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1. Magnitude 5 quake hits Japan’s Nagano prefecture

   An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 struck the northern part of Nagano prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, the country’s weather agency said. The 1.20pm quake in Omachi registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, strong enough ‌to make movement difficult without support. It occurred at a depth of 10km (six miles), according to the Japan Meteorological...

2. ‘Take a long-term view’: Hong Kong minister says Middle East investment unaffected

   Hong Kong’s investments in the Middle East will not be derailed by ongoing conflicts, the commerce minister has said, expressing confidence in the region’s economic prospects and urging businesses to take a long-term view. “The geopolitical situation has a temporary impact, but in the long term, we remain hopeful about development in the Middle East,” Secretary for Commerce and Economic...

3. US court lets Trump resume work on US$400 million White House ballroom – for now

   A US appeals court allowed President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration on ⁠Friday night to continue construction ⁠of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, setting a June hearing to review a Washington judge’s order halting the project. An order by a three-judge ‌panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put the lower court’s...

4. South Korea’s AI shamans foretell a future in old tradition

   The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near – although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence. Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person’s future based on the day and time they were born. Practitioners, known as mudang, wear long, colourful...

5. Donald Trump predicts meeting with Xi Jinping will be ‘special’ ahead of China visit

   US President Donald Trump said on Friday night he was looking forward to his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next month and predicted it would be “special”. Hours after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz had reopened, Trump posted on social media: “China’s President Xi is very happy that Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening; I look forward to meeting Xi. “Our meeting...

6. Faulty devices, low battery: some taxi drivers cook up excuses to avoid e-payments

   Some passengers have been unable to use any mandatory e-payment options on Hong Kong taxis, as cabbies cited faulty machines or battery problems, reasons that customers have deemed as excuses as the “cash is king” mentality persisted. Experts said this week that many taxi drivers still held a deep-seated fear of having a traceable income record, which could lead to taxation or the loss of...

7. Hospitals face glove shortage as Malaysian makers hike prices by 40%

   Rubber glove makers have raised prices and warned of production cuts as the Iran war chokes supplies of key inputs, raising concerns for the healthcare sector. Glove makers have already hiked the average price of synthetic rubber gloves by around 40 per cent to as high as US$29 for a box ‌of 1,000, according to Oong Chun Sung, an equity research analyst at CIMB Securities. Sustained disruption...

8. As China’s biotech firms shift gears, can AI floor the accelerator?

   A quarter featuring multiple eye-popping deals is no longer unusual for China’s pharmaceutical industry – in fact, it may soon be considered a slow season. In recent months, companies including CSPC Pharmaceutical and RemeGen have struck out-licensing agreements worth up to US$18.5 billion and US$5.6 billion respectively, while Haisco Pharmaceutical Group has added two of its own — most recently...

9. ‘Red flag’ recruits: how record US$75 billion ICE expansion led to questionable hiring

   Their backgrounds stand out. And not in a good way. Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years. An allegation of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman – an incident that led to a US$75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third job candidate once failed to graduate from a police academy, then lasted only three weeks in his...

10. Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

    Japan is hoping further US-Iran talks will ease tensions in the Middle East and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz permanently, but there is also mounting anxiety over what a failure could mean for the country as summer approaches. On Friday, Iran said it would reopen the strait for commercial shipping following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, while US ⁠President Donald Trump added that a US...