The launch of limited edition Swatch watches descended into chaos on Saturday in several European cities and New York, with French police firing tear gas to restore order at one store near Paris. Hundreds of people waited through the night – and in some cases for several days – hoping to get their hands on the “Royal Pop” timepieces, made in collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. In France, lines of hundreds of people formed through the night in several cities and a police source...

Chinese businesses in Indonesia have issued an unusually blunt warning to President Prabowo Subianto that a wave of tougher rules is hurting investor confidence, exposing growing tension between Jakarta’s push for control of the resources sector and foreign capital that has helped power the country’s nickel boom. Several ministers in Jakarta have pushed back, saying Indonesia must prioritise sovereignty over its natural resources, while stressing the government remains open to dialogue and has...

China has confirmed for the first time that it is drawing up a “comprehensive law” on artificial intelligence. Industry insiders said the move showed China had accumulated enough practical experience and was speeding up its governance as a result. A legislative work plan for the year issued last week by the State Council, China’s cabinet, outlined plans to “improve AI governance and accelerate comprehensive legislation for the sound development of AI”. It said the government would move faster to...

Hong Kong’s retail property market is gradually building momentum as spending and confidence of consumers and tourists return, according to analysts. Unlike the city’s past peak rental levels, however, this time the tenant mix was more diversified, with retailers offering unique experiences and products that enhanced their appeal to shoppers, they said. “We see structural shifts towards more experience-driven and diversified tenant mixes, rather than a full return to past peak rental levels,”...

Three polls firmly caught my attention over the past month or so. Each was conducted by a different outlet and addressed different questions. However, taken together, they tell one overarching story – implicitly, but unmistakably. Beyond an assortment of data, the story is about direction. The first was a CNN poll. It showed that 76 per cent of Americans now see high prices and the cost of living as their country’s most serious economic problem. Even more striking, nearly seven in 10 expect a...

Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) is stepping up efforts to detect fraudulent certificates used for early withdrawal of pension contributions after two medical groups reported suspected cases to police in recent weeks. Responding to an inquiry from the South China Morning Post, an authority spokesman said its online platform had recently identified suspected fraud involving possibly fake medical certificates submitted to withdraw Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF)...

A 76-year-old woman once dubbed China’s oldest mother of twins has returned to the spotlight after a photographic series chronicling her life recently won an international award. Sheng Hailin, from Anhui province in central China, has also become a social media influencer with nearly one million followers, offering solace and inspiration to bereaved parents rebuilding their lives after loss. Her only daughter, Tingting, and her newlywed husband died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 2009,...