A Chinese Mystery: Who Owns a Firm on a Global Shopping Spree?

Questions about Anbang’s owners come as Chinese companies make deals around the world — sometimes representing efforts by China’s powerful to move money out of the country, as the economy slows and the party tightens its grip on everyday life.

US white nationalists use Twitter with 'relative impunity', have more followers than militant Islamists

White nationalists and self-identified Nazi sympathisers located mostly in the United States use Twitter with "relative impunity" and often have far more followers than militant Islamists, a study being released on Thursday found.

South China Sea: Did the ruling sink the rule of law?

In my view as a private researcher who has researched the issue for years, the tribunal's ruling was also weighed down by a litany of controversies as there were eight troubling issues arising from the ruling.

Experts continue to question South China Sea arbitration

Myron Nordquist, a professor at the University Virginia, said a lot of things were wrong about the tribunal's award over the South China Sea dispute, particularly the fundamental flawed system to begin with.

Describing the arbitration as "one-sided", the veteran maritime law expert said a good award should be one with both parties' consent.

"It is a bad decision politically and this is a political decision," Nordquist said.

"It is a matter of whether the Article 298 (which grants a nation the right to declare issues that it does not accept compulsory arbitration) was honoured."

Nordquist also believes the award's decision to declare all geographic features within the South China Sea as rocks or low-tide elevations "is not going to be well-received".

"For example, Japan is going to be, in the end, unhappy with the way rock and island issue was handled by the Tribunal," Nordquist said. He cited the case of Okinotorishima, an island claimed by Japan and one even smaller than Taiping, as it might be put in an awkward position by the award.

China Daily

South China Sea: Tribunal ruling will affect many other states' claims

The July 12 tribunal ruling on a maritime dispute case brought by the Philippines against China helped to clarify international law on oceans and sets a high bar for what constitutes islands. It will have repercussions for many regional states' claims.

Come to Canada for the natural beauty, stay for the ... propaganda?

A leading talk show host claims Canada’s tourism promotion agency is trying to prevent him from airing episodes on the mainland that touch on politically sensitive topics in the North American country, calling the obstruction censorship.

Who can step up as Singapore’s next leader?

On Monday, a week after he stunned Singapore when he nearly fainted while giving an annual policy speech live, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is due back at work. Following medical leave of seven days, it may be business as usual for him. But the incident has drawn attention to the unusual level of uncertainty around leadership succession.

Carro simplifies car buying, selling

Buying and selling pre-owned cars can be a real hassle. From dealing with unidentified scratches on the trunk - "Is the car really accident-free?" - to negotiating pricing with glib salesmen - "Today is your lucky day, because I have a special deal just for you!" - takes some getting used to.

China: the new space superpower

For years, its space programme was shrouded in secrecy. Now, with plans for lunar and Mars missions, and crowds at its launch sites, China is ready for liftoff

The Guardian

Cyber Cold War heats up

This is a tale of spies, a US$500 million (S$677 million) cyber arms heist, accusations of an attempt to manipulate a US presidential election and an increasingly menacing digital war being waged between Russia and the West.

Japan, China should put past behind them and move on

Can China and Japan, the second- and third-largest economies in the world, ever set aside their historical enmity and work together closely for the collective good of all in this part of the world?

An American conspiracy to oust Malaysia’s Najib – or a propaganda war?

As civil suit turns public perception of 1MDB scandal against embattled PM, supporters rally with a tried and tested tactic. But it may have been tried once too often

SCMP

Trump victory could cause global recession, says Citigroup

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States could lead to chaos in markets and increased policy uncertainty that tip the world into recession, according to Citigroup.

How the CIA made Google

United States intelligence community funded, nurtured and incubated Google as part of a drive to dominate the world through control of information. Seed-funded by the NSA and CIA, Google was merely the first among a plethora of private sector start-ups co-opted by US intelligence to retain ‘information superiority.’

Insurge Intelligence Part 1
Insurge Intelligence Part 2

Remaking US foreign policy: may the wisdom of its forefathers prevail

Any nation's right to a form of government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable.

The Nation

ValueMax chief executive buys Katong freehold bungalow for S$30 million

The chief executive of listed pawnshop ValueMax Group, Yeah Hiang Nam, has lodged a caveat to buy a freehold bungalow along Wilkinson Road in Katong for S$30 million.

The crisis in Anglo-American democracy

Two of the great political parties in the West - the Republicans in the United States and Labour in the United Kingdom - are in a state of near collapse. That, in turn, threatens the health of democracy on both sides of the Atlantic.

A poignant tribute to ex-President Ong Teng Cheong

Singapore Recalcitrant

There may be trouble ahead for China and Singapore

Singapore needed to display “the wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew’s era, which provided a better and more cautious balance between China and the US. 

Thailand rejects request to extradite Holland Village bank robbery suspect

Singapore's efforts to extradite a suspect in the Holland Village bank heist have hit a snag in Thailand. The Attorney-General's Office in Bangkok has rejected its request for Canadian national David James Roach.