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The European leader defying Trump and his attacks on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Spain’s Pedro Sanchez has once again emerged as Europe’s most consistently vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases. Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “cut off all trade with Spain” in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain’s foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House

China pivots to ‘investing in people’ strategy as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China will allocate more of its fiscal spending this year towards human capital and social safety nets, as Beijing seeks to boost domestic demand and unlock new growth through “investing in people”. “Efforts must be sustained to optimise the expenditure structure, with greater emphasis on supporting the boosting of consumption, investing in people, and safeguarding people’s livelihoods,” Premier Li Qiang said in his annual work report, delivered during the opening session of the National...

Hong Kong grants HK$6.15 million to family of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The family of deceased firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died while battling Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in seven decades, will receive HK$6.15 million (US$831,250) in financial support in recognition of his courage and selflessness. The government on Friday announced a grant approved by the body responsible for providing financial help to families of individuals who died while saving others. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han, who also chairs the committee, paid tribute to Ho’s...

London risks becoming a ‘childless city’ as families...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

London’s child population is collapsing faster than anywhere in Britain as unaffordable housing and childcare costs drive young families away, a report by the London Assembly found. In the decade through 2023 the number of residents under ten years of age fell by 99,100 as families moved out and fertility rates crashed - even while the capital’s overall population increased by 506,000. Falling pupil numbers have prompted 100 of London’s 2,500 schools to close since 2018; mostly in inner

China’s US$24 billion seaport push; war on Iran as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

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. ‘We couldn’t reach them’: Chinese firms’ Iran business in limbo after strikes Rising tensions in the Middle East following attacks on Iran are having an impact on the trade corridors and investment plans of Chinese exporters and...

‘1,000-year source’: China plans to fire up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China will power up an ultra-efficient, nuclear waste-burning reactor with technology that it projects will safely meet humanity’s energy needs for the next 1,000 years. Accelerator-driven subcritical systems (ADS) are advanced nuclear reactors that can both generate energy and transmute long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived and less hazardous isotopes. Designed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) along with state nuclear enterprises, the China Initiative...

US government releases Epstein files that include...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The US Justice Department on Thursday released additional Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against US President Donald Trump that the department said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review. The department said last week that it was working to determine if any records were improperly withheld after several news organisations reported that the massive tranche of records that had been made public did not include some files documenting a...

Jimmy Lai will not appeal 20-year sentence after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has decided not to appeal against his conviction and 20-year jail sentence imposed in a landmark national security trial, the South China Morning Post has learned A member of Lai’s Hong Kong legal team, who asked not to be named, confirmed to the SCMP on Friday that Lai would not file an application to the Court of Appeal before the usual 28-day deadline for lodging an appeal in criminal proceedings expires on Monday. “We can confirm we have

Hong Kong court upholds limits on journalists’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The Hong Kong Journalists Association has lost its judicial challenge against the government’s decision to restrict reporters’ access to its vehicle registry, despite a ruling by the city’s top court that journalism is a valid reason for use. The High Court on Friday ruled against the press union over the policy introduced in early 2024, following the Court of Final Appeal’s decision that a freelance producer was entitled to access Transport Department records while making a documentary

China’s BYD looks to make electric vehicle charging...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has unveiled a new-generation battery featuring charging speeds that the company says can rival a refill at a petrol station. BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0, launched on Thursday, can be charged from 10 per cent to 70 per cent in five minutes, and to 97 per cent in nine minutes, which the company said was the world’s fastest charging speed for a mass-manufactured unit. Even in extreme weather, with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius...

China’s new 5-year plan targets tax reform as local...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

With local governments in China struggling to replenish their treasuries while facing growing public service obligations, Beijing is setting its sights on securing more tax revenue as a major reform goal for 2026 and the four years beyond. Compared with the previous five-year plan period’s emphasis on “tax and fee cuts”, the language in the draft of the full 15th five-year plan – released on Thursday – emphasised “maintaining a reasonable macro tax burden”. The document also pledged to...

US seen as likely responsible for Iran school strike...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible ⁠for an apparent strike on an Iranian ⁠girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday ⁠but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two US officials told Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the US might have...

Chinese vice-premier stresses shared duty in Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has acknowledged it is no “easy task” to truly implement Hong Kong’s executive-led governance system, stressing that it must be a “shared responsibility” of the legislative and judicial branches and society as a whole. The state leader also urged the city to “grasp” the opportunities of China’s 15th five-year plan as he highlighted key areas such as quantum technology, aerospace and the low-altitude economy, while calling on local entrepreneurs to

China’s ‘two sessions’: adviser urges end to forced...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A top Chinese political adviser has sounded the alarm on forced marriages of women with mental disabilities in rural areas, calling for a prevention mechanism and a nationwide investigation campaign. Jiang Shengnan, a writer and member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, warned that tackling the issue presented multiple challenges. There was a lack of support for such women when it came to marriage-related decision-making,

Let the achievements of Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu speak...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Athletes of Asian heritage have come to the fore at this month’s Winter Olympics. They broke records, reshaped perceptions and inspired millions worldwide. Yet in the United States, the conversation around two of the most successful athletes, Eileen Gu, the freestyle skier representing China, and Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu, has too often drifted from their incredible achievements to questions of identity, loyalty and partisan point-scoring. This speaks volumes about the anxieties of a...

Iran damage report: who and what has been targeted in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The US and Israel are striking a much wider array of targets in Iran than they did during 12 days of war last summer, when their focus was on the country’s nuclear enrichment sites. Now, the aim appears to be destroying Iran’s military and weakening the grip of its theocratic rulers, experts say. US Central Command alone says it has hit more than 2,000 targets in less than a week, a far heavier barrage than any American bombing campaign in the Middle East in more than a decade, according to...

Chinese man discovers gold particles in duck’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A man from central China discovered gold while slaughtering a duck, an unusual find that echoes ancient gold rush practices. In February, a villager surnamed Liu from Longhui county, Hunan province, discovered the gold particles in a duck’s stomach. After a burning test, the particles were confirmed to be genuine gold, weighing around 10g and valued at nearly 12,000 yuan (US$1,800), the mainland media outlet Xinwenfang reported. Liu’s father saw it as a sign of good luck for the year

‘More dim sum, more often’: Hongkongers cash in as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Rising gold prices amid the Middle East war have boosted trade in the precious metal in Hong Kong, with residents lining up to sell valuables for cash and retailers reporting that twice as many people are buying bars and pellets. Spot gold stood at US$5,165 per ounce on Thursday, below January’s peak of US$5,594.82, but still near historic high levels as US-Israel strikes in Iran stoked safe-haven demand. The conflict has spread rapidly across the Middle East, drawing in Iranian-backed

Trump sued in bid to undo approval of TikTok’s US sale

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/05

Donald Trump and his attorney general were sued on Thursday by retail investors in two social media rivals of TikTok seeking to reverse the US president’s approval of a deal by the company’s Chinese owner ByteDance to form a majority American-owned joint venture. The lawsuit, the ‌first legal challenge to the deal, argues that Trump’s approval last year violated requirements set out in a 2024 divestiture law. Two California residents who hold shares in Alphabet and Meta Platforms sued, backed

Lean harder into Hong Kong-mainland China market...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/05

Hong Kong can reinforce its role as an international financial centre by deepening integration with mainland capital markets and expanding cross-border investment channels, financial industry leaders said on Thursday during China’s annual “two sessions”. Stronger collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland exchanges would enhance the resilience of the mainland’s financial system while supporting the internationalisation of the yuan, said Tan Yueheng, permanent honorary president of the

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