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Why Gojek co-founder’s trial is alarming Indonesians overseas
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Why Gojek co-founder’s trial is alarming Indonesians overseas

For many Indonesians who have built careers abroad, Nadiem Makarim once represented a particular kind of homecoming success story. The Brown and Harvard University-educated co-founder of Gojek had walked away from the start-up world to serve in government, bringing with him the aura of Indonesia’s technology boom and the promise that private-sector talent could help modernise the state. Now, with ...

Israel thrusts reluctant UAE into open over defence ties
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Israel thrusts reluctant UAE into open over defence ties

For months, the United Arab Emirates had denied Iran’s accusations that it was in league with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or hosting his country’s military personnel. Then, US ambassador to Israel Mick Huckabee handed Tehran a propaganda gift and Abu Dhabi a diplomatic headache all in a single sentence. Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to the UAE amid the ongoing war on Ir...

90 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade
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90 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade

At least 90 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi. State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late in the day. There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was unclear whether other w...

82 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade
SCMP •

82 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade

At least 82 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi. State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late on Friday. There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was unclear whether other wo...

82 killed in Chinese coal mine explosion

82 killed in Chinese coal mine explosion

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At least 82 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi that trapped dozens more. State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late on Friday. There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was...

Over 50 killed in Chinese coal mine explosion

Over 50 killed in Chinese coal mine explosion

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More than 50 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi that trapped dozens more. State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late on Friday. There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It wa...

Screams as 10 hurt in ‘drop tower’ turbulence on Cathay flight from Brisbane

Screams as 10 hurt in ‘drop tower’ turbulence on Cathay flight from Brisbane

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Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence on Saturday, with one traveller saying it felt like “free-falling from a drop tower” as everyone screamed and items flew through the air. The passenger said the sudden drop in altitude lasted about two seconds and occurred two hours before the expected landing t...

Screams amid ‘drop tower’ turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane, 10 injured

Screams amid ‘drop tower’ turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane, 10 injured

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Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence on Saturday morning, as one traveller recalled how the impact felt like “free-falling from a drop tower”, with everyone screaming and items flying in the air. The passenger told the South China Morning Post that the sudden dip in altitude lasted about two second...

10 injured in severe turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong

10 injured in severe turbulence on Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong

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Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong encountered turbulence early on Saturday morning, with one traveller describing the terrifying experience as similar to “free-falling from a drop tower”. Cathay Pacific confirmed on Saturday that flight CX156 from Brisbane to Hong Kong encountered turbulence, and 10 people, including two Au...

How can Hong Kong help mothers of infants reverse falling breastfeeding rate?

How can Hong Kong help mothers of infants reverse falling breastfeeding rate?

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For Hongkonger Annyee Chan, the decision to stop breastfeeding her son at eight months was a pragmatic response to a city that often feels at odds with the needs of nursing mothers. Returning to work just one month after childbirth, the self-employed wealth management professional faced a gruelling logistical challenge, navigating a city with sparse nursing facilities while lugging heavy pumps, bo...

Whiplash in Taiwan? How Donald Trump’s blunt warning collides with a historic call offer

Whiplash in Taiwan? How Donald Trump’s blunt warning collides with a historic call offer

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Donald Trump’s blunt warning that he was not looking to have “somebody go independent” after his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has reignited debate in Taiwan over whether Washington is hardening its message on the island. For many in Taipei, the US president’s remarks evoked memories of the George W. Bush administration, when Washington publicly checked Taiwan over moves seen as edging tow...

Bangladesh’s rare ‘Donald Trump’ buffalo draws crowds over resemblance

Bangladesh’s rare ‘Donald Trump’ buffalo draws crowds over resemblance

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A rare albino buffalo with flowing blond hair ⁠has become an unlikely ⁠celebrity in Bangladesh ahead of the ⁠Eid al-Adha festival, drawing crowds of curious visitors who say the animal bears a striking resemblance to US President Donald Trump. The nearly 700kg (1,540lbs) buffalo, raised at a farm in Narayanganj district near the ‌capital Dhaka, has been nicknamed “Donald Trump” because of the tuft...

‘Chase your dreams’, Hong Kong’s first astronaut tells city’s young people

‘Chase your dreams’, Hong Kong’s first astronaut tells city’s young people

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Hong Kong’s first astronaut has encouraged the city’s young people to chase their dreams, declaring that “there must be a better tomorrow” if everyone works hard and bears the country in mind when pursuing one’s goals. Payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, one of three astronauts on the Shenzhou-23’s mission to China’s Tiangong space station scheduled to launch on Sunday evening, told Hongkongers in a p...

Hong Kong astronaut a testament to country’s regard for city’s talent: John Lee

Hong Kong astronaut a testament to country’s regard for city’s talent: John Lee

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The unprecedented participation of a Hong Kong researcher in the nation’s space flight mission is testament to the country’s high regard for the city’s innovation and technology talent and accomplishments, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said. Lee congratulated payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, who is also a police superintendent, after she was named on Saturday morning as one of three astronau...

What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

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When Xi Jinping and Donald Trump concluded their Beijing summit, the most consequential outcome – for China at least – may prove not material, but conceptual: the adoption of “constructive strategic stability” (CSS) as the guiding framework for managing their intensifying competition. For Southeast Asia, a region often caught in the rivalry between the two powers, understanding what this means wil...

Mock cockroach-theme political party draws India’s jobless youth, Modi’s rivals

Mock cockroach-theme political party draws India’s jobless youth, Modi’s rivals

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A mock political party erupted across Indian social media this week, becoming a symbol of Gen Z disillusionment with the country’s political establishment and anger over a worsening jobs crisis in the world’s most populous nation. The Cockroach Janta Party, as the satirical movement is known, has already overtaken the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Instagram, racking up nearly 20 million followe...

For China’s ailing developers, retail frenzy greets semiconductor side-hustles

For China’s ailing developers, retail frenzy greets semiconductor side-hustles

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Embattled Chinese developers have turned to a new strategy to resuscitate their ailing businesses: diversifying into semiconductor production. Certain listed property companies have seen their shares skyrocket – some by hundreds of per cent – after announcing investments in “chipmaking”. Such strategic diversification efforts have sparked a buying frenzy among retail investors in the mainland’s A-...

Lai Ka-ying is Hong Kong’s first astronaut. Her mentor saw her talent years ago

Lai Ka-ying is Hong Kong’s first astronaut. Her mentor saw her talent years ago

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If you are working on a space station orbiting hundreds of kilometres above the Earth, the woman set to become Hong Kong’s first astronaut when the mission launches this weekend is exactly the type of person you want by your side, according to the professor who supervised her postgraduate studies. Lai Ka-ying was meticulous, patient and a skilled communicator who could break down highly technical ...

UN event on nuclear non-proliferation treaty stumbles, US and Iran clash

UN event on nuclear non-proliferation treaty stumbles, US and Iran clash

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A four-week United Nations conference reviewing the treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons ended on Friday without agreement as the United States and Iran sparred over Iran’s nuclear programme. Vietnam’s UN Ambassador Do Hung Viet, who chaired the conference, announced that there was no consensus among the 191 parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on even a watered-down final doc...

Chinese scientists grow heart’s ‘master conductor’ that could replace pacemaker

Chinese scientists grow heart’s ‘master conductor’ that could replace pacemaker

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Scientists in Shanghai have used stem cells to create the world’s first laboratory-grown sinoatrial node – the tiny structure that acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker. Capable of beating autonomously, the organoid is a breakthrough that researchers say could transform cardiac disease research and drug screening. The heart’s ability to beat continuously and rhythmically depends on the sinoatrial ...

27 countries seek access to World Bank funds since Iran war

27 countries seek access to World Bank funds since Iran war

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Twenty-seven countries have moved since the Iran war started to put in place crisis instruments that could quickly access funding from existing World Bank programmes, according to an internal document viewed by Reuters. The World Bank document did not name the ‌countries or the total amount of funds potentially being sought. The World Bank declined to comment. The document showed that three countr...

Japanese female prison’s rehabilitation goal faces health, language barriers

Japanese female prison’s rehabilitation goal faces health, language barriers

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Seated in a wheelchair, an elderly woman bends silently as her wrinkled fingers move with surprising speed to fold pieces of coloured origami paper into intricate shapes. Beside her, another woman does the same, both adding their finished pieces to a pile on the table without looking up or exchanging a word. Inside Tochigi Prison, where talking during work is forbidden, elderly women folding paper...

How China wins by avoiding war

How China wins by avoiding war

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing in a much weaker position than he did more than four years ago, when he launched his invasion of Ukraine shortly after his last visit. US President Donald Trump left Beijing after much fanfare. However, he was criticised back at home for failing to deliver on any key aspect of American interests, such as committing China to pressuring Iran to end...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying picked for space station mission

Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying picked for space station mission

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Hong Kong will send its first astronaut to the Tiangong space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday. Lai Ka-ying, a police chief inspector and tech expert with a doctorate in computer science, will join the Shenzhou-23 mission as a payload specialist. She will become the fourth female astronaut to enter the Chinese space station. According to the agency, she will work alongs...

A cloud above the clouds: US, China race to make space a computing platform

A cloud above the clouds: US, China race to make space a computing platform

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In 1957, the Soviet Union kicked off the Cold War’s space race, shocking the world by sending Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit. Four years later, it did the same to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, making him the first human in space. In 1969, the US provided another image that defined the era: Neil Armstrong leaving the Eagle lunar lander and planting the American flag on the mo...

Ancient Chinese texts depict ‘immortal mirror’ akin to CT scan – an early notion of robots

Ancient Chinese texts depict ‘immortal mirror’ akin to CT scan – an early notion of robots

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Ancient China dreamed of future technology long before the modern age, conjuring visions of magic mirrors, ingenious machines and even lifelike wooden puppets. In the Tang dynasty (618–907) text Duyang Miscellaneous Records, a mysterious stone called the “immortal mirror” appears as a precursor to the CT scan. Found in the southwest of an unnamed land, the polished stone was said to span hundreds ...

China ancient texts depict magical mirrors akin to CT scan, vivid puppets – early notion of robots

China ancient texts depict magical mirrors akin to CT scan, vivid puppets – early notion of robots

SCMP •

Ancient China dreamed of future technology long before the modern age, conjuring visions of magic mirrors, ingenious machines and even lifelike wooden puppets. In the Tang dynasty (618–907) text Duyang Miscellaneous Records, a mysterious stone called the “immortal mirror” appears as a precursor to the CT scan. Found in the southwest of an unnamed land, the polished stone was said to span hundreds ...

Graduates of top vocational school spared brunt of AI impact, new chairman says

Graduates of top vocational school spared brunt of AI impact, new chairman says

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Graduates of Hong Kong’s largest vocational training institution have largely avoided the negative effects of AI and could reap more internship opportunities from a coming megaproject, the body’s new leader has said. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, newly appointed Vocational Training Council (VTC) chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung also vowed to review the courses to align them with ...

Southeast Asia is chasing the AI boom, but at what cost?

Southeast Asia is chasing the AI boom, but at what cost?

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In a swanky penthouse office outside Kuala Lumpur, tech firm Zetrix AI is putting a grand plan into motion to get 1 million people across Southeast Asia using its artificial intelligence agent, Avatar, by the end of the year. Designed as an autonomous alter ego, Avatar is adept at dealing with tasks ranging from the mundane, like filling out forms, to the particular, such as helping influencers re...