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AdvertisementChina exportsEconomyChina EconomyAs China churns out artificial gems, is a diamond still forever?China has pioneered the production of flawless artificial diamonds. Some worry they are eroding demand for the real thing
Reading Time:6 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLuna Sunin BeijingPublished: 6:00am, 26 Oct 2025Updated: 6:34am, 26 Oct 2025Creating a new diamond used to be a process spanning millions or even billions of years. Now, it takes about a week.
AdvertisementInside specialised factories, hulking 50-tonne machines simulate the crushing pressure and extreme temperatures inside the Earth’s crust, transforming seed crystals into flawless, glittering stones in just a few days.
Zhongjing Diamond, a company based in China’s central province of Hubei, has nearly 300 of the machines humming around the clock, which together mint some 600,000 carats of crude diamonds every year.
China has pioneered the production of lab-grown diamonds, allowing its factories to churn out precio..

National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) predicts foggy and misty weather in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. Image: AI Representative Image. Misty mornings are set to return across the UAE, with rising humidity paving the way for fog and light mist through the weekend. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has cautioned drivers to stay alert during early hours when visibility could dip in coastal and inland areas.Saturday will be fair to partly cloudy overall, with the temperature expected to hover around 35°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and slightly higher peaks of up to 36°C in Al Ain. Nights will turn humid, particularly along the coastline, as conditions remain ideal for fog formation.Winds will shift between northeasterly and northwesterly, blowing at 10 to 20 km/h and occasionally picking up to 30 km/h. Both the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea are expected to stay calm, with only slight tidal variations through the day.Looking ahead, forecasters expect the weather pattern to hold steady through Monday, w..

The GOP government, MAGA bigwigs and senior federal officials have placed blame on Blue state California after an 18-wheeler semi-truck crash killed three people earlier this week.The incident involved an undocumented immigrant named Jashanpreet Singh, whose commercial driver’s licence was issued despite federal restrictions.US President Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, released a report Thursday accusing California of violating federal law by issuing a commercial driver’s license to Indian-origin Jashanpreet Singh. The 21-year-old Singh allegedly caused a crash on the I-10 Freeway while under the influence of drugs. The incident left three people dead, including a Pomona High School basketball coach and his wife, and four others injured.Duffy said California ignored a federal order to halt noncompliant licences and revoke improperly issued credentials, claiming the failure cost “three innocent souls.” He added, “My prayers are with the families of the victims of th..

AdvertisementUS-China relationsUSDiplomacyUS senators call on Trump to raise Jimmy Lai concerns with Xi Jinping in key meetingLetter signed by bipartisan group of 38 US senators urges US president to secure Lai’s release and put human rights back on the agenda
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBochen Hanin WashingtonPublished: 6:51am, 25 Oct 2025Updated: 6:55am, 25 Oct 2025A bipartisan group of 38 US senators is urging President Donald Trump to use his expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week to secure the release of former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the latest in the US Congress’s efforts to get human rights on the agenda of the high-stakes meeting.AdvertisementIn a letter released on Friday, the lawmakers described Lai as a political prisoner and said the case for his release was “more dire than ever” due to his worsening health.“At 78 years old, he is in poor and deteriorating health. He is a diabetic and suffers from numer..

AdvertisementScienceChinaScienceThe STEM crisis in China’s universities: how outdated courses are wasting talentMany Chinese degrees prioritise theory over practical experience and fail to prepare students for real-world employment, critics say
Reading Time:6 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP2Dannie Pengin BeijingPublished: 6:00am, 25 Oct 2025Updated: 6:07am, 25 Oct 2025At a conference in December, Wang Xingxing – the robotics guru who founded China’s industry-leading Unitree Robotics – had a sharp critique.Advertisement“China is at a disadvantage in terms of talent reserves because its education system has decided that knowledge learned in school is often outdated, whereas overseas students study the world’s most cutting-edge technologies,” he told the audience.“The education system fundamentally shapes future development potential and opportunities,” Wang said, adding that for an intelligent individual entering university, studying frontier knowledge versus 20-year-old textbook materials..

RTA's offers public and private businesses to open retail shops at Dubai Metro stations. Image: AI Representative Image. Local and international businesses now have the opportunity to operate inside Dubai’s bustling metro and tram stations, as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opens retail and commercial leasing opportunities across the network.The initiative aims to boost economic activity and give daily commuters easier access to services while strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors. RTA said that several successful collaborations with private firms in the past have encouraged the expansion of this investment model.RTA leasing process: How to apply online for metro and tram station retail spacesBusinesses interested in setting up shop in the emirate’s transport hubs can apply online through RTA’s official portal:Applicants must first visit rta.ae and navigate to the Business and Corporate section. Under Invest with RTA, users can find a dedicated..

Ras Al Khaimah’s haunted landmark 'The Al Qasimi Palace' listed up for sale by the original owner. Image: Ras Al Khaimah tourism One of the UAE’s most talked‑about landmarks – the long‑abandoned Al Qasimi Palace, better known for decades as Ras Al Khaimah’s “haunted” mansion, has been listed for sale at AED 25 million. The four‑storey palace in the emirate’s Al Dhait district is open for purchase only to Emirati nationals under local property laws. Current owner Tareq Ahmad Al Sharhan confirmed the listing, noting that his decision is an investment move rather than an attempt to capitalise on the building’s reputation.Built in 1985 by the late Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Qasimi, the property originally served as a private residence for members of the ruling family. Spanning 20,000 square metres with 35 rooms, the structure combines Islamic, Moroccan, Persian, and Indian stylistic influences.Construction was reported to have cost over AED 500 million, with interiors featuri..

AdvertisementUS-China trade warUSDiplomacyDonald Trump to meet with China’s Xi Jinping next Thursday in South Korea for crunch talksWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump departs for Malaysia on Friday night and will also visit Japan, before meeting Xi
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBochen Hanin WashingtonPublished: 6:57am, 24 Oct 2025US President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30 in South Korea, the White House confirmed.
Advertisement“On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People’s Republic of China,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Thursday.
The meeting between the two leaders will take place at the end of a trip by the US president to Asia, which will begin in Malaysia, continue to Japan and conclude in South Korea, where this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit is being held.
While Trump has sa..

AdvertisementArchaeology and palaeontologyWorldUnited States & CanadaRare duck-billed dinosaur ‘mummies’ reveal a surprise: hoofed feetEdmontosaurus fossils had large areas of preserved external skin surface, providing the most fleshed-out view of a large dinosaur to date
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 6:36am, 24 Oct 2025Two fossilised “mummies” unearthed by scientists in the badlands of Wyoming of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus reveal the external anatomy in exquisite detail, including the surprising presence of hooves on the feet – a first for any dinosaur.
AdvertisementThe two Edmontosaurus individuals, dating to the very end of the dinosaur age 66 million years ago, were a young adult roughly 12.2 metres (40ft) long and a two-year-old juvenile about half that length.
The contours of the external fleshy surface of the two dinosaurs were preserved over the skeleton by a thin clay layer about one-hundredth of an inch (0.025cm) thick that formed a..

Image Via Peach Jars' Instagram A new viral clip has sparked debate across the Twitch community after streamer PeachJars directly criticized fellow streamer Tectone, labeling his audience as “low IQ.” The footage, shared widely on social media, targeted both Tectone’s content style and the type of viewers he attracts. This incident comes amid ongoing discussions about content quality and community engagement on streaming platforms.PeachJars criticizes Tectone over content and audienceIn the viral clip, PeachJars framed her comments as a critique of Tectone’s approach to streaming and audience interaction. She suggested that his presentation style and content decisions contributed to the perceived intelligence of his viewership. The callout gained extra traction when fans resurfaced an older clip showing Tectone making several factual errors, including claiming that World War II occurred in the 1800s and misplacing Pearl Harbor in Japan rather than Hawaii. These errors were cited a..