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‘Father of graphene’ Andre Geim leaves Britain for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Andre Geim, the 67-year-old Nobel Prize-winning physicist known in China as the “father of graphene”, will join the University of Hong Kong as a chair professor in April, according to the university. Geim, who led a team at the University of Manchester to isolate graphene – the world’s thinnest and strongest material, consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms – using adhesive tape in 2004, is set to leave Britain after spending more than two decades of his career there. Geim said he was...

‘China shock’ hits Germany as Merz joins Beijing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concerns about Chinese industrial overcapacity after meeting President Xi Jinping, as he seeks to rein in a trade deficit that has grown fourfold since 2020. “This dynamic is not healthy,” Merz told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday, according to Reuters. He also highlighted “risks” from the close connections between the two countries, including problems suffered by German manufacturers last year when China tightened export controls on basic computer

China computing stalwarts Hygon, Sugon post revenue...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Semiconductor designer Hygon Information Technology and supercomputer maker Sugon, two stalwarts of China’s tech self-reliance efforts, reported surging revenue for 2025 amid strong domestic demand for home-grown computing systems. The two Shanghai-listed companies’ latest financial results reflect a broader trend across China’s public and private sectors to increase engagement with domestic technology suppliers, as artificial intelligence development projects in the country...

Breaking down the key figures in Hong Kong 2026-27...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Viral video of child being shoved at iconic Tokyo...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

A video of a young girl being shoved while posing for a photo at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing has amassed over 9 million views in one day and ignited an online row over safety, manners and tourist behaviour.The clip was posted on Wednesday by a Taiwanese social media user who goes by peipeilin527 and said the incident happened on her family’s last night in Japan. “I was thinking of taking photos at the famous Shibuya Crossing on my last night there, but some mean-spirited person pushed my...

Cambodia’s Hun Manet denies state profiting from scam...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Wednesday that scam centres were destroying his country’s economy and giving the nation a bad name – pushing back on allegations of government connivance. The nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running a multibillion-dollar fraud industry that sees scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments. “The scam network, what we call the black economy, is destroying our honest

Chinese embassy in Angola warns citizens not to fall...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

The Chinese embassy in Angola has issued a warning about a crackdown on illegal immigration in the African country, urging its citizens and companies to make sure they follow the correct visa procedures. In a social media post on Wednesday, the embassy warned that Chinese citizens had been among those detained, fined or deported by the Angolan authorities. “We have warned Chinese companies and citizens repeatedly to follow Angola’s laws, find jobs and operate businesses legally,” it said,...

Hong Kong fugitive’s father jailed for trying to cash...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

A Hong Kong court has sentenced the father of a wanted activist to eight months in jail for attempting to cash out an insurance policy worth more than HK$88,000 (US$11,251) in his daughter’s name, rejecting suggestions that the sentence amounted to “collective punishment” against a relative of a fugitive. Kwok Yin-sang, 69, became the first person jailed for trying to deal with the financial assets of an absconder – his 29-year-old daughter, Anna Kwok Fung-yee, a United States-based activist

What Deliveroo’s Singapore exit says about the city...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales director Sabir Ansari relied on Deliveroo almost daily for burgers and pasta delivered to his door in Singapore. Over time, the 31-year-old said, it became harder to justify the service’s costs as rival platforms such as Grab and Foodpanda offered more food options and aggressive promotions that made “delivery fees way cheaper”. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. For Deliveroo, that kind of calculation among consumers became increasingly...

China sees rise in Chinese New Year travel, but per...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

China logged an overall increase in travel during the just-concluded Chinese New Year break compared with last year’s holiday period, but analysts said spending per capita stayed flat. The country saw 596 million domestic trips over the extended public holiday that ended on Monday, a year-on-year increase of 95 million, Xinhua reported. About 17.8 million cross-border trips were logged over the same period, it added. Chinese New Year is a crucial period for the travel sector as hundreds of...

China affirms ‘no nukes’ position amid claims of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

China has doubled down on its hard line against any nuclear escalation in Ukraine and called for restraint following Russia’s claims that Britain and France are planning to give Kyiv nuclear weapons. Asked on Wednesday about Moscow’s accusation towards the two European nations, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged all sides to avoid actions that could cause misunderstandings or escalate tensions. “We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and avoid any

China youth spend Spring Festival away from ‘nosy’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

The Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for family reunions, but this year a growing number of young Chinese people chose to avoid going home. This year’s Spring Festival holiday took place between February 15 and 23, which is the longest break in recent years. The tradition of family reunion during the holiday also leads to the annual chunyun, or Spring Festival travel rush, which is known as the world’s largest human migration. This year’s chunyun lasts 40 days from February 2 to

Long-term gains worthwhile, Paul Chan says as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Hong Kong’s financial chief has defended his latest budget against public criticism over the lack of sweeteners, stressing that the government must balance its finances with long-term investments for the city’s benefit. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Thursday he would brief credit-rating agencies and the International Monetary Fund next month on his budget, including the proposed HK$150 billion (US$19.2 billion) transfer from the Exchange Fund to support infrastructure

‘Worst is yet to come’: Hong Kong’s early childhood...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Hong Kong’s early childhood education sector will receive its lowest level of subsidy in more than a decade as the number of preschools falls to a 13-year low, with the government cancelling two grants for kindergartens in the new school year. According to the annual budget announced on Wednesday, the early childhood sector will receive only HK$4.5 billion (US$575 million) from the government in the 2026–27 financial year, representing a 6.6 per cent drop from the current year. “This is

Near-blind Rohingya refugee found dead after US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar missing since his release from a Buffalo jail into the custody of US Border Patrol has been found dead on a downtown street, according to city authorities on Wednesday. Police officers in the upstate New York city located the body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, on Tuesday evening, the Buffalo Police Department said. Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when US Border Patrol agents dropped ‌him off at a coffee shop miles from his home following his...

HKEX profit jumps 36% to another record high on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), which operates Asia’s third-largest stock exchange, reported a record-high annual profit for the second straight year, thanks to higher market turnover and robust listing activity, it said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday. Net profit in 2025 increased 36 per cent to HK$17.75 billion (US$2.28 billion), or HK$14.05 per share, from HK$13 billion a year earlier, which was also a record. The result beat market expectations of HK$17.44 billion. The

Confrontation or dialogue? You choose, North Korea’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned that Pyongyang was ready for confrontation with the US but also left the door open for dialogue, depending on Washington’s stance. The prospects of North Korea-US relations hinge “entirely on the attitude of the United States”, he said on Wednesday. Pyongyang was prepared for both “peaceful coexistence or eternal confrontation” but the choice lay with Washington. As long as the US respected North Korea’s nuclear-armed state status, which is enshrined

Quick as a blink: Chinese scientists unveil 3D...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

Chinese scientists have developed a new technique that solidifies liquid into three-dimensional objects in under a second, making for the world’s fastest 3D printing. 3D printing is no longer a novel concept – whether it is tech enthusiasts creating digital objects, metal printing conducted in space, customised bone structures for patients or even military units using 3D-printed parts for weapon repairs. However, these technologies still rely on mechanical scanning by a printing nozzle,

Hong Kong budget: everything you need to know from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

We have put together stories from our coverage of Hong Kong’s 2026-27 budget. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Budget reveal: government turns matchmaker with stronger hand in shaping economy Hong Kong’s finance chief on Wednesday lived up to his credentials as a chartered accountant when he produced a surprisingly robust budget, flush with surpluses and full of initiatives to be funded through substantial means at his disposal. 2. Here is how

US, Thailand lead 30 nations in Southeast Asia’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/26

More than 8,000 personnel from 30 countries are taking part in Cobra Gold, one of the largest and longest running multinational military exercises in Southeast Asia. The annual exercises are being held in many provinces across Thailand until March 6, aiming to strengthen coordination among participating nations and develop military capabilities to align with current global circumstances. Thailand and the United States, which are co-hosts of the drill, along with Singapore, Indonesia, Japan,...

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