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What does China’s J-16 fighter jet in ‘beast mode’ mean for PLA Air Force patrols?
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What does China’s J-16 fighter jet in ‘beast mode’ mean for PLA Air Force patrols?

A newly emerged image of a PLA J-16 multirole fighter jet in a rare, heavy air‑superiority “extreme loadout” configuration points to an extension of long-range tactical capabilities, according to a Chinese military magazine. In an analysis published this month, Ordnance Science and Technology said the photo of a J‑16 carrying multiple long‑range missiles circulating in May showed that China’s air ...

First session of Syria’s parliament convenes after Assad’s ousting
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First session of Syria’s parliament convenes after Assad’s ousting

Syria’s transitional parliament began its first session on Sunday, tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution and laying the groundwork for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule. Syria’s new authorities dissolved the country’s rubber-stamp legislature after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and adopted a temporary constitutional declaration to cover a five...

Hong Kong’s dog-friendly licence scheme triggers fierce online debate
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Hong Kong’s dog-friendly licence scheme triggers fierce online debate

Hong Kong’s dog-friendly restaurant scheme has sparked a fierce online debate over public hygiene and acceptable pet behaviour, while a branch of a cafe has opted out of the initiative just three days after it took effect. While more than 940 restaurants opened their doors to owners and their dogs last Thursday, clips showing dogs licking plates and sitting on dining tables and chairs have gone vi...

Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean
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Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean

Foreign ministers from Asean were ⁠told on Sunday by their Myanmar counterpart ⁠that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and would be looked after, ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar said. Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign minister, has been seeking access to Suu Kyi, 81, who has been detained since her elected government ‌was ousted in a 2021 military coup. “My reco...

For a China on the rise, soft power is vital

For a China on the rise, soft power is vital

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Europeans are reconsidering who their countries should partner with in an increasingly uncertain world. A June survey of 24 European Union countries by Public First on whether to have closer ties with the United States or China found opinion divided. Eight leaned towards China, nine favoured the US and seven were split. This is not just a question of economics or geopolitics. It is about reputatio...

China Life sets up semiconductor fund amid Beijing’s call for ‘patient’ capital

China Life sets up semiconductor fund amid Beijing’s call for ‘patient’ capital

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Companies backed by the state and provincial governments in China have announced new funds to focus on the semiconductor industry, which requires a large amount of time and resources to grow, at a time when the country is in need of more “patient capital”. China Life Insurance, the country’s largest life insurer, backed by the State Council, said it would establish a partnership with total capital...

Chinese state-owned firms set up semiconductor funds amid calls for ‘patient’ capital

Chinese state-owned firms set up semiconductor funds amid calls for ‘patient’ capital

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Companies backed by the state and provincial governments in China have announced new funds to focus on the semiconductor industry, which requires a large amount of time and resources to grow, at a time when the country is in need of more “patient capital”. China Life Insurance, the country’s largest life insurer, backed by the State Council, said it would establish a partnership with total capital...

Could China’s lunar laser tower bring Nikola Tesla’s free energy dream to life?

Could China’s lunar laser tower bring Nikola Tesla’s free energy dream to life?

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Legendary inventor Nikola Tesla’s dream of transmitting electricity wirelessly never became a reality on Earth. But more than a century later, Chinese scientists believe the concept could find its first practical application on the moon. Their proposal focuses on the moon’s south pole, where crater rims receive near-continuous sunlight while permanently shadowed regions nearby – believed to contai...

Five Guys to open in Beijing as more US chains hunger for success in China

Five Guys to open in Beijing as more US chains hunger for success in China

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American burger chain Five Guys will debut its first Beijing store next month, the company said last week, joining a group of US fast-food brands newly entering or accelerating their expansion in China. Chains including Wendy’s, Chili’s, Texas Chicken and Popeyes are hoping to grab a slice of the world’s second-largest consumer market as they face saturation at home, analysts said. Five Guys opene...

‘I’m lonely’: why do Hong Kong’s elderly feel isolated – and how can they be helped?

‘I’m lonely’: why do Hong Kong’s elderly feel isolated – and how can they be helped?

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In the first of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on ageing in Hong Kong, Fiona Sun examines rising social isolation among the elderly, its serious health risks and how activities and community support are helping seniors stay socially engaged. Chow Kam-shim, 92, and her husband Lau Moon-wing, 100, still face off against opponents every day on the boccia court at their residential home fo...

‘I’m lonely’: why are 50% of Hong Kong’s elderly socially isolated – and what can help?

‘I’m lonely’: why are 50% of Hong Kong’s elderly socially isolated – and what can help?

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In the first of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on ageing in Hong Kong, Fiona Sun examines rising social isolation among the elderly, its serious health risks and how activities and community support are helping seniors stay socially engaged. Chow Kam-shim, 92, and her husband Lau Moon-wing, 100, still face off against opponents every day on the boccia court at their residential home fo...

Brace for heavy rain and squally thunderstorms, Hong Kong Observatory warns

Brace for heavy rain and squally thunderstorms, Hong Kong Observatory warns

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Hong Kong’s observatory has warned of heavy showers and squally thunderstorms over the city in the coming week, but said it remains uncertain whether the low-pressure trough driving the storms will develop into a tropical cyclone. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Observatory said on Sunday that convective clouds associated with a broad trough of low pressure have been affecting the central South Chin...

65 arrested as Hong Kong police raid unlicensed nightclubs, gambling dens

65 arrested as Hong Kong police raid unlicensed nightclubs, gambling dens

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Hong Kong police have arrested 65 people in a crackdown on a criminal syndicate accused of running unlicensed nightclubs and gambling dens, where suspects allegedly served illicit drugs and hired illegal workers as hostesses. Superintendent Ching Chi-yan said on Sunday that the force’s intelligence indicated a criminal syndicate was running illegal nightclubs inside industrial buildings in Hung Ho...

Why China’s ethnic unity law marks shift in policy towards assimilation

Why China’s ethnic unity law marks shift in policy towards assimilation

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China’s new law on ethnic unity signals a shift in Beijing’s focus from handling specific ethnic matters to assimilation, according to a party ethnologist. The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect this month, provides a framework that analysts say is designed to counter Western ideological influence and provide a statutory mandate for assimilating minority groups. However,...

South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

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South Korea issued its first-ever emergency heatwave alert on Sunday under a new warning system launched this year, advising people to halt outdoor activities and keep cool. The new warning system was introduced to better deal with a rising number of heatwaves in South Korea, which have become longer and more intense, officials said. An emergency alert is issued when areas experiencing a heatwave ...

Beijing hits out as US-led coalition marks 10th anniversary of South China Sea ruling

Beijing hits out as US-led coalition marks 10th anniversary of South China Sea ruling

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Beijing has cast US-led military deployments as the “primary threat” to peace in the South China Sea, hitting back at a multinational declaration that marked the 10th anniversary of an arbitral ruling it does not recognise. In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted China’s “historic rights” while condemning “militarising and coercive behaviour” from the US ...

Beijing renews attacks on landmark South China Sea tribunal on ruling’s 10th anniversary

Beijing renews attacks on landmark South China Sea tribunal on ruling’s 10th anniversary

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Beijing has denounced a “thoroughly illegal” international tribunal that ruled against its expansive claims in the South China Sea, with a senior diplomat describing it as a “thorn” in the side of its relationship with the Philippines on the 10th anniversary of the decision. In an article published in People’s Daily on Sunday, Jing Quan, the ambassador to the Philippines, said clearing its “linger...

Why some Hongkongers take a 6-hour train ride for a Zhangjiajie holiday

Why some Hongkongers take a 6-hour train ride for a Zhangjiajie holiday

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Hongkonger Lam Chun and his family hopped onto a high-speed train for the first time last month for a five-day holiday in Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, finding the experience more suitable for travelling with the elderly. The 54-year-old medical sector professional said he accomplished a mission of travelling with his 90-year-old father and 85-year-old mother, along with a domestic helper, on a s...

Hong Kong probes civil service negligence in 15-year delay over baby blunder case

Hong Kong probes civil service negligence in 15-year delay over baby blunder case

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Hong Kong authorities are reviewing whether any civil servant neglected their duties in a 15-year delay by the Medical Council in handling a complaint against a paediatrician linked to boy’s permanent disability. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told media on Sunday that delays had occurred in different areas that were not supposed to happen throughout the process of handling the case of newborn ...

Singer Leehom Wang gets 39 stitches after stage cable trip in China, sparking safety concerns

Singer Leehom Wang gets 39 stitches after stage cable trip in China, sparking safety concerns

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Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter Leehom Wang continued his concert despite suffering from sudden injuries that later required 39 stitches to his face and ear, winning him widespread applause but raising concerns over stage safety. In the early hours of July 5, Wang posted images of his injured face, reporting that he was given 27 stitches to his ear and 12 stitches to his face at a hospital in...

How Chinese investors are supercharging Africa’s multibillion-dollar e-bike boom

How Chinese investors are supercharging Africa’s multibillion-dollar e-bike boom

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Motorcycle taxis – often called boda-bodas in East Africa and okadas in Nigeria and parts of West Africa – serve as the primary mode of transport for millions in Africa. Now, Chinese investors are pouring funds into the continent’s multibillion-dollar two-wheeler market, driving an energy shift from petrol to electric power. The investors supply essential components and batteries for local assembl...

Democratic pastors eye US midterms to blunt Trump’s grip on Christian nationalism

Democratic pastors eye US midterms to blunt Trump’s grip on Christian nationalism

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A band of white Democratic pastors has a striking message ahead of November’s US midterm election: Republicans have hijacked Jesus for political gain, and we are not going to stand for it. For decades, it has been a truism that Republicans have cornered the Christian market – at least when it comes to white voters. But these ministers are so fed up with US President Donald Trump, and particularly ...

Hong Kong police arrest 9 in crackdown on dangerous driving

Hong Kong police arrest 9 in crackdown on dangerous driving

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Hong Kong police have arrested nine suspects, including two who are on a wanted list, for serious driving offences during a week-long crackdown on speeding and other road safety breaches. A police spokesman said on Sunday that officers in the New Territories North region launched the law enforcement operation from July 5 to the past Saturday to maintain road safety on the region’s highways. “The t...

US senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after sudden illness

US senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after sudden illness

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US Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal allies after Trump became president, has died, his office announced on Sunday. He was 71. The South Carolina lawmaker died after a “brief and sudden illness”, his office said early on Sunday. US media said emergency staff had responded to a call for cardiac arrest at his ‌Capitol Hill ...

US senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham dies after sudden illness

US senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham dies after sudden illness

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US Senator Lindsey Graham passed ‌away on Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, the communications ⁠director for his office ‌said in a social media post early on Sunday. Graham, ⁠71, ⁠was a prominent ‌Republican senator from South Carolina. Earlier in his career, he was a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump before becoming one of his most loyal allies ⁠on Capitol Hill. “Senator ...

Fifa World Cup: Hong Kong pubs, restaurants enjoy net gains from big matches

Fifa World Cup: Hong Kong pubs, restaurants enjoy net gains from big matches

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Many bars, restaurants and shopping centres in Hong Kong have enjoyed brisk business thanks to the World Cup, with top nightlife district Lan Kwai Fong recording an up to 70 per cent jump in patronage for this year’s big matches. Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman Allan Zeman told the South China Morning Post that he had joined football fans in the entertainment district in Central to catch the England-...

World Cup 2026: Hong Kong pubs, restaurants enjoy net gains from big matches

World Cup 2026: Hong Kong pubs, restaurants enjoy net gains from big matches

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Many bars, restaurants and shopping centres in Hong Kong have enjoyed brisk business thanks to the World Cup, with top nightlife district Lan Kwai Fong recording an up to 70 per cent jump in patronage for this year’s big matches. Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman Allan Zeman told the South China Morning Post that he had joined football fans in the entertainment district in Central to catch the England-...

Gulf capital flowing into Asia as trade with Hong Kong rises 35%: Paul Chan

Gulf capital flowing into Asia as trade with Hong Kong rises 35%: Paul Chan

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Capital from the Gulf is showing signs of flowing into Asia, Hong Kong’s finance chief has said, as bilateral trade between the region and the city rose by 35 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026. In his weekly blog on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said Hong Kong and the Middle East had deepened ties in the areas of the economy, trade, finance, innovation and techno...