5 h. ago Is this the end of summer US study trips for Chinese children?

For two decades, it was popular for many Chinese families to send their children on “study tours” overseas – most often to the United States – during the summer. The programmes generally involved summer camps jointly organised by American universities and language institutions, as well as visits to colleges, museums and tourist attractions. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 1.3 million Chinese students spent part of their summer holidays studying overseas, according to a report by...

Politics

7 h. ago Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to plastics in next 2 months

Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to certain single-use plastics for items such as food containers in the next two months, the environment minister has said, as the government gauges the business sector’s feedback before expanding the scope of a ban. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday gave the update on the second phase of the government’s plan to rid the city of disposable plastic items, after the first stage was introduced in April last year. “We...

Politics

16 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong to issue T3 signal between 12pm and 2pm

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon warning signal between 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are expected to intensify later. Severe Tropical Storm Wutip, the Cantonese word for “butterfly”, has entered within 800km (497 miles) of...

Events

16 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong to issue T3 signal at 12.20pm

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon warning signal at 12.20pm on Saturday, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are expected to intensify later. Severe Tropical Storm Wutip, the Cantonese word for “butterfly”, has entered within 800km (497 miles) of Hong Kong,...

Events

16 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong issues T3 signal as winds intensify

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has issued the No 3 typhoon warning signal, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are intensifying. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the alert at 12.20pm on Saturday as Severe Tropical Storm Wutip entered within 800km (497 miles) of the city. It is...

Events

23 h. ago From dancing robots to DeepSeek, the university helping China to win tech race

From dancing robots to DeepSeek, the university helping China to win tech race  The Times

Culture

35 h. ago ‘Important step’: fatal crashes prompt Malaysia to curb speeding lorries, buses

Malaysia will require owners of lorries and buses to install a device that prevents vehicles from going faster than 90km/h, after a spate of fatal road accidents, including a bus crash on Monday that killed 15 university students. Malaysia’s roads are among some of the world’s most dangerous, with one person dying every two hours according to government statistics between March 2024 and March 2025. Lorries and buses routinely flout the speed limit of 90km/h, and high-speed collisions are common...

Events

53 h. ago Customs works with University of Hong Kong to develop crypto transaction tracer

Customs officials are working with the University of Hong Kong to develop a tool that can trace cryptocurrency transactions, with the authority stressing it had recorded seven suspected money laundering cases involving virtual assets and more than HK$9 billion (US$1.1 billion) in recent years. Mario Wong Ho-yin, assistant commissioner for intelligence and investigation at the Customs and Excise Department, said on Thursday it would ramp up collaborations with academics, finance and virtual asset...

Politics

55 h. ago ‘Overflowing with faeces, urine’: 150 dead cats found in Japanese woman’s home

A volunteer at an animal welfare group in Japan has been arrested after about 150 dead cats were discovered at her home in Kumamoto city. Police and animal rescue volunteers found the bodies, some in an advanced stage of decomposition, on Tuesday after they entered the woman’s home to investigate a pet owner’s complaint to the animal welfare group on May 27. The complainant said she had handed over four of her late mother’s pet cats to the suspect, who had promised her regular updates and...

Events

57 h. ago Teen star of Hong Kong documentary on DSE exams convicted of theft again

A Hong Kong student who starred in a popular web documentary about the city’s university entrance exams has been convicted of theft for a second time after pleading guilty to shoplifting at a supermarket. Eastern Court on Thursday recorded a guilty plea from Tang Ngai-hong, who admitted to stealing a bag of fruit and two packets of potato chips from the Fresh supermarket at Kornhill Plaza North in Quarry Bay on January 5. The offence took place just five months after the 19-year-old was fined...

Politics

59 h. ago China’s photonic chip debut to power AI, 6G and quantum computing push

As China joins the international drive to mass produce high-performance photonic chips, an industry pioneer said the technical performance of its chips will position the country for major advances in artificial intelligence (AI), 6G and quantum computing. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Chip Hub for Integrated Photonics Xplore (CHIPX) announced on June 5 that it had begun producing 6-inch (15.2cm) wafers for thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chips, which rely on light – or photons – rather...

Politics

59 h. ago China’s photonic chip debut to power AI, 6G and quantum computing push: expert

As China joins the international drive to mass produce high-performance photonic chips, an industry pioneer said the technical performance of its chips will position the country for major advances in artificial intelligence (AI), 6G and quantum computing. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Chip Hub for Integrated Photonics Xplore (CHIPX) announced on June 5 that it had begun producing 6-inch (15.2cm) wafers for thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chips, which rely on light – or photons – rather...

Politics

63 h. ago Chinese astronomers recorded details of dying star’s explosion in 1408: study

Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way. “It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,” according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement. “We, your ministers, have...

Events

64 h. ago The case of Hong Kong vs Singapore: unlimited potential for collaboration

From Hong Kong Disneyland and Universal Studios Singapore to Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, there is this never-ending comparison between Hong Kong and Singapore. Insofar as our legal systems and the legal markets are concerned, there are also interesting similarities and differences. Both Hong Kong and Singapore are common law jurisdictions with developed and efficient legal systems. We are both in strategic locations with world-class legal infrastructure and vibrant legal communities....

Politics

64 h. ago China women pay US$14 to relax with charming men who take them on luxury car rides

Young women in southern China are spending 99 yuan (US$14) to relax with fit, handsome men who treat them to luxury car rides after work. According to the mainland media outlet Vista Hydrogen Business, a new trend called “city ride” is gaining traction in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Xiamen. This service features so-called “man bodhisattvas,” who provide companionship rides in expensive vehicles. These men are often affluent university students who use their families’ luxury cars during...

Economics

64 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect most of day

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will stay in force for most of Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the signal at 12.40am on Wednesday...

Events

64 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect for most of the day

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will stay in force for most of Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the signal at 12.40am on Wednesday...

Events

64 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect throughout the day

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will remain in force throughout Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Observatory said that Tropical Storm Wutip, which is named...

Events

64 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect until at least Friday

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said the No 1 typhoon warning signal will remain in force until Friday afternoon or possibly Saturday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong province continue to affect the city. The Observatory said Tropical Storm...

Events

67 h. ago China’s orchard of AI, chip grads now ripe for the pickin’ as tech trade sours

When Jack Wang enrolled as an undergraduate in microelectronics at a prestigious Chinese university, the year was 2019, and China was in the early days of its trade war with the United States. Looking back, his decision to focus on the field revolving around the design and manufacture of hi-tech microchips has proved prescient. Today, it complements Beijing’s aspirations to make world-leading semiconductors amid Washington’s amped-up efforts to curtail China’s technological progress. Indeed, the...

Politics