Tech adventure in Shenzhen: A visit to the city of tomorrow
Zhang Shengmin, China’s most senior uniformed general, met Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov in Beijing on Tuesday in his first publicly reported meeting with a foreign official since he became a member of the Politburo. Zhang, the vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), pledged to deepen military cooperation and strategic coordination with Russia during the meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. He was elected to the Politburo last week at a key Communist Party...
Hong Kong could be in store for its first real taste of autumn early next week, with temperatures forecast to dip below 20 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) as a strong northeast monsoon approaches the Guangdong coast. The Hong Kong Observatory said the monsoon would bring windy conditions to the region over the weekend, with offshore areas and high ground expected to experience strong winds at times on Saturday. Temperatures across southern China were expected to fall between early and midweek...
A Chinese court has begun hearings in a defamation case filed by authorities and institutes in Beijing and Wuhan against the US state of Missouri over accusations tied to Covid-19. In a notice on Monday, the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court said it held a hearing on Friday and legal proceedings were continuing. The case was jointly filed on April 30, 2025 by the Wuhan government in Hubei province, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its subordinate entity, the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV),...
China appears to be testing a stealthy new trimaran at sea, according to a photograph circulating on social media, in what could be a further effort to develop unconventional naval platforms. The image first emerged on Weibo on Sunday and appears to show a vessel featuring an inverted wave-piercing bow, three-hull design and angular superstructure surfaces that could be intended to reduce its radar signature. The vessel, which is fitted with a prominent antenna mast and multiple dome-shaped...
Five Hong Kong universities have been ranked among Asia’s top 10, with three of them in the top five for the first time in more than a decade and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) retaining its No 1 spot, according to an annual UK survey. Meanwhile, three universities in mainland China were ranked in the top 10. Peking University held on to second place, Tsinghua University leapt from ninth to third and Fudan University dropped from fifth to sixth, giving the mainland two universities in the top...
Think you can steer a drone using nothing more than your own concentrated thoughts? It may sound like science fiction, but mind-controlled drone-flying is one of the free activities the public can take part in at the upcoming Being Human Festival in Hong Kong. Running from November 5 to 15, the festival is the first Hong Kong edition of the UK’s national festival of the humanities, which was founded in 2014. Organised by the University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s Faculty of Arts under the theme...
China has pledged to work with Pakistan to advance “high-level security cooperation” and ensure the safety of a joint flagship infrastructure project that has become a target for terrorists. That was the message Liu Haixing, head of the Communist Party’s International Department, conveyed in talks with Pakistan defence forces chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, as part of his first official visit to the South Asian country since taking office just over a year ago. In...
Hong Kong journalists may have to rely on judicial reviews if the government refuses to provide land records under a proposed new system, although authorities have vowed to simplify applications and deliver records in as little as one to two working days. Officials made the pledge on Tuesday as lawmakers raised concerns over possible restrictions on media access during the first meeting of a Legislative Council subcommittee examining eight pieces of subsidiary legislation for the proposed land...
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will launch its first free, district-based dementia screening programme next year, using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered retinal imaging to detect early signs of cognitive decline in 2,700 older residents within two years. The programme will be implemented in Wong Tai Sin, which has one of the highest proportion of elderly residents among Hong Kong’s 18 districts. Participants identified as being at risk will be paired with volunteers to receive...
Hong Kong homeowners’ pushback against proposals to limit proxy votes and restrict meeting attendance to relatives has prompted authorities to study alternatives to resolve estate management issues behind the deadly Tai Po fire. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau revealed the findings of its month-long public consultation on amendments to the Building Management Ordinance, part of proposed reforms after the Wang Fuk Court fire that...
A People’s Liberation Army air defence unit has for the first time intercepted two new types of missile simultaneously during a drill – including one that made a sudden change of direction, according to state television. The CCTV report on Monday said it was a rapid response operation by the ground-based Shenwei Missile Battalion – under the PLA Central Theatre Command Air Force – which is equipped with Hongqing surface-to-air missiles. It did not disclose the type of missiles intercepted or any...
China’s embassy in Papua New Guinea has disputed reports that a suspected Chinese-made artillery shell was found in a shipping container in Port Moresby, saying the object was instead a shell-shaped wine bottle. The embassy said in a social media post on Tuesday it was awaiting the official findings of an investigation by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC). It cited an on-site verification by a company involved in the case, which said the object was a wine bottle. “It poses no...
