82 m. ago U.S. lifts chip design software curbs on China in trade deal

U.S. lifts chip design software curbs on China in trade deal  The Japan Times

Events

1 hour ago China urges pupils to dance when studying to boost brains, morale, ease pressure

Secondary schools in China have urged pupils to dance while studying in a bid to activate their brains, boost morale and relieve heavy academic pressure. Several schools across the nation have applied the “passionate morning reading” method with their pupils. In video clips posted online, teenagers can be seen wiggling their bodies and waving their arms wildly while reading textbooks. In some schools, pupils stand still while studying but are encouraged to chant the text loudly. The activity...

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3 h. ago TVB cameraman found dead on balcony of Hong Kong flat in aftermath of blaze

A 41-year-old man was found dead on the balcony of a Hong Kong building in the aftermath of a fire in Sham Shui Po, police have revealed. The Post learned that the deceased was a camera crew member of free-to-air broadcaster TVB’s news department, and has reached out to TVB for comment. A force spokesman said police received reports of a fire at 4.08am on Thursday on the 28th floor of a residential building on Yee Kuk Street in Sham Shui Po. The spokesman said one of the people who called police...

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3 h. ago Philippines to view maritime rows with China as ‘one theatre’, partner Japan

The Philippines is adopting a Japan-led strategy to treat the East and South China seas as a unified theatre of operations – a shift analysts say reflects growing alignment among regional allies in the face of China’s expanding maritime footprint. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the “one-theatre” concept would promote operational synergy, intelligence-sharing and mutual reinforcement among members of the minilateral “Squad” – comprising the Philippines, Japan, the United States, South...

Politics

4 h. ago Tech war: US lifts export control of chip design software to China

The US said on Thursday it had lifted export controls on certain chip design software to China, according to statements from Siemens, Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems. Three of the world’s largest electronic design automation (EDA) software developers have been informed by the US government that sales of their products to China would no longer require special approval, signalling a further easing of bilateral tensions. San Jose, California-based Cadence said in an email that the US Bureau of...

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4 h. ago Hong Kong tourists undeterred by prediction that quake will hit Japan on July 5

Hong Kong travel agencies have not recorded widespread cancellations of Japan-bound tour groups for the coming weekend, despite a manga artist’s widely discussed prediction that a mega-earthquake will hit the country on Saturday. But some business insiders suggested the number of tours this summer was expected to fall by half compared with last year. The Japan National Tourism Organisation reported that only 193,100 visitors from Hong Kong were recorded coming to the country in May, down by 11.2...

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4 h. ago Armenia looks to deepen ties with China for foreign policy beyond Russia

Armenia is looking to deepen ties with China with no limits, its foreign minister said, as the South Caucasus republic intensifies efforts to diversify its foreign policy away from Russia following the Nagorno-Karabakh war five years ago. “Not only is there no impediment and any obstacle on the way of deepening our relations, but also there is openness and readiness to deepen these relations without any limitations,” Armenia’s top diplomat Ararat Mirzoyan told the South China Morning Post in an...

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11 h. ago Questions loom at Brics Rio summit about group’s effectiveness

Brics country leaders are meeting for the bloc’s annual summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, as questions loom about the group’s effectiveness as a voice of the Global South and counterweight to the Washington-led coalition of developed economies. Against the backdrop of relentless tension that US President Donald Trump has injected into America’s trade policy, this year’s gathering on July 6 and 7 will test whether the bloc can present a unified front capable of countering Trump’s efforts to...

Politics

15 h. ago The Dalai Lama Defies China to Announce His Reincarnation Plans

The Dalai Lama Defies China to Announce His Reincarnation Plans  Foreign Policy

Politics

17 h. ago China AI champion Baidu rolls out sweeping changes to online search platform

Baidu, one of China’s artificial intelligence (AI) champions, said it is using the technology to upgrade and make the most significant changes to the company’s core internet search service in a decade. Beijing-based Baidu has now enlarged the mobile app’s search bar and turned it into a “smart box” that supports long text input and handles more tasks than simple text-based queries and information retrieval, according to the company’s statement on Wednesday. This search box is capable of handling...

Politics

19 h. ago 2 men and mum jailed for up to 16 years after Hong Kong girls sexually assaulted

A Hong Kong court has handed down jail sentences of up to 16 years to two men for sexually exploiting two girls when the defendants separately had a relationship with the victims’ mother six to eight years ago. The High Court on Wednesday also sentenced the mother to four years for child cruelty, including locking the girls in a pitch-black bathroom for hours, and hindering a police investigation after the crimes came to light in April 2023. The two male defendants, former computer technician...

Events

19 h. ago Why President Xi is turning to the ocean for China’s growth – and who benefits?

President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to advance the “high-quality development” of China’s marine economy, highlighting its growing strategic importance during a high-level economic meeting on Tuesday. He also called for stronger policy support to accelerate the sector’s growth. In this explainer, the Post examines why the marine economy matters to the country's overall economic strategy, where government policy is heading, and which sectors stand to benefit. Why does the marine economy...

Politics

19 h. ago Why is Xi turning to the ocean for China’s growth – and who benefits?

President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to advance the “high-quality development” of China’s marine economy, highlighting its growing strategic importance during a high-level economic meeting on Tuesday. He also called for stronger policy support to accelerate the sector’s growth. In this explainer, the Post examines why the marine economy matters to the country's overall economic strategy, where government policy is heading, and which sectors stand to benefit. Why does the marine economy...

Politics

20 h. ago China’s real consumption ‘far from as low as it seems’, think tank argues

China’s actual consumption power may have already surpassed that of Mexico and reached 40 to 50 per cent of the levels seen in developed nations such as Japan and Germany, a Beijing-based think tank contends. That conclusion, put forth by China Finance 40 Forum, which comprises senior Chinese regulators and financial executives, runs contrary to the market consensus that China’s consumption is underdeveloped, while providing a new perspective from which to assess the consumer potential of the...

Events

22 h. ago Indonesian tourist arrested at Hong Kong’s The Peak after tumbler hits woman

An Indonesian tourist who was sightseeing at The Peak in Hong Kong has been arrested after a tumbler fell out of his backpack and hit another visitor walking below. Police said they received a report at 12.16pm on Wednesday that a mainland Chinese woman had been hit by an unknown object at The Peak Tower and reported injuries to her head. “A man standing on the floor above was sightseeing. He had put his backpack on a fence, but his tumbler fell out from a side pocket, falling to the floor below...

Events

23 h. ago Lafufu? Australian consumer watchdog warns of fake Labubu toys online

The soaring global popularity of Labubu has prompted Australia to sound a warning over knock-off monster toys flooding online platforms as scammers try to exploit the collectibles frenzy fuelled by social media and celebrity endorsements. The pointy-eared, sharp-toothed dolls – designed by Hong Kong artist Lung Ka-sing and sold by Beijing-based Pop Mart – have attained cult status, commanding eye-popping prices and sparking in-store chaos as fans from Sydney to Singapore and London line up for...

Events

23 h. ago Mainland Chinese drivers can apply for Hong Kong entry permits in November

Motorists from Guangdong province will be able to apply from November to travel to Hong Kong by car under a highly anticipated cross-border scheme, transport minister Mable Chan has said. The Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme is expected to be implemented a month earlier than originally planned. Chan said on Wednesday that vehicles would be allowed to enter the city via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, with a daily quota of 100 applications. “It is an important policy that will...

Politics

24 h. ago Boy, 12, sent to hospital after alleged cutter attack at Hong Kong school

A 12-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after a fellow pupil allegedly slashed him with a cutter at their Hong Kong primary school. Police said they received a report at around 10.47am on Wednesday that a girl attending Tang Shiu Kin Primary School in Tuen Mun had been involved in an altercation with another pupil. The boy sustained an injury to his right arm after the girl allegedly attacked him with the cutter. He was transported to Tuen Mun Hospital. It remains unclear whether the two...

Events

24 h. ago Boy, 12, sent to hospital after girl allegedly cuts him at Hong Kong school

A 12-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after a fellow pupil allegedly slashed him with a cutter at their Hong Kong primary school. Police said they received a report at around 10.47am on Wednesday that a girl attending Tang Shiu Kin Primary School in Tuen Mun had been involved in an altercation with another pupil. The boy sustained an injury to his right arm after the girl allegedly attacked him with the cutter. He was transported to Tuen Mun Hospital. It remains unclear whether the two...

Politics

24 h. ago 2 Hong Kong students, both 12, arrested after knife used in school fight

Two 12-year-old pupils have been arrested in Hong Kong after they allegedly got into a fight and one slashed the other with a knife. Police said on Wednesday they received a report from staff at Tang Shiu Kin Primary School in Tuen Mun that a boy and girl had become embroiled in an argument. During the altercation, the girl allegedly attacked the boy with a knife while he was said to have hit back with his hands. The boy sustained an injury to one hand and the girl reported shoulder pain. The...

Events