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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



Portugal and Austria defeat Germany for seats on UN Security Council

Kenya health minister says US Ebola quarantine centre will proceed despite deadly protests

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

Protests over US Ebola centre in Kenya kill 2, court keeps block on site

Africa

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

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

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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

Labubu

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

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}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

1. A battle is playing out over Congolese cobalt. China is well ahead

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