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One-legged China teen boy dreams of basketball glory,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A one-legged teenage boy from a mountainous village in southwestern China has gone viral on social media for excelling at basketball using a wooden crutch handmade by his father. The story of the 13-year-old boy, nicknamed Apei, was first shared by an influencer under the handle @awenzaidajiating in late May, garnering one million likes. On June 5, the boy finally was able to wear an artificial limb which was tailor-made in Shenzhen, also in southern China, and donated by the charity Shenzhen...

‘No academic stress here,’ Hong Kong school says...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A Hong Kong school recovering from the tragic suicides of a Primary Six pupil and her mother does not suffer from intense academic pressure, a student and the vice-principal have said, stressing that promotion to its secondary section is automatic. Their remarks were made on Friday as an experienced psychologist advised against allowing surviving relatives to return home immediately after the death of a family member by suicide at the residence. A woman, 48, took her own life at her flat in

Xi on North Korean military ties; US blacklists...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Was Xi’s stance on North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia? During his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said both sides should “enhance exchanges in diplomacy, law...

Technician, 63, dies after being found injured and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A mechanical technician has died after he was injured and left unconscious during an inspection of an amusement ride at a Hong Kong theme park. Police received a report at 9.08am on Friday that the 63-year-old man was found unconscious in Ocean Park’s mountain area, with injuries to his head and shoulders. Emergency personnel transported the victim to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai at around 9.30am. He was pronounced dead at 10.33am following unsuccessful efforts to resuscitate him. The cause

‘The Claw’ rises: White House Octagon ready for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

It’s the ultimate symbol of American politics under Donald Trump – a blood-soaked cage match on the lawn of the White House for the US president’s 80th birthday. A giant arena dubbed “The Claw” has been built on the famed South Lawn for Sunday’s tournament featuring 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contestants. Critics have panned the unprecedented US$60 million “UFC Freedom 250” event as tone-deaf at a time when Trump’s war in Iran has sent the cost of living soaring for ordinary...

Hong Kong eateries chase World Cup business despite...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

Hong Kong’s catering industry is aiming for 6 to 8 per cent business growth during this year’s Fifa World Cup, with the sector exploring creative ways to attract customers and keep fans from travelling to mainland China, despite time differences for matches. Edward Leung Hei, chairman of the Hong Kong Feast and Retreat Association, said on Friday that measures included offering discounts on snacks and drinks, broadcasting match replays during happy hours, hosting lucky draws to boost the...

Deep-sea cable cutting can be a weapon of deterrence,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

The vulnerability of submarine cables during conflicts has made seabed infrastructure a fresh concern for global communication and maritime safety, prompting 17 Asian and European nations to step up collaboration on defence strategies in recent months. But the two largest marine powers, China and the United States, were not among those countries. From the blow-up of the Nord Stream pipeline to the development of new technology such as China’s deep-sea cable cutter, the seabed has become the...

1966 Hong Kong rainstorm leaves 64 dead in one of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

This article was first published on June 13, 1966 36 feared dead in storm horror At least 36 people are feared to have died in the fierce floods following one of the worst rainstorms in Hongkong’s history. Last night (June 12, 1966) officials— still working on rescue operations — revealed that 32 people were still missing, and 33 were injured. More than 600 people were rendered homeless by the 78 landslides which occurred. Among the dead are two journalists, Mr John A. Stuart, 31, and Mr

Giant ‘8647’ anti-Trump markings appear in US capital

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

US Park Police opened an investigation on Thursday into giant markings of the numbers “8647” – which have been associated with opposition to President Donald Trump – on the grass of the National Mall. A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, which manages the National Mall in downtown Washington, described the incident as “deranged vandalism” and said it “will not be tolerated”. “Any threat against the president is taken very seriously by the department, and our US Park Police will...

Wartime apology author and Japan-China ‘bridge’ Yohei...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A prominent backchannel political figure between Japan and China has died, days before a reported planned trip meant to ease deep bilateral tensions. Yohei Kono, best known for his historic apology on August 4, 1993, to tens of thousands of “comfort women” who were forced by the Japanese military into sexual slavery during World War II, died on Monday. He was 89. Considered a moderate voice within Japan’s conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kono was the country’s chief cabinet...

Scott Pelley’s firing from 60 Minutes offers Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

Before Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes last week, he accused CBS’s editor-in-chief of “murdering” the programme he had served for over two decades. For a show that once defined hard-edged journalism, his dismissal raises questions about what institutional independence means. The split followed a tense staff meeting in which Pelley confronted the show’s new executive producer. In a statement after his firing, Pelley said the organisation was becoming more policitised and tried to get

For 5 million years, whales have come to this place...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

Chinese deep-sea explorers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have discovered the largest “whale-fall site” ever recorded in the Indian Ocean.The graveyard is the Earth’s deepest and most extensive known accumulation of whale fossils, carcasses and the unique ecosystems they support, with some fossils dating back about 5.3 million years. Detailed in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday, the study was conducted by researchers from the CAS Institute of...

Roche’s global survey highlights urgent need to shift...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Nearly one in ten people in Hong Kong now live with diabetes, and the city’s burden is growing. An ageing population, shifting lifestyles, and a substantial number of undiagnosed cases have combined to make diabetes an increasingly urgent public-health challenge2,3. For people with diabetes (PwD) the condition is a daily physical reality, but its wider consequences are less visible: diabetes steadily erodes mental and...

Chinese woman suffers pancreatitis after 6-day...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A 25-year-old woman in China has been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis after she followed an extreme weight-loss regime which consisted of eating once a week and hardly eating a thing for the remaining six days. The woman, who uses the alias Qingqing and lives in Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, is 1.55m tall. She previously weighed 55kg, the Xinmin Evening News reported. However, months ago, she made a rigorous plan to get slimmer. This involved eating little for six days a week and...

Thai princess in coma dies, aged 47: royal palace

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

Thailand’s ⁠Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the eldest ⁠child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has died at 47, the royal palace said on Friday, after multiple health problems and nearly four years in a coma. The princess was hospitalised in December 2022 after a sudden loss of consciousness ‌caused by a heart condition while visiting the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Bajrakitiyabha was flown by helicopter to the capital Bangkok for treatment. She died on Thursday...

Can Hong Kong cash in on ecotourism without trashing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A sea of 500 tents covered the white sands of remote Ham Tin Wan in Sai Kung during a recent holiday, turning one of Hong Kong’s most scenic beaches into a makeshift campsite for crowds of overnight visitors. Some of the campers had joined tours from mainland China for the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, sleeping in rows of identical tents and gathering around camping tables for hotpot dinners, with ingredients hauled across the border by their guides. By morning, the sink in the beach’s

EVs capture two-thirds of China’s car market in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

Electric vehicles accounted for a record 66.7 per cent of new car sales in mainland China during the first week of June, the latest sign that the country’s battery-powered carmakers are benefiting from the global energy crisis. Two out of every three new cars sold on the mainland in the seven days ending June 7 were either pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The penetration rate climbed from 62.9 per cent in May as a

China’s ports are by far the most efficient in the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

China’s ports continued to dominate global efficiency rankings in 2025, with seven Chinese trade hubs placing in the top 10, according to a study by the World Bank and S&P Global released on Wednesday. The latest edition of the annual report comes at a time when ports are playing a more vital role in the global economy than ever, as facilities strive to handle intense disruptions to global supply chains amid the aftermath of the Red Sea crisis and the ongoing fallout from the US-Israel war on...

How Nvidia’s South Korean AI deals could fuel ‘the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/12

A spate of agreements Nvidia has reached with South Korean companies presents a long-term road map for the country to expand its role in the semiconductor and physical AI industries, observers say. The most significant deal Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made during his whirlwind three-day trip to Seoul that ended on Sunday was with SK Telecom to build AI infrastructure, including factories. An AI factory is a data centre running an end-to-end operational system that continuously collects and

Killing of Indian sailors ‘very unfortunate’, US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/06/11

Republican Congressman Rob Wittman on Thursday called the US killing of three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman “a very, very unfortunate incident”, claiming that the US military is trying to “determine exactly what happened”. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those Indian families who lost their loved ones there in that situation,” Wittman told the South China Morning Post. “I know that our United States military is looking into that to try to determine exactly what happened there, but...

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