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Ancient China had food delivery services; during Song...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/07

Today, we can order food from apps and enjoy it at home, thanks to smartphones and e-payments. But long before modern vehicles and technology, ancient China had already developed a rough version of food delivery services. Historical records say that during the Han dynasty (206BC-220), an emperor once asked his officials about the living conditions of ordinary people. To conceal the fact that famine had struck the city, one official deliberately bought a bowl of meat soup from a market,...

Angry at your boss? A Hong Kong business lets you...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/07

Destroying a fridge with a baseball bat or smashing glass bottles against a wall would normally be considered signs of hooliganism or problematic anger issues in Hong Kong. But tucked away in an industrial building in Kowloon Bay district, Smashroom HK is providing residents with exactly that opportunity, and the founders have said it is a way for people to deal with the stress of their daily lives. “I believe the pressure on Hongkongers is much greater here [than elsewhere],” said Leung

Wild boar bites hiker, tumbles to its death down...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A wild boar bit a hiker in Hong Kong before it fell down a flight of stairs and died, according to police.A police spokesman said the victim, 57, had arrived at a public toilet at Boon Kin Village in Tseung Kwan O on Friday morning while hiking with her husband, also 57, and a friend, when the boar suddenly emerged and chased her. Shocked, the woman fell, hitting her head – resulting in swelling on her forehead – and scratching her limbs, police said. Some witnesses reportedly said nearby...

50 Israeli fighter jets ‘destroy’ Iran leaders’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Israel’s military said on Friday it had struck and destroyed the underground military bunker intended for use by Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The underground complex is located beneath Iranian government buildings in central Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Spokesman Effie Defrin described the destruction of the bunker as another blow to Iran’s hardline Islamic leadership. Khamenei was killed last Saturday during the opening salvo of Israeli and US air...

Beijing vows to expand imports amid ‘China shock’ fears

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Beijing has pledged to expand imports and use its vast market to help other countries boost exports to the world’s second-largest economy – a move that could help balance global trade at a time when China’s export machine faces growing scrutiny. Beijing also planned to diversify markets and nurture new trade drivers such as artificial intelligence, seeking to stabilise trade as global supply chains come under mounting pressure from geopolitical conflicts, officials said. Commerce Minister

China’s eastern and southern economic powerhouses vie...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China’s most powerful economic regions – the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area – are racing to meet President Xi Jinping’s call for breakthroughs in core technologies including artificial intelligence, as Beijing maps out priorities for the coming 15th five-year plan during the “two sessions”. As part of the annual meeting on Friday, provincial and municipal leaders of Zhejiang province outlined an ambitious strategy to become a key area of AI development and cement the province’s...

Hong Kong authorities rule out chartering Cathay...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The Hong Kong government has ruled out chartering Cathay Pacific Airways flights to bring home residents stranded in the Middle East, given the potential danger of navigating partially reopened airspaces and challenges in securing take-off slots at foreign airports, sources have said. The South China Morning Post learned that officials had also weighed the option of repatriation flights from Oman, but the absence of direct Cathay services made the route “impractical” because obtaining

Inside China’s 15th 5-year plan: AI, fusion and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China on Thursday unveiled a draft blueprint of key projects for the 2026-2030 period, aimed at overcoming chokepoints to gain a steadier footing in the global tech race and its rivalry with the United States. The 15th five-year plan was released as China’s top legislature and political advisory body convened in Beijing for the annual “two sessions” meetings, a time when major economic priorities and policy directions are formally set. Here are the major takeaways from Beijing’s sweeping plan

Israel’s strikes on Lebanon need urgent legal probe,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The United Nations on Friday demanded swift investigations into fatal Israeli strikes across Lebanon to decide if they followed international law. “The devastating impact of this renewed conflict is already before our eyes, with civilians paying a painfully heavy price,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva. “We urge the parties to step back from the brink of a major escalation of this conflict in Lebanon.” Her comments came as fresh Israeli strikes battered...

China pledges full support for tech sector with broad...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China has outlined a basket of measures to support its technology sector, from creating a more flexible and inclusive fundraising ecosystem to boosting demand for hi-tech products. During a high-profile press conference in Beijing, the country’s top economic officials laid out plans to deepen reforms to ChiNext – China’s board for start-ups – and make it easier and quicker for companies to refinance. “Technological innovation requires high investment, long cycles, and carries significant

Indonesia to ban under-16s from ‘high-risk’ social...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Indonesia will begin restricting access to some social media platforms for users under 16 from March 28, marking one of the region’s toughest moves yet to curb children’s exposure to harmful online content. Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced the measure on Friday, saying the government had signed a regulation that would gradually stop children under 16 from holding accounts on platforms deemed “high risk”. Hafid said the rule would apply to platforms such as...

Iran’s uncertain future poses a strategic test for China

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China has responded to the escalating conflict in Iran with familiar language: calls for restraint, condemnation of military escalation and appeals for dialogue. But beneath the carefully calibrated diplomacy lies a harder strategic reality. What happens in Iran carries significant implications for Beijing’s energy security, regional positioning and global rivalry with the United States. For China, Iran is not an ideological ally in the way Russia appears to be. The relationship is rooted in...

DNA confirms mutilated remains found on Bali beach...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Mutilated human remains, including a severed head, that were discovered on a Bali beach last month have been identified through DNA testing as those of a Ukrainian tourist who police say was kidnapped earlier in the resort island’s south, according to Indonesian authorities. Bali police said forensic analysis had confirmed that body parts found near Ketewel Beach in Gianyar Regency belonged to Ihor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national who had been reported abducted in mid-February. The...

China fires back at currency-depreciation claims,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Beijing has stressed that it does not intend to rely on a weaker yuan for trade gains, amid a recent rally in the currency and mounting pressure from trade partners to allow it to strengthen. “China has neither the need nor the intention to gain competitive advantages in trade through currency depreciation,” said Pan Gongsheng, governor of the central bank, at a press conference of the country’s top economic officials on Friday. The comments came ahead of a new round of trade talks between

Why China wants stronger policing of disputed waters...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China has pledged to strengthen maritime law enforcement and bolster legal and institutional mechanisms to defend its claims in disputed waters. Outlined in Beijing’s latest five-year policy blueprint, the resolution reflects its effort to strengthen China’s position in increasingly contested waters. China’s 15th five-year plan, which covers the 2026-2030 period, also signals a push by policymakers to expand China’s influence in shaping global maritime governance and rule-making. Unlike the...

Sacking of teacher for anti-police remarks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The Hong Kong government has won an appeal against a court ruling that found a veteran teacher’s dismissal for anti-police remarks was unlawful. The Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that the secretary for the civil service was entitled to sack 27-year veteran Toffee Tam Yuk-fun and strip her of all retirement benefits for serious misconduct during the 2019 anti-government protests. Tam, who taught at the Jockey Club Government Secondary School in Kowloon Tong, previously won a judicial review...

2 tankers carrying India’s Reliance fuel ditch...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Two tankers loaded with fuel from Reliance Industries in India ⁠that were headed to Europe ⁠made U-turns and are now bound for ⁠Asia, according to two trade sources and ship-tracking data, as the refiner capitalises on firm Asian margins with the Iran war squeezing supply. The Advantage Life, which loaded around 100,000 metric tons (745,000 barrels) of diesel at Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery on February 28, is currently bound for Singapore, ‌according to Kpler, LSEG data and two trade...

3 workers arrested over theft at Tai Po fire block,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Hong Kong police have arrested three construction workers on suspicion of stealing HK$90,000 (US$11,510) worth of gold jewellery from a flat at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court where they were carrying out structural reinforcement in the aftermath of the deadly fire last November. Learning of the arrests on Friday, angry residents of the estate demanded the government step up security at the site and allow them to return home sooner to collect their belongings. Brian Chung Chi-keung, an assistant...

China’s securities regulator vows tougher oversight...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China’s top securities regulator outlined a plan on Friday to strengthen corporate governance, boost investor returns and cultivate globally competitive companies, as Beijing seeks to reinforce confidence in the country’s capital markets. “On the basis of continuously strengthening the authenticity of listed companies, we will further enhance their investability,” said Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), at a press conference on the sidelines of China’s

8 takeaways from the economic briefing at China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China’s top economic officials held a press conference on the sidelines of the “two sessions” – the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and advisory body – in Beijing on Friday. The briefing, which came a day after Beijing unveiled its economic goals for 2026 and a draft outline for its 15th five-year plan, offered fresh insights into China’s agenda for trade, investment and technological development. Here are the main takeaways from the meeting: Exchange rate Pan Gongsheng, governor

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