Advanced technologies now account for around one in every six valid invention patents in China, according to official data. By the end of last month, valid invention patents in fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and big data made up 16.5 per cent of the country’s total valid patents, the China National Intellectual Property Administration said on Wednesday. “The accelerated accumulation of patents in cutting-edge sectors is empowering and enhancing the creation of new...

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese scientists have bad news on having babies in space If the future of humanity lies in the vast expanse of space, could humans actually perpetuate the species beyond Earth? As a team of Chinese scientists has discovered – the outlook is not very positive. 2. China plans to strengthen Great Green Wall...

Singapore has signalled stability in the public housing market by scrapping a 15-month waiting period that barred private property owners from buying resale HDB flats – even as other curbs remain in place. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat announced the change on Tuesday, saying the government recognised that the rule had caused inconvenience and disrupted the plans of those with genuine housing need who wanted to move from a private property into a Housing Development Board (HDB)...

International students once saw US colleges as a gateway to a world-class education and career head start but shifting United States immigration policies, tightening visa conditions and high-profile ICE raids are causing them to reconsider. Dulue Mbachu looks at how African students are altering their education plans during the second Trump administration. The first instalment in our series is here. For 23-year-old Kunle Adeyemi, it took some time to overcome the disappointment of being denie...

This article was first published on July 30, 1996. Our golden girl by Nazvi Careem and Scott McKenzie Cheers and tears swept Hong Kong yesterday (July 29, 1996) on the back of the golden victory for Olympic windsurfer Lee Lai-shan. The 25-year-old from Cheung Chau won a gold medal for herself and glory for Hong Kong after 44 years of fruitless Olympic competition when she crossed the finish line at Savannah, Georgia, at 5.56 am (Hong Kong time). Tears streamed down her face as she hugged fian...

Malaysia is finding it increasingly difficult to stay neutral in the US-China rivalry as the superpowers lock horns over trade, investment and the security of advanced technology, according to a top government adviser. “They don’t make us take sides when it comes to foreign policy,” Tengku Zafrul Aziz, senior political adviser to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, told This Week in Asia. “They ask me to take sides when it comes to security of technology.” Malaysia’s solution was...

The UN’s migration agency is warning that criminal networks have been trafficking hundreds of thousands of people – many of them educated English speakers – to work in online scam centres, and the caseload is growing. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says victims are often lured by fake job advertisements – mostly through social media – promising work abroad, only to get locked up, have their identity documents seized, and be forced through violence, threats and “debt bondag...

The US Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Donald Trump’s top intelligence official Tuesday, putting a permanent chief in charge of the country’s spy agencies as the president revives unsupported election fraud claims ahead of the midterms. Senators voted 51-47 to confirm Clayton’s appointment, with all Democrats in the upper chamber voting against it. “Jay is outstanding in every way, and will do a spectacular job as Director!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social shortly after the vote. The for...

A man was killed and nearly 80 people were forced to evacuate after a fire broke out at a village house in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Authorities said they were alerted at around 4.30am to a blaze at a metal house in Ling Shan Tsuen in Fanling. Police said some electrical wires were spotted burning when rescuers arrived at the scene. Seventy-eight people, in addition to four dogs and cats, were evacuated in the fire. The flames were put out at around 5am. The deceased, believed to be 50 to 60 ye...

Washington’s new AI Spark initiative to promote American artificial intelligence systems in Southeast Asia’s public services and digital infrastructure is seen as a move to counter the region’s deepening partnerships with Chinese firms in the deployment of the technology. However, the initiative is unlikely to force Southeast Asia to choose between AI Spark and the Chinese model, as the region is expected to integrate US know-how with Chinese and local systems to avoid dependence on any singl...

Beijing should step in to fill the global “vacuum” in rules on artificial intelligence as a Chinese AI model opens up a policy divide in the United States, according to various institutions within China. The calls came after Beijing-based start-up Moonshot AI launched its Kimi K3 model earlier this month, sending shock waves through Silicon Valley and the White House. The model is reportedly almost as powerful as top US rivals and much cheaper. Moonshot, which was founded just three years ago...

China is pushing a new model to boost international sales of its domestic bonds, with the Shanghai Clearing House (SHCH) leveraging global financial networks to expand the offshore yuan pool. Writing in a recent article, SHCH chief Ma Jianyang noted that the initiative was designed to solidify Shanghai’s dominance in offshore yuan derivatives clearing while insulating the domestic market from cross-border financial risks. As part of this push, SHCH will broaden its clearing services for offsh...

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq for a second day, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have forced a Saudi oil tanker to turn around as part of their self-styled blockade of the kingdom. The attacks underscored lingering tensions despite a period of calm between the United States and Iran, neither of which has announced attacks for days following weeks of escalation over the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi Defence Ministry...

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is meeting US officials and lawmakers in Washington this week amid reports that its export-controlled processors have been used to train advanced Chinese artificial intelligence models. Huang met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, US outlet Axios reported, citing an anonymous source. Neither the US Commerce Department nor Nvidia confirmed that the meeting occurred, and its purpose was not disclosed. “Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders o...

Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru’s ninth president in a decade at an official ceremony in Lima on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse journalists observed. The conservative 51-year-old won June’s run-off by fewer than 50,000 votes and will govern until 2031. Fujimori, the daughter of a former president jailed for human rights abuses, will become Peru’s ninth president in a decade. The 51-year-old is hoping to stabilise the country’s turbulent politics. Over the past decade, only three of Peru’s...

Firefighters raced on Tuesday to subdue huge wildfires that have forced unprecedented evacuations of tens of thousands of people across France and Spain, as western Europe braced for another heatwave. The fires have torn through a region already battered by a blisteringly hot and dry summer. Crews were seeking to capitalise on more favourable weather before a new wave of higher temperatures settled in from Wednesday. In the Bordeaux region of France, firefighters contained ‌the forest blaze...

Singapore’s economic growth should remain firm in the second half of 2026 although a major uncertainty is the sustainability of the AI investment boom, the head of its central bank said on Tuesday. Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Managing Director Chia Der Jiun, speaking at the release ‌of the central bank’s annual report, said the Middle East conflict also posed risks, but for now global AI-related demand was “likely to continue to provide a meaningful boost” to the city state while ot...

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will launch a global hunt for its next leader to guide the institution to “fresh ideas” and through a coming “transformation”, the head of its governing council has said. HKU council chairman Peter Wong Tung-shun announced details of the recruitment on Tuesday, a day after president and vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang announced he would leave the post in 2028. “Universities must actively strive for breakthroughs in the face of society’s ever-changing needs. Both...

Beijing has launched a drone research hub in Tibet near Mount Everest in an effort to exploit its high-altitude advantage in the ongoing competition for technological dominance between the US and China. The Plateau Drone R&D Application Centre was recently unveiled by Xizang University, state news agency Xinhua reported earlier this month. Xizang is the official Chinese pinyin name for the Tibet autonomous region in western China. Situated on the Chinese side of the world’s highest peak, the...

The venture capital arm of Lenovo Group is doubling down on artificial intelligence for the next industrial cycle, expanding its focus beyond foundational models into robotics, computing infrastructure and AI agents, according to a senior executive. Lenovo Capital has made long-term bets on more than 100 AI companies across the value chain, ranging from chips and hardware infrastructure to models and applications, Song Chunyu, chief investment officer and senior partner at the unit, told the...

Russia’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday that Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism and put on an international wanted list. The charges against Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia but later moved abroad, come as the Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country. It is part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s full control that has intensif...

Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to return to her country by December despite fearing for her life. “I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison,” Hasina, 78, said in an email. “I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me.” Toppled in August 2024 by a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year, iron-fisted rule, Hasina fled by helicopter to India as crowds stormed her palace. The United...

A former customer services officer with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has been jailed for one year and eight months for accepting at least HK$18,000 (US$2,295) in bribes to help smuggle mainland Chinese travellers overseas 17 years ago. Tsui Ying-kit, 45, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages at Tsuen Wan Court, which now handles District Court cases. The defendant had been on the run since jumping bail in October 2009, before returning from...

When a ride-hailing driver suddenly experienced severe stomach pain and requested his passenger to take over the wheel to exit the highway, she instead drove him directly to the hospital. On July 14, He Shimin, a blogger, arranged a ride-sharing service as she planned to travel from Guangzhou to Shunde, both located in southern Guangdong province. While on the highway, the driver, surnamed Wang, suddenly spoke in a weak voice, expressing that he did not feel well and asked if He could drive t...

A Hong Kong ophthalmologist has been cleared of professional misconduct after the city’s medical watchdog decided to offer no evidence against him, 15 years after a complaint was lodged over his handling of laser eye surgery procedures. The three disciplinary charges against Dr Yiu Man-kit stemmed from a complaint submitted in 2011 by a patient, Chan Man-chi, over a bilateral Lasik surgery performed on her in May 2010 and a subsequent keratectomy on her right eye in September that year. Yiu h...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 13 people have been found dead after a powerful quake shook part of southwestern Japan and rescue work was continuing Wednesday morning for the missing. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu late on Tuesday afternoon. “There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time,” Takaichi said. “We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can.” Takaichi offered...

The European Union’s upgraded partnership with the Philippines signals the bloc’s aim to diversify its Indo-Pacific strategy beyond trade into the security arena. Such a move shows Brussels is seeking a larger role in a region where maritime disputes and challenges to the rules-based order could damage its extensive interests, according to analysts. On Friday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security polic...

HSBC Holdings will relocate its group chief people and governance officer, Aileen Taylor, from London to Hong Kong later this year, as the lender doubles down on expanding its Hong Kong and Asia operations, according to sources at the bank. A source told the South China Morning Post that an internal decision to relocate Taylor to Hong Kong had already been made, as part of a push to strengthen the presence of senior executives in Hong Kong – HSBC’s biggest market and its focus of...

During the opening ceremony of Ride to Shine Hong Kong this month, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui challenged Hongkongers to cycle more than 1.2 million km – a distance equivalent to circling the Earth 30 times – to commemorate Hong Kong’s 30th anniversary of returning to China next year. Cycling is more than a trend and worth developing. Since the invention of the bicycle, it has been the most energy-efficient form of human-powered transport – including running...

Hong Kong’s export surge will extend into the coming months, driven by the global AI boom, economists have told the South China Morning Post, adding that GDP growth could surpass official forecasts. Billy Mak Sui-choi, an associate professor at Baptist University’s department of accountancy, economics and finance, said global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) remained far from saturated and would continue to drive exports. “No single country has yet been able to dominate the AI field...

Elon Musk’s social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, launched its own bank account-like product where users can send money to one another. The service, known as X Money, is not a new bank. X Money is using technology and banking services provided by Cross River Bank and branding that backbone as X Money. It is common for new financial companies to use a traditional bank’s backbone to launch their services, as chartering a new bank is a timely and costly process. Currently X Money is...

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced bans on imports of new Chinese robots and power inverters, citing threats to US national security and supply chain vulnerabilities. Without naming China, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expanded its Covered List to include two new categories of foreign-made equipment: advanced robotic devices and connected power inverters. The robotic devices included mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds. The action would ban the import and...

Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie and Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally were among public figures who on Tuesday called for refugee protections to be upheld as the United Nations decried mounting pressure ‌on asylum systems. Legal safeguards for refugees are enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, drafted in the aftermath of World War II, which displaced tens of millions of people. But while most people still support the principle of safe refuge, many governments are tightening border...

US President Donald Trump voiced ⁠irritation with Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of their White House meeting on Tuesday, complaining that details of the Israeli prime minister’s planned talking points on Iran had surfaced publicly, in a fresh sign of strain between the two leaders. Asked about reports that Netanyahu wanted to talk to him about Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Iran’s main nuclear sites, Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “I don’t need...

Senator Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who rose to become one of his generation’s more influential US politicians at home and abroad, was being eulogised Tuesday as a “swashbuckling” public servant and “true American original” during memorial services in Washington. Graham’s remains arrived at the US Capitol, where the Republican served for more than 30 years as an indefatigable deal maker who talked and laughed and badgered his colleagues into action. His flag-draped casket was...

China’s emergence as a global biotechnology innovation hub has become a source of strategic concern in the United States, prompting policymakers in Washington to re-evaluate how to respond to its growing influence, according to a recent report by a leading analytics firm. “The country’s latest biotechnology success is strategically important, with implications extending beyond healthcare innovation to include pharmaceutical supply-chain resilience, economic competitiveness and national...

Footprints left on a muddy lakeshore in northern Kenya ⁠around 1.43 million years ago are providing new insight into the size and behaviour of a species in the human evolutionary lineage that was the last of its kind, known for extensive anatomical adaptations for eating tough vegetation. The species, Paranthropus boisei, is known mostly from skull and tooth fossils. Now researchers working along the eastern side of Kenya’s Lake Turkana have identified 21 footprints made by eight individuals ...

Oman presented Iran with ⁠a plan backed by Gulf states to manage the Strait of Hormuz, including collecting voluntary fees for using it, a Gulf source and a Western diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday. The plan could serve as a basis to end the disruption to trade through the strait caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. President Donald Trump, who abruptly called off a two-week US bombing campaign over the weekend in his latest strategic U-turn, said there were “good talks” under way with Iran b...

Beijing has tightened its rules on the sale of military equipment to ban its sale through unauthorised channels. “In recent years, some business operators have openly sold, online and offline, goods … such as decommissioned and scrapped military equipment, causing an adverse impact and creating security risks,” an administrative notice issued by multiple state bodies said. The notice – made public on Tuesday and published internally last week – covers everything from uniforms to machinery,...

An American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is set to dock in Da Nang this week, in a visit analysts say shows the durability of US-Vietnam relations despite trade tensions and global upheaval. The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier currently deployed with the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet out of Yokosuka, Japan, is expected to call at the central Vietnamese port from Thursday to Monday, though officials have yet to confirm the exact date. Its looming arrival “signals that engagement...

A Hong Kong coach has been accused of assaulting and abusing an eight-year-old boy, slapping his face and forcing him to stand outside in the blazing sun at a training camp for children. Eastern Court on Wednesday heard that Zhao Yiqun allegedly ill-treated and assaulted the boy during a training programme at the Jockey Club Ming Fai Camp in Cheung Chau. The incident, which occurred in August 2024, led to two counts of child abuse against the 51-year-old female coach for causing the boy...

Hongkongers visiting the earthquake-hit Japanese city of Kumamoto are offering rides to fellow travellers stranded in the area. A travel operator also revealed on Wednesday that a tour group from Hong Kong was safe and departing for their next destination. Travellers from Hong Kong have taken to social media platform Threads to seek help, with some sharing how they were offered assistance by others from the city. A post from user tyt_1219_, who goes by the name Taffy, said she had arrived in...

In an affluent neighbourhood in New Delhi, electric vehicle charging stations near a popular shopping area were busy with drivers powering up their scooters, trucks and cars. India’s capital city is in dire need of more charging facilities, EV drivers say, to implement an ambitious plan to phase out petrol vehicles in one of the world’s most polluted cities. “Charging facilities are not up to the mark yet,” said Shyam Singh, a marketing executive who owns a two-wheel electric scooter, adding...

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart International ramped up its global expansion on Wednesday by opening a new store on Singapore’s Sentosa Island – alongside its first overseas Pop Bakery dessert store in the same venue – with observers predicting that more overseas locations would help drive growth, especially those in underpenetrated markets. The launch comes amid softer domestic sales and normalising demand after a strong intellectual property (IP) cycle in 2025. Analysts said improved inventory...

A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday said US-China military communication was “stronger than it has been in years”, marking a rare bright spot in the broader strategic rivalry between the world’s two most powerful countries. “Under the leadership of Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, we are actively repairing a once broken military-to-military channel and making clear, steady progress,” said Alvaro Smith, deputy assistant defence secretary for China, Taiwan and Mongolia. He made the remarks during a...

A 50-year-old independent bookshop has announced it will close when its lease ends, following a raid by Hong Kong national security police earlier this month. Greenfield Book Store, located on Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok, took to social media during the early hours of Wednesday morning to announce its plans to close. “The shop will close down after the end of the lease. Thank you, everyone, for your support over the past 50 years since the shop opened. Thank you and take care,” the...

China is widening its lead over the United States in the race to develop humanoid robots, with Chinese firms accounting for six of the world’s 10 most innovative start-ups in the sector, according to a new report tracking global patent data, as Washington moves to restrict imports of robots, including those made in China. Firms from China dominated the ranking released by legal research platform LexisNexis on Tuesday, claiming a clean sweep of the top five. The top five places went to...

The United States has released a rare photo of the American and Taiwanese coastguards operating together at sea, as Beijing expands maritime law enforcement in waters east of the island. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) – the de facto US embassy in Taipei – posted the undated image on social media on Tuesday, saying the two sides were coordinating on search, rescue, disaster relief and maritime law enforcement. “The United States appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and...

An 18-year-old Chinese girl recently lost her last living relative as she embarks on her university journey, yet she has declined donations, asking that they be given to others in need. Zeng Zixuan scored 564 out of 750 on this year’s gaokao, the national higher education entrance exam, and has been admitted to the petroleum engineering programme at Yangtze University. She chose this university because it is close to her home, allowing her to visit her grandmother frequently. However, just as...

Researchers in South Korea say they have finally worked out how the brain flushes away waste – offering a clearer picture of the processes involved in dementia and other brain disorders that could one day be harnessed to treat them. The breakthrough, published this month in journal Cell, solved a puzzle that has stumped scientists since lymphatic vessels around the brain were first discovered roughly 250 years ago: how does our body clear away the waste? An international team led by Dr Koh...

A US teenager who shot dead four people at a high school with a gun his father gave him as a Christmas present was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday. Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty to carrying out the September 2024 attack at Apalachee High School in the town of Winder, Georgia. Gray was 14 years old when he shot dead two 14-year-old pupils and two teachers, while also wounding nine other people. He was charged as an adult. Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm sentenced Gray to life in pri...

Back in 2009, when China’s economy was expanding at about twice today’s pace, a little-known private firm made a quiet bet on uncharted territory: Indonesia. The company was on a quest: to secure nickel, a vital industrial metal used in stainless steel production and, increasingly, to power advanced batteries. That bet proved lucrative. By leveraging Indonesia’s vast nickel reserves – the world’s largest – and securing greater control over upstream supplies, Tsingshan Group has grown into a...

The man on trial in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie chose on Tuesday not to testify or call any witnesses in the federal terrorism case, which is expected to head to the jury as soon as Wednesday. Hadi Matar’s lawyer told the court that the 28-year-old – who already has been convicted of state-level attempted murder charges – would not take the stand at his trial on charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. “At this time, the defence rests,” lawyer Nathaniel Barone sa...

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Tuesday ahead of Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its continuing war against Russia. The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the Nato summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the US will give Ukraine a licen...

A Hongkonger has described being “quite scared” as a 7.1-magnitude quake shook Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture where she and her boyfriend were travelling, while the city’s travel authority confirmed that about 200 members of tour groups visiting the region were all safe. Leon Chan, 18, recounted to the South China Morning Post that she and her boyfriend had just got off a bus on the west side of Kumamoto city when the quake hit on Tuesday afternoon. The epicentre was about 20km (12.4...

Telling a Hong Kong judge found to have plagiarised submissions in his judgments to retire early is a sufficient penalty, as he has already suffered reputational damage and is losing tens of millions of dollars in forgone salary, allowances and pension payouts, legal experts have said. A spokesman for the judiciary confirmed on Tuesday that Justice Wilson Chan Ka-shun would be eligible for early retirement benefits calculated in accordance with his period of service. Chief Executive John Lee...

The struggle between the US and China over who will lead in artificial intelligence is one of the defining competitions of our time. In the third part of our exclusive interview with a key player defining Washington’s policy on AI, Jacob Helberg, US undersecretary of state for economic affairs, gives a commitment to the Philippines on the Pax Silica Initiative. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr used his State of the Nation address in Manila on Monday to staunchly defend a proposed...

Malaysian ⁠police have raided 32 premises ⁠hosting online scam activities in Forest City in the state of Johor, arresting 335 people and seizing assets worth about 1 million ringgit (US$245,000), according to the state police chief. The operation was carried out on ‌July 15, targeting two areas that had been identified as hubs for call centres running online fraud activities, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday. Those arrested were aged between 20...

India’s latest youth protests began after examination papers were leaked. They could ultimately be seen as a referendum on the country’s development model. The immediate trigger was the controversy around the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), India’s highly competitive medical entrance exam. Evidence surfaced that examination papers had been leaked and sold. This scandal affected millions of candidates, leading to retests and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradh...