Lithuanian president confirms talks on renaming Taiwan office in diplomatic U-turn

South China Morning Post - Nov 9, 2026

Lithuania is in talks with Taiwan over changing the name of a controversial representative office in Vilnius, with its president saying the government is “not obligated” to follow policies that predate it. Gitanas Nauseda, speaking to the state broadcaster LRT on Monday night, confirmed that the Baltic state’s foreign ministry had sent a letter to Taiwan’s representatives asking to recalibrate the relationship. “Without a doubt, we are coordinating and, without a doubt, the new ruling majority...

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16 short-form playwrights to face off in Seoul Players' 10-Minute Play Festival

Seoul's international theater community prepares for battle once again, as the 10-Minute Play Festival (10MPF) takes to the stage to find this year's top playwright. This will mark the 13th year of the contest, brought to the stage at Dulwich College in southern Seoul by Seoul Players, a not-for-profit, volunteer-run English-language theater group founded in 2001. For this year's contest, they received 410 submissions sent in March and April from 354 playwrights based all over the world. The number of submissions has exploded in recent years, peaking at more than 500 for last year's festival in just two weeks, before submissions had to be closed early. "Last year, one of the board [members] felt that many of the hundreds of plays we got were AI-generated," said Lorne Oliver, a producer for Seoul Players. He didn't disagree with the assessment, but he explained why it didn't affect their final decisions: "I just thought most of them were not up to snuff." He added, "We did not bother to run them through an AI check; we just went with the assessment results, since cream floats." This year, th

16 short-form playwrights to face off in Seoul Players' 10-Minute Play Festival

Korea's economy is booming. Why isn't President Lee's popularity?

On paper, Korea's economy looks strong. Fueled by a semiconductor export boom, the country's annual exports are projected to top $1 trillion for the first time this year, making Korea only the fourth country to reach the milestone, after the United States, China and Germany. Forecasts from eight major investment banks put Korea's real gross domestic product growth at an average of 3.5 percent this year, with some expecting growth as high as 4 percent. Per capita gross national income is also expected to surpass $40,000 for the first time, potentially placing Korea sixth in the world by that measure. By those numbers, President Lee Jae Myung's approval ratings should be soaring. The economy, after all, is widely regarded as one of the biggest drivers of presidential popularity. Yet that is far from the case. A Realmeter survey of 2,528 adults nationwide, conducted from Nov. 2 to Friday for the Asia Business Daily, put Lee's approval rating at just 35.9 percent. His ratings have hovered between the high 30s and low 40s since October, a sharp decline from 67 percent seven months earlier. More

Korea's economy is booming. Why isn't President Lee's popularity?

String of drug busts shatters Korea's drug-free myth

A string of recent drug cases is eroding Korea’s lingering reputation as a drug-free country, highlighting how both Koreans and foreign nationals are being increasingly drawn into narcotics crime. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police said Monday that it referred 66 foreign nationals to the prosecution between March and October on charges including violating the Narcotics Control Act, with 30 of them being held in custody. Many of the suspects were Southeast Asian students who entered the country on D-2 student visas or D-4 language training visas. Of the seven separate cases, one involved drug manufacturing plans and another smuggling, while five involved distribution, purchase and use. One suspect set up equipment in a studio apartment to make ecstasy pills from powder and other materials smuggled into Korea, but was caught before obtaining them. Six others were arrested in succession after investigators found evidence that they had smuggled large amounts of ecstasy, ketamine and other drugs into Korea through international mail in March. They operated in isolated cells and took order

String of drug busts shatters Korea's drug-free myth

Trump backs Nvidia’s Huang over spy allegations, says Xi may raise case

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had told him he did not know a woman at the centre of espionage allegations was a suspected Chinese spy, and that he believed the technology executive’s account. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had spoken to Huang earlier in the day, as the chipmaker faces scrutiny over whether its founder was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. “I asked him that question. Did you have any idea...

Trump backs Nvidia’s Huang over spy allegations, says Xi may raise case

US Congress ramps up pressure on Nvidia’s Jensen Huang over alleged China spy links

Growing bipartisan pressure is mounting in the US Congress on Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang over his ties to a businesswoman suspected by US intelligence officials of working for Beijing’s intelligence services, with lawmakers from both parties demanding to know whether US national security was compromised. Chinese authorities have dismissed the spying allegations. The controversy escalated over the weekend when Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation after Huang admitted he...

US Congress ramps up pressure on Nvidia’s Jensen Huang over alleged China spy links

Escaping Russia’s web: Central Asia is caught between Chinese networks and US tech curbs

Days after three Russian data centres were hit by Ukrainian drone attacks last month – paralysing taxi, delivery and payment apps across Central Asia – Tajikistan launched an internet link between its capital Dushanbe and Beijing. The optical fibre, which runs through the Pamir Mountains, offers a direct link to Hong Kong – one of the largest internet traffic exchange points in the Asia-Pacific – and marks Tajikistan’s fifth international communication access point. To the west, Kazakhstan and...

Escaping Russia’s web: Central Asia is caught between Chinese networks and US tech curbs

Woman narrowly escapes death as folding table falls from Hong Kong building

A woman narrowly escaped death after a folding table fell from an industrial building in Hong Kong and landed beside her on Monday evening, leaving her with only a minor hand injury. Police later arrested a man in connection with the incident, which occurred at about 6.15pm on Cheung Shun Street outside Maxim’s Centre in Cheung Sha Wan. Video circulating online shows the 32-year-old woman walking along the pavement towards the rear of a parked car. She is about to open the boot and place items...

Woman narrowly escapes death as folding table falls from Hong Kong building

Nvidia faces defining test as Jensen Huang probe adds to chip stock turbulence

Nvidia is facing an unprecedented valuation test as a board inquiry into CEO Jensen Huang exposes the US chipmaker to a rare key-person risk, while investors also weigh the midterm elections’ potential impact on Washington’s chip controls and AI regulation. The company’s shares slumped 7.3 per cent as markets opened in the United States on Monday, following Huang’s bombshell confirmation over the weekend that he had been unfaithful to his wife and would cooperate with an investigation into his...

Nvidia faces defining test as Jensen Huang probe adds to chip stock turbulence

Fresh GJ-11 footage gives a glimpse of weapon bay on China’s next-gen drone

China has released new images of its GJ-11 stealth combat drone, offering a closer look at the advanced design and high-performance features of the next-generation uncrewed aircraft. The images appeared on Monday in a report by state broadcaster CCTV counting down to the 77th anniversary of the PLA Air Force on Wednesday. For the first time, viewers were given a close-up look at the GJ-11’s large internal weapon bay, highlighting its serrated edges. The design suggests that the drone can house...

Fresh GJ-11 footage gives a glimpse of weapon bay on China’s next-gen drone

Hoban's rise gives Delta more leverage in Hanjin KAL power battle

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Hoban's rise gives Delta more leverage in Hanjin KAL power battle

Battery materials firms ramp up LFP capacity amid rising demand

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Battery materials firms ramp up LFP capacity amid rising demand

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