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EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

European Union experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, state energy firm Naftogaz said, after its closure in January caused a row with Hungary that is blocking an EU loan to Kyiv. The EU last week proposed sending a mission to inspect the pipeline. Ukraine later said it had accepted the EU offer of technical support and funding to restore oil flows through the damaged pipeline. Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off from Russian oil deliveries via...

A troubled US aircraft carrier is moving away from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Recent mishaps involving the USS Gerald R. Ford suggest America’s military is overstretched and its industrial base has been weakened, according to Chinese analysts. The warship – the world’s most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier – has been supporting the US operation against Iran in the Red Sea. But US media reported this week that it would head to Greece for repairs after a 30-hour fire last Thursday destroyed more than 600 sailors’ berths. That followed reports in January of

Swallowing pieces of silk, eating cacti or just 1...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Long before calorie counting and healthy diets, women in ancient China were already under intense pressure to stay slim, even swallowing cacti or silk in pursuit of what was perceived as perfection. Many assume ancient Chinese women prized fuller figures, but the reality was more nuanced. The Tang dynasty (618–907) is often cited as the classic example, thanks in part to figures such as the female sovereign Wu Zetian and the consort Yang Yuhuan. Yet plumpness was never the sole ideal. In

Tribute to towering jurist: how the late Sir Anthony...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Sir Anthony Mason, one of Hong Kong’s first and greatest justices to sit on our Court of Final Appeal, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 100.Not only was he a towering jurist in the common law world, but his contribution to Hong Kong’s legal system, particularly in its formative post-1997 years, was both profound and enduring. Sir Anthony served on the High Court of Australia for 23 years, with the final eight years (1987 to 1995) as its chief justice. He was perhaps best known to the

Blooming marvellous: Tokyo’s cherry blossom season...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Tokyo’s meteorologists declared the start of the much-loved cherry blossom season in the Japanese capital on Thursday, as residents prepare to host outdoor picnics under dazzling floral displays. The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers. “Today, the blooming of the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms was observed,” the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said in an eagerly awaited statement,...

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison reports 7% gain in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

CK Hutchison Holdings, one of the flagship companies owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s family, reported a 7 per cent increase in underlying profit for 2025, as the company predicted its businesses would face “new and perhaps unforeseen challenges” in 2026. The ports-to-telecoms conglomerate said on Thursday that underlying profit reached HK$22.3 billion (US$2.85 ‌billion) last year, compared with HK$20.8 billion a year earlier. Including a one-time ⁠accounting loss, net profit fell...

Iran war prompts global energy rethink that favours...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Oil prices surged about 10 per cent and Chinese stocks fell on Thursday as widening conflict in the Middle East created new concerns about global energy supplies. Brent crude, the global benchmark, touched US$117 a barrel, having risen 60 per cent since the US and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and the mainland CSI 300 both fell about 2 per cent. Prices of crude oil and gas jumped after Israel bombed Iran’s huge South Pars gas field and Iran responded

Taiwan leader William Lai ‘glorifying Japanese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Beijing has accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “glorifying Japanese colonial rule” in a recent speech. The People’s Liberation Army also stepped up the number of sorties by aircraft around the island after Lai made the comments on Saturday at an event to mark the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s first direct elections. Lai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, told the event that the early days of Kuomintang (KMT) rule over Taiwan under Chiang Kai-shek were...

Philippines urged to ‘seriously’ address defence gaps...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

As war rages in the Middle East thousands of miles from the Philippines, a senior military official has urged Manila to reflect on its own vulnerabilities, stressing that military modernisation should not be mere “lip service”. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr earlier this week called on the country to strengthen its air defences, particularly systems capable of intercepting missiles from hostile states, stressing that Manila should ensure its security suppliers meet demand in the...

Operator killed as tower crane collapses at Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

A tower crane collapsed at a construction site in Kwai Chung in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon, killing the operator and reportedly hitting vehicles on the ground. The accident occurred at 4.27pm near Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate. Authorities said they received multiple reports that vehicles had been hit, with possible casualties. Emergency crews are on scene. The male operator was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are investigating. More to follow …

Singapore-headquartered GLP eyes 50% rent surge as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

GLP, a global operator and investor in logistics, digital infrastructure, renewable energy and finance, is deepening its commitment to China’s growth, projecting as much as a 50 per cent rise in logistics rental rates, supported by stronger domestic consumption and wider adoption of alternative energies. Angela Zhao, CEO of GLP China, said the country’s 15th five-year development plan for 2026 to 2030 would further cement the company’s role as a global thematic investor in “new economy”...

China is weathering the Iran war oil shock better...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

As the war in Iran rages and the consequences of the shock to commodity markets become clearer, the vulnerability of Asia’s economies tops the list of concerns in the research reports of investment banks. The region’s reliance on energy imports from the Gulf has come under scrutiny. The facts speak for themselves. Three-quarters of the oil supplies that passed through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran effectively closed the waterway were destined for China, India, Japan and South Korea. While...

Russian report says Ukraine peace talks paused amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war, the deadliest European conflict since World War II, are on pause amid the Iran war, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Thursday, citing Russian officials. US President Donald Trump, who last year said he wanted to be remembered as ‌a peacemaker, vowed to end the Ukraine war but has since said that efforts to resolve the conflict have been one of his biggest disappointments. The US and Israeli attack on Iran

China’s youth unemployment falls for sixth...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

China’s urban youth unemployment rate fell in February for the sixth consecutive month, though the marginal improvement provides little reprieve for jobseekers in a challenging post-holiday labour market. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged down to 16.1 per cent in February from 16.3 per cent in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The figure has been gradually declining since August, when a record 12.2

China presses EV makers to end price war and focus on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Chinese authorities have renewed their push for stricter oversight of the electric vehicle (EV) market, urging carmakers to move away from aggressive discounting and focus instead on technological innovation. The directive comes as domestic manufacturers struggle with cooling demand and the phasing out of long-standing government subsidies. At a high-level meeting on March 17, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State...

Hongkongers on BN(O) pathway won’t face tougher...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

The UK government has confirmed that stricter English language requirements for immigrants announced earlier this month will not apply to Hongkongers using the British National (Overseas) visa pathway. The clarification from Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp came after more than 30 members of parliament sent a letter to the Home Office last month urging it to maintain the existing English threshold for BN(O) applicants. “The increase in the English language requirement in the...

BTS’ comeback concert, Jean-Claude Van Damme talks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Are you ready, Army? Free BTS concert to mark a K-pop comeback like no other The seven-member group – made up of members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – will stage a free comeback performance in front of 22,000 fans, marking their first full show as a collective in nearly three and a half years, after...

Hundreds die crossing Mediterranean as 2026 already...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

The first two months of 2026 saw a record number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, despite fewer crossing attempts towards Europe, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At least 655 people died or went missing in January and February - more than double the 287 recorded for the same period last year. NGOs and researchers said the reasons were multiple: storms, complications for rescue operations and border closures. Frontex, the EU’s border control...

PM Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Anutin Charnvirakul sailed through a lower house vote on Thursday to become Thailand’s new prime minister, as the conservative establishment emerges on top after years of bitter struggle with pro-democrats. But Anutin’s vow to reset from years of slumping growth and political crisis has been complicated by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which is costing Thailand tens of millions of dollars each day to prop up fuel prices, with ominous queues forming at petrol stations. Addressing lawmakers

Funeral urns stolen for ransom in Malaysia trigger...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/19

Malaysian police are on a hunt for thieves who stole 30 urns from a funeral home in the southern state of Negeri Sembilan, in a bizarre case with possible links to a cross-border criminal group holding the ashes of deceased for ransom. The Xiao En memorial park reported the incident in late February, when it discovered that at least 15 urns had gone missing from a columbarium. Police later revised the figure to 30. The cemetery groundsmen received a WhatsApp call from a foreign-registered

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