News and Views (7&8): High-capacity device-independent quantum secure direct communication protocol using hyper-entanglement; AAPPS-DACG Workshop; Qi-Kun Xue receives the 2023 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, China's top scientific honor; First Asian Physics Olympiad in Malaysia

The article discusses a new protocol for quantum secure direct communication (DI-QSDC) using hyper-entanglement, which ensures secure communication despite device imperfections. The protocol increases the capacity of the secure channel by utilizing hyper-encoding. The article also mentions the AAPPS-DACG Workshop, an international symposium on cosmology and particle astrophysics, and highlights the achievements of Chinese physicist Qi-Kun Xue. Xue has made significant contributions to condensed matter physics, particularly in the study of the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), and his work has led to advancements in understanding and applying quantum Hall states. Xue has received recognition and prestigious prizes for his achievements in the field of physics. [Extracted from the article]