Chinese scientist’s sodium battery leap; petition to boot Argentina: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. The young Chinese scientist behind ‘impossible’ breakthrough on sodium batteriesScientist Lu Yaxiang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics, has spent a decade working to make sodium-ion batteries commercially viable.2. China sends a message to Pacific islands amid unease over missile testA week after a Chinese missile test sparked protests across the Pacific, Beijing has reaffirmed its unconditional support for Honiara and pledged to deepen ties.3. 6 million sign petition to kick Argentina out of World Cup, citing favouritismA flashpoint in the controversial Argentina v Egypt match, when referee Francois Letexier shows a red card to an Egyptian staff member. Photo: dpaMore than six million people have signed an online petition demanding Argentina’s expulsion from the World Cup, amid allegations of referee favouritism that the team’s manager has dismissed as impossible to pull off in the VAR era.4. Hong Kong IB students beat the global average this year. Here’s how they did itStudents at Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College scored 41.4 on average, outperforming many IB schools in Hong Kong. Photo: Sun YeungHong Kong’s robust tutoring and exam drilling culture contributed to the exceptional performance of local students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, principals have said, after the city surpassed the average global score by nearly 20 per cent.5. China supercharges AI with 100-fold faster optical chip breakthroughChinese researchers have developed a new all-optical interconnect system linking standard electronic chips, boosting AI distributed inference speeds by over 100 times while using just one-ninth of the typical computational resources.6. Fashion statement: Louis Vuitton takes China’s trademark regulator to courtMolly Tea’s flower design was found to have infringed Louis Vuitton’s trademarked monogram. Photo: HandoutLouis Vuitton is set to face off against China’s trademark regulator in a Chinese intellectual property court on Thursday, as the French luxury brand deals with public backlash in China over a separate legal battle against a local milk tea brand.7. China investor reveals 9-year hunt to bring fugitive fraudster ex-wife to justiceA Shenzhen investment specialist spent nine years and 13 million yuan tracking down his fugitive ex-wife in the US after she defrauded him. Photo: WeiboA Shenzhen-based investment veteran has revealed on social media that he spent 13 million yuan (US$1.9 million) over nine years to send the woman who deceived him to prison.Further Reading