5 Guangdong-registered yachts to sail into Hong Kong as southbound scheme launches

South China Morning Post - Oct 15, 2026

Five Guangdong-registered yachts will sail into Hong Kong waters on Friday when the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme launches, the city’s marine chief has said, adding that officers will step up patrols. A ceremony marking the scheme’s maiden voyages will also take place. The launch is a key step in the government’s plan to develop Hong Kong’s yacht economy, as outlined in the city’s first five-year plan and the latest policy address. Under the scheme, mainland Chinese vessels can register through...

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Fingerprint experts from 42 nations challenge skills in Korea-Interpol contest

Fingerprint experts from 42 nations challenge skills in Korea-Interpol contest

Fingerprint examiners from 42 countries tested their skills in an online competition co-hosted by the Korean National Police Agency and Interpol, the international police cooperation body, the agency said Thursday. Long before artificial intelligence and algorithms transformed modern crime-fighting, police work relied on a far simpler, time-tested tool: human eyes searching for minute patterns etched onto skin. Last month, that fundamental forensic art took center stage as 279 latent print specialists worldwide stepped away from their automated software to go head-to-head in a high-stakes test of pure human observation. The third annual International Fingerprint Examination Competition, held online on Sept. 17, offered no assistance from computer matching databases. For two grueling hours, contestants were faced with 20 complex fingerprint puzzles, tasked with matching obscure, incomplete latent prints against a field of 50 possible candidates. To mirror the unforgiving reality of real-world casework — where a single misidentification can lead to a wrongful arrest — the scoring syst

Recon, suicide drones spot targets, strike in Army's future warfare drill

Recon, suicide drones spot targets, strike in Army's future warfare drill

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province — Reconnaissance drones swept across the sky, searching for enemy positions. Their live footage reached a command post, where an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision-support system recommended weapons for an attack. Once a battalion commander gave the order, a 120-millimeter self-propelled mortar fired, followed by explosive-laden drones diving toward their targets. The sequence was part of the Army’s Army TIGER+ integrated combat exercise at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground, Wednesday, offering a close-up look at how Korea plans to fight with soldiers, drones and robots working together. The demonstration covered reconnaissance, strikes, minefield clearance, counter-drone defense, an armored advance and resupply — with unmanned equipment sent into dangerous areas before troops moved in. The first to appear were short-range reconnaissance drones. Several flew simultaneously, transmitting images to the command post. One drone fitted with a rifle demonstrated how the same aircraft could both locate and attack a target. They were followed by b

Kookmin University professor named among World's Top 2% Scientists for 3rd straight year

Kookmin University professor named among World's Top 2% Scientists for 3rd straight year

Ravi Gupta, a professor at Kookmin University’s College of Transdisciplinary Studies, has been included in the 2026 World’s Top 2% Scientists list for the third consecutive year. Compiled by Stanford University and Elsevier, the list identifies leading researchers in each academic field based on citation indicators derived from Elsevier’s Scopus database. Gupta studies plant physiology, biochemistry and functional genomics, focusing on how plants respond to environmental stress and regulate plant immunity, according to Kookmin University. He uses mass spectrometry-based proteomics to study proteins and post-translational modifications involved in plant defense against pathogens and responses to environmental stress. He has published more than 190 papers, which have collectively received over 5,500 citations. “I am honored to have been included in the World’s Top 2% Scientists list for the third consecutive year,” Gupta said. “This achievement reflects the contributions of the researchers and students I have worked with and motivates me to continue studying plant immunity and

N. Korea tests 2 types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles: KCNA

N. Korea tests 2 types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles: KCNA

North Korea said Thursday it tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea the previous day. "The test-fire aimed to examine the current mobilized posture of the underwater combat systems and contributed to getting the Navy skilled in performing its strategic missions and showcasing high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in an English dispatch. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The test was overseen by Kim Jong-sil, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, Jang Chang-ha, director-general of the Missile Administration and the Navy's underwater weapon system engineers, the report said. The Rodong Sinmun, the country's the most widely read paper, did not report the launch. The report came days after the North test-fired tactical ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea on Monday. The North said Tuesday the test launch was intended to "confirm the success in the re

N. Korea could bolster drone capabilities through workers at Russian factory: report

N. Korea could bolster drone capabilities through workers at Russian factory: report

North Korea could strengthen its military drone capabilities by gaining technical expertise through workers deployed to a major Russian drone production facility, potentially posing a new security threat to South Korea and U.S. forces in the region, a U.S. think tank report showed Wednesday. The report, jointly published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the George W. Bush Institute, examined the security implications of North Korea's involvement in Russia's drone manufacturing industry, as well as the roles of China and Iran in supporting Moscow's war against Ukraine. According to a separate report issued by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) in September, Russia hosted an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 North Korean workers as of the end of 2025, some of whom were involved in manufacturing military drones. The report also said Moscow had established a student visa scheme to disguise North Korean workers as students. "North Korean labor also transfers technical know-how. Technicians sent to Alabuga will return to Pyongyang with invaluable lesson

New bridge between China, North Korea opens

New bridge between China, North Korea opens

DANDONG, China — A big new bridge linking China and North Korea opened on Thursday, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its isolated nuclear-armed neighbour. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the reclusive nuclear state, although ties have not always been smooth. Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday on the Chinese side for the opening of the 3,026-metre (9,927-feet) New Yalu River vehicle bridge. Trucks bearing the nations' flags began moving in both directions late morning, AFP reporters at the scene said, some of the North Korean vehicles decorated with flowers. "It's great," one woman who came to watch told AFP in the quiet northern border town of Dandong, which is dotted with a mish-mash of Chinese and Korean shops and restaurants. "It's already been over 10 years. It's certainly going to be good for business," she said, without wishing to be named, accompanied by her friend and her dog. The opening came a day after North Korea test-fired two types of cr

Opening ceremony held for new China-DPRK border bridge over Yalu River

Opening ceremony held for new China-DPRK border bridge over Yalu River

Opening ceremony held for new China-DPRK border bridge over Yalu River

Graphics: China advances two-way opening-up of its financial markets

Graphics: China advances two-way opening-up of its financial markets

Graphics: China advances two-way opening-up of its financial markets

China calls for end to political deadlock in Libya

China calls for end to political deadlock in Libya

A Chinese envoy to the UN on Wednesday called for efforts to break the political deadlock in Libya as soon as possible.

Hong Kong teen makes cents of finance, taps AI to tackle economic inequality

Hong Kong teen makes cents of finance, taps AI to tackle economic inequality

At 17, Hong Kong secondary school student Agastya Rekhi has been teaching finance and economics to younger children for nearly three years. Meeting families struggling to understand how prices, investments and economic news impacted their daily lives during voluntary work convinced him that access to information was only part of the problem. How that information was communicated was just as important. Rekhi, a finalist for the Spirit of Youth Award in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, has...

Young Chinese are choosing healthy relationships over toxic filial piety

Young Chinese are choosing healthy relationships over toxic filial piety

As the Chinese saying goes, “Even an upright judge finds it hard to settle family matters.” Whenever Chinese TV channels air reality shows that centre on couples or parent-child relationships, controversy is guaranteed. Heated debates ensue over who is right and who is wrong. Viewers examine every facial expression in microscopic detail and overanalyse every word before arriving at their verdict. Yet, that wasn’t the case with Zhang Jiaqi after the Olympic diving medallist and her mother, Xiao...

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