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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. US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan: ‘I deserve a proper divorce’
When American recording artist Brittany Porter met Sultan Muhammad V, ruler of the Malaysian state of Kelantan, she thought their fairy tale romance led to an engagement. A year later, she discovered that the Islamic nikah ceremony was in fact a religious marriage, a revelation that came only after the country’s former monarch had cut off contact.
2. China reaches energy independence milestone by ‘breeding’ uranium from thorium
An experimental reactor developed in the Gobi Desert by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics has achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion, paving the way for an almost endless supply of nuclear energy.
3. Rapper Namewee faces drug charges, denies link to Taiwanese influencer’s death

Malaysian police have charged controversial rapper and filmmaker Namewee with drug possession following media reports that he was found in a Kuala Lumpur hotel room where a Taiwanese influencer was later discovered dead.
4. Chinese court gives death sentence to Myanmar crime syndicate boss Bai Suocheng

A notorious Myanmar crime syndicate boss was sentenced to death on Tuesday by a Chinese court for his group’s industrial-scale operations that led to the deaths of six Chinese citizens, according to state news agency Xinhua.
5. Hong Kong Olympian Vivian Kong declares Legco bid, to give up Canadian passport

Hong Kong Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong Man-wai has declared her bid to run for the tourism constituency in the coming Legislative Council election and has applied to give up her Canadian passport, pledging to continue to “bring honour” to the city.
6. HKU regains Asia’s No 1 spot, 5 Hong Kong universities in top 10 for first time

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has regained its position as Asia’s best in a regional ranking after 15 years, overtaking a mainland Chinese counterpart, with five local institutions making the top 10 for the first time.
7. Chinese woman spends US$140,000 entrusted to her by boyfriend on plastic surgery
A Chinese man who entrusted more than one million yuan (US$140,000) in savings to his girlfriend for safekeeping was shocked when she spent it all on cosmetic procedures.


Shanghai’s changing expats, Hong Kong trail sign fallout: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Exhibition on gardens of China, Europe; art director’s top spots: 7 Lifestyle highlights

China builds world’s first ‘coal battery’, war on Alzheimer’s: 7 science highlights

UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan, HKU regains top spot: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Brittany Porter poses with Sultan Muhammad V. Photo: Instagram/its.brook.lynn

Namewee outside Dang Wangi police station and Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh. Photo: Instagram/namewee, Facebook/iriss0810

Bai Suocheng (centre) was sentenced to death on Tuesday, as were his son Bai Yingcang and three close associates. Photo: CCTV

Hong Kong Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong (centre) has declared her bid to run for the tourism constituency in the Legislative Council election. Photo: Karma Lo

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has regained its position as Asia’s best in a global ranking after 15 years. Photo: Elson Li

Trump hails ‘great success’ with Xi; smell from Johor factories: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Terri Cheong saw her weight fall 19kg from February 2025 (left) to September 2025 (right) through strength training and a diet overhaul. Photo: Ultimate Performance

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: Reuters

President Donald Trump called for a return to steam-powered launch systems on aircraft carriers, telling sailors that “I love the sight of that beautiful steam pouring off that deck”. Photo: US Navy

A view of a flare from a chemical plant at Pasir Gudang in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from an estate in Singapore. Photo: Facebook/Anne Yong

Hui Shiu-hung had appeared in numerous TV dramas and films in Hong Kong since the 1970s. Photo: Instagram/benz_hui

A Chinese tourist and her friend were kicked out of a restaurant in Japan because they were wearing sports attire, and deemed inappropriate by the owner. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/RedNote

Myanmar scam farm ‘worse than death’, China’s superfast analogue AI chip: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Illustration by Lau Ka-kuen

Chinese scientists say they have created a superfast analogue chip that can solve complex maths problems for advanced scientific tasks and artificial intelligence. Photo: Shutterstock

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Yap Shing Xuen, 16, died at a school in Malaysia on October 14. Photo: Facebook

Apple CEO Tim Cook poses for a selfie with photographer Trunk Xu and Vogue China editorial director Rocco Liu in Beijing. Photo: Weibo

The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket are transferred to the launch area in October 2024. Zhao Ruian’s work helped in the development of the launch vehicle for the Shenzhou crewed space programme. Photo: Xinhua

A shop clerk accidentally broke jade bangles worth over 1 million yuan, but the owner chose not to seek compensation. Photo: Douyin

China’s fourth carrier takes shape, missing Filipino helpers found: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes a selfie with Chinese singer-actress Wang Feifei at her music video set in Shanghai on Tuesday. Photo: Handout

China’s fourth aircraft carrier, known as the Type 004, is believed to be under construction at a shipyard, in Dalian, Liaoning province. New hull sections have been seen in the latest satellite images from the site. Photo: Handout

China has launched a drive to reduce its reliance on foreign technology, including software systems like Microsoft Office, amid rising geopolitical tensions. Photo: AP

Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia, around 5,800km west of Hawaii. Photo: Julian Ryall

A woman in China woke from a coma, only to reveal that her boyfriend, who spent 200,000 yuan on her care, had abused her. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu

The Subsea Precision Instrument Deployer with Elastic Releasing (Spider) on its recent sea trial at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea. Photo: Handout

News

World

From Vivian Kong’s Legco bid to the University of Hong Kong ranking first in Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From Vivian Kong’s Legco bid to the University of Hong Kong ranking first in Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan, HKU regains top spot: 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 Vivian Kong’s Legco bid to the University of Hong Kong ranking first in Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. US singer unknowingly marries Malaysian sultan: ‘I deserve a proper divorce’

From Vivian Kong’s Legco bid to the University of Hong Kong ranking first in Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting