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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. Israel ‘unhappy’ with China’s response to Iranian attack
After Iran’s strike on Israel, Beijing reacted by ‘expressing deep’ concern and repeating its call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The statement, which Israel said was “not as strong as expected”, also urged unnamed “influential countries” to play a constructive role.
2. Divorce applications rise 25% in Hong Kong as younger couples seek split

The number of divorce applications in Hong Kong rose 25 per cent year on year in 2023, with a family lawyer pointing to a surge in younger couples seeking to split for reasons such as adultery and conflicts over parenting.
3. How Chinese scientists rigged a low-cost AI chip to power a hypersonic weapon
A research team in China has created a step-by-step guide that allows anyone with a low-cost artificial intelligence chip to boost the performance of hypersonic weapons.
4. After McDonald’s, Asians boycott Western cosmetics brands with ties to Israel

Beauty brands such as those owned by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal and The Body Shop are being spurned in favour of Chinese and local alternatives. It comes as the boycotts bite into the profits of Starbucks Malaysia and American fast-food giant McDonald’s, amid Israel’s sustained assault on Gaza
5. Ex-Hong Kong leader Lam needs office with HK$9 million budget ‘to match status’

Former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor needs an office to match her status and no suitable government premises were available when her term ended, the government has said in justifying the HK$5.67 million annual rent for her workplace.
6. ‘I felt hurt’: Philippine first lady breaks silence on ties with vice-president
A video of Philippine first lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta Marcos saying her relationship with Vice-President Sara Duterte has soured went viral, likely pushing tensions between the president and his vice-president to a head, analysts said.
7. How to prevent dementia: does this Amazonian tribe hold the key?

What’s good for the heart is also good for the brain, and studies show the Tsimané tribe has very good heart health and only about 1 per cent of its elders have dementia.


Sharla Cheung’s film career, rise and fall of Hong Kong comics: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Chip prodigy returns to China, coal waste used for critical minerals: 7 science highlights

Japan’s Russia concern, businesses choose Malaysia over Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

Chinese archaeologist pleads guilty, firms flee Singapore’s costs: 5 weekend reads you missed

SCMP Highlights

Israel ‘unhappy’ with China’s response to Iran, more Hongkongers seek divorce: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

An anti-missile system in Ashkelon, Israel following the launch of Iranian drones and missiles. Photo: Reuters

An increasing number of couples aged in their late thirties to late forties filed for divorce in the past five years, a lawyer said. Photo: Shutterstock

A man reacts during a ‘Free Palestine’ rally near the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 22, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Carrie Lam’s five-year term as chief executive ended in 2022. Photo: Robert Ng

The Tsimané indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon have some of the healthiest hearts on the planet and very low rates of dementia, giving clues as to how to prevent it. Photo: Instagram/unesco

Gambling in Thailand, India’s election, Hong Kong martial arts icon Sammo Hung: 5 weekend reads you may have missed

Industry insiders speculate a legalised gaming sector could rake in as much as US$5 billion a year for Thailand by the end of the decade. Image: Shutterstock

The Thai government is betting on legalised casinos to bring in a windfall of tourism, jobs and taxes. Photo: Shutterstock

New women members of the People’s Defence Forces train at a jungle camp of the Dawna Battalion in Myanmar. Photo: Khu Sam

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister and leader of the ruling BJP, holds the party symbol during a campaign event in Chennai on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Netflix has announced a slate of made-in-Indonesia films and series coming soon. Photo: Netflix

Martial arts film icon Sammo Hung reflected on his glittering career in an interview with the Post. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chinese nationals in Philippine Coast Guard, twin sisters reunite: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

President Xi Jinping greets former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou ahead of their talks in Beijing on Wednesday, nearly nine years after the pair met for a landmark summit in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

Nasa introduced the working principles of Vulcan and some key equations it used in an academic paper published in 2020. The software is used to develop hypersonic weapons in the US. Photo: US Air Force

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks through binoculars while conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea in October 2023. Photo: Reuters

The twins were adopted by different families in eastern China’s Shandong province. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Douyin

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World

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From former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s HK$9 million office budget to Chinese scientists rigging a low-cost AI chip to power a hypersonic weapon, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s HK$9 million office budget to Chinese scientists rigging a low-cost AI chip to power a hypersonic weapon, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.
