9 h. ago University of Hong Kong’s revised IT hub plan angers Pok Fu Lam residents

A revised expansion plan by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has triggered fresh anger among Pok Fu Lam residents, who have accused it of dismissing alternative sites without proper due diligence and only meeting them for three hours over the past eight months. But some lawmakers on Wednesday said the university had made “major concessions” by leaving a green belt in the area largely untouched and altering its proposal to instead consider building its global innovation centre on an adjacent...

Politics

10 h. ago Senate Republican moves to give US an edge on China in harvesting minerals for weapons systems

Senate Republican moves to give US an edge on China in harvesting minerals for weapons systems  Fox News

Politics

15 h. ago Bali named world’s second most crowded island – residents aren’t cheering

Indonesia’s Bali is now officially the second most crowded island in the world after neighbouring Java, as residents feel squeezed out by the influx of tourists and even their compatriots in their backyard. Measuring 5,780 sq km (2,230 square miles) in size, Bali is home to 731 people per sq km, excluding tourists, according to national newspaper Kompas citing data from online market researcher Visual Capitalist. More than 60,000 daily visitors arrive on the island with a population of 4.2...

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Very optimistic’: Indonesia vows to press on with US talks despite 32% tariff

Indonesia has vowed to press on with negotiations despite US President Donald Trump’s decision to maintain 32 per cent tariffs on the country, even as it intensifies diplomatic efforts to seek alternative export markets, including fellow members of the Brics bloc. The Southeast Asian nation is one of 14 countries notified by Trump via letters on Monday that the unilateral tariffs he announced in April would take effect on August 1. Trump delayed the levies’ implementation by 90 days to allow...

Politics

19 h. ago China’s ‘green great wall’ in Inner Mongolia traps three more deserts

China has completed a sand control belt spanning three deserts in Inner Mongolia, marking yet another milestone in the creation of a “green great wall” across the arid northern region. The last piece of straw checkerboard, a widely used method in China to stabilise sand, was placed at the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert on Sunday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The move completed a 1,856km (1,153-mile) green belt that also runs across the Tengger and Ulan Buh deserts, the agency...

Politics

19 h. ago China’s ‘green great wall’ in Inner Mongolia traps 3 more deserts

China has completed a sand control belt spanning three deserts in Inner Mongolia, marking yet another milestone in the creation of a “green great wall” across the arid northern region. The last piece of straw checkerboard, a widely used method in China to stabilise sand, was placed at the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert on Sunday, according to state news agency Xinhua. The move completed a 1,856km (1,153-mile) green belt that also runs across the Tengger and Ulan Buh deserts, the agency...

Politics

23 h. ago Japan dives deep in race for rare earths, stirring a green backlash

Japan’s quest for rare earths is about to plunge to unprecedented depths in what could be the most extreme trial extraction ever attempted, accelerating a push to lessen its reliance on overseas suppliers – but at what environmental cost? The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology plans to deploy a deep-sea drilling vessel to a site around 100km (54 nautical miles) from Minamitorishima, according to a report in the Nikkei newspaper dated July 1. The remote atoll is some 1,850km...

Sport

31 h. ago In global survey, US cited more often than China as greatest ally and threat

A new survey of citizens in 25 middle- and high-income countries has found that the US is more likely than China to be seen as their most important ally – and their greatest threat. In the survey it released on Tuesday, the Pew Research Centre polled nearly 40,000 adults from the world’s six populated continents – including those in the US and the four Asian nations of India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea – between January 8 and April 26. Respondents were not given a list of countries from...

Events

37 h. ago Leon Inspection was Awarded the Beijing Green Exchange 2024 Best Trading Award | Corporate

Leon Inspection was Awarded the Beijing Green Exchange 2024 Best Trading Award | Corporate  EQS News

Events

38 h. ago As Delhi scraps vehicle ban plan, what next for clean air in India’s capital?

India’s capital has put the brakes on a contentious vehicle scrappage policy aimed at curbing deadly air pollution after fierce resistance from residents, highlighting the city’s struggle to balance environmental urgency with economic realities and the need to find alternative solutions. The rule, which took effect on July 1 in New Delhi but is now suspended, barred refuelling and permitted impounding of private petrol cars older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10. Officials had...

Politics

41 h. ago Rare earth dominance: why China still holds the cards despite global pushback

Beijing’s recent export controls on rare earths have spurred a flurry of international efforts to diversify supply chains and reduce China’s long-standing dominance in critical minerals. In June, the Ministry of Commerce announced that it would approve qualified export applications and was open to discussions with other countries regarding the restrictions. But as rare earths emerge as a new front in the US-China rivalry, companies worldwide have announced plans for a string of projects designed...

Politics

43 h. ago Australia gets ‘unsolicited advice’; Indonesian mine concern: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts 2. PM’s suspension reignites debate on ‘judicial activism’ of Thailand’s courts 3. Philippines’ Duterte ends womanising era, leaving ‘13 to 27’ lovers behind 4. Chinese ambassador’s ‘grandstanding’...

Politics

45 h. ago China’s Huayou Cobalt Sees Record Profit Boosted by Indonesia

China’s Huayou Cobalt Sees Record Profit Boosted by Indonesia  Bloomberg

Politics

48 h. ago How The U.S. Can Reduce Dependence On China’s Rare Earth Minerals

How The U.S. Can Reduce Dependence On China’s Rare Earth Minerals  Forbes

Politics

56 h. ago University of Hong Kong plans to cut size of development site after backlash

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) plans to reduce the size of a development project by 15 per cent following a public backlash, leaving most of a Pok Fu Lam green belt untouched, the Post has learned. A source said on Monday that the university was considering building on a residential plot nearby. The revised proposal for HKU’s Global Innovation Centre will be discussed at a town planning board meeting on Friday, after the university gathers feedback from the community. HKU originally planned...

Politics

59 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers call for facial recognition system at upgraded land crossing

Hong Kong legislators have called for facial recognition technology to be adopted at the upgraded Huanggang land crossing while giving an initial green light to a HK$1.75 billion government proposal to site border clearance facilities in the complex. At a meeting of the Legislative Council’s security panel on Monday, some lawmakers also expressed concern that the expanded Huanggang checkpoint, which was designed to handle 200,000 passengers and 15,000 vehicles every day between Hong Kong and...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese scavenger donates tonnes of supplies to flood victims, keeps nothing

A polio-suffering man has once again moved the mainland public by donating tonnes of supplies to the victims of a flood in southwestern China. Hu Lei, 32, who has been dubbed the Kneeling Giant, bought 5,000kg of rice, 500 boxes of instant noodles, 500 bottles of mineral water, 100 torches and 2,000 pairs of gloves at a combined cost of 55,000 yuan (US$8,000). His friends also bought items worth 20,000 yuan (US$3,000). They drove a truck loaded with supplies to flood-hit Rongjiang County in...

Events

3 d. ago Critical minerals: China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources

Critical minerals: China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources  AFR

Politics

3 d. ago China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources

China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources  Financial Times

Politics

4 d. ago Trump wants to ground China’s drones – but have they flown too high to reach?

US President Donald Trump issues quite a few executive orders. So many, in fact, that one could be forgiven for not keeping up with them all. But amid the rapid-fire policy changes that have come to characterise his administration, one arrived last month that could have drastic implications for the world’s drone market – and China’s role in it. The order, signed June 6, requires government agencies to prioritise using home-grown unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) “to the maximum extent permitted by...

Politics