Filipino helpers as surrogates, Chinese scientist’s death in US: 5 weekend reads you missed

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.1. Flights and rail services resume across eastern China as Typhoon Bavi weakensA woman walks past a vehicle knocked over by winds from Typhoon Bavi in Wenling, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on July 12, 2026. Photo: AFPRail and air services began returning to normal across large areas of eastern China on Sunday as Typhoon Bavi weakened and moved inland, away from some of the country’s largest cities.2. What happened before Chinese scientist Wang Danhao took his life in the US?Wang Danhao had secured a faculty position at the China" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="23976" data-entity-type="location">University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, his alma mater, and was planning to fly back to China in May, according to a source. Photo: HandoutThe ashes of Chinese researcher Wang Danhao have been returned to his home in China, nearly four months after he died by suicide following questioning by US law enforcement.3. Filipino workers in Hong Kong allegedly recruited as surrogates for overseas couplesThe Philippine consulate in Hong Kong is investigating allegations that domestic helpers are being recruited in the city to become surrogate mothers for couples in other countries for up to 1 million pesos (US$16,220).4. China woman graduates from Tsinghua University 17 years after photo there with dadSeventeen years after being photographed on her father’s back outside Tsinghua University, a young woman recreated the exact moment in her graduation gown. Photo: SCMP composite/yzwb.netA young woman from southeastern China who once posed with her father outside Tsinghua University as a child has fulfilled a long-held dream by graduating from the elite Beijing institution.5. China’s reusable rocket feat lights up the web: is SpaceX set to lose its crown?A drone photo shows the capturing of the returned first stage of the Long March-10B carrier rocket on a seaborne platform via a net-capture system, near Wenchang in southern China’s Hainan province on July 10. Photo: Xinhua via APChina’s landmark recovery of a reusable rocket has ignited heated debate on social media, with reactions ranging from awe at the rapid pace of Chinese space development to speculation over a more intense space race with the United States.Further Reading