International Edition

'Deliberate act' took missing plane off course, says Malaysia PM Najib Razak

Investigators now believe that someone on board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 deliberately shut off its communications and tracking systems, turned the plane around and flew for nearly seven hours after it vanished, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said.

Sunday, 16 March, 2014, 5:13am More on Malaysia Airlines flight 370

'My friend is not a terrorist': member of Malaysian opposition party defends captain of missing flight MH370

A well-connected friend of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah has leapt to his defence as speculation mounts over who was responsible for the disappearance of the Boeing 777.

16 Mar 2014 - 4:16am 1 comment More on Malaysia Airlines flight 370

Tsai Ing-wen to seek chair of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party again

The former leader of Taiwan's main opposition Democratic Progressive Party announced she would seek the party chairmanship again in May, paving the way for a possible run for president in 2016.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:00am

Drought and disease afflict desert region of Pakistan

As the death toll from the latest outbreak of poverty-driven diseases in Pakistan's Thar desert nears 100 children, experts are warning that corruption and a dysfunctional political system make a repeat of the disaster almost inevitable.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:13am

Three years after revolt to topple him began, Assad retains grip on power

Three years into the revolt against his rule, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in a stronger position than ever before to quell the rebellion against his rule by Syrians who rose up to challenge his hold on power, first with peaceful protests and later with arms.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

Russia isolated as China abstains in UN Security Council vote on Crimea

The draft resolution, which says Crimea's referendum on the region joining Russia would have no validity, got 13 votes in the 15-member council. But it was rejected when permanent member Russia exercised its veto.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

President Xi Jinping heading party's military reform panel, Xinhua says

President Xi Jinping is heading a new steering group that will tackle reform of the military, a task one analyst said required more courage and determination than other areas targeted by the leadership for change.

16 Mar 2014 - 3:43am More on Xi Jinping

China doubles yuan trading range against the US dollar to 2 per cent

China's central bank has decided to double the daily trading band for the yuan against the US dollar, marking a step forward in giving the currency more flexibility.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:01am More on Renminbi

False reports of knife attacks spark panic in Guangzhou and Chengdu

16 Mar 2014 - 5:00am

Thailand fines suspected Uygur asylum seekers

16 Mar 2014 - 6:34am

Analysts predict North Korea could launch fourth rocket test in show of nuclear strength

16 Mar 2014 - 5:13am

US regulator sues 15 banks, including HSBC, for rigging Libor benchmark

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

US hands management of internet to 'global multi-stakeholder community'

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

Malaysian aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman the butt of criticism

16 Mar 2014 - 5:13am

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SCMP ePaper Edition

16 Mar 2014

'Deliberate act' took missing plane off course, says Malaysia PM Najib Razak
President Xi Jinping heading party's military reform panel, Xinhua says
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Editor's Pick

China must work with other nations to rein in North Korea

China's patience with North Korea has been gradually wearing thin. Six-party talks organised by Beijing in 2003 to bring the North to heel over its nuclear weapons programme have achieved little and been stalled since 2012.

15 Mar 2014 - 6:34am 1 comment

Today's Poll

Do you believe the new theory that MH370 may have been hijacked and crashed in the Indian Ocean?

Yes: 68%
No: 32%

14 Mar 2014

Total number of votes recorded: 836

Opinion

Jake Van Der Kamp

Long-suffering stock market investors Shanghaied

16 Mar 2014 - 6:24am

Ivan Zhai

Open look at city budgets more than just window-dressing in graft fight

15 Mar 2014 - 5:55am

Niall Fraser

Flight 370 families deserve the truth, just as Lockerbie families do

15 Mar 2014 - 6:43am

Shirley Yam

Trust product sounds great, so long as you don't ask questions

15 Mar 2014 - 1:50am 1 comment

Insight

Removing chains on deposit rates will free capital for more efficient use

SCMP Editorial

The sweeping structural economic change foreshadowed by Premier Li Keqiang in his work report to the National People's Congress calls for efficient allocation of resources, particularly credit. Key to that is interest-rate reform, a goal set by the government under the 12th five-year plan for 2011-2015. It is good, therefore, that People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan envisages a time frame for the last, vital step - the liberalisation of deposit rates. Speaking on the sidelines of the NPC meeting, Zhou said this was likely to be achieved over the next one or two years.

16 Mar 2014 - 3:33am

Polls & Debates

14 Mar 2014

Do you believe the new theory that MH370 may have been hijacked and crashed in the Indian Ocean?

Do you believe the missing MH370 flight had turned back towards the Strait of Malacca?

13 Mar

Are you satisfied with Malaysian authorities' information releases regarding the missing MH370 flight so far?

12 Mar

23 Feb 2014

Would you buy virtual currency from Hong Kong's first bitcoin shop?

Focus

European art museums flock to Asia to exhibit - and attract donations

Vivienne Chow

Last summer the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam brought a small collection of the late Dutch painter's replicas to Hong Kong. It was a glimpse of a bold plan: an exhibition of the artist's post-Impressionist masterpieces to go on tour around China.

16 Mar 2014 - 4:46am

Harry's View

16 Mar 2014

Videos

Asia Hunt for missing jets spreads to Indian Ocean Mar 14, 2014|2:13
World Ukraine forms new volunteer defence force Mar 14, 2014|1:20
Asia Aviation expert considers missing flight MH370 theories Mar 14, 2014|1:13
World Crimean family divided over vote on closer Russian ties Mar 14, 2014|2:08
Asia Malaysians pray for missing Malaysia jet Mar 14, 2014|0:41
Asia Endless torment for Philippine typhoon widow Mar 14, 2014|2:31
Lifestyle Themed motels in Chile: a lucrative but discrete business Mar 14, 2014|2:18
Asia Malaysia hires ‘witch doctor’ to locate flight MH370, reports said Mar 13, 2014|0:43
China Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says debt defaults 'hardly avoidable' Mar 13, 2014|1:01
Hong Kong Former Ming Pao editor Kevin Lau calls on government to restore confidence in the rule of law Mar 13, 2014|0:43
World Several dead, dozens injured as New York buildings collapse Mar 13, 2014|0:58
World Turkey protesters mourn teen death Mar 13, 2014|0:52
Asia No idea where to look: the hunt for MH370 continues as mystery deepens Mar 12, 2014|1:27
Asia What we know about Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 Mar 12, 2014|0:51
Asia Hong Kong-based journalist gunned down in Kabul Mar 12, 2014|0:29
Hong Kong Hong Kong daring 'urban explorers' get high on history Mar 12, 2014|2:18
Asia Japan's most radioactive man and his animals Mar 7, 2014|3:50
Asia Candle-lit vigil held in Kuala Lumpur for missing passengers Mar 11, 2014|1:01

Hong Kong

SURVEILLANCE

No one can say how many CCTV cameras are spying on Hongkongers

One of the largest government bodies in Hong Kong, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, manages more than 1,700 public facilities, including parks, pools, beaches, sports grounds, theatres and town halls. It also keeps an eye on these facilities with 3,675 CCTV, or closed-circuit television cameras, all in the name of protecting us.

16 Mar 2014 - 4:46am

CRIME

Extradition pact with Macau in works, Hong Kong says, after pair sentenced to jail for bribery

Hong Kong is in talks with Macau to establish a bilateral extradition agreement as ties grow between the two cities. The Department of Justice offered the reassurance after Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung and businessman Steven Lo Kit-sing were sentenced to five years and three months by a Macau court on Friday.

16 Mar 2014 - 4:46am 1 comment

OPEN DAY

Government House and garden open to the public from 10am on Sunday

16 Mar 2014

More Hong Kong news

China

SECURITY

False reports of knife attacks spark panic in Guangzhou and Chengdu

A false report of knife hackings had crowds running in Guangzhou, a day after a knife fight between food vendors in another city left six dead. People dashed for safety when a suspected pickpocket in Guangzhou - who was being questioned by police - falsely shouted about hackings, Guangzhou police said.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:00am

MILITARY

President Xi Jinping heading party's military reform panel, Xinhua says

16 Mar 2014 - 3:43am More on Xi Jinping

TAIWAN

Tsai Ing-wen to seek chair of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party again

16 Mar 2014

More China news

Asia

PAKISTAN

Drought and disease afflict desert region of Pakistan

16 Mar 2014 - 5:13am

Flight MH370

'Deliberate act' took missing plane off course, says Malaysia PM Najib Razak

16 Mar 2014 - 5:13am More on Malaysia Airlines flight 370

THAILAND

Thailand fines suspected Uygur asylum seekers

16 Mar 2014

More Asia news

World

SYRIA

Three years after revolt to topple him began, Assad retains grip on power

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

UKRAINE

Russia isolated as China abstains in UN Security Council vote on Crimea

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am

UNITED STATES

Investigators find safety flaws at nuclear waste dump in New Mexico

16 Mar 2014

More World news

China Insider

vandalism

Rubbish, cigarettes and sanitary pads: Two Hong Kong visitors to Taiwan 'vandalise local flat'

15 Mar 2014

VIRAL VIDEOS

From the makers of 'Friday' and 'I Love Chinese Food' comes 'Get In My Car'

14 Mar 2014

Electric vehicles

Ready to get your Tesla on the road in Beijing? Think again

13 Mar 2014

E-COMMERCE

Infographic: Asia's HK$4 trillion e-commerce market

13 Mar 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

House of Cards embodies the corruption in American politics, says Chinese ambassador

14 Mar 2014 6 comments

SOCIAL MEDIA

Russia's war of words with US over Crimea spills onto Chinese social media

11 Mar 2014

CRIME

US language tutor jailed for 30 years for sexually exploiting children in China

10 Mar 2014 5 comments

EMIGRATION

China becomes top source of fresh immigrants moving to New Zealand

8 Mar 2014 2 comments

KUNMING ATTACK

Beijing police threaten action against microbloggers over Kunming attack comments

8 Mar 2014 2 comments

TENCENT

WeChat’s latest viral hit in China: health insurance

6 Mar 2014 2 comments

TIBET

Founder of Tibet’s Communist Party makes a final plea for Dalai Lama’s return

7 Mar 2014 3 comments

hoax

China’s Sohu falls for ‘Back to the Future’ hover board video hoax

6 Mar 2014

Hospitals

Nurse paralysed as shocking hospital attack by Nanjing official is caught on camera

6 Mar 2014

DISCRIMINATION

Police apologise for evicting innocent Uygur man after Kunming terror attack

10 Mar 2014 1 comment

Business

CURRENCY

China doubles yuan trading range against the US dollar to 2 per cent

China's central bank has decided to double the daily trading band for the yuan against the US dollar, marking a step forward in giving the currency more flexibility.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:01am More on Renminbi

FINANCE

US regulator sues 15 banks, including HSBC, for rigging Libor benchmark

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has sued HSBC, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and 12 other big global banks for manipulating the Libor benchmark interest rate.

16 Mar 2014 - 5:54am More on Libor

Markets

Doug Young

Tencent M&A in overdrive with reported handset bid

13 Mar 2014 - 10:30am

More Business news

Property

PRIVATISATIONS

New World taps market for HK$18.6b to buy out China unit

New World Development, the city's fifth-largest developer by market value, yesterday announced it would make an HK$18.6 billion rights issue to take its mainland property arm New World China Land private.

15 Mar 2014 - 12:53am More on New World China Land

Tiny store in Causeway Bay shopping district sells for record price

A tiny Causeway Bay shop has become the most expensive commercial property after it was sold for a record HK$1.38 million per square foot.

The 130-square-foot shop on 77-83 Matheson Street changed hands at HK$180 million, with no information yet on the identity of the buyer.

14 Mar 2014 - 1:07am

Swire Properties to spend HK$10b on Taikoo Place redevelopment

14 Mar 2014

More Property news

Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

European art museums flock to Asia to exhibit - and attract donations

16 Mar 2014 - 4:46am More on Focus

Pink Dollar app fights gay prejudice

14 Mar 2014 1 comment

Overseas tours will help Hong Kong Philharmonic hit the high notes, says conductor Jaap van Zweden

14 Mar 2014

Food & Wine

The Seasons aims to train staff for the coming restaurant boom in Macau

It's taken more than 18 months to get up and running but Jean Alberti is pleased to say The Seasons, the training restaurant he set up, is finally open to the public.

14 Mar 2014 - 10:23am More on LIFE

Last orders for the great British pub as gastropubs and restaurants move in

14 Mar 2014

The humble bao has been given a make over

12 Mar 2014

Technology

Cambridge University study centre focuses on risks that could annihilate mankind

Consider these two scenarios - supercomputers take over the world, destroying their human creators; or else a man-made virus is released, wiping out life on earth. They may sound like the plots of Hollywood sci-fi films, but "existential risks" are real and deserve serious study, say the founders of a new centre at Cambridge University.

16 Mar 2014 - 3:23am

China faces monumental challenges in tackling environmental degradation

16 Mar 2014

US hands management of internet to 'global multi-stakeholder community'

16 Mar 2014

Fashion

Designer Matthew Williamson talks about a recurring motif in his work

14 Mar 2014

Trend spotter: sports luxe and urban dandy in the fashion spotlight

12 Mar 2014

Books

Thrills and a history lesson in Hong Kong-based novel

9 Mar 2014

Memoir chronicles voyage of self-discovery by saviour of abandoned orphans

10 Mar 2014

Health

Carob enjoys a resurgence in popularity as a 'superfood'

11 Mar 2014

Fit & Fab: Fiona Foxon

11 Mar 2014

Beauty

Kate Somerville is here to save our skin

14 Mar 2014

Beauty fix: Elemis facial treatment provides some lift at 10/10 Space

12 Mar 2014

Family & Education

Taobao's rise in Hong Kong may pave way for global expansion

16 Mar 2014

Singaporean author on a crusade against Asian education system

11 Mar 2014

Interiors & Living

Style with David Roden, March 12, 2014

12 Mar 2014

Shanghai fair attracts do-it-yourself interior designers

12 Mar 2014

Magazines

Post Magazine: March 16
16 Mar 2014
An up-close look at what the famous and fabulous threw down the catwalks in Milan and Paris
48 Hours: March 13
13 Mar 2014
From brewing your own beer to learning leather work: why DIY rocks
Post Magazine: March 9
9 Mar 2014
A Caravaggio masterpiece is going on display with related artwork in Admiralty – but who will go to see it?
Style: March 7
7 Mar 2014
Tech-savvy brands stay one step ahead of the e-tail trend
48 Hours: March 6
6 Mar 2014
Join us on a tour of the city's hottest cooked food centres
Post Magazine: March 2
2 Mar 2014
Help wanted: extent of maid abuse laid bare
48 Hours: February 27
27 Feb 2014
Piano prodigy Yuja Wang takes fame in her stride
Post Magazine: February 23
23 Feb 2014
The couture-wearing IMF chief on finding success in a man's world
Style: February 7
7 Feb 2014
Couture cakes raise the bar for edible art
Style: January 2014
10 Jan 2014
Revival of the fittest
Good Eating: November 2013
Winter 2013
Top chefs taste success
Money: November 2013
11 Nov 2013
Inside China’s booming contemporary-art market
Faces: October 2013
Winter 2013
Precious gems meet powerful make-up for the party season
Money: September 2013
23 Sep 2013
Stephen Hung wants to give rich mainlanders the excess they crave

Sport

I've got a Beauty for the Derby, says Cruz

John Moore might have one hand on the trophy for his fourth BMW Hong Kong Derby on Sunday but the men seen as most likely to give him a scare have been around for too long to be conceding the $16 million Group One race.

16 Mar 2014 - 12:13am

ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP

Skipper sent off but City triumph

Manchester City survived the 10th-minute dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany to win 2-0 at Hull City on Saturday and reduce Chelsea's lead in the Premier League to six points.

16 Mar 2014 - 1:32am

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool scent blood at struggling Manchester United

15 Mar 2014

More Sport news

Magazines

From brewing your own beer to learning leather work: why DIY rocks

There’s a deep satisfaction in doing it yourself. Perhaps it’s the pride that comes with crafting something unique, or the take-it-slow philosophy behind it. Vanessa Yung gets hands on.

12 Mar 2014 - 10:42pm

SEE/HEAR

Photographer William Furniss likes taking pictures in the rain

Photographer William Furniss loves the city when it rains, so much so that he's made it the subject of his latest exhibition. Kylie Knott takes her umbrella.

12 Mar 2014 - 10:42pm

SEE/HEAR