South China Morning Post
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:00:08 +0000China boy, 14, skilled in wok spinning, praised for cooking in parents’ eatery to help ease burden
A 14-year-old boy in eastern China has trended on social media after he helped out his under-pressure parents by skillfully cooking in their small noodle restaurant.
Liu Yuze, a Grade Two student at a middle school in Taihe county of Anhui province, ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:41:37 +0000Beijing signals high hopes for South China Sea ‘golden rules’ by end of year
China has signalled strong optimism for finalising negotiations with neighbouring Asian countries to seal a new institutional framework on contested South China Sea waterways.
At China’s annual foreign policy press conference on Sunday, Foreign Min...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:08:02 +0000Hong Kong charity abruptly cancels ‘Race for Water’ fundraiser weeks before event
A Hong Kong charity has abruptly cancelled its signature annual trail-running fundraiser just two weeks before the event, leaving hundreds of participants in the dark on the reasons behind the decision.
The 11th edition of the “Race for Water”, o...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:00:08 +0000Iran war hits China’s sulphur imports as economic fallout from conflict grows
The escalating conflict in the Middle East is having a direct impact on China’s access to sulphur – a raw material for producing fertiliser – just as the country enters its vital spring planting season.
With China sourcing a large chunk of its ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:35:17 +0000Philippines’ only cockroach expert defends bugs from extinction
A thin band of light from Cristian Lucanas’ headlamp pierces the blackness of a Philippine rainforest as he digs through the underbrush before gently scooping up a cockroach with his bare hands.
As the Southeast Asian country’s lone expert on the...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000As Hong Kong doubles down on innovation, Hongkongers must too
I am not sure everyone in Hong Kong has taken fully on board the breadth and depth of the city’s intended role in the future economic development of the nation. It is right there in the budget speech delivered by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:00:14 +0000China urged to build underground great wall of defence in crisis-hit world
China should build an underground network across its western region to protect key energy and defence facilities, securing long-term reserves while boosting national security and crisis resilience, energy experts have said.
Zhang Shishu, chief techni...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:00:12 +00001 holy month, 1 year’s income: Malaysia’s Ramadan bazaar boom
By late afternoon in Putrajaya, the smell of smoke fills the air. Charcoal pits glow along the side of the road as office workers and families with school-aged children in tow move through the haze with the deliberate purpose of people who have not e...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 07:47:35 +000015th five-year plan presents ‘golden strategic period’ for Hong Kong: Paul Chan
Hong Kong’s financial chief has vowed to serve the nation and seize opportunities from the newly unveiled 15th five-year development plan, calling it a “golden strategic period” with great potential amid escalating geopolitics.
Financial Secret...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 07:30:51 +0000Demand for change in Turkey cannot be stopped, jailed Istanbul mayor says
Political efforts to cripple Turkey’s main opposition and lock up its presidential candidate will never stifle the people’s frustration with the government and their growing demand for change, Istanbul’s jailed mayor has said in an interview.
...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:30:12 +0000Sri Lanka hospital discharges 22 Iranian sailors rescued after warship sinking
Sri Lanka discharged from hospital 22 Iranian sailors who were plucked from life rafts after their warship was sunk by a US submarine, officials said on Sunday.
The sailors were treated at Karapitiya Hospital in the southern port city of Galle since ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:30:08 +0000Quantum tech breakthrough: China’s double-photon device breaks efficiency ceiling
Chinese scientists have cracked a long-standing puzzle in quantum optics, creating a tiny device that spits out pairs of light particles on demand with unprecedented purity and efficiency – with potential implications for the quantum race.
Single-p...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:15:04 +0000US embassy in Norway’s Oslo hit by explosion but no injuries, police say
The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday but no one was injured, police in the Norwegian capital said, adding the cause was not immediately known.
The blast occurred around 1am local time and caused only “minor ma...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:14:25 +0000Hong Kong considers raising MPF contributions after 13-year freeze on thresholds
Hong Kong’s workers and employers may have to pay more into the Mandatory Provident Fund, as the pension regulator considers calls to raise the contribution threshold, which has remained unchanged for 13 years.
Ayesha Macpherson Lau, chairwoman of ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:00:13 +0000China Qing era saw rise in female authors, poets, despite broad restrictions on women in arts
From the 18th century onwards, female authors gained unprecedented prominence, from Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters in the West to the rise of significant women writers in Qing-era China (1644–1912).
The increasing prominence of female Chinese ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:00:10 +0000Why Vietnam’s landmark AI law is first major regulatory test for Southeast Asia
Vietnam’s new law regulating artificial intelligence could become Southeast Asia’s first real test of whether governments in the region are ready to move from voluntary guidelines to binding regulation, a shift analysts say could reshape how comp...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 05:15:07 +0000Boom times for India’s economy but opportunities remain uneven
For years India’s economy was driven by its vast services sector that saw millions of people working away in low-cost back offices providing consultancy for predominantly Western companies.
But over the past decade they have given way to centres th...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:38:36 +0000Takeaways from Foreign Minister Wang Yi at China’s ‘two sessions’
Foreign Minister Wang Yi faced global media on Sunday morning to outline Beijing’s positions on key issues, ranging from the expanding crisis in Iran to China’s deepening dispute with Japan.
The annual briefing, held as part of the annual “two ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:15:56 +0000US judge voids actions by Voice of America acting CEO Kari Lake, including mass lay-offs
A federal judge ruled on Saturday that Kari Lake’s leadership of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) for much of last year violated federal law, invalidating a sweeping series of actions she took to cut staff and end many operations at ...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:11:10 +0000Hong Kong police seek domestic helper accused of HK$100,000 theft from employer
Hong Kong police are searching for a domestic helper accused of stealing jewellery and cash worth more than HK$100,000 (US$12,780) from her elderly employer.
The force said a 74-year-old woman, surnamed Lam, reported on Saturday night that the valuab...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:00:20 +0000Hong Kong firms rethink global operations amid Middle East turmoil
Hong Kong entrepreneurs with operations in the Middle East are recalibrating their global footprints to hedge against mounting geopolitical instability and losses resulting from the widening conflict in Iran.
The shift in business strategy followed t...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:00:10 +0000Middle East crisis, global memory crunch dim AI smartphone buzz at MWC 2026
The mobile industry buzzed with excitement over the artificial intelligence revolution showcased at MWC Barcelona 2026, but the optimism was overshadowed by the Middle East crisis and a memory crunch that could reshape the global smartphone supply ch...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 03:30:10 +0000From oil to saffron: how US-Iran conflict is rattling Chinese investors
The supply of oil and other essential commodities may be grabbing the headlines as the US-Iran conflict escalates, but the ripple effects are being felt far beyond energy markets – all the way to the global supply of the saffron used in footbath pa...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 03:00:11 +000080 years on, gender gap persists in Japanese politics
Gender equality in politics remains far from achieved across Japan’s 47 prefectures, research by a group of experts has shown as it released local index scores on International Women’s Day.
While nearly 80 years have passed since women in Japan f...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:45:07 +0000Lebanon says at least 4 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut hotel
Lebanon’s health ministry on Sunday said an Israeli strike on a hotel in central Beirut killed at least four people, with Israel saying it had targeted commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Mon...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:00:09 +0000Iran war oil shock accelerates Southeast Asia’s EV revolution
A man in a Mercedes drives up to a Bangkok forecourt, cash in hand, ready to buy an electric vehicle he hadn’t planned on owning.
Southeast Asia’s EV revolution has found a new accelerant.
“He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to fill up his car...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:45:41 +0000Trump’s trip, Iran, G2, Japan, Taiwan: Beijing lays out its views on world order – as it happened
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Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:45:35 +0000Kuwait airport, Saudi Arabia targeted as Iran vows to continue Gulf strikes
Gulf nations reported missile and drone attacks on Sunday, while Iran vowed to press on with strikes against neighbouring countries as the regional war entered its second week.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait all reported new attacks, after loud explo...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000Why Hong Kong must make mental health an immediate economic priority
Hong Kong’s new budget is positioned to foster high-quality, inclusive growth through innovation and finance. Ahead of projections, a surplus of HK$2.9 billion (US$370.8 million) is now expected, largely due to the stronger-than-expected stock mark...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:22:05 +0000Wife of China director Zhang Yimou, who is 31 years his junior, remains largely unknown to public
Chinese film director Zhang Yimou may be a household name who is celebrated as the country’s “national master” but his wife Chen Ting is little known and dedicates herself to their family.
The woman behind China’s No 1 director recently attra...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:30:11 +0000‘Keep the change’ no more: Hong Kong taxi drivers prepare for shift to e-payments
Hong Kong cabbies are counting down to the end of the “keep the change” tradition as the industry prepares for a mandatory shift from cash-only payments to electronic settlements.
In the weeks leading up to April 1, taxi drivers are racing to ins...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:30:08 +0000China’s shoppers head for suburban outlets, a bright spot in retail property
For Steven Zhou, a 40-year-old Beijing office worker, suburban outlet stores offer a better shopping experience than urban malls, allowing him to escape the city, park his car without frustration and, most importantly, find good deals.
“Outlets off...
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:09 +0000Singapore’s workers brace for AI disruption: ‘it’s inevitable’
When Joshua Tan turned up to Chinese New Year dinner last month, he hadn’t expected to spend the evening defending his career.
He was 27 and freshly employed as a junior software engineer in Singapore. The questions from relatives were pointed: is ...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 23:03:03 +0000Trump says he’s told Kurds not to join Iran fight: ‘war is complicated enough’
US President Donald Trump said he had told Kurdish forces not to enter the Iran war as the US and Israel continued launching strikes against Tehran.
“The war is complicated enough without having – getting the Kurds involved,” Trump told reporte...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000As US universities retreat from China partnerships, who is filling the academic void?
Nearly five decades ago, in 1978, a dozen or so professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) were on a mission to visit their American counterparts as well as research institutes and factories across the United States.
The visit, said to be p...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000Paul Chan must deliver the fiscal discipline Hong Kong needs
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered his latest budget on February 25. Over the past decade, under his stewardship, Hong Kong has weathered multiple economic shocks and recently returned to a respectable growth rate of 3.5 per cent. Yet the ...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 21:22:32 +0000Israel hits Iran oil facility, as PM Netanyahu warns of ‘many surprises’
The Iran war exploded further late on Saturday as pillars of flame rose above an oil storage facility in Tehran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the week-old conflict.
Iranian state med...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 20:55:32 +0000Iran vows more attacks in Gulf despite president’s apology
Gulf nations on Saturday reported new missile and drone attacks, while Iran vowed to press on with its strikes against neighbouring countries.
Loud explosions were heard in Dubai, the Qatari capital Doha and Bahrain, while attacks were later reported...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 18:45:24 +0000Timothee Chalamet faces the music for saying ‘no one cares’ about opera and ballet
Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet is the front runner to take home the golden statuette for Marty Supreme – but he definitely has not won fans in the ballet and opera worlds.
In a town hall discussion late last month with Oscar winner Matthew McConau...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:46:34 +0000Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels
US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Latin American nations to use military power against the “cancer” of drug cartels and offered to support them with US missile strikes targeting narco kingpins.
Trump, currently waging a war with Iran, l...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:48:02 +0000Iran war: what we know about Ali Khamenei’s killing one week on
With further negotiations pencilled in with the US and perhaps assuming that any assassination attempt would take place at night, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was at his complex in Tehran last Saturday morning.
It would be his last.
An air str...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:00:07 +0000Will the US attack on Iran push North Korea even closer to Russia and China?
Washington’s decapitation operation in Iran would push Pyongyang to feel “vindicated” in developing nuclear weapons for its own security and move closer to China and Russia to bolster its deterrence capabilities, according to analysts.
On Wedne...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:53:30 +0000Amina Bokhary found dead at Hong Kong home: source
A Hong Kong woman who made tabloid headlines for her repeated brushes with the law and prominent family name has been found dead in her home, the South China Morning Post has learned.
A source told SCMP on Saturday that a 90-year-old woman surnamed B...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:43:24 +00004 US bombers land in UK as Iran war continues
More United States bombers have landed in Britain after a week of strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.
A first 146ft B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening and three more followed on Saturday morning.
British Prime M...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:01:25 +0000UK child killer Ian Huntley dies after prison attack
One of Britain’s most notorious child killers, Ian Huntley, has died following an attack in prison where he was serving a life sentence, police said.
Huntley murdered 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in eastern England in 2002, in ...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000Xi Jinping’s zero-fail mission for China’s military: total loyalty, no corruption
Chinese President Xi Jinping has again sought to shore up the military’s ideological defences, demanding absolute loyalty to the Communist Party from all ranks, just weeks after the country’s top general came under investigation for corruption.
...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:45:46 +0000Hong Kong growth on track to hit target despite Middle East war: finance chief
Hong Kong’s economic growth forecast of between 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent for the year will not be affected by the Middle East war, which will hurt the trading sector but benefit the financial market, according to the city’s financial chief.
...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:16:47 +0000LIV Golf Hong Kong starts to tick boxes, with bumper crowd set for 3-way fight on last day
A large crowd spent much of Saturday following Jon Rahm around Fanling as he made his way up the leaderboard at LIV Golf Hong Kong – further evidence, if any were needed, that the tournament is quickly establishing itself as an important part of th...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:14:45 +0000CK Hutchison subsidiary seeks US$2 billion for Panama’s takeover of canal ports
A subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings is seeking US$2 billion in damages from the Panamanian government over what it described as the “illegal takeover” of the operations of two ports at either end of the strategic canal.
I...
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000Chinese scientists use AI model to crack mystery of moon’s far side
Chinese scientists have used AI to determine the chemical make-up of the moon’s far side, offering new insights into one of lunar science’s enduring mysteries.
Nearly half the moon’s surface – the far side which permanently faces away from th...