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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. High-steaks challenge: how China feeds its huge, meat-hungry population
The world’s second-largest economy is now the world’s largest consumer of animal products, swallowing up about one-third of global meat production, according to a report from the data provider World Population Review.
2. How start-up DeepSeek emerged as the unlikely game changer in US-China AI war
DeepSeek sent shock waves through the global tech market ahead of the Lunar New Year – sinking the value of semiconductor giant Nvidia and other large companies driving the artificial intelligence (AI) boom – as the Chinese start-up achieved a feat once-considered impossible by Silicon Valley.
3. Power bank warning for passengers after fire on aircraft bound for Hong Kong

Airline passengers should ensure their power banks are in good condition and from reputable brands before boarding flights, experts have warned, after a charging device was suspected to have caused a fire on board an aircraft preparing for departure from South Korea to Hong Kong.
4. Malaysia’s Lunar New Year dirty secret? Abandoning elderly relatives in hospital
Every year, as Malaysia’s motorways hum with holiday traffic and families reunite for the Lunar New Year, another, less heartwarming tradition quietly unfolds: elderly parents being admitted to hospital wards so their children can go on holiday.
5. China’s factory activity contracts in January, ending 3-month expansion streak
China’s factory activity fell back into contractionary territory in January in advance of an early Lunar New Year holiday period, a drop-off following a rush of purchase orders issued in the run-up to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump and a likely escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods.
6. China’s Spring Festival Gala delivers rock ’n’ roll, robots and politics

China’s Spring Festival Gala on Tuesday evening featured a robot dance performance, an American rock band and hi-tech visual effects, while delivering political messages that reinforced a unified national identity and criticised bureaucratic inefficiency.
7. Japan scrambles to secure US commitment as Trump considers direct China talks
Fearing that US President Donald Trump might bypass Japan and negotiate security matters directly with China, analysts say Tokyo is scrambling to keep Washington firmly anchored in the Asia-Pacific.


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

China doubts Musk’s Starship future; ex-TSMC chip prodigy returns: SCMP’s 7 highlights

SCMP Highlights

Meat-hungry China, power bank warning after Air Busan fire: SCMP’s 7 highlights

A chef cooks beef steaks at the kitchen of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse restaurant in Beijing in 2021. Photo: Reuters 

The Air Busan aircraft was severely damaged in the fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan. Photo: EPA-EFE

Robots share the stage with human dancers during CCTV’s Lunar New Year gala performance on Tuesday. Photo: Unitree

China’s groundbreaking algorithm, cyberattack on DeepSeek: SCMP daily highlights

Scientists in China have developed an algorithm that could increase the speed of computations which could help a variety of sectors, including military and bridge design. Photo: AFP

Scientists in China have developed an algorithm that could increase the speed of computations which could help a variety of sectors, including military and bridge design. Photo: Shutterstock

Shoppers purchase beef at a supermarket in southeastern China. The country’s meat consumption has risen rapidly over the past decade. Photo: Getty Images

The scientists say their approach could improve the developmental outcomes of embryonic stem cells and cloned animals, “paving a promising path for the advancement of regenerative medicine”. Photo: Li et al, Cell Stem Cell/Handout via Reuters

Nanohertz gravitational waves are extremely low-frequency, with wavelengths spanning several light years. Photo: NANOGrav

China’s ‘artificial sun’, breast cancer vaccine tests, DeepSeek: 7 science highlights

Chinese researchers at the EAST nuclear fusion test facility were able to maintain super-heated plasma for more than 17 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 403 seconds, which was also set by EAST in 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Nanovaccines derived from cell membranes are an emerging type of vaccine. Photo: Shutterstock

The robot dog can carry loads of up 100kg and operate in extreme cold. Photo: CCTV

Thailand’s same-sex unions, Filipinos in Iceland, Singapore’s hawkers: 7 Asia highlights

LGBTQ couple Vorawan “Beaut” Ramwan and Anticha “An” Sangcha pose for photos after receiving official marriage certificates in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Reuters

Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo: Getty Images

Megumi Yokota, then 13, pictured at an undisclosed location in North Korea after her abduction from Japan. Photo: AP

Ang Chip Hong stands outside his hawker stall in Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

Rebel fighters from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army train in Myanmar’s northern Shan state. Maung Saungkha’s BPLA works alongside better-equipped groups like the TNLA. Photo: AFP

US and Philippine Marines fire Howitzer artillery during a live-fire exercise as part of the joint US-Philippines annual military Balikatan drills in Laoag on Luzon island’s northwest coast in May 2024. Photo: AFP

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From DeepSeek sending shock waves to China’s massive consumption of animal products, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From DeepSeek sending shock waves to China’s massive consumption of animal products, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Meat-hungry China, power bank warning after Air Busan fire: 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 DeepSeek sending shock waves to China’s massive consumption of animal products, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. High-steaks challenge: how China feeds its huge, meat-hungry population

From DeepSeek sending shock waves to China’s massive consumption of animal products, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting