Are China’s rural poor losing faith in education’s power to transform lives?
By Yuanyue Dang
A sociologist has suggested that people in China’s rural areas are losing faith in higher education to improve their lives, prompting widespread discussion among academics and the media over the Lunar New Year holiday.
“A new ‘education is useless’ sentiment has emerged in rural areas,” Huang Lifen, a lecturer at Shaanxi Normal University in the western city of Xian, wrote in the article that appeared on Chinese news website Guancha.cn late last month.
Based on observations of her hometown, a county in the central province of Hubei with a population of 1.1 million, Huang said some farmers were choosing not to send their children on to higher education.
According to Huang, this was not because the farmers thought knowledge was useless, but because they felt that the “form, content and cost” of Chinese schooling did not suit their needs.
There are nine years of compulsory education in China – six at primary level and three years of junior high school – followed by fierce competition for places in high school and higher education institutes, as well as vocational training opportunities.
For decades, especially since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the process of reform and opening up, Chinese society has encouraged individual effort, with many people believing that hard work and study can lead to social mobility.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Yuanyue Dang
A sociologist has suggested that people in China’s rural areas are losing faith in higher education to improve their lives, prompting widespread discussion among academics and the media over the Lunar New Year holiday.
“A new ‘education is useless’ sentiment has emerged in rural areas,” Huang Lifen, a lecturer at Shaanxi Normal University in the western city of Xian, wrote in the article that appeared on Chinese news website Guancha.cn late last month.
Based on observations of her hometown, a county in the central province of Hubei with a population of 1.1 million, Huang said some farmers were choosing not to send their children on to higher education.
According to Huang, this was not because the farmers thought knowledge was useless, but because they felt that the “form, content and cost” of Chinese schooling did not suit their needs.
There are nine years of compulsory education in China – six at primary level and three years of junior high school – followed by fierce competition for places in high school and higher education institutes, as well as vocational training opportunities.
For decades, especially since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the process of reform and opening up, Chinese society has encouraged individual effort, with many people believing that hard work and study can lead to social mobility.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
CUHK suspends student in Hong Kong over forged sick note, death certificate
By Emily Hung
An undergraduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has been suspended for allegedly forging a sick note to miss an exam and a death certificate to secure an exemption from scholarship renewal requirements.
The university on Sunday cited privacy concerns in declining to provide further details on the case, which came to light on social media recently in posts showing a notice issued in September last year by the institution’s student discipline committee.
Without naming the offender, the committee said the student had received five demerit points altogether, with a detailed examination by a panel of judges finding the behaviour constituted “very serious misconduct”.
The body decided to temporarily suspend the undergraduate student for the first and second semesters of the 2024-25 academic year.
The offender is also required to submit a letter of reflection over the use of the forgeries in applications to be absent from an exam and to be exempt from scholarship renewal conditions.
In handing down its punishment, the committee said graduation assessment would not be carried out until the second semester of the academic year if the student had already met all graduation requirements.
Students are often required to achieve satisfactory academic performance by meeting a minimum grade point average level to renew a scholarship.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Emily Hung
An undergraduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has been suspended for allegedly forging a sick note to miss an exam and a death certificate to secure an exemption from scholarship renewal requirements.
The university on Sunday cited privacy concerns in declining to provide further details on the case, which came to light on social media recently in posts showing a notice issued in September last year by the institution’s student discipline committee.
Without naming the offender, the committee said the student had received five demerit points altogether, with a detailed examination by a panel of judges finding the behaviour constituted “very serious misconduct”.
The body decided to temporarily suspend the undergraduate student for the first and second semesters of the 2024-25 academic year.
The offender is also required to submit a letter of reflection over the use of the forgeries in applications to be absent from an exam and to be exempt from scholarship renewal conditions.
In handing down its punishment, the committee said graduation assessment would not be carried out until the second semester of the academic year if the student had already met all graduation requirements.
Students are often required to achieve satisfactory academic performance by meeting a minimum grade point average level to renew a scholarship.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
31 Maoists, 2 Indian soldiers killed in gunfight in central India
By Agence France-Presse
At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised Indigenous people.
“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P. said.
The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.
“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.
Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Agence France-Presse
At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised Indigenous people.
“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P. said.
The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.
“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.
Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Victoria Bela
Emergency workers resumed their search on Sunday for more than two dozen villagers missing following a landslide in southwestern China.
The landslide occurred in the village of Jinping in Sichuan province at around 11.50am on Saturday, burying 10 houses and killing at least one person, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Two people were pulled from the debris alive and sent to hospital on Saturday, and 28 remained missing on Sunday.
Hundreds of emergency personnel along with search-and-rescue dogs, vehicles, and drones were sent to scour the site.
As they resumed their search on Sunday morning in fog and drizzle, rocks continued to roll down the mountainside and the ground continued to shift, officials said.
Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong visited the injured at a Junlian county hospital on Sunday morning.The landslide occurred just before noon on Saturday. Photo: CCTV
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China hero on white horse dubbed ‘Prince Charming’ after rescuing man from river
By Zoey Zhang
A man in China who rescued a drowning man while riding a white horse, has earned praise online and been given the nickname Prince Charming.
On February 4, the man fell into the river from a bridge in Xiantao, a city in central China’s Hubei province.
His daughter anxiously stood on the riverbank, calling for help and tried to rescue him.
A video circulating online shows a man, identified as Yilibai, riding a white horse into the river to rescue the drowning man.
The horse swam more than 40 metres, while Yilibai held the reins in one hand and pulled the man with the other.
Another rescuer, Liu Hangzhou, carrying swimming safety equipment, helps bring the man ashore.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Zoey Zhang
A man in China who rescued a drowning man while riding a white horse, has earned praise online and been given the nickname Prince Charming.
On February 4, the man fell into the river from a bridge in Xiantao, a city in central China’s Hubei province.
His daughter anxiously stood on the riverbank, calling for help and tried to rescue him.
A video circulating online shows a man, identified as Yilibai, riding a white horse into the river to rescue the drowning man.
The horse swam more than 40 metres, while Yilibai held the reins in one hand and pulled the man with the other.
Another rescuer, Liu Hangzhou, carrying swimming safety equipment, helps bring the man ashore.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Hong Kong Court of Appeal to hear arguments from 14 of 45 opposition figures
By Edith Lin
A Hong Kong court has scheduled a hearing in mid-July for 14 jailed opposition activists who have lodged appeals against their convictions and sentences in a landmark national security case over an unofficial legislative “primary” election.
The judiciary’s website on Sunday said the Court of Appeal’s hearing would start on July 14 and last for 10 days as 14 out of the 45 opposition figures sentenced to conspiring to subvert state power applied to appeal against their sentence, which ranged from six years and six months to seven years and nine months.
The court would also deal with the Department of Justice’s appeal against barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the two acquitted defendants.
Among the 14 opposition figures, 12 filed an appeal against both their convictions and sentences, including four former lawmakers: Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong Pik-wan from the Democratic Party, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
The list also covers ex-district councillors Tat Cheng Tat-hung, Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying, Kalvin Ho Kai-ming and Michael Pang Cheuk-kei, as well as activists Owen Chow Ka-shing, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, Winnie Yu Wai-ming and Gordon Ng Ching-hang.
The remaining two, Tam Tak-chi and Wong Ji-yuet, only applied for leave to appeal their sentences.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Edith Lin
A Hong Kong court has scheduled a hearing in mid-July for 14 jailed opposition activists who have lodged appeals against their convictions and sentences in a landmark national security case over an unofficial legislative “primary” election.
The judiciary’s website on Sunday said the Court of Appeal’s hearing would start on July 14 and last for 10 days as 14 out of the 45 opposition figures sentenced to conspiring to subvert state power applied to appeal against their sentence, which ranged from six years and six months to seven years and nine months.
The court would also deal with the Department of Justice’s appeal against barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the two acquitted defendants.
Among the 14 opposition figures, 12 filed an appeal against both their convictions and sentences, including four former lawmakers: Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong Pik-wan from the Democratic Party, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
The list also covers ex-district councillors Tat Cheng Tat-hung, Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying, Kalvin Ho Kai-ming and Michael Pang Cheuk-kei, as well as activists Owen Chow Ka-shing, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, Winnie Yu Wai-ming and Gordon Ng Ching-hang.
The remaining two, Tam Tak-chi and Wong Ji-yuet, only applied for leave to appeal their sentences.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Israeli withdrawal from key Gaza corridor begins: Israeli official
By Associated Press
An Israeli official said on Sunday that Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from a key Gaza corridor, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that is moving ahead.
Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss troop movement with the media.
At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfil another commitment to the deal.
It was not clear how many troops Israel had withdrawn on Sunday.
The 42-day ceasefire is just past its halfway point and the sides are supposed to negotiate an extension that would lead to more Israeli hostages being freed from Hamas captivity. But the agreement is fragile and the extension isn’t guaranteed.
The sides are meant to begin talks on the truce’s second stage but there appears to have been little progress.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
An Israeli official said on Sunday that Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from a key Gaza corridor, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that is moving ahead.
Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss troop movement with the media.
At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfil another commitment to the deal.
It was not clear how many troops Israel had withdrawn on Sunday.
The 42-day ceasefire is just past its halfway point and the sides are supposed to negotiate an extension that would lead to more Israeli hostages being freed from Hamas captivity. But the agreement is fragile and the extension isn’t guaranteed.
The sides are meant to begin talks on the truce’s second stage but there appears to have been little progress.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Hong Kong ban on e-cigarette cartridges expected to start in mid-2026
By Edith Lin
The possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said on Sunday that the bill would cover a sales ban on flavoured tobacco. However, authorities had preliminarily suggested allowing arrivals, including residents, to bring up to 20 packs of duty-paid flavoured tobacco cigarettes for individual use.
Health authorities aim to outlaw the personal possession of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, in addition to the ban on the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale or possession for commercial purposes imposed in 2022.
Lo said the government planned to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban.
The staged implementation was to “deal with the difficulties of enforcement. We will start with public places as they are relatively easier to define”, he said on a television programme.
“There are a lot of enforcement issues when it comes to indoor areas.”
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Edith Lin
The possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said on Sunday that the bill would cover a sales ban on flavoured tobacco. However, authorities had preliminarily suggested allowing arrivals, including residents, to bring up to 20 packs of duty-paid flavoured tobacco cigarettes for individual use.
Health authorities aim to outlaw the personal possession of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, in addition to the ban on the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale or possession for commercial purposes imposed in 2022.
Lo said the government planned to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban.
The staged implementation was to “deal with the difficulties of enforcement. We will start with public places as they are relatively easier to define”, he said on a television programme.
“There are a lot of enforcement issues when it comes to indoor areas.”
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China’s food security is a ‘political responsibility’ for agricultural areas: Xi Jinping
By Zhao Ziwen
Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of food security, saying it was a “political responsibility” for major agricultural areas.
During a tour of northeastern China, Xi also said that “further reform and opening up” was crucial to revitalising the region’s economy, and urged the area to create a better “market-oriented, rule- and law-based, and international” business environment.
“Guaranteeing national food security is the political responsibility of large agricultural and food provinces,” Xi told local officials in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, on Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Jilin should develop modern agriculture … promote scientific and technological, green, and high-quality agriculture, and establish more agricultural brands,” Xi said, while also calling for it to promote “a diversified food supply system”.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning – are one of the country’s most important grain-producing areas but the former industrial heartland is struggling economically.
Together with Inner Mongolia, the three provinces produce a quarter of the country’s total grain supplies, according to Xinhua.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Zhao Ziwen
Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of food security, saying it was a “political responsibility” for major agricultural areas.
During a tour of northeastern China, Xi also said that “further reform and opening up” was crucial to revitalising the region’s economy, and urged the area to create a better “market-oriented, rule- and law-based, and international” business environment.
“Guaranteeing national food security is the political responsibility of large agricultural and food provinces,” Xi told local officials in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, on Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Jilin should develop modern agriculture … promote scientific and technological, green, and high-quality agriculture, and establish more agricultural brands,” Xi said, while also calling for it to promote “a diversified food supply system”.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning – are one of the country’s most important grain-producing areas but the former industrial heartland is struggling economically.
Together with Inner Mongolia, the three provinces produce a quarter of the country’s total grain supplies, according to Xinhua.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Key Hong Kong delegate to suggest expanding visa scheme during ‘two sessions’
By Vivian Au
Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has revealed a plan to propose extending the multiple-entry visa scheme recently resumed for Shenzhen residents to other nearby mainland Chinese cities during the “two sessions” in Beijing next month.
Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Sunday that she would suggest expanding the scheme in stages to other cities in the Greater Bay Area during the annual legislative session in Beijing.
“I suggest considering Guangzhou as a prioritised starting point, as it has a very close relationship with Hong Kong,” she said.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.
The NPC and the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to hold their annual meetings or lianghui in the capital next month.
Lee, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker, added there was capacity for the city to receive more tourists, according to her observations during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Vivian Au
Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has revealed a plan to propose extending the multiple-entry visa scheme recently resumed for Shenzhen residents to other nearby mainland Chinese cities during the “two sessions” in Beijing next month.
Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Sunday that she would suggest expanding the scheme in stages to other cities in the Greater Bay Area during the annual legislative session in Beijing.
“I suggest considering Guangzhou as a prioritised starting point, as it has a very close relationship with Hong Kong,” she said.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.
The NPC and the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to hold their annual meetings or lianghui in the capital next month.
Lee, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker, added there was capacity for the city to receive more tourists, according to her observations during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Libya finds 2 mass graves with nearly 50 bodies in southeast
By Associated Press
Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies this week from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said on Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country.
The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found on Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy.
Authorities posted images on its Facebook page showing police officers and doctors digging in the sand and recovering dead bodies that were wrapped in blankets.
The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried in the mass grave.
A separate mass grave with at least 30 bodies was also found in Kufra after raiding a human trafficking centre, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of the security chamber in Kufra. Survivors said nearly 70 people were buried in the grave, he added. Authorities were still searching the area.
Migrants’ mass graves are not uncommon in Libya. Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, 350km (220 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies this week from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said on Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country.
The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found on Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy.
Authorities posted images on its Facebook page showing police officers and doctors digging in the sand and recovering dead bodies that were wrapped in blankets.
The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried in the mass grave.
A separate mass grave with at least 30 bodies was also found in Kufra after raiding a human trafficking centre, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of the security chamber in Kufra. Survivors said nearly 70 people were buried in the grave, he added. Authorities were still searching the area.
Migrants’ mass graves are not uncommon in Libya. Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, 350km (220 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Time to ask if non-residents should have Hong Kong healthcare access
By Mike Rowse
Like millions of other people around the world, we celebrated Lunar New Year with a family gathering. Three generations were present, all the main strands of the family sat around the dinner table and lucky money packets were exchanged.
There were some distinctive Hong Kong-type aspects. Most of those attending the celebration now live overseas, and the dinner itself was at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. For language you had a choice of Cantonese, Mandarin or English.
The choice of location was not an accident: the largest single block of attendees was a family of four who live there. Other places were also represented, with three from Europe and one each from eastern Canada and the United States, while six of the 15 came from Hong Kong. I doubt this is an unusual situation: it probably applies to many other local families too.
It was against this backdrop that I began to consider whether emigrants from Hong Kong should lose their access to subsidised health and other services here in the city at some point. The subject came up at a Legislative Council meeting last month when some members proposed restricting access to current residents, but Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau ruled this out on the grounds that vetting arrangements to determine eligibility would be administratively burdensome.
Clearly there would be difficulties for some services, especially in an emergency, but I don’t think we can leave the argument there. If people have chosen to make their lives somewhere else, then they are contributing to that community, not this one. Sometimes the contribution will be direct in the form of paying taxes, but it can also be indirect in terms of purchasing goods and services in that economy, thus boosting demand.
Such skills and experience as they possess will also be available to their new country and employers there can take advantage of them. Their children will grow up there and be the athletes, musicians and entertainers of the future. It seems only right that, at some point, public services provided free or at a heavily subsidised price in this city should cease to be available to them.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Mike Rowse
Like millions of other people around the world, we celebrated Lunar New Year with a family gathering. Three generations were present, all the main strands of the family sat around the dinner table and lucky money packets were exchanged.
There were some distinctive Hong Kong-type aspects. Most of those attending the celebration now live overseas, and the dinner itself was at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. For language you had a choice of Cantonese, Mandarin or English.
The choice of location was not an accident: the largest single block of attendees was a family of four who live there. Other places were also represented, with three from Europe and one each from eastern Canada and the United States, while six of the 15 came from Hong Kong. I doubt this is an unusual situation: it probably applies to many other local families too.
It was against this backdrop that I began to consider whether emigrants from Hong Kong should lose their access to subsidised health and other services here in the city at some point. The subject came up at a Legislative Council meeting last month when some members proposed restricting access to current residents, but Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau ruled this out on the grounds that vetting arrangements to determine eligibility would be administratively burdensome.
Clearly there would be difficulties for some services, especially in an emergency, but I don’t think we can leave the argument there. If people have chosen to make their lives somewhere else, then they are contributing to that community, not this one. Sometimes the contribution will be direct in the form of paying taxes, but it can also be indirect in terms of purchasing goods and services in that economy, thus boosting demand.
Such skills and experience as they possess will also be available to their new country and employers there can take advantage of them. Their children will grow up there and be the athletes, musicians and entertainers of the future. It seems only right that, at some point, public services provided free or at a heavily subsidised price in this city should cease to be available to them.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Unusual circumstances: the top Chinese scientific minds who died suddenly
By Zhang Tong
China has lost some of its most prominent scientists and engineers over the past few years in what have officially been deemed deaths due to accidental circumstances or natural causes.
But the sudden departures of the key figures – many of whom worked in fields tied to national security and technological advancement – have also raised questions about the safety and security of the China’s most valuable intellectual assets.
Despite lingering public concerns, no evidence has emerged that suggests any of these cases were related to national security investigations.
Last October, the Ministry of State Security launched a TV drama series called The Dark Tide is Raging focusing on national security themes, which included the potential risks faced by scientific professionals in the context of a complex international environment.
The Post has compiled a list of the scientists who have died under unusual circumstances in recent years, triggering extensive public discussions.
2025 – UAV expert
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Zhang Tong
China has lost some of its most prominent scientists and engineers over the past few years in what have officially been deemed deaths due to accidental circumstances or natural causes.
But the sudden departures of the key figures – many of whom worked in fields tied to national security and technological advancement – have also raised questions about the safety and security of the China’s most valuable intellectual assets.
Despite lingering public concerns, no evidence has emerged that suggests any of these cases were related to national security investigations.
Last October, the Ministry of State Security launched a TV drama series called The Dark Tide is Raging focusing on national security themes, which included the potential risks faced by scientific professionals in the context of a complex international environment.
The Post has compiled a list of the scientists who have died under unusual circumstances in recent years, triggering extensive public discussions.
2025 – UAV expert
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Powdered gold in wigs, underwear: in Japan, smugglers get sophisticated amid soaring prices
By Kyodo
Gold smuggling cases have surged in Japan on the back of the rising price of the precious metal and the recovery of overseas tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Customs authorities are ramping up measures to tighten border controls as smuggling methods become more sophisticated, such as hiding powdered gold in clothing, they said.
Last September, two Chinese nationals arriving from Hong Kong were found hiding a total of some 2.6 kilograms of powdered gold in wigs at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Schemes for gold smuggling to Japan have been widely touted on social media in mainland China and Hong Kong, with assurances that large profits can be made if individuals evade the import tax on the metal levied by customs, which is set at the same rate as the consumption tax.
The number of gold smuggling cases investigated by customs authorities nationwide started increasing in 2014, when the consumption tax rate was raised to 8 per cent from 5 per cent, hitting 1,347 in 2017. The consumption tax was raised to 10 per cent in 2019.
The figure decreased in 2018 and remained low due to stricter penalties and border controls as well as entry restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Kyodo
Gold smuggling cases have surged in Japan on the back of the rising price of the precious metal and the recovery of overseas tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Customs authorities are ramping up measures to tighten border controls as smuggling methods become more sophisticated, such as hiding powdered gold in clothing, they said.
Last September, two Chinese nationals arriving from Hong Kong were found hiding a total of some 2.6 kilograms of powdered gold in wigs at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Schemes for gold smuggling to Japan have been widely touted on social media in mainland China and Hong Kong, with assurances that large profits can be made if individuals evade the import tax on the metal levied by customs, which is set at the same rate as the consumption tax.
The number of gold smuggling cases investigated by customs authorities nationwide started increasing in 2014, when the consumption tax rate was raised to 8 per cent from 5 per cent, hitting 1,347 in 2017. The consumption tax was raised to 10 per cent in 2019.
The figure decreased in 2018 and remained low due to stricter penalties and border controls as well as entry restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Trump says Putin ‘wants to see people stop dying’ in Ukraine war
By Reuters
US President Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, The New York Post reported late on Saturday.
In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said that he had “better not say,” when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken.
“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the Post.
Neither the Kremlin nor the White House immediately responded to request for comment outside business hours.
In late January, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin is ready to hold a phone call with Trump and Moscow is waiting for word from Washington that it is ready too.
On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to discuss the end of the war.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will mark its third anniversary on February 24. Thousands of people, the vast majority of them Ukrainian, have been killed during the conflict.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Reuters
US President Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, The New York Post reported late on Saturday.
In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said that he had “better not say,” when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken.
“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the Post.
Neither the Kremlin nor the White House immediately responded to request for comment outside business hours.
In late January, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin is ready to hold a phone call with Trump and Moscow is waiting for word from Washington that it is ready too.
On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to discuss the end of the war.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will mark its third anniversary on February 24. Thousands of people, the vast majority of them Ukrainian, have been killed during the conflict.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Why China’s super-rich are spending billions to set up universities
中国首富钟睒睒上个月宣布计划投资400亿元人民币（约合55亿美元）建立一所名为钱塘大学的私立大学，这一举动引起广泛关注。他表示，新大学将专注于推动科学研究、应用新技术和培养战略领域的顶尖人才。
这一倡议是中国创业者资助大学潮流中的最新一例，反映出国家商业精英在北京加大对高科技行业“自给自足”推动下，财富流向的变化。就在钟的宣布几天前，教育部批准了由福耀集团董事长曹德旺捐资100亿美元创办的福耀科技大学（FYUST）开始招收学生。此外，东部港口城市宁波的东部科技学院（EIT）也将在今年迎来首批本科生，标志着中国私立高等教育的快速发展。
根据胡润研究院的2024年中国慈善榜，70%的中国顶级捐赠者去年将教育作为首要关注点，较2023年的58%有所上升。这表明，越来越多的富裕中国人意识到教育的重要性，并愿意通过捐赠投资未来。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
中国首富钟睒睒上个月宣布计划投资400亿元人民币（约合55亿美元）建立一所名为钱塘大学的私立大学，这一举动引起广泛关注。他表示，新大学将专注于推动科学研究、应用新技术和培养战略领域的顶尖人才。
这一倡议是中国创业者资助大学潮流中的最新一例，反映出国家商业精英在北京加大对高科技行业“自给自足”推动下，财富流向的变化。就在钟的宣布几天前，教育部批准了由福耀集团董事长曹德旺捐资100亿美元创办的福耀科技大学（FYUST）开始招收学生。此外，东部港口城市宁波的东部科技学院（EIT）也将在今年迎来首批本科生，标志着中国私立高等教育的快速发展。
根据胡润研究院的2024年中国慈善榜，70%的中国顶级捐赠者去年将教育作为首要关注点，较2023年的58%有所上升。这表明，越来越多的富裕中国人意识到教育的重要性，并愿意通过捐赠投资未来。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
