Chinese tech makes desalinating seawater cheaper than producing bottled water

Solar-powered innovation has exhibited year-long stability with zero utility energy costs, thanks to a new type of photothermal material

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The researchers developed a method to weave nanoparticles into a three-dimensional photothermal evaporation material, significantly boosting the efficiency of converting solar energy to drive desalination. Photo: Shutterstock

Desalination has always been an energy-hungry way of turning saltwater into freshwater, making it largely the preserve of wealthy countries with abundant fossil fuel reserves.

Yet, an outdoor demonstration prototype in China has managed to exhibit year-long stability with zero utility energy costs, thanks to a


Vanuatu-Australia security pact bans ‘foreign’ military bases

The treaty is the latest in a string of Pacific deals Australia has signed seeking to curb China’s expanding security influence

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Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese present the signed Nakamal agreement at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Photo: EPA

Australia and Vanuatu signed a sweeping economic and security agreement on Monday that bars the establishment of any foreign military base on the Pacific island.
Vanuatu is at the centre of strategic rivalry between China and US
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Japan’s new AI police chief takes on US$2 billion scam epidemic

She has a young woman’s voice, a friendly face and a police chief’s badge. Her name is “AIko” and she may be Japan ’s most unconventional weapon in a war against fraud that cost the country a record US$2 billion last year.
AIko – a blend of the abbreviation for artificial intelligence and “ko”, the Japanese feminine name suffix – made her public debut in late May on Osaka Prefectural Police’s YouTube channel, warning viewers about the tactics used by scammers posing
Japanese police officers stand guard in Tokyo on June 21 as football fans gather after the national team’s victory in a World Cup match. Photo: Reuters

China’s aircon scarce in Europe, Wu Chun’s luggage ordeal: 5 weekend reads you missed

From China’s AI-powered mosquito zapper to RedNote’s power over Malaysia’s tourism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend

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People swim in the Canal Saint-Martin on Friday after public swimming was permitted in certain areas due to high temperatures amid a heatwave in Paris. Photo: Reuters

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing .
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Hong Kong weighing spot checks on renovations, housing minister says

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho says the Wang Fuk Court tragedy left a profound impact on all involved departments. Photo: Dickson Lee
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Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh ‘this year’ despite death sentence

This is the first time the former prime minister has given a schedule for her return since fleeing to India in August 2024

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Sheikh Hasina speaks to the media a day after she won the parliamentary elections in Dhaka on January 8, 2024. Photo: AFP

Ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return ⁠to Bangladesh this year, brushing ⁠aside a death sentence handed down ⁠in absentia and denouncing the ruling as “illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated”.
Hasina, 78, who fled to India after
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China’s first AI-powered cancer vaccine production line set to launch in Beijing

China has broken ground on what developers say is the country’s first production line for AI-assisted personalised tumour vaccines, raising hopes for millions of new cancer patients every year – a disease that ranks as the nation’s second-leading cause of death.

By October, Beijing-based Likang Life Sciences is expected to complete a new drug research and manufacturing centre in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, with a total investment of about 110 million yuan (US$16.1 million)

AI agents that provide ‘economic value’ are next frontier, says Meta AI research chief

The next frontier of artificial intelligence will be agents that can perform “economically valuable” work across a broad range of real-world domains, according to Dawn Song, Meta Platforms’ new vice-president of AI research.

“The goal is not to replace humans,” Song told the South China Morning Post last week on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Dalian, also known as Summer Davos, days before joining Meta.

“But we want these AI agents to be more effective in these important real-

This photo shows the logo of DeepSeek. Photo: AFP

Worker killed, another unconscious after crane tips over in Hong Kong

The vehicle accidentally tipped over at a construction site on Liberty Avenue. Photo: Jelly Tse

A worker has died and another has been left unconscious after a construction vehicle fell on its side at a Hong Kong construction site.

Police said on Monday that they received a report at 9.42am that an industrial accident had occurred on the site on Liberty Avenue in Ho Man Tin.

The force said at least one worker had become trapped when


Philippines becomes world’s top solar spender amid Middle East energy crisis

People in the Philippines are flocking to install solar power on rooftops and escape the burden of soaring electricity prices, making it the world’s biggest spender on solar panels since the war in Iran started.

Top power distributor Meralco has raised prices by 10 per cent since the Middle East conflict began in late February. Now, a median household spends around 12 per cent of monthly ‌income on electricity, assuming it consumes 200 kilowatt-hours – around the monthly average for three people.

The Philippines is

An installer with EcoSolutions places a solar panel onto the roof of a home in Manila on April 30. Photo: AP