 1.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent, leaving prices down about 7 per cent from their...

Chinese President Xi Jinping ended August in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, kick-starting a potential run of overseas trips after what has so far been a quiet year for foreign travel. Xi met the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan in Bishkek on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. He may hold talks with other attendees, possibly including Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. After the summit, the Chinese president will fly to Egypt, where he will meet...

South Korea’s chief presidential policy adviser has resigned, the presidential Blue House said on Tuesday, after President Lee Jae ‌Myung reshuffled his cabinet and senior aides amid a drop in his approval rating. Kim Yong-beom was a key adviser to Lee on economic policy, including on housing and ⁠stock market issues. Kim had offered to step down from the post on Monday, which oversees the administration’s economic and domestic policy agenda. During his term, Kim had drawn criticism over the...

After more than 250 days at sea fighting the war on Iran – and amid reports of dire conditions on board – the USS Abraham Lincoln is finally set to dock near Pattaya this week, giving more than 5,000 American sailors and Marines shore leave as the Thai resort city hopes they will spend big during their last pit stop before home. The eastern Thai beach resort, known for its colourful nightlife, has faced a grim low tourist season, driven in part by the economic downturn triggered by the same war...

China’s leading brokerages are accelerating their push overseas, pouring billions of yuan into their international arms as cross-border deals expand and profits from overseas operations grow, according to their latest interim reports. Citic Securities, one of China’s largest brokerages, saw revenue generated outside mainland China rise 45.5 per cent, year on year, to 15.86 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in the six months ended June, according to its interim report. The growth slightly outpaced...

Hong Kong’s mega-event economy is thriving. In a blog post last month, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po noted that in the first half of 2026, the city hosted more than 130 mega-events, drawing 1.75 million visitors and injecting roughly HK$5.8 billion (US$739.9 million) into the local economy. These figures are the ongoing dividends of the government’s sustained policy and financial backing. This momentum is well-documented: in the last two years, the concerts of global A-listers such as...