International reporting on events and trends that influence Panama and the region. Stories include geopolitics, diplomacy, and global developments.
A City University associate professor was sentenced to 4½ months after offering a HK$1,000 bribe to a property agent; he has been granted bail while appealing the conviction.
China said it will turn Beijing and other city clusters into “international technological innovation centres” as part of a stepped-up drive for tech self-reliance, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang announced at the Zhongguancun Forum.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that the “war on Iran” is spreading across the region and that civilians are bearing the brunt, urging attention to mounting humanitarian costs.
Model and socialite Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck is reportedly engaged to Kering heir François Pinault Jr, a match that spotlights the intersection of luxury families and social-media fame.
New research links climate change to the decline of a sophisticated 4,500-year-old civilization in Hubei, China, showing environmental shifts likely contributed to its dispersal.
At a Tsinghua University forum, scholars and former officials said the US and China are seeking a baseline of stability after tensions; President Trump’s China visit has been delayed by “five or six weeks.”
Hong Kong bars mark the March 26-28 weekend with regional mixology events: Gokan hosts chefs and bartenders from China, South Korea and Japan, The Doctor’s Residence features an Osaka experiment, and Bar Anima reopens on Stanley Street.
Man Kiu Association Primary School’s seven-a-side team faced abusive online comments after a 6-0 win sent them to the quarter-finals of the All‑Hong Kong Inter‑Primary Schools tournament; school leaders say they will not be intimidated.
Two men were arrested after four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire next to a London synagogue; police are probing an online claim by an Islamist group with possible Iran links.
Air strikes in Iraq’s Anbar province killed seven fighters after hitting positions linked to Iran‑aligned elements of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a police source told Al Jazeera.
The German Swiss International School in Hong Kong is noted for its bilingual approach and two academic streams that lead to globally recognised qualifications, welcoming students from kindergarten to secondary level.
Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko has made his first visit to North Korea, where he and Kim Jong Un are expected to sign a treaty of friendship that may deepen ties between the two sanctioned governments.
The US Senate rejected a war powers resolution 47-53 that would have ended US attacks on Iran, drawing criticism from Democrats and leaving current military actions intact.
As conflict among Iran, Israel and the US spills into the Gulf, attacks on Dubai airport and a Fujairah oil terminal are touching the UAE’s cultural sector; experts say its role as an arts hub can endure.
A CCCEU report finds nearly 80% of Chinese firms in the EU plan to expand investment despite citing policy uncertainty, a result that contrasts with European firms’ reports on China.
A second China-owned LPG carrier has passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, highlighting contested access to a key shipping corridor and risks to global trade.
Sri Lanka refused a U.S. request to base two armed warplanes at a southern airport on Feb. 26, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, a move analysts say aims to avoid being drawn into the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Hong Kong’s MTR will perform overnight signalling upgrades on Sunday as it prepares for a partial opening of the Tung Chung line extension later this year; the HK$19.5bn project remains on track for full opening in 2029 and is said to be unaffected by a counterfeit brick scandal.
A 41-year-old Chinese man, Zhang Xuesong, has appeared in New Zealand court on rape, strangulation and home invasion charges after being extradited from Singapore last September.
Iran believes its negotiating leverage has improved since the start of the US-Israeli war and plans to press for concessions that Washington and Gulf allies may struggle to accept, analysts say.