Earlier this month, simmering trade tensions between the EU and China ease as the two sides reached an agreement in Beijing limiting hybrid car exports from China to an annual quota of 350,000 units. After the European Union imposed tariffs on fully electric cars from China in 2024, hybrid imports surged. The quota would result in more than a halving of the 800,000 hybrid cars expected to be sold this year, a figure which may soon exceed a million if unchecked. The quota would likely shift...

A Chinese H-6K strategic bomber has been sighted with two new electronic warfare pods used for jamming, according to images circulating on social media, potentially indicating an expansion of the aircraft’s capabilities. The photos – which have not been independently verified – emerged on Saturday and show an H6-K in flight with the pods on two of its six pylons. They appear to be similar to the RKZ930 pods carried by China’s J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. The location and date of the photos...

South Korea’s embrace of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs appears particularly pronounced among younger adults, with roughly one in six Gen Z respondents reporting they had used or been prescribed the medication in 2025, according to a new report. The 2026 Korea Wellness Report, released by KB Financial Group on Sunday and cited by The Korea Times, surveyed 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 between July and August. Across all age brackets, the overall uptake stood at 10.3 per cent. Gen Z adults – defined...

A bus fitted out ⁠with oxygen tanks is ⁠providing a sanctuary in a ⁠city on Indonesia’s Borneo island, where people are choking from forest-fire-induced haze and the blazes show no sign of letting up. Indonesia regularly battles seasonal forest fires, predominantly on Sumatra and Borneo islands, but this year the infernos are the most intense in ‌more than a decade. An intense El Nino weather phenomenon has driven up temperatures, leaving the country’s vast forests and peatlands more vulnerable...

Two service disruptions at Lam Tin station within 15 hours earlier this month were linked, with a failed rubber insulating component causing an overloaded cable connection, the MTR Corporation has said. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s transport panel on Tuesday, the rail operator said its preliminary investigation found that the component’s failure caused a short circuit and fire in the first incident. This in turn led to an overloaded cable connection, which overheated and...

Hong Kong’s university towns in the Northern Metropolis are designed to attract the world’s finest students and scholars, the city’s leader has said at a global education summit, with overseas institutions expressing interest and calling for incentives to enter into partnerships. Lawmakers have urged the government to increase the loan quota to help institutions meet their urgent need to raise funds for campus construction. Speaking at the Global University Presidents and Leaders Summit on...

Israelis are voting in a pivotal election Tuesday as their country is embroiled in unresolved wars, still reeling from Hamas’ 2023 attack and deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing off against an array of parties seeking to oust the long-time leader from power. Opinion polls have suggested a tight race with his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Over 7 million people are eligible to vote. In...