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Will string of science scandals ruin century-old...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

For decades, publishing a paper in Nature was regarded as the ultimate academic achievement in China – a fast track to promotions, research grants, hospital appointments and elite national talent programmes. But a growing wave of academic fraud allegations could be turning that prestige into a liability. Over the past two months, Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with accusations targeting papers published in Nature and its subsidiaries, including Nature Cancer, Nature Cell...

American donated US$5,000 to China farmer for tree...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

A Chinese woman who has planted trees in the deserts of Inner Mongolia for decades has contacted an American man who donated US$5,000 to her and invited him to visit a forest that came into being because of his funding. Yin Yuzhen, 60, was awarded as a National Model Worker by China’s State Council in 2000 for her long-term anti-desertification efforts. Hailing from a poor family in northwestern Shaanxi province, Yin married a man who lives in Maowusu Desert in Inner Mongolia in the

US Navy signals pause in Taiwan arms sale, drawing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Beijing reaffirmed its opposition to arms sales to Taiwan after the acting secretary of the US Navy said Washington was pausing a US$14 billion weapons purchase by the self-governed island. “China’s firm opposition to US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear and unwavering,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. On Thursday, acting US Navy head Hung Cao told a congressional hearing that “right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the

China’s views on achieving ‘constructive, strategic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP.

China’s AI start-up funding triples to US$16b in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Funding for China’s artificial-intelligence-related start-ups jumped nearly threefold year on year in the first quarter, as investors poured capital into large language models (LLMs) and embodied AI amid growing optimism over the country’s technology ecosystem. AI-related start-ups secured more than 110 billion yuan (US$16.2 billion) in the first three months of the year, representing a 185 per cent surge from the same period last year, according to data released on Thursday by Beijing-based...

Cuba clash, Putin visits Beijing, Xi may go to North...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

China criticised the United States for filing criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro, as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on the Communist-ruled Caribbean island. “The United States needs to stop wielding the big stick of sanctions and judicial measures against Cuba, and stop threatening Cuba with force at every turn,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. Russia also said that US actions “cannot be condoned”. The US on Wednesday...

Hong Kong producer Raymond Wong found guilty of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Hong Kong film producer and actor Raymond Wong Pak-ming has been found guilty of sharing insider information with his sister to trade shares of an entertainment company he chaired in 2017, netting her more than HK$1 million (US$127,650) in profit. Magistrate Ko Wai-hung at Eastern Court on Friday found Wong had made “absurd and illogical” explanations for his messages to younger sister Jenny Wong, ruling he had knowingly advised her to buy shares in Transmit Entertainment, a television series...

Democrats release 2024 US election loss ‘autopsy’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Bowing to pressure ⁠from within its ranks, the Democratic National Committee released on Thursday its long-withheld “autopsy” of Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race – only to quickly disavow it. The report found that Democrats have ceded ground to Trump’s Republicans through underfunding of state parties and a “persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all ‌voters”. In particular, Democrats underperformed among male voters, non-college voters, irregular...

Chinese and Dutch scientists turn corn to sustainable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 11. The scientists, inspired by how

Air France 2009 crash verdict sparks mixed emotions...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

The Brazilian head of a victims’ association for the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris said that justice has yet to be served in France’s worst aviation crash after a Paris appeals court found Airbus and Air France guilty of manslaughter. Air France and Airbus, two of France’s most emblematic companies, said in separate statements that they would appeal Thursday’s ruling, potentially prolonging the legal battle for years. Brazilian Nelson Faria Marinho, who lost his son in the crash...

Malaysia’s tourism-dependent Langkawi fears rising...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

On Cenang Beach, Mohamad Zaki Najmi sells fun and adventure activities that have powered Langkawi’s tourism economy for years – jet ski rides and boat tours on the Malaysian island’s turquoise waters.But costs are rising fast at the popular island resort, and the sea sports operator has been forced to pass it on to his customers, a last resort for tourism players in Malaysia as competition for international visitors in Southeast Asia heats up. Higher fuel prices, triggered by the US-Israeli

Bloomberg accused of ‘unprecedented’ malice as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Financial news outlet Bloomberg harboured “unprecedented” malice in the publication and handling of an article about the purchase of good class bungalows in Singapore, lawyers for two Singaporean cabinet ministers alleged on Friday during closing statements in a defamation lawsuit. Senior counsel Davinder Singh said the case was unprecedented in terms of ill intent and aggravation, seeking damages exceeding those against The Online Citizen chief editor Terry Xu, who was ordered to pay

Selfies and symbolism: behind the scenes from Xi’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

The presidents of the United States and Russia visited Beijing on separate trips in May to meet with President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit meetings in Beijing. Here are some of the highlights of our coverage, taking you behind the headlines and beyond the summit stages to show the politics, symbolism and moments that shaped Xi’s meetings with Trump and Putin. If you would like to see more of our reporting,...

Hong Kong trade office can continue ‘legitimate...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London can continue its “legitimate activity”, the UK government has said, despite political pressure after a British court found two men linked to the office guilty of spying on activists. But the UK government also said on Thursday that anyone in any organisation found to be helping a foreign state to undermine British security would be brought to justice. The government’s remarks came two weeks after Bill Yuen Chung-biu, the London

China’s commerce chief Wang Wentao expected in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected in Brussels for crunch talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on June 29 and 30, as trade tensions between the sides threaten to reach fever pitch. Wang’s trip – confirmed by people familiar with the planning – will come on the heels of several top-level debates in the Belgian capital about how the bloc should tackle the perceived threat of an industrial shock to its economy attributed to China’s policies. Next week, the European Commission will

Stephen Colbert hosts Late Show finale after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Paul McCartney led an all-star line-up for the final episode of The Late Show as frontman Stephen Colbert bowed out after broadcaster CBS cancelled his show as it courted US President Donald Trump. But one A-lister who eluded the comic to the end was the pope, whom Colbert, a devout Catholic, had long touted as his dream guest. “The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked, blaming a dispute over hot dogs before McCartney appeared to rapturous cheers. The show,...

AIIB launches US$10 billion facility to help nations...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a US$10 billion facility to support members dealing with the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran, the group announced on Thursday. The Energy, Food Security and Economic Resilience Facility, sitting alongside the bank’s existing financing tools, offers up to US$10 billion over two years to help members tackle urgent needs around energy security, food security and economic resilience, according to a statement published by the...

China ‘most devoted fraudster’ fakes records to give...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

China’s “most devoted fraudster” has returned to public attention after mainland media revisited his case of forging hospital payment slips to keep his wife alive. Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing with only a secondary school education, had been living on the margins of the city with his wife, Du Jinling, and their son after their workplaces shut down. Their hardship worsened in 2007, when Du was diagnosed with severe uraemia and told she needed dialysis three times a week to...

Hong Kong’s ICAC charges woman over alleged HK$10,000...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a 62-year-old woman with allegedly bribing a Legal Aid Department clerk to secure custody of her grandson. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Thursday that Wen Congmei allegedly offered HK$10,000 (US$1,280) to the clerk in September last year. She faces one count of offering an advantage to a public servant and was granted HK$2,000 cash bail at West Kowloon Court on Friday. She was barred from leaving Hong Kong and...

Australia’s Linda McGill makes first swim around Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/22

This article was first published on May 23, 1976. Australia’s long distance swimming heroine, Linda McGill, staggered ashore at crowded Repulse Bay beach yesterday afternoon (May 22, 1976) after completing her round Hong Kong Island swim and said: “I’d do it again – for A$20,000 (HK$883,817 in 2026).” Linda, looking exhausted and close to collapse after just over 17 hours in the water, fell into the arms of her fiance, Dr Bruce Logan, and hundreds of spectators clapped and cheered. With

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