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SCMP

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. Chinese team aims to put ‘smart’ diabetes probiotic on US shelves within 2 years
Chinese researchers have engineered a probiotic that could make diabetes care as simple as drinking a cup of yoghurt or swallowing a capsule.
2. Saga of China Evergrande founder Hui Ka-yan ends with life sentence

A court in Shenzhen has sentenced China Evergrande Group founder and former chairman Hui Ka-yan to life imprisonment for “multiple combined crimes”, confiscating all of Hui’s personal property.
3. Claims Hegseth close to exit raise questions over future US-China defence ties
Speculation is growing that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is at increasing risk of losing his job, raising questions about the possible implications for US-China relations, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
4. Shoving incident in Singapore over man patting girl’s head stirs heated debate

A simple pat on a child’s head has sparked debate in Singapore after an elderly man was shoved to the ground by a girl’s father.
5. China becomes first to recover orbital launch rockets with 2 distinct paths

In a global first, leading Chinese commercial rocket company LandSpace has recovered a stainless-steel booster after an orbital launch, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to develop lower-cost, reusable rockets.
6. Owner of dog in fatal pet attacks charged with failing to properly control animal

Hong Kong authorities have charged the owner of a large dog that mauled two smaller pets earlier this week with failing to properly control the animal, which is currently under government custody.
7. Chinese doctor stuns maths world by cracking decades-old problem using ChatGPT
When Beijing-based neurosurgeon Jin Shanmu pulled up a chair at his computer, he was not looking to make mathematical history. He was simply trying to crack a problem related to brain ultrasounds.


China’s ‘smart’ diabetes probiotics; life sentence for Hui Ka-yan: SCMP’s 7 highlights

2,800 sq ft Mid-Levels haven; Alex To’s 40-year Cantopop legacy: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Why US may be open to affordable Chinese cars; BYD’s in-vehicle karaoke: 7 EV reads

How monarchies stay relevant; Pakistan’s new defence pact: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

To create a “smart” probiotic that manages diabetes, Chinese scientists implanted a protein that acts like a glucose detector and the gene that encodes GLP-1 into bacteria. Photo: Handout

A court in Shenzhen has sentenced China Evergrande Group founder Hui Ka-yan to life imprisonment for “multiple combined crimes”, confiscating all Hui’s personal property. Photo: CCTV

A 73-year-old man, Yeo Song Khoon, is seen patting a girl’s head at a food court in Roxy Square in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: Instagram/being1ton

In a global first, leading Chinese commercial rocket company LandSpace has recovered a stainless-steel booster after an orbital launch, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to develop lower-cost, reusable rockets. Photo: CCTV

A 60kg dog that fatally mauled two smaller pets in Yuen Long could be euthanised if surrendered by its owner. Photo: Threads/yyy.yuu

World’s longest-reigning living monarch, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, returns a salute during his 80th birthday celebrations at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on July 15. Photo: Reuters

The Malaysian king, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar (centre), attends his coronation at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur in 2024. Photo: Reuters

Pakistani people and students hold flags to celebrate the Pakistan-Saudi Arab-Turkish joint defence pact on Monday. Photo: EPA

South Korean actors Jung Hae-in (left) and Ha Young in a still from Netflix’s “Our Sticky Love”. Photo: Netflix

Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia. Photo: Google Maps

Ramasamy Vellasamy has been running a provision shop on the ground floor of a housing block in northern Singapore since 1986. Photo: Kolette Lim

Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party supporters wave PAS flags in Kelantan ahead of the 2022 general election. Photo: Shutterstock

Cars for export including BYD, Cherry and SAIC models, are seen at the Shanghai port on August 7, 2026. Photo: CN-STR/AFP

A staff member cleans a Model Y inside a Tesla store at a shopping centre in Beijing on May 12. Photo: Reuters

A BYD vehicle fitted with a Stingray karaoke system. Photo: BYD USA

Xiaomi unveiled the SkyNomad in July. Photo: AFP

CATL’s subsidiary Autoflight, a drone maker, launched a waterborne vertiport to support the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sector in November. Photo: Handout

China tests canal link to Southeast Asia; rocket failure concerns: SCMP’s 7 highlights

A Chinese maritime patrol vessel completes the first full navigation test of the Pinglu Canal. Photo: Handout


Soon after Monday’s launch, both the rocket and satellite were lost over the South China Sea. Photo: Social media screenshot

Zhu Rongji (right) meets Charlene Barshefsky (left), US trade representative at the time, in Beijing in March 1999. Photo: AFP

An online clip of the incident shows the attacker, armed with a knife, approaching security guards. Photo: Handout

News

World

China

Politics

Science

Hong Kong

Society

This Week in Asia

Health & Environment

From China beating US in dual-rocket recovery to Singapore head-patting row, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From China beating US in dual-rocket recovery to Singapore head-patting row, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


United States

Singapore

LandSpace

China Evergrande Group

China’s ‘smart’ diabetes probiotics; life sentence for Hui Ka-yan: SCMP’s 7 highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From China beating US in dual-rocket recovery to Singapore head-patting row, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. Chinese team aims to put ‘smart’ diabetes probiotic on US shelves within 2 years

From China beating US in dual-rocket recovery to Singapore head-patting row, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting