Geologists have discovered two large water sources beneath Chinas largest desert, potentially offering the northwestern region a vital new tap for sand-control projects and agriculture. The desert region has drawn attention for extensive afforestation and anti-desertification efforts taking place around its edges under the Great Green Wall initiative, ...

In the early hours of the morning, 29-year-old Guo Zihao awoke in a 24-hour billiards hall in Shenzhen, southern China. For months, such places had served as his makeshift shelter. At his lowest point, he found himself with merely 20 yuan (US$3) left in his pocket. That period was more than a financial struggle, Guo told the SCMP. Every minute, every ...

A third-generation member of a long-established Hong Kong developer family has bought a HK$98.8 million (US$12.6 million) luxury flat in Mid-Levels, weeks after the family sold a long-held North Point property, highlighting a broader market trend of capital shifting across real estate sectors. John Lai Sung-ziang agreed to buy a high-floor unit at Estoril ...

Chinas ruling Communist Party mouthpiece has rejected US allegations that Chinese artificial intelligence companies conducted industrial-scale distillation of American frontier models, warning that Beijing would respond if Washington continued to suppress Chinas AI industry. In a commentary published on Wednesday, Peoples Daily said the US claims were ...

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has placed deepening integration with mainland China and developing new economic engines centre stage as he unveiled the citys first-ever five-year plan alongside the last policy address of his term. During his landmark speech on Wednesday, which ran just one minute shy of three hours, Lee laid out how the citys ...

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu presented the citys first ever five-year plan, including steps to bolster innovation, birth rates and financial activity. The city aims to raise spending on innovation to 3 per cent of gross domestic product after 2030 from 1.63 per cent in 2024, Lee said as he announced the plan on Wednesday alongside the ...

China confirmed on Wednesday that a research vessel conducted a month-long, wide-ranging geological survey in the waters near Scarborough Shoal, a South China Sea flashpoint between Beijing and Manila. The Haiyang Dizhi Shihao, or Marine Geology No 10, carried out the survey from August 11 to September 8, with the aim of gaining a comprehensive ...

Sweden found itself in political uncertainty this week, as its parliamentary election on Sunday turned out to be extremely tight. With 95 per cent of the votes counted, the opposition left-wing bloc holds a three-seat lead over the governing right-wing bloc, with final results expected on Thursday. Ive been to multiple election night parties across Europe ...

At the beginning of August, when temperatures in Hong Kong hit highs not seen for at least 140 years, the Labour Departments Heat Stress at Work Warning system remained at the amber level, the lowest of three tiers. The controversy that followed raised a broader question: are our heat warnings adequately protecting people who work outdoors? The Labour ...

The US Senates rejection of the Clarity Act a landmark bill meant to regulate cryptocurrency market structure has opened a window for Hong Kong to accelerate its digital asset ambitions, industry insiders say, even as the sector remains mired in a slump after a brief rally last month. Beijings ban on crypto remains in force in mainland China, but Hong ...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled a trip to the UN General Assembly next week as he faces mounting pressure at home during a string of difficult state elections. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they couldnt publicly discuss a trip that hadnt been announced officially, said Wednesday that Merz wont travel to New ...

A Hong Kong court has ordered the winding-up of an engineering consultant behind a HK$336 million (US$42.8 million) renovation project at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court over an unspecified debt. The High Court on Wednesday granted Tong Yiu-kwoks application to wind up Will Power Architects after the company neither filed a statement in opposition nor sent ...

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Market squeeze: Tesla revives China price cuts to stem slumping deliveries Tesla China has launched discounts on its Shanghai-made cars for the ...

A Singapore family court rejected a 90-year-old mans claim for spousal maintenance from his 89-year-old wife, noting that both of them are in the twilight of their lives. The court also noted that the man would receive more than S$2 million (US$1.6 million) from the matrimonial pool, comprising the couples assets to be divided in the divorce, and his wife ...

China should use its maritime militia as an extra force to collect information and maintain a regular presence in the South China Sea, where it is coming into frequent conflict with the Philippines. That was the suggestion Wu Shicun, the founding president of Chinas National Institute for South China Sea Studies, made on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ...

Chinas contributions and leadership were of considerable value to the revision of new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards for artificial intelligence, intelligent transport systems and cybersecurity, according to the global body. The ISO made the comments on Wednesday as it released ISO 9001:2026, which is the first major revision ...

Israels defence minister said Wednesday it was only a matter of time before the country resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to force out its 2 million Palestinians. Israel Katz, who is known for outspoken remarks, was responding to criticism from another right-wing contender ahead of October 27 elections. Katz said 70 per cent of Gaza had already been ...

A Hong Kong court has terminated a trial arising from a deadly shooting during a botched robbery three decades ago after the defendant died in custody earlier this week. The High Court on Wednesday discharged a seven-member jury presiding over the trial of Wen Wenye, who allegedly took part in the murder and attempted robbery at Shun Fat Company, a ...

A Chinese boy with a remarkable talent for engaging customers at his familys restaurant in central China has gone viral, drawing entertaining reactions from both domestic and international netizens. The four-and-a-half-year-old child gained overnight fame after a Serbian expat in China posted a video of him being approached in front of a diner in Huangshan, ...

A Malaysian city councillor has resigned over remarks he made about the Democratic Action Party (DAP) at the recent Umno general assembly. Permatang Pauh Umno division chief Mohd Zaidi Mohd Saids resignation as a Seberang Perai city councillor took effect on Monday, according to a letter made public by state local government committee chairman Jason Hng ...

Hong Kong has retained its status as Asias top financial hub for a fourth consecutive edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), even as many of the worlds leading centres saw their scores slip slightly amid rising geopolitical headwinds. The city also ranked third globally in the 40th edition of the twice-yearly report, released on Wednesday ...

A South Korean crime lord convicted of murder in the Philippines reportedly planned to escape prison by strapping himself to a drone until his own accomplices rehearsal footage gave the game away. Park Wang-yeol, 47, was sentenced in 2022 to 60 years behind bars for the killing of three South Koreans in a sugar cane field outside Bacolod City in 2016, a ...

Three people were killed Tuesday in a fiery crash when a US news media helicopter covering a deadly bus crash came down in a Los Angeles neighbourhood. Media in the city had scrambled to cover a deadly accident, after an SUV ploughed into a bus in the Chatsworth area, northwest of downtown, killing another three people and injuring many others in a city ...

Koukyo Yoneta, a fifth-generation Buddhist priest in a small town in Japans Hokkaido, was struggling to keep up with the maintenance needs of his century-old temple, so he chose a path that would have been unthinkable for his predecessors rather than wait for his congregation to give money they do not have, he invested what they had already donated. The ...

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemens Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islams holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region. Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on ...