World Sep 6, 2020
The pandemic has prompted one of the fastest peacetime mission shifts in recent times for the world’s intelligence agencies, pitting them against one another.
Business / Tech Aug 8, 2020
TikTok and WeChat bans not crucial to U.S. security, experts say
The U.S. bans on Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat are not particularly valuable for U.S. security, experts said Friday, but could step up broader commercial pressure on Beijing and help President Donald Trump appear tough as he seeks re-election. In announcing the bans — to ...
Business / Tech Aug 3, 2020
Microsoft tries to salvage deal to buy Tiktok and appease Trump
Talks to buy the music video app will move quickly "in a matter of weeks” and are expected to be completed no later than Sept. 15, Microsoft said in a statement.
Asia Pacific / Politics Jul 26, 2020
Staff leaving U.S. Chengdu consulate under high security as deadline looms
Staff of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu made final efforts to clear the premises on Sunday as security remained tight outside, ahead of a Monday closure ordered by Beijing as China-U.S. relations continue to worsen. A mini tourist atmosphere prevailed outside the facility on a ...
Asia Pacific Jul 25, 2020
U.S.-China ties fray as two powers trade tit-for-tat consulate closures
U.S.-China relations deteriorated in a Cold War-style standoff Friday as Beijing ordered a U.S. Consulate to shut in retaliation for the closure of its Houston mission — accused of being a hub for espionage and intellectual property theft. Chinese officials were seen loading large sacks ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 2, 2020
Ex-Russian diplomat exempted from charge over stolen SoftBank secrets
Tokyo prosecutors decided Thursday not to indict a former Russian diplomat over allegations that he had illegally obtained trade secrets from SoftBank Corp. Anton Kalinin, 52, former deputy Russian trade representative in Japan, left the country for Russia in February although Japanese police had filed ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 2, 2020
Japanese man held by China on spying charge released, source says
The man, from Kanagawa Prefecture, was arrested in May 2015 when he visited Dandong, near the border with North Korea.
Asia Pacific Jun 28, 2020
China denounces Canada's 'Megaphone Diplomacy' over spy charges
China sharply criticized Canada on Saturday, blaming its leaders for "irresponsible" statements about two Canadians accused of spying in China and calling on Ottawa to end its "Megaphone Diplomacy." The evidence against the two Canadians, former Beijing diplomat Michael Kovrig and North Korea consultant Michael ...
World Jun 27, 2020
U.S. thinks Russia offered Afghan militants bounty to kill American troops: report
U.S. intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces, The New York Times reported on Friday. Citing officials briefed on the matter, The Times said the United States determined months ago ...
Asia Pacific Jun 23, 2020
Trudeau slams ‘political’ detentions as China charges Canadians
Ex-diplomat and businessman are "suspected of foreign espionage" and "providing state secrets," China's prosecutor general's office says.
Asia Pacific / Crime & Legal Jun 19, 2020
China charges two Canadians with spying 18 months after arrest
China has formally charged two Canadians with spying, officials said Friday, more than 18 months after they were arrested in a spat between Beijing and Ottawa. The pair were detained shortly after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant, in ...
National / Crime & Legal Jun 16, 2020
Two-year sentence sought for ex-SoftBank employee over data leak to Russia
Public prosecutors demanded two years' imprisonment and a fine of ¥1 million on Tuesday for a former employee of SoftBank Corp. over a leak of confidential corporate information to a Russian diplomat. In the first hearing at Tokyo District Court, Yutaka Araki, 48, former chief ...