https://www.scmp.com/rss/522592/feed The University of Southern California (USC): A prominent Los Angeles-based private research university, USC is dedicated to the development of human beings and society through cultivating the mind and spirit. Established in 1880, it is California’s oldest private research university. USC offers extensive undergraduate, graduate, and professional programmes across numerous fields, including film, law, engineering, and public administration. Recognised as one of the largest and best-funded... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Threatening to destroy Iran’s electricity grid and to reduce the country of 90 million to destitution, US President Donald Trump is shattering precedent by not just accepting but gloating about acts seen as potential war crimes. The consequences for Trump, at least in the near term, are probably none, experts say, as his administration works hard to undermine international institutions tasked with keeping norms. The Geneva Conventions governing the laws of war, agreed following World War II,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348912/trumps-stone-age-threats-against-iran-spark-war-crimes-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348912/trumps-stone-age-threats-against-iran-spark-war-crimes-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 06:26:47 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar The second season of HBO Max’s beloved, Emmy-winning medical drama The Pitt is entering its second half, and the stakes are higher than ever. The emergency room staff at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre have been putting in the hours, but the death of a frequent flier, Louie Cloverfield (Ernest Harden Jr), and a looming threat of a cyberattack that’s forcing the hospital to suspend its IT system are making the already gruelling shift even more challenging. One character has had it... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3344848/meet-amielynn-abellera-pitts-breakout-star-who-plays-muslim-nurse-perlah-alawi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3344848/meet-amielynn-abellera-pitts-breakout-star-who-plays-muslim-nurse-perlah-alawi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:00:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vietnam’s leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. The nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, with the party seeking to deliver rapid expansion to underpin its claim to legitimacy. But its leaders face challenges from tensions between its main trading partners, the United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340236/vietnams-lam-eyes-supreme-power-seeks-presidency-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340236/vietnams-lam-eyes-supreme-power-seeks-presidency-party-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:53:25 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A US-based chemist has been awarded one of Russia’s top science honours, prevailing over a competitive field of applicants from 40 nations, including some of the “strongest applications” from China, according to the prize chair. Valery Fokin, a professor at the University of Southern California (USC), was awarded the Vyzov Prize in the Discovery category for inventing a reaction that redefined the concept of click chemistry and transformed molecular science and the chemistry of living... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337128/us-based-scientist-valery-fokin-wins-vyzov-prize-beating-fierce-chinese-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337128/us-based-scientist-valery-fokin-wins-vyzov-prize-beating-fierce-chinese-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 04:00:21 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang In October, as Simon Li finished speaking at an international conference about embracing technological innovation in education, several Chinese history educators approached him with a potent, pressing question: could a virtual reality (VR) project about the 1937 Nanking massacre become the next pedagogical frontier? Li, executive director of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre, recalled it as an electrifying moment. “They were genuinely energised, saying that such a programme could help... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3336345/virtual-reality-and-nanking-massacre-where-does-historical-immersion-become-trauma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3336345/virtual-reality-and-nanking-massacre-where-does-historical-immersion-become-trauma?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 02:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Frank Gehry, who designed some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. He was 96. Gehry died on Friday in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners. Gehry won every major prize that architecture has to offer. His fascination with modern pop art led to the creation of some of the most wildly imaginative buildings ever constructed and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335427/frank-gehry-most-celebrated-architect-his-time-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335427/frank-gehry-most-celebrated-architect-his-time-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:25:32 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai As China’s global influence grows, the landscape of China studies is undergoing a profound transformation. Scholars both within China and internationally are confronting new challenges, from escalating geopolitical tensions and mutual distrust – especially between Washington and Beijing – to increasingly limited access, making research and academic collaboration more difficult than ever. Some have also urged a shift beyond Western-centric frameworks towards more field-based research and a truly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332865/why-china-studies-scholars-west-have-been-left-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332865/why-china-studies-scholars-west-have-been-left-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:00:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A University of Southern California graduate student who police have said was a serial sexual predator has been charged with drugging and raping multiple women as investigators look for additional victims, Los Angeles authorities said. Weng Sizhe, a 30-year-old Chinese national also known as Steven Weng, was arrested August 28, though the district attorney and police just released statements about the case on Wednesday. Weng has pleaded not guilty to eight felony counts including forcible rape... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329175/usc-phd-student-weng-sizhe-charged-multiple-rapes-and-drugging-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329175/usc-phd-student-weng-sizhe-charged-multiple-rapes-and-drugging-women?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:05:23 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang On October 10, 1925, the Forbidden City in Beijing became the Palace Museum. The massive complex of ancient imperial palaces that was home to the royalty of the Ming and Qing dynasties for centuries became a museum for the people. Today, there are four Palace Museums: the original in Beijing, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, with a Southern branch in Chiayi which opened in 2015, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum which opened in 2022. In this series, we explore the stories behind the centenary... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328262/how-wartime-trek-chinas-palace-museum-treasures-binds-national-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328262/how-wartime-trek-chinas-palace-museum-treasures-binds-national-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 22:00:16 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists in China and the US have harnessed the energy released by collapsing bubbles to create a robot launching system which the researchers say could be used for targeted drug delivery or exploring hard-to-reach spaces. The method works by rapidly heating light-absorbing materials with a laser, causing water droplets on the surface around the material to boil, triggering the formation of vapour bubbles. Once these bubbles grow to a certain point, they suddenly collapse – rapidly releasing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324287/us-china-team-harnesses-bubble-popping-energy-robot-launch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324287/us-china-team-harnesses-bubble-popping-energy-robot-launch?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Dong Sijia, a promising young Chinese researcher, has died at the age of 33. The oceanographer was an assistant professor at Nanjing University’s school of sustainable energy and resources but despite her internationally recognised contributions to marine chemistry, no official notice has been issued by the university. Instead, the news emerged from a note in a scientific journal that did not give a cause of death, leaving colleagues, students and friends trying to piece together more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323602/rising-academic-star-who-left-us-chinas-unprecedented-opportunities-dies-aged-33?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323602/rising-academic-star-who-left-us-chinas-unprecedented-opportunities-dies-aged-33?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:00:18 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang Would mathematician Terence Tao consider leaving the United States for Hong Kong or mainland China in light of funding cuts under the Trump administration? When the South China Morning Post put the question to the Fields medallist and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) professor, his response was measured but telling. “The situation is very fluid and unstable right now – far more than it has been at any previous point in the last 30 years,” Tao wrote in an email on August 21. “What... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323325/will-you-leave-us-china-it-depends-says-mathematician-terence-tao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323325/will-you-leave-us-china-it-depends-says-mathematician-terence-tao?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage A team led by the Shanghai Museum will embark on a joint archaeological research project with Egypt in October at the Sekhmet Temple ruins, a complex on the west bank of the Nile River. The temple is part of the ancient Memphis archaeological site dating back over 5,100 years, at a site that was then the capital of ancient Egypt and the home of the god Ptah. For Beijing, the cooperation represents both an academic pursuit and a strengthening of bilateral ties, but international experts say... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322720/chinese-team-delve-ancient-history-egypts-sekhmet-temple-ruins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322720/chinese-team-delve-ancient-history-egypts-sekhmet-temple-ruins?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu When Colby Porter began Mandarin classes in sixth grade in Syracuse, New York, he was studying alongside 20 of his peers. By his final year of high school, only two other students remained, and the school had fewer than 25 Mandarin learners in total. Soon after he graduated in 2020, the programme was shut down entirely due to dwindling enrolments and budget cuts during the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation at Porter’s school is not unusual in the United States and other countries in the Global... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318841/huge-shift-why-learning-mandarin-losing-its-appeal-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318841/huge-shift-why-learning-mandarin-losing-its-appeal-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan She is one of the biggest names in China’s entertainment industry, and spotting talent is her business. But Yang Tianzhen is now putting her own skills to the test by studying for a master’s degree in the United States. The famous mainland talent agent and entrepreneur is studying global communication and public policy at the University of Southern California (USC). Her switch from the bright lights of the entertainment industry to the hallowed halls of academia has captivated mainland social... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3315084/china-talent-agent-yang-tianzhen-who-works-stars-fan-bingbing-pursues-us-studies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3315084/china-talent-agent-yang-tianzhen-who-works-stars-fan-bingbing-pursues-us-studies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Cherry Liu Cherry Liu Ego Nwodim, the 37-year-old Saturday Night Live star known for her sharp wit and vibrant comedic presence, recently made a stylish appearance at the Marc Jacobs autumn 2025 fashion show in New York City. She wore a puffy double-breasted jacket and a sculptural checkered skirt, paired with a purple handbag and black pumps with a comically elongated rectangular-toe, embodying the designer’s playful and exaggerated aesthetic. The Nigerian-American comedian made headlines earlier this year for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3316797/meet-snl-cast-member-ego-nwodim-who-accidentally-got-audience-curse-comedian-just-made-stylish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3316797/meet-snl-cast-member-ego-nwodim-who-accidentally-got-audience-curse-comedian-just-made-stylish?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:00:20 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li As the head of China's humanoid robotics start-up Unitree disclosed its annual revenue has passed one billion yuan (US$139.4 million), entrepreneurs and scholars said the country's strong data infrastructure, mature supply chain and vast market position it as a potential leader in the next wave of development for artificial intelligence (AI). “The rising attention on our industry, along with increasing demand and support, has created the essential conditions for leading companies to grow... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315892/china-building-strong-foundation-next-wave-ai-robotics-unitree-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315892/china-building-strong-foundation-next-wave-ai-robotics-unitree-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:00:16 +0000