- 12h ago
Hong Kong police raid two independent bookstores, arrest five booksellers under national security law
Police seized boxes of books from Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok, a day after one shop announced its closure, citing financial strain and elusive 'red lines'.
- yesterday
China expels former Xinjiang chief and space programme veteran Ma Xingrui from Communist Party in deepening Politburo purge
Ma Xingrui, the 66-year-old who led China's space programme before running Xinjiang, was expelled from the party and stripped of all posts on Tuesday after anti-graft investigators accused him of bribery, nepotism and trading power for sexual favours.
- Jul 9
Bayeux Tapestry arrives in London under police escort for first UK show in nearly 1,000 years
The 70-metre-long 11th-century embroidery travelled overnight from Normandy through the Channel Tunnel, reaching the British Museum at 02:50 local time ahead of a September exhibition that has already sold 100,000 tickets.
- Jul 9
Xi Jinping demands accountability after shoe factory fire kills 28 in China
At least 28 people died when a fire tore through the Huiteng Shoes factory in Jinjiang, a global hub for sneaker production. President Xi Jinping ordered an immediate investigation and warned of repeated industrial safety failures.
- Jul 8
Landslide in northwestern China kills 21 as rescue operations end; severe weather batters multiple provinces
A landslide in Gansu province buried 33 people early Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, 21 were confirmed dead and 12 survivors had been pulled from the debris, while heavy storms, a tornado and an approaching super typhoon added to the country's weather crisis.
- Jul 7
Deadly tornadoes and floods batter China as Super Typhoon Bavi looms
At least 11 people died in Hubei province after rare tornadoes swept through, while a dam breach in Guangxi forced thousands to evacuate and a super typhoon approaches Taiwan.
- Jul 6
China test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile into Pacific, alarming US and allies
A Chinese nuclear-powered submarine launched a long-range ballistic missile into the Pacific on Monday, carrying a dummy warhead. The test, which Beijing called routine, triggered immediate condemnation from the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.
- Jul 6
China's Tianwen 2 probe reaches asteroid Kamo'oalewa, begins mapping ahead of sample collection
After a 400-day journey covering one billion kilometres, China's Tianwen 2 probe has arrived at the near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa and begun scientific exploration, the China National Space Administration announced.
- Jul 5
China and Russia announce Joint Sea-2026 naval drills near Qingdao this month, followed by Pacific patrol
The Chinese defence ministry said Sunday that the two navies will conduct the annual Joint Sea-2026 exercise in the Yellow Sea, then a joint patrol in unspecified Pacific waters.
- Jul 5
China frees underground pastor Ezra Jin after Trump's intervention
Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, was released from Chinese detention and reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 4, less than two months after President Trump raised his case with Xi Jinping.
- Jul 2
China's ethnic unity law takes effect as critics warn of forced assimilation
The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, passed in March, came into force on Wednesday, intensifying a decades-long push to standardize language and identity across the country, especially for Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongols.
- Jul 1
Beijing says pilot who crashed into city’s tallest tower had written about suicide and acted for ‘personal reasons’
Chinese authorities said the pilot who flew a light plane into the 108-storey CITIC Tower last week had long suffered from insomnia and anxiety and had repeatedly written about ending his life. The crash killed the 66-year-old and injured 13 others.
- Jun 30
Spanish royal family's 2025 gifts published: from Tutankhamun mask to Xi's mobile, plus €9.4m budget
The Spanish Royal Household on Tuesday made public the list of 429 institutional gifts received by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and other family members in 2025, along with detailed spending figures totalling €9.4 million.
- Jun 29
Trump sons profited from $1.6bn US-Kazakhstan tungsten deal, NYT investigation reveals
A New York Times investigation published on 28 June reveals that President Donald Trump's sons and the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick personally profited from a US-Kazakhstan tungsten mining deal backed by up to $1.6 billion in federal support.
- Jun 28
PP accuses Sánchez of 'autocracy' after PSOE closes ranks at scandal-hit Federal Committee
The PSOE's Federal Committee on Saturday rallied around Pedro Sánchez and new Organisation Secretary Rebeca Torró, while PP leaders branded the gathering a 'criminal council' and demanded fresh elections.
- Jun 28
China expels Politburo member Ma Xingrui and six PLA generals from National People's Congress in fresh anti-corruption sweep
The Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress expelled a sitting Politburo member, the former financial regulatory chief, and six senior military officers on Friday, deepening President Xi Jinping's years-long anti-corruption campaign across the party and the armed forces.
- Jun 22
China retaliates against Pentagon blacklist with export controls on 56 US firms, targeting rare earth miners
Beijing imposed export controls on 10 US companies, including rare earth miners MP Materials and USA Rare Earth, and barred government purchases from 46 others, directly answering the Pentagon's blacklisting of Chinese tech firms earlier this month.
- Jun 15
Russian strike sets Kyiv's 11th-century Dormition Cathedral ablaze, killing 11 on eve of G7 summit
A wave of Russian missiles and drones killed at least 11 people and sparked a devastating fire at the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex, prompting Volodymyr Zelensky to demand decisive G7 action.
- Jun 12
China arrests American Myanmar scholar Min Zin on espionage charges, just weeks after Trump-Xi summit
Chinese authorities have detained Min Zin, founder of a Myanmar-focused think tank and US citizen, accusing him of endangering national security. The arrest took place on 3 June in Kunming and was confirmed by Beijing on Friday.
- Jun 9
Pentagon adds Alibaba, Baidu and BYD to Chinese military blacklist, drawing sharp rebuke from Beijing
The US Department of Defense has updated its list of companies it says support China's military, adding e-commerce group Alibaba, search provider Baidu and automaker BYD. Beijing immediately called the move discriminatory and urged Washington to stop suppressing Chinese firms.
