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Chinese student suffers temporary hearing loss after 4 hours of cicada noise while camping
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Chinese student suffers temporary hearing loss after 4 hours of cicada noise while camping

An 18-year-old boy in eastern China suffered temporary hearing impairment after being exposed to the droning of cicadas for several hours. This news garnered significant attention on social media, amassing 4.5 million views, as many believe that natural sounds are harmless to their health. According to Shandian News, the boy, identified by his surname Yang, lives in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and ...

Hong Kong ship crews stranded in Strait of Hormuz ‘safe and offered counselling’
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Hong Kong ship crews stranded in Strait of Hormuz ‘safe and offered counselling’

Crew members aboard about 80 Hong Kong-owned ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for five months have enough supplies and access to video counselling, an industry representative said, adding that the seafarers face little immediate danger despite the stand-off. Kenneth Lam Sze-kin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, said on Wednesday that the roughly 1,600 crew members wou...

Russian strikes kill 17 in Kyiv region as Ukraine fails to stop missiles
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Russian strikes kill 17 in Kyiv region as Ukraine fails to stop missiles

Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 17 people and wounded dozens more in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, authorities said Wednesday. Kyiv was unable to shoot down any of the missiles launched by Russia, whose intensifying attacks have prompted Kyiv to plead for more US-made Patriot interceptors. Russia has significantly upped its attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent ...

Russian strikes kill 15 in Kyiv region in expanding long-range war
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Russian strikes kill 15 in Kyiv region in expanding long-range war

Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, authorities said Wednesday, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks on Ukraine. Kyiv has in recent months urged allies to supply more US-made Patriot interceptors as Russia steps up its use of ballistic missiles more than four years into its full-scale invasion. Explosio...

At least 15 killed in Russian strikes around Kyiv as both sides intensify long-range attacks

At least 15 killed in Russian strikes around Kyiv as both sides intensify long-range attacks

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Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more in Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, authorities said Wednesday, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks on Ukraine. Kyiv has in recent months urged allies to supply more US-made Patriot interceptors as Russia steps up its use of ballistic missiles more than four years into its full-scale invasion. Explosio...

Amid AI tumult, more Chinese investors seek haven in undervalued Hang Seng Index

Amid AI tumult, more Chinese investors seek haven in undervalued Hang Seng Index

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Mainland Chinese investors bought more Hong Kong stocks than they sold for a second consecutive month in July, rotating into the undervalued market to take shelter from the tumult in artificial intelligence-linked shares. Onshore traders purchased a total of HK$62.9 billion (US$8.02 billion) worth of Hong Kong stocks through the cross-border Stock Connect programme last month, extending the HK$27....

Japanese firm sells human-sized refrigerators to beat extreme summer heat

Japanese firm sells human-sized refrigerators to beat extreme summer heat

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The glass door closes, and a curtain of cool air spills over your head, neck and shoulders, delivering instant relief from the punishing summer heat. This is what it is like to chill in the Do Hiemon Box, an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator that looks big enough to fit a human being, because that is exactly what it is designed to do. Trusco Nakayama has sold about 200 of the 1.5 million yen ...

Most Americans say US has not achieved war goals in Iran, survey finds

Most Americans say US has not achieved war goals in Iran, survey finds

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Most Americans believe the Donald Trump administration has been unable to achieve its war objectives against Iran, according to a Marquette Law School poll released on Wednesday, as negotiations continue to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end five months of hostilities. A striking 88 per cent of respondents said the US had not achieved its goals in the war with Iran, up seven percentage points fro...

Peter Lee’s family office signs Kazakhstan deal on green energy projects

Peter Lee’s family office signs Kazakhstan deal on green energy projects

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The family office of Henderson Land Development co-chairman and managing director Peter Lee Ka-kit has signed a deal with Kazakh authorities to advance a range of green energy projects in the Central Asian country. The cooperation was confirmed on Tuesday during Lee’s visit to Kazakhstan and his meeting with Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, following Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s delegation to...

Cathay Pacific posts 71% profit rise to HK$6.24 billion in first half of year

Cathay Pacific posts 71% profit rise to HK$6.24 billion in first half of year

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Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has reported a 71 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit to HK$6.24 billion (US$802 million) for the first six months of 2026, driven by stronger demand. Cathay Group chairman Guy Bradley, who delivered the interim results for the first time since taking up the role earlier this year, said jet fuel prices had come down from their peak in the second q...

Typhoon signal unlikely in Hong Kong over weekend but at least 22 flights to Japan axed

Typhoon signal unlikely in Hong Kong over weekend but at least 22 flights to Japan axed

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The likelihood of a typhoon warning signal being issued in Hong Kong over the weekend is low, as tropical cyclone Kujira is set to weaken under the influence of Dolphin, but airlines nonetheless cancelled at least 22 flights between the city and Japan. The Observatory said early on Wednesday that tropical cyclone Kujira, meaning “whale” in Japanese, would linger over the central part of the South ...

Typhoon signal unlikely in Hong Kong over weekend but at least 18 flights to Japan axed

Typhoon signal unlikely in Hong Kong over weekend but at least 18 flights to Japan axed

SCMP

The likelihood of a typhoon warning signal being issued in Hong Kong over the weekend is low, as tropical cyclone Kujira is set to weaken under the influence of Dolphin. The latter, though downgraded from a super typhoon to a severe typhoon, has nonetheless prompted airlines to cancel at least 18 flights between the city and Japan. The Observatory said early on Wednesday that tropical cyclone Kuji...

Hated in Myanmar, feted abroad? President inches towards normality with Thailand trip

Hated in Myanmar, feted abroad? President inches towards normality with Thailand trip

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Sanctioned and wanted for war crimes in the West and reviled at home by the millions fighting his army, Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing is this week set for a red-carpet welcome in Thailand, as the diplomatic deep freeze begins to thaw. The former general toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people – mostly civilia...

Guatemala on volcano alert after Fuego erupts

Guatemala on volcano alert after Fuego erupts

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Guatemala remained on alert Tuesday after evacuating hundreds of people following an eruption of the Fuego volcano, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and one of Central America’s most active volcanoes. The country’s disaster management agency said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The eruption started on Monday morning...

How an amputee Chinese scientist is fortifying the country’s military software

How an amputee Chinese scientist is fortifying the country’s military software

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Much of the global debate on Chinese military power focuses on hardware but a vital part of the modernisation process is in the niche field of software verification. Wang Ji, a computer science researcher at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT), is mentoring a new generation of scientists to treat the software code in national defence systems with the same precision as doctors diag...

France offers nuclear expertise as Philippines weighs energy security options

France offers nuclear expertise as Philippines weighs energy security options

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France’s offer to share nuclear expertise with the Philippines could potentially boost Manila’s long-term energy security, as analysts say any push to revive nuclear power in the country would have to overcome safety and governance concerns. Marie Fontanel, the outgoing French ambassador to the Philippines, said last week that France was ready to share its nuclear energy expertise with Manila, whi...

US revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in escalating row

US revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in escalating row

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The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador, a State Department official said Tuesday, in a mounting diplomatic row just months before elections in Latin America’s largest nation. The move would be reversed, the official said on customary condition of anonymity, if Brazil granted its approval of US President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Brasilia. Trump nominated Dan...

North Korea vows to teach ‘war criminal state’ Japan lesson over missile test

North Korea vows to teach ‘war criminal state’ Japan lesson over missile test

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North Korea said it will pursue unspecified “additional military options” in response to Japan’s expanding defence capabilities, accusing Tokyo of reviving the ambitions of a “war criminal state”. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Pyongyang would not remain a “passive onlooker” to what she described as Japan’s accelerating transformation into a military power, a...

Man with gun in car arrested at Trump golf course before US president’s visit

Man with gun in car arrested at Trump golf course before US president’s visit

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A man carrying ammunition and with a gun in his car was arrested on Sunday at US President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course after appearing to monitor security preparations two days ahead of Trump’s fundraiser there, authorities said on Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Jeanine John Taele, 38, was taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunitio...

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew’s fountain pen valued at US$23,000-US$39,000 up for auction

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew’s fountain pen valued at US$23,000-US$39,000 up for auction

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A silver Montblanc fountain pen owned by Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is up for auction with a starting bid of S$20,000. Singapore auction house Hotlotz said on Wednesday that the pen, engraved “SM Lee Kuan Yew”, was previously sold at the Lee Kuan Yew Family Collection charity auction in July 2003. Hotlotz has valued the silver Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen at S$3...

34% of Hong Kong students win university, diploma spots under admissions system

34% of Hong Kong students win university, diploma spots under admissions system

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About 34 per cent of students who applied through Hong Kong’s university admissions system have secured tertiary education places this year, marking a slight drop from last year amid stiffer competition. When the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (Jupas) results were shared on Wednesday, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) each said they had...

Who are the officers filling the big shoes left behind in PLA anti-corruption drive?

Who are the officers filling the big shoes left behind in PLA anti-corruption drive?

SCMP

The sweeping anti-corruption drive in China’s military appears to have cleared the way for a new batch of officers to quietly assume de facto leadership of key People’s Liberation Army bodies. According to a South China Morning Post analysis of official insignia and protocol seating from state media coverage of recent meetings, dozens of fresh commanders have stepped into the roles of their ousted...

China’s economic shift may hinge on what migrant workers do next

China’s economic shift may hinge on what migrant workers do next

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China’s Politburo has just set the country’s economic priorities for the second half of the year. The meeting took place against the backdrop of gross domestic product growth slowing to 4.3 per cent in the second quarter, its weakest since late 2022, and an increasingly K-shaped economy: strong exports and fast-growing hi-tech industries on one side, with weak domestic consumption, softening inves...

Jamie Oliver wants chewing gum ban – and it sticks with Singaporeans

Jamie Oliver wants chewing gum ban – and it sticks with Singaporeans

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A recent interview featuring English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, 51, has struck a chord with Singaporeans, for the unlikeliest of reasons. On Saturday, British publication The Telegraph uploaded a clip of its interview with Oliver, where he declared that if he could ban one thing, it would be chewing gum. “I was walking up the street the other day and the whole street was ruined with a patchwork ...

‘Fascinating and smart’: Christopher Nolan interview with China podcaster praised for depth

‘Fascinating and smart’: Christopher Nolan interview with China podcaster praised for depth

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A deep-dive interview between filmmaker Christopher Nolan and Chinese doctoral student podcaster Zhongshu about his new film, The Odyssey, has gone viral worldwide, amassing over 20 million views. Building on his Oscar-winning success with Oppenheimer, Nolan has turned his attention to Homer’s Odyssey, a cornerstone of Western literature. His latest film chronicles the Greek hero Odysseus as he em...

Are Indonesia’s Prabowo and ultra rich ‘9 Dragons’ on a collision course?

Are Indonesia’s Prabowo and ultra rich ‘9 Dragons’ on a collision course?

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s push to reorganise Southeast Asia’s largest economy around a stronger, more interventionist state has put him increasingly at odds, analysts say, with the country’s so-called Nine Dragons. Known locally as Sembilan Naga, the label is a loose shorthand for some of Indonesia’s richest tycoon families – many of them Chinese Indonesian – with interests spanning ...

China’s sovereign bond sale in Hong Kong draws global interest, raising over US$2 billion

China’s sovereign bond sale in Hong Kong draws global interest, raising over US$2 billion

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China’s Ministry of Finance has successfully raised 15 billion yuan (US$2.22 billion) through a sovereign bond auction in Hong Kong, tapping international capital just days after the city launched a long-awaited tool designed to help global investors hedge against mainland bond market risks. The sale, conducted on Wednesday for institutional investors, was met with an enthusiastic market response,...

Why China’s new sovereign bond sale in Hong Kong is drawing global interest

Why China’s new sovereign bond sale in Hong Kong is drawing global interest

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China’s Ministry of Finance is set to raise 15 billion yuan (US$2.22 billion) through a sovereign bond auction in Hong Kong, tapping international capital just days after the city launched a long-awaited tool designed to help global investors hedge against mainland bond market risks. The sale marks the fourth tranche of Beijing’s 84 billion yuan sovereign bond programme for the year approved by th...

Piece of SpaceX rocket to crash into moon at high speed

Piece of SpaceX rocket to crash into moon at high speed

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A SpaceX rocket piece floating in space since last year is on track to smash into the moon at high speed early on Wednesday morning. The school bus-sized object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that had launched a lunar lander from Firefly Aerospace towards the moon ‌in January 2025. Weighing four tonnes (4,000kg), the rocket body is due to hit the moon around 2.35am ET (0635 GMT), ...