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Trending in China

‘Man mums’ in China sell 5-minute hugs for US$7, gain popularity among lonely women

Stressed-out, emotion-starved women seek paid-for solace from fit men who display feminine traits.

Emotion-starved women in China are buying five-minute hugs from so-called man mums for US$7 to make them feel better. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote

Politics

Exclusive | Beijing’s point man overseeing Hong Kong affairs ‘set to visit city in mid-June’

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, is planning a visit to the city, sources say.

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Xia Baolong (centre), accompanied by Chief Executive John Lee, meets district representatives at a restaurant in Tseung Kwan O during his last visit. Photo: HKMAO

Banking & Finance

HSBC asset-management unit dives into private credit in Asia

Lender is the latest financial institution to enter the private-credit market, drawn by attractive returns and diversification advantages.

A view of HSBC headquarters in Central, Hong Kong, on April 29, 2025. Photo: Sun Yeung

Comment

Editorial | Hong Kong has role to play in better global health

Summit stresses international collaboration is the way forward and city’s unique business advantages may prove vital.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-Chiu attends the Asia Summit on Global Health at HKCEC in Wan Chai on May 26. Photo: un Yeung

Europe

Porn sites block access in France in protest against new restrictions

Instead of their usual content, Pornhub, Redtube and Youporn will display a statement about the country’s new age verification rules.

The sites are protesting against a new French requirement to verify the age of their users. Photo illustration: AFP
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Politics

‘Lies into truth’: outcry in Japan over Chinese bias at Canadian history museum

With exhibits on Unit 731 and wartime atrocities, critics in Tokyo warn the museum is eroding Japan’s ‘credibility and national dignity’.

Japanese troops in Nanking, now known as Nanjing, after conquering the city in 1937. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Global Economy

Sweet deal: how China’s agritech helped turn Egypt’s desert into top sugar farm

Chinese technical expertise drives recent investments across Middle East, as regional economies look to diversify, analysts say.

Li Chundi, chairman of Zhongman Petroleum, tastes groundwater from a water well drilled in Egypt in the desert of New Valley Governorate, on May 3, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Football

Hong Kong new boy rewarded for 8-year gamble, shares Ukraine war heartbreak

Goalkeeper Oleksii Shliakotin makes Hong Kong squad for Thursday friendly against Nepal after receiving passport last month.

New Hong Kong goalkeeper Oleksiy Shliakotin in action for previous club Sham Shui Po, from whom he moved to Rangers. Photo: @JACK.8th

Food & Drink

Mouthing Off | Why do people obsess over what celebrities like Beyoncé and Dua Lipa eat?

From carbs to weight-loss diets to Diet Coke with jalapeño sauce, celebrity food and wellness trends are everywhere, but what do they know?

Beyonce eats spaghetti. When she was pregnant, the music star redefined prenatal cravings by snacking on Oreo cookies with gherkins, ice cream with hot chilli sauce, and dipping bananas into ketchup. Photo: Instagram/pettywednesday

China Business

China stocks benefit from shift away from US assets: Natixis

Probability of a global recession remains low, despite elevated political and economic uncertainties, Natixis Investment Managers says.

Residential buildings in Nanjing. Photo: AFP
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Health & Wellness

He landed his dream job. Singapore run guide, 55, on running as we age

Eddie Chang, 55, leads The Westin Singapore hotel guests on runs three mornings a week. He shares tips for older runners and urban running.

Eddie Chang, run concierge at The Westin Singapore. Photo: The Westin Singapore

Food & Drink

Buzziest new openings in Hong Kong, from Japanese-Korean fusion to craft beer

Slurp noodles at The Bridge at Hong Kong International Airport, grab a pint at Goose Island Taproom or an on-tap cocktail from Bar Oasis, and enjoy Japanese-Korean fusion cuisine at Yoruchu.

Yorucho merges Japanese and Korean culinary traditions with Western flair. Photo: Yorucho

United States & Canada

Family of Colorado attack suspect in US custody, could be deported soon

Mohamed Sabry Soliman says he acted alone when he threw firebombs at a pro-Israel rally; his family includes teens and young children.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 on a tourist visa. Photo: Boulder Police Department via AP

Diplomacy

Ex-US envoy to China warns of Beijing involvement in Ukraine-Russia talks

As China shows interest in aiding Kyiv’s post-war reconstruction, Nicholas Burns, ambassador in Biden years, cites its support of Moscow.

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Nicholas Burns, the former US ambassador to China, said that “they’re not neutral – they’re in Russia’s corner, diplomatically, economically and militarily”. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Harvard speech sparks China debate on elite education access, privilege

Chinese student’s viral speech urging unity amid US student visa crackdown attracts scrutiny over her education path, raising questions over accessibility.

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A speech by Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, the first Chinese woman chosen as Harvard University’s student commencement speaker, has raised questions about a lack of access to elite schools for many ordinary students. Photo: AP
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Entertainment

Meet ex-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo’s wife, Cristina Greeven Cuomo

Chris Cuomo’s wife, Cristina Greeven Cuomo, has quietly stood by her husband as he faced sexual misconduct allegations – they have 3 kids, Bella, Mario and Carolina.

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo with wife Cristina Cuomo in 2017. Photo: Getty Images

Science

China is working on an ultra-fast torpedo powered by AI for submarine warfare

Technology could help supercavitating torpedoes achieve a 92 per cent success rate in distinguishing real submarines from decoys.

Hi-tech decoys like those dramatised in Chinese blockbuster “Operation Leviathan” will be central to future submarine warfare. Photo: Bona Film Group

Arts

The secret’s out, former CIA director William Burns is writing a memoir

Joe Biden’s Central Intelligence Agency chief is penning a memoir, Diplomat Spy, to be published by Random House, which calls it riveting.

The then CIA director William Burns speaks during a hearing in Washington in March 2024. Burns has a deal from publisher Random House for a book about his time as head of the agency. Photo: AP

World Opinion

Opinion | Triangular diplomacy a risky play for rising powers in a multipolar world

Triangulation offers ambiguity and flexibility, but countries embracing the Cold War tactic can easily fall prey to unseen traps, escalating instability.

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, left, extends a hand to Premier Li Qiang as they pose for a group photo at the Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27. Photo: AP

United States & Canada

Chinese scientist Liu Zunyong tried to bring toxic fungus into US, FBI says

The pathogen, found stashed in his backpack at the airport, can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice, and sicken livestock and people.

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Fusarium fungi is depicted in a 3D illustration. Image: Shutterstock
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Food & Drink

From sushi to ramen to tempura, what makes Japanese food so good?

Japanese cuisine is among the world’s most loved, but why? Preparing dishes in a way that lets seasonal ingredients shine plays a big part.

A Japanese vegetarian sushi roll. Photo: Shutterstock

Entertainment

Meet Tami Radabaugh, the Fox News alum working with Pete Hegseth

Radabaugh’s State of Grace Media is billed as ‘a reimagined media company founded on faith’ – the mother of 2 also says she’s working on a faith-based docuseries.

Meet Tami Radabaugh, the Fox News alum who made headlines, pictured with Donald Trump. Photo: tamiradabaugh.com

Russia & Central Asia

Ukraine says it attacked Crimean Bridge, as Russia halts traffic

Kyiv’s agents detonated mines on underwater supports, targeting a key transport link between the annexed peninsula and the Russian mainland.

Footage released by the SBU allegedly shows an explosion at the bridge connecting Crimea with Russia on Tuesday. Photo: Ukrainian Security Service via AFP

United States & Canada

Musk calls Trump mega-bill ‘disgusting abomination’, days after farewell

Tensions between the US president and his ally have spilled into the open with Musk’s escalating rhetoric against the ‘big beautiful bill’.

Elon Musk exited his role as an official US government employee last week, lauded by US President Donald Trump for spearheading a federal spending cuts programme. Photos: AFP

Africa

Zimbabwe to cull elephants and distribute meat to people

The move seeks to ease the ballooning population of the animals – the African nation has the second most elephants in the world.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the International Fund for Animal Welfare officers stand around a collared elephant in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, in April. Photo: AP
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Comment

Editorial | Security forum a place to ease tensions, not inflame China threat

Attack on Beijing by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the security forum proves to be counterproductive and fails to win friends.

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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Faulty prostate cancer tests leave 406 Hong Kong patients with nervy wait

Caritas Medical Centre tested blood samples of 406 patients with reagent that could produce false positive results, Hospital Authority says.

Caritas Medical Centre tested blood samples of 406 patients with the kit since April 28. Photo: Jelly Tse

Arts

200-year-old condom made from sheep’s appendix goes on display

Prophylactic on show in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum bears the phrase ‘This is my choice’ and an erotic image of a nun and three clergymen.

A condom made around 1830 and emblazoned with erotic art on display at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Photo: Rijksmuseum via AP

Football

Recalled Malaysian footballer hurt in acid attack still avoids shopping centres

Faisal Halim, who could face Vietnam in an Asian Cup tie next week, was attacked 13 months ago, but no suspects have been identified.

Faisal Halim was critically injured after being splashed with acid in May last year. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

A tale of two cities: why views of China differ so much in Barcelona and Prague

The stark contrast between Spain’s wish for close economic ties and Czech suspicion highlights the growing divide within the EU over China.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen