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Rail and air services cancelled and schools shut as southern China braces for Typhoon Noul
SCMP

Rail and air services cancelled and schools shut as southern China braces for Typhoon Noul

Trains were stopped, schools were halted and residents were evacuated in southern China as Typhoon Noul headed towards the coast. The National Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert – the second highest level in a four-tier system – on Saturday morning as it moved northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of 20km/h (12mph). It was expected to land somewhere between Hong Kong an...

Japan courts India, Malaysia to escape US-China AI duopoly
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Japan courts India, Malaysia to escape US-China AI duopoly

Japan has been establishing dialogue frameworks for artificial intelligence with like-minded countries and Global South partners to reduce reliance on top US and Chinese firms and promote domestic companies abroad. The outreach signals a growing recognition among those countries of the need for cooperation, rather than going it alone, to survive in the increasingly competitive field of AI. At home...

More than 30 restaurants pull out of dog-friendly scheme, 70 warnings issued
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More than 30 restaurants pull out of dog-friendly scheme, 70 warnings issued

More than 30 restaurants have pulled out of Hong Kong’s new dog-friendly dining scheme, and officers have issued 70 warnings during inspections since its launch, the city’s environment chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Saturday that some 31 eateries had withdrawn from the dog-friendly restaurant scheme since it was introduced two weeks ago, but stressed tha...

‘Show must go on,’ Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attempt
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‘Show must go on,’ Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attempt

US President Donald Trump told the White House press corps at its annual gala dinner on Friday that “the show must go on”, three months after an earlier attempt was interrupted by an assassination attempt. This time the mood was significantly different. Security was stepped up, far fewer journalists were there, the war against Iran that the mercurial president started with Israel continues and his...

‘Show must go on’, Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attempt

‘Show must go on’, Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attempt

SCMP

US President Donald Trump told the White House press corps at its annual gala dinner on Friday that “the show must go on”, three months after an earlier attempt was interrupted by an assassination attempt. This time the mood was significantly different. Security was stepped up, far fewer journalists were there, the war against Iran that the mercurial president started with Israel continues and his...

Xinjiang growing as tourist destination for Hongkongers amid travel sector push

Xinjiang growing as tourist destination for Hongkongers amid travel sector push

SCMP

Hong Kong student Angel Lau Yin-kwan, 16, has wanted to visit China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for some time, to learn more about the birthplace of her favourite mainland Chinese actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. Before embarking on a seven-day northern Xinjiang learning tour in early July under the Solar Project, organised by public broadcaster RTHK, Lau thought the region was mostly grassland a...

Can China’s aerospace industry overcome ‘execution gap’ in modernisation goals?

Can China’s aerospace industry overcome ‘execution gap’ in modernisation goals?

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Chinese defence suppliers are hitting a wall when it comes to translating national strategic goals into effective enterprise-level actions, according to an analysis by industry insiders. The study, published in May by the academic journal Defence Industry Conversion in China, identified four major challenges that might undermine the implementation of Beijing’s 2026-2030 plan for the national defen...

Singapore’s young workers cling to side hustles to survive the AI age: ‘it’s exhausting’

Singapore’s young workers cling to side hustles to survive the AI age: ‘it’s exhausting’

SCMP

By day, Adele Lee juggles schedules and administrative work as a personal assistant to a senior director at a financial advisory firm. Three evenings a week, the 32-year-old logs back on, this time to sell second-hand clothes through TikTok livestreams, fielding questions from viewers and packing orders herself after the broadcast ends. The side hustle brings in about S$500 (US$390) a month, suppl...

Putting the ‘K’ back in K-pop: how Rescene charmed South Korea

Putting the ‘K’ back in K-pop: how Rescene charmed South Korea

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In an industry built on going global, K-pop’s freshest phenomenon has succeeded by doing the exact opposite: staying home. Rescene, a five-member girl group from little-known agency The Muze Entertainment, debuted in 2024 but largely flew under the radar until recently. Now, they are the talk of the town – chart-toppers, brand ambassadors and a name that is suddenly inescapable across South Korea....

Typhoon Noul: Hong Kong downgrades T9 signal to T8

Typhoon Noul: Hong Kong downgrades T9 signal to T8

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The Hong Kong Observatory has lowered the storm signal to No 8, six hours after issuing the No 9 warning, with Typhoon Noul skirting as close as 80km (50 miles) to the northeast of the city. More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the Home Affairs Department said that it had opened 28 shelters in anticipation of the approaching storm. “Noul is moving northwestw...

Typhoon Noul: Hong Kong to downgrade T9 signal to T8 at 7.10am

Typhoon Noul: Hong Kong to downgrade T9 signal to T8 at 7.10am

SCMP

The Hong Kong Observatory has said it will lower the storm signal to No 8 at 7.10am on Sunday, six hours after issuing the No 9 warning, with Typhoon Noul skirting as close as 80km (50 miles) to the southeast of the city. More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the Home Affairs Department said that it had opened 28 shelters in anticipation of the approaching st...

Hong Kong issues T9 signal as Typhoon Noul bears down on city

Hong Kong issues T9 signal as Typhoon Noul bears down on city

SCMP

The Observatory issued the No 9 signal early on Sunday as Typhoon Noul approached the city, with Hong Kong’s first major storm of the year causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and high-speed rail services as well as triggering a scaffolding collapse. More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the Home Affairs Department said that it had opened 28 shelte...

Hong Kong to issue T9 signal at 1.10am as Typhoon Noul approaches

Hong Kong to issue T9 signal at 1.10am as Typhoon Noul approaches

SCMP

The Observatory issued the No 8 signal on Saturday night and will upgrade it to the No 9 warning early on Sunday as Typhoon Noul approaches, with Hong Kong’s first major storm of the year causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and high-speed rail services as well as triggering a scaffolding collapse. More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the Home Aff...

Hong Kong issues T8 signal and considers T9 as Typhoon Noul approaches

Hong Kong issues T8 signal and considers T9 as Typhoon Noul approaches

SCMP

The Observatory issued the No 8 signal at 10.10pm on Saturday and said it would consider upgrading it to the No 9 alert as Typhoon Noul approaches, with Hong Kong’s first major storm of the year causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and high-speed rail services as well as triggering a scaffolding collapse. More than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled while the H...

Hong Kong to issue T8 signal at 10.10pm as Typhoon Noul brings disruption

Hong Kong to issue T8 signal at 10.10pm as Typhoon Noul brings disruption

SCMP

The Hong Kong Observatory will issue the No 8 typhoon signal at 10.10pm on Saturday as Typhoon Noul barrels towards the region, with more than 380 flights cancelled and winds associated with the storm causing a scaffolding collapse. The city’s leader, John Lee Ka-chiu, said in a Facebook post on Saturday evening that he had instructed all related departments to be prepared, with a contingency plan...

Hong Kong to issue T8 signal at 10.10pm as Typhoon Noul moves closer

Hong Kong to issue T8 signal at 10.10pm as Typhoon Noul moves closer

SCMP

The Hong Kong Observatory will issue the No 8 typhoon signal at 10.10pm on Saturday as Typhoon Noul barrels towards the region, with more than 380 flights cancelled and winds associated with the storm causing a scaffolding collapse. The forecaster said that Noul had intensified and was forecast to come within 100km (62 miles) of the city on Sunday morning, with rain and strong winds associated wit...

Scaffolding collapses, 339 flights cancelled as Typhoon Noul moves closer

Scaffolding collapses, 339 flights cancelled as Typhoon Noul moves closer

SCMP

A large section of scaffolding has collapsed onto a building in Hong Kong as Typhoon Noul heads towards the region, with gusts of up to 110km/h battering parts of the city and more than 330 flights cancelled. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Saturday that Noul had intensified and was forecast to come within 100km (62 miles) of the city on Sunday morning, while rain associated with the outer bands...

Typhoon Noul: 150 flights cancelled in Hong Kong as T3 remains in effect

Typhoon Noul: 150 flights cancelled in Hong Kong as T3 remains in effect

SCMP

More than 150 flights have been cancelled in Hong Kong as Typhoon Noul intensified and was forecast to come within 100km (62 miles) of the city on Sunday morning. The Observatory issued the No 3 typhoon signal at 1.20pm on Saturday, adding it would assess the need for a higher warning between 9pm and midnight. Afternoon classes at some schools were cancelled, and the Housing Authority said it had ...

T3 signal to be issued in Hong Kong at 1.20pm on Saturday as classes suspended

T3 signal to be issued in Hong Kong at 1.20pm on Saturday as classes suspended

SCMP

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon signal at 1.20pm on Saturday and afternoon classes will be suspended in some schools. The Hong Kong Observatory said local winds were expected to strengthen gradually with squally showers developing later in the day, as Typhoon Noul moved steadily across the northeastern part of the South China Sea. At noon, Noul was estimated to be about ...

T3 signal issued in Hong Kong at 1.20pm on Saturday as classes suspended

T3 signal issued in Hong Kong at 1.20pm on Saturday as classes suspended

SCMP

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon signal at 1.20pm on Saturday and afternoon classes will be suspended in some schools. The Hong Kong Observatory said local winds were expected to strengthen gradually with squally showers developing later in the day, as Typhoon Noul moved steadily across the northeastern part of the South China Sea. At noon, Noul was estimated to be about ...

T3 signal expected between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, classes to be suspended

T3 signal expected between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, classes to be suspended

SCMP

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon signal between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday and afternoon classes will be suspended in some schools. The Hong Kong Observatory said local winds were expected to strengthen gradually with squally showers developing later in the day, as Typhoon Noul moved steadily across the northeastern part of the South China Sea. At 10am, Noul was estimated to...

Investment with Chinese characteristics: how Beijing’s money is reshaping tech ventures

Investment with Chinese characteristics: how Beijing’s money is reshaping tech ventures

SCMP

On the surface, China’s cutting-edge tech sector – from the algorithmic breakthroughs of DeepSeek and Zhipu AI to the hardware of Unitree Robotics and ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) – mirrors Silicon Valley’s venture capital-backed ecosystem. But a closer look at their financing histories reveals a common investor: the Chinese state. Beijing’s strong presence underscores a more profound struc...

Long before the Silk Road, silkworm cocoons already existed in Uzbekistan

Long before the Silk Road, silkworm cocoons already existed in Uzbekistan

SCMP

In 138BC, Chinese diplomat and explorer Zhang Qian was sent as an envoy to the western regions. The Han dynasty envoy failed to achieve his emperor’s goal of launching a pincer attack against the Xiongnu nomadic confederation, but he unexpectedly discovered a route. The land route started from Changan, present-day Xian, and passed through Gansu province and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, re...

Why Japan’s scenic Tohoku region is still a tourist outlier

Why Japan’s scenic Tohoku region is still a tourist outlier

SCMP

Japan’s tourism boom has packed the streets of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with foreign visitors, but one of the country’s most scenic regions is still struggling to draw them north. Tohoku, the northern region of Japan’s main island of Honshu, comprises Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures – an area known for mountains, hot springs, skiing, festivals and a slower rural pace...

Chinese weight-loss trend of mixing tea with enemas sends many to hospital

Chinese weight-loss trend of mixing tea with enemas sends many to hospital

SCMP

An unconventional weight-loss remedy of drinking a mixture of an external-use constipation medication with tea has trended on Chinese social media, sparking doctors to warn the public not to try it after receiving some emergency cases. The extreme slimming method has captivated social media in recent weeks because of claims that it has the remarkable effect of helping people shed 4kg of weight wit...

Family office of Henderson Land boss to fast-track Central Asia green energy plans

Family office of Henderson Land boss to fast-track Central Asia green energy plans

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Henderson Land Development co-chairman and managing director Peter Lee Ka-kit’s family office has fast-tracked its plans in Central Asia, where rich agricultural and natural resources could trigger more than US$1 billion in investments in green energy. Alan Chan Ying-lung, managing partner of family office Full Vision Capital, told the South China Morning Post that the firm was pressing ahead with...

Trump cites ‘white, male, Christian’ audit in Smithsonian disclaimer push

Trump cites ‘white, male, Christian’ audit in Smithsonian disclaimer push

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US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to install signage that warns visitors of inaccurate historical information inside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington. The highly unusual move marks the 80-year-old Republican’s latest battle in his ideological war on American cultural institutions and monuments, some of which he has renamed for himself and re...

Indonesia’s Bali financial hub ‘a matter of survival’: economic tsar

Indonesia’s Bali financial hub ‘a matter of survival’: economic tsar

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Bali has “aura” and political titan Luhut Pandjaitan wants to channel it to transform Indonesia’s famed resort island into an international financial centre. But President Prabowo Subianto’s special adviser and economic tsar is not relying on subtle nods to Gen Z slang to sell paradise. Instead, he conjures up a striking image to make his case. A friend recently sent him a photograph of kamikaze d...

Saudi strikes Houthi sites in Yemen as conflict flares

Saudi strikes Houthi sites in Yemen as conflict flares

SCMP

Saudi Arabia struck Houthi military targets in Hodeida on Friday with rebel media reporting two injured after the Iran-backed group announced a maritime blockade of the kingdom and hit its ships. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire recently for the first time in years, threatening a 2022 truce that has held despite expiring. The Saudi-led coalition said it hit Houthi sites and destroyed targe...