Day: June 27, 2026

A new Chinese law that pledges to hold overseas individuals and organisations responsible for undermining ethnic unity is mainly intended to have a “deterrent effect”, according to analysts. The law provides a new framework which analysts said was designed to counter Western ideological influence and provide a statutory mandate for assimilating minority groups. They added that even if it proved hard to enforce overseas, its main weapon was psychological and political pressure. “The significance of Article 63 lies less in its immediate enforceability abroad than in its deterrent effect,” said…

For climate scientist Li Xueke, the decision to leave the University of Pennsylvania for Hong Kong was a pivot to the front lines of the global green economy. As climate change turns the Arctic into a seasonally navigable ocean, Li’s research on critical new shipping routes could shed light on the economic impacts of a warming planet. Li joined City University of Hong Kong (CityU) last month as an assistant professor in the school of energy and environment, following a decade of study and work in the United States. “For…

Scientists have uncovered a new species of raptor in Argentina that sports the same telltale curved claw as the velociraptors found in China, some 19,000km (11,800 miles) away. Though they were found on opposite ends of the world, these two dinosaurs were close kin – tracing back to a common ancestor from an era when the continents were knitted together to form one big land mass. This discovery, published late last month in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, has prompted scientists to rethink just how widely the ancient creatures roamed.…

In a statement on Saturday, the Chaoyang district government said that only the pilot was in the two-seater plane when it hit Citic Tower. In addition, 13 people were injured in the incident. The statement, issued after hours of silence, said the crash took place at 5.55pm on Friday and that the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation. It did not name the building and only referred it as a skyscraper near the east third ring road. The incident triggered the building’s evacuation and scattered debris across the…

China has removed six senior PLA officers from the country’s top legislative body, a sign that President Xi Jinping’s military anti-corruption campaign is not slowing down. According to a late-night notice issued by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Friday, 13 members of the legislature had been removed and one had resigned. Away from the military, those removed included a former top financial regulator and the ex-Xinjiang party chief. There had already been indications that some of the dismissed People’s Liberation Army commanders were under investigation. General Xu Xueqiang,…