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India eyes further oil exploration after Iran war shortages
SCMP

India eyes further oil exploration after Iran war shortages

Hit by the biggest energy supply shock in decades during the Middle East war, import-dependent India is expanding domestic crude exploration, its oil minister says. India, the world’s third-largest importer of oil and the second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas, faced major disruptions due to restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict between the United States and Iran. With ...

Biker dies after crashing head-on with 3-wheeled motorcycle in Hong Kong
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Biker dies after crashing head-on with 3-wheeled motorcycle in Hong Kong

A motorcyclist died after losing control of his vehicle and colliding head‑on with a three-wheeled motorbike in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon. Police said the crash happened at about 3.21pm on the Sha Tin Heights section of Tai Po Road near the Kowloon Reservoir, when the motorcycle heading north toppled and crossed into the opposite lane, colliding head‑on with the three-wheeler at a bend. Both r...

Motorcyclist dies after crashing head-on with tricycle in Hong Kong
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Motorcyclist dies after crashing head-on with tricycle in Hong Kong

A motorcyclist died after losing control of his bike and colliding head‑on with a tricycle in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon. Police said the crash happened at about 3.21pm on the Sha Tin Heights section of Tai Po Road near the Kowloon Reservoir, when the motorcycle heading north toppled and crossed into the opposite lane, colliding head‑on with the tricycle at a bend. Both riders were injured. The...

China’s rare earth industry has critical weakness, researchers warn
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China’s rare earth industry has critical weakness, researchers warn

China’s dominance in rare earth mining, refining and exports has long been viewed as a strategic advantage. But a new study by Chinese researchers argues that the country’s rare earth industry has its own critical weakness. “China is not in a leading position in mastering key core technologies in certain fields,” the researchers wrote in the paper. Published in the latest issue of the Bulletin of ...

Hong Kong aurora-chasing tour group rescues 2 divers lost at sea in Australia

Hong Kong aurora-chasing tour group rescues 2 divers lost at sea in Australia

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A Hong Kong tour group on an aurora-chasing boat ride near an island in Australia saved two fellow city residents who went missing while scuba diving, in a dramatic rescue the agency said “shone light on the brilliance of humanity”. WWPKG Tours detailed the rescue on Sunday in a Facebook post and commended tour group leader Foxman Hui and his members who were on a trip in Tasmania. They were out a...

Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo as citizens mourn hundreds

Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo as citizens mourn hundreds

SCMP

Residents at the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) Ebola outbreak are pinning their hopes on experimental treatments after researchers began a highly anticipated study in early July of two possible Ebola treatments in hopes of fighting the still-growing outbreak. At the Ebola treatment centre inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre, in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, the la...

Nearly 60% of Hong Kong parents mistake deadly disease for a cold, survey finds

Nearly 60% of Hong Kong parents mistake deadly disease for a cold, survey finds

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Nearly 60 per cent of Hong Kong parents mistakenly believe that invasive meningococcal disease is no different from a common cold, a survey has found, prompting doctors to urge greater public awareness of the potentially fatal infection ahead of the summer travel season. The warning follows a survey by the Hong Kong Early Childhood Educators Association of 300 parents and teachers. Parents scored ...

‘China shock 3.0’ is coming. And it’ll be AI-powered robots

‘China shock 3.0’ is coming. And it’ll be AI-powered robots

SCMP

The world’s attention is fixed on frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models, but China’s robot-making factories deserve just as much attention. Chinese e-commerce company JD.com has predicted that robots would ultimately replace its 700,000 delivery workers, while workers at South Korean carmaker Hyundai are threatening strike action over issues including the roll-out of robots. These are early...

Chinese scientists’ horse-head discovery sheds light on ancient elite sacrificial traditions

Chinese scientists’ horse-head discovery sheds light on ancient elite sacrificial traditions

SCMP

From the ancient Aztecs’ efforts to appease the sun god to Apollo’s demands in the Iliad, human history is permeated with traditions of sacrifice, and China was no exception. In Zhejiang province, eastern China, scientists recently announced the discovery of a horse’s head sealed inside pottery at an ancient ritual site, dating back to the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BC). The Eastern Zhou dynast...

First money, now ‘loyalty’: Trump’s demands test Nato chief’s flattery tactics

First money, now ‘loyalty’: Trump’s demands test Nato chief’s flattery tactics

SCMP

Since he started work as Nato secretary general almost two years ago, Mark Rutte has spent much of his time trying to keep the United States anchored to the world’s biggest military alliance, employing outright flattery to dissuade US President Donald Trump from acting on threats to abandon it. But the goalposts keep shifting, raising the stakes ahead of this week’s summit in Turkey. Initially, it...

Hong Kong must brace for AI bubble risk and quantum computer threat: HKMA chief

Hong Kong must brace for AI bubble risk and quantum computer threat: HKMA chief

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Hong Kong has to brace for the emerging risks of an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble bursting and quantum computers capable of hacking encrypted financial systems, the city’s de facto central banker has warned. Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), also said on Sunday that the banking regulator would focus on expanding the internationalisation of the yua...

Doctor given 9‑month ban for misconduct in case that left boy disabled for life

Doctor given 9‑month ban for misconduct in case that left boy disabled for life

SCMP

A Hong Kong paediatrician has been removed from the General Register for nine months after being found guilty of professional misconduct by the medical watchdog over an incident that left a boy permanently disabled more than 16 years ago. In a verdict on Sunday, Dr Sit Sou-chi was convicted of failing to carry out all necessary and immediate investigations on newborn Li Yuanjian, the son of a main...

Doctor given 9‑month ban over misconduct in case that left boy disabled for life

Doctor given 9‑month ban over misconduct in case that left boy disabled for life

SCMP

A Hong Kong paediatrician has been removed from the General Register for nine months, without suspension, after being found guilty of professional misconduct by the medical watchdog over an incident that left a boy permanently disabled more than 16 years ago. In a verdict on Sunday, Dr Sit Sou-chi was convicted of failing to carry out all necessary and immediate investigations on newborn Li Yuanji...

Vance hopes Burnham delivers ‘structural change’ amid ‘broken’ UK politics

Vance hopes Burnham delivers ‘structural change’ amid ‘broken’ UK politics

SCMP

US Vice-President J.D. Vance said Britain had been “failed by its ⁠leadership for a long ⁠time”, adding that he hoped the country’s ⁠next prime minister could deliver the structural change voters were seeking after years of political turmoil. In an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper, Vance said frequent changes of government pointed to deeper problems in British politics. Prime Minister Kei...

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi calls on Sweden to help rebuild trust

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi calls on Sweden to help rebuild trust

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Sweden to help rebuild trust between the two countries and cultivate a “correct perception” of each other, despite their frictions in recent years. “Sweden was the first Western country that established diplomatic relations with China, which showed Sweden’s independence and strategic foresight while setting an example globally,” Wang told Prime Minister U...

Chinese foreign minister calls on Sweden to help rebuild trust between the countries

Chinese foreign minister calls on Sweden to help rebuild trust between the countries

SCMP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Sweden to help rebuild trust between the two countries and cultivate a “correct perception” of each other despite their frictions in recent years. “Sweden was the first Western country that established diplomatic relations with China, which showed Sweden’s independence and strategic foresight while setting an example globally,” Wang told Prime Minister Ul...

Minefields, stalled talks keep Strait of Hormuz in strategic limbo

Minefields, stalled talks keep Strait of Hormuz in strategic limbo

SCMP

The future of energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz hangs in the balance after negotiations between Iran and the United States in Doha this week ended without an agreement on releasing frozen funds to the Islamic Republic. With Tehran also failing to begin demining the strait, and still threatening to attack ships attempting to leave the Persian Gulf without its permission, neither side has ...

At Khamenei’s funeral, Iranian poet says ‘world is no longer a good place’ for Trump

At Khamenei’s funeral, Iranian poet says ‘world is no longer a good place’ for Trump

SCMP

A performer at the funeral for Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the death of US President Donald Trump before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday in the capital, Tehran. The comment represents the first, direct call for Trump’s death by an emcee at the funeral, which has seen posters and graffiti calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minist...

As Indonesia’s Bali battles a rabies surge, dog meat draws fresh scrutiny

As Indonesia’s Bali battles a rabies surge, dog meat draws fresh scrutiny

SCMP

In a quieter part of western Bali, far from the crowds and chaos of the south, a 38-year-old housewife was bitten by a stray cat while hanging out laundry in May. Within weeks, she was dead: one of five people killed by rabies on the Indonesian resort island so far this year. The following month, a rabid dog kept as a family pet in the same region, Jembrana regency, attacked two children and an ad...

As Bali battles rabies surge, does dog meat raise the risk?

As Bali battles rabies surge, does dog meat raise the risk?

SCMP

In a quieter part of western Bali, far from the crowds and chaos of the south, a 38-year-old housewife was bitten by a stray cat while hanging out laundry in May. Within weeks, she was dead: one of five people killed by rabies on the Indonesian resort island so far this year. The following month, a rabid dog kept as a family pet in the same region, Jembrana regency, attacked two children and an ad...

Hong Kong restaurants spend to welcome furry diners under pet-friendly scheme

Hong Kong restaurants spend to welcome furry diners under pet-friendly scheme

SCMP

Pet strollers, partitions and pre-dining briefings for customers are among the measures Hong Kong restaurants are taking ahead of the launch of a scheme allowing dogs into eateries next week. Dim sum restaurant Old Fung Tea House, with six outlets across the city, is among 833 eateries that will allow dogs to enter starting on Thursday under a policy by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Departmen...

Energy transition scientist Chen Peipei leaves Cambridge to build her own lab in Hong Kong

Energy transition scientist Chen Peipei leaves Cambridge to build her own lab in Hong Kong

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For some early-career scientists, the prestige of British academia is being marred by shrinking research funding and a complex geopolitical climate, prompting top-tier talent to look elsewhere for stability and resources. Chen Peipei, who moved from a research associate role at the University of Cambridge to a presidential assistant professorship at City University of Hong Kong in May, said she wa...

Chinese AI chip start-up exits stealth mode, bets on 3D stacking to bypass US controls

Chinese AI chip start-up exits stealth mode, bets on 3D stacking to bypass US controls

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A Chinese artificial intelligence chip start-up led by industry veteran Wei Shaojun has emerged from stealth mode, joining giants like Huawei Technologies in betting on 3D stacking to bypass US tech export controls. Dongfang Suanxin, a company headed by Wei, who is also vice-president of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, has stepped into the spotlight by launching a corporate website a...

Cathay Pacific aircraft evacuated after smoke reported in cabin on landing

Cathay Pacific aircraft evacuated after smoke reported in cabin on landing

SCMP

All crew and passengers have been safely evacuated from a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from India after smoke was reported inside the cabin of the aircraft after landing in Hong Kong. Flight CX624 from Bengaluru landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 9.53am on Sunday. Smoke was reported inside the cabin of the Airbus A330 while it was exiting the runway. A preliminary police investigation f...

Cathay Pacific aircraft evacuated after smoke reported in cabin after landing

Cathay Pacific aircraft evacuated after smoke reported in cabin after landing

SCMP

All crew and passengers have been safely evacuated from a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from India after smoke was reported inside the cabin of the aircraft after landing in Hong Kong. Flight CX624 from Bengaluru landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 9.53am on Sunday. Smoke was reported inside the cabin of the Airbus A330 while it was exiting the runway. A preliminary police investigation f...

Cathay Pacific flight from India emits smoke during landing in Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific flight from India emits smoke during landing in Hong Kong

SCMP

All crew and passengers have been safely evacuated from a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from India after the aircraft was seen emitting smoke during its landing in Hong Kong. Flight CX624 from Bengaluru landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 9.53am on Sunday after smoke was reported on board the Airbus A330. A preliminary police investigation found the smoke originated from the overheating a...

Cathay Pacific flight from India emits smoke while landing in Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific flight from India emits smoke while landing in Hong Kong

SCMP

A Cathay Pacific Airways flight arriving in Hong Kong from India was seen emitting smoke on Sunday after an on board air-conditioning system overheated, with no injuries reported. Flight CX624 from Bengaluru landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 9.53am, when smoke was reported on the A330 aircraft. A preliminary police investigation found the smoke originated from the overheating air-condit...

South Korea’s World Cup loss spurs anger over ‘cartel’ of elites, favouritism

South Korea’s World Cup loss spurs anger over ‘cartel’ of elites, favouritism

SCMP

When South Korea’s national football team returned home on Tuesday after their shock group-stage exit from the 2026 World Cup tournament, the fury of fans was not targeted at captain Son Heung-min or other players. It was aimed at head coach Hong Myung-bo, who announced his resignation during a press conference in Guadalajara, Mexico – the tournament’s co-host – on June 28. South Korea lost 1-0 to...

How to manage China’s rise as a civilisational power

How to manage China’s rise as a civilisational power

SCMP

The world has yet to truly understand how to deal with a rapidly rising China. Even within China, some of the most learned minds are surprised at how quickly the country has taken the global lead in new economic areas, such as electric vehicles. Global warming is no longer abstract; ask around in Europe this summer and people will tell you it has been unbearably hot. Electric vehicles have a futur...