bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. A battle is playing out over Congolese cobalt. China is well ahead

2. Chinese drug maker Akeso hailed as biotech’s ‘DeepSeek moment’ amid US rivalry

3. In SAFE hands: China’s secret plan for US$1 trillion reserves fund in Hong Kong

4. Sugar highs and waistline woes: in Malaysia, a Ramadan reality check

5. An unexpected link between Hong Kong’s Louis Cha ‘Jin Yong’ and Labubu doll



China’s Congolese cobalt edge, Labubu’s Hong Kong origins: 5 weekend reads you missed

Trump’s tariffs to reshape global trade with key role for Hong Kong: StanChart chairman

A look at some of the worst fires at nightclubs and music venues

Trump cut off aid to South Africa. Will it tilt the balance in China’s favour?

Africa

Illustration: Pearl Law

Workers direct lorry traffic in Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on June 17, 2023. Photo: AFP

Akeso founder and CEO Michelle Xia. Photo: Handout

Sugary drinks sold at Putrajaya Ramadan bazaar in Malaysia. One in five Malaysians suffers from diabetes, according to health ministry statistics. Photo: Hadi Azmi

Labubu creator Lung Kasing, at his studio in Kwun Tong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

China-Europe rail link woes, Trump’s unlikely online star: SCMP’s 7 highlights

The China-Europe Railway Express has been disrupted by a series of Russian goods seizures in recent months, causing many companies to lose confidence in the service. Photo: Xinhua

Nuclear physicist Liu Chang, who is conducting research that is considered crucial to achieving viable nuclear fusion energy, has left Princeton University for a position at Peking University in Beijing. Photo: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)

At 27 years old, Karoline Leavitt is the youngest White House press secretary in history. Photo: Reuters

Lady Gaga will perform at Singapore’s National Stadium on May 18, 19, 21 and 24. Photo: AP

Canada’s twin tariff wars, plastic surgery in South Korea: 5 weekend reads you missed

Beijing hit out at Canada’s tariffs when announcing its retaliatory measures. Photo: AFP

Trucks cross the US-Canada border along the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, on March 8, 2025. Photo: AFP

It is not known how many babies are born each year to mothers who come to the US for “birth tourism”. Photo: Shutterstock

A South Korean woman walking past a street billboard advertising double-jaw surgery at a subway station in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Beijing has said the “one country, two systems” model could apply in Taiwan. Photo: EPA-EFE

A mass qigong session in Jiangsu, China. Qigong is to Chinese traditional medicine what yoga is to traditional Indian medicine, or Ayurveda. Photo: Xinhua

News

World

China

Science

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Asia

Southeast Asia

Business

Tech

From China’s US$1 trillion reserve fund to Hong Kong Labubu’s origin, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend


From China’s US$1 trillion reserve fund to Hong Kong Labubu’s origin, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.


SCMP Highlights