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Europe

France convicts Chinese captain of oil tanker linked to Russian shadow fleet

Chen Zhangjie, who is currently at sea, was jailed for a year in absentia. The Borocay was thought to be transporting Russian oil to India.

The tanker Borocay, believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, off the coast of the French port of Saint-Nazaire in October. Photo: AFP

Europe

France studies possible Iran link after bomb attack foiled at Bank of America

A link to Iran is suspected due to similarities to ‘recent attempted attacks in Europe which a pro-Iran group claimed responsibility for’.

Private security members work next to a police van outside Bank of America’s Paris offices on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Tech

Baidu-backed iQiyi files confidentially for Hong Kong listing

The move makes iQiyi the latest US-listed Chinese company to look to float in Hong Kong amid US regulatory scrutiny.

The iQiyi app icon is seen on a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Economics

How soaring fuel prices are pushing Filipino farmers to the brink

Farmer Elmer Ullani spent seven hours transporting his produce to a trading post, but says he has nothing left after paying for fuel.

Philippine farmer Elmer Ullani spells out “Stop US-Iran War” with his cabbages after having to spend almost all of the money he had earned at the market to pay for the fuel needed to get him there and back. Photo: Facebook / Elmer Ullani

Global Economy

Will Iran’s strikes on Gulf smelters strengthen China’s aluminium dominance?

Analysts say disruption at plants could shift more output to China, which already produces more than half of global supply.

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A drone view shows an employee working on the production line of aluminium products at a factory in Huaibei, Anhui province, China, in February 2025. Photo: Reuters
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Other Sport

Olympic diving champion Quan says she is victim of cyberbullying over her body

The 19-year-old says she does not normally share her issues to avoid ‘troubling others’ or spreading negative energy.

Olympic champion diver Quan Hongchan has revealed she is a victim of cyberbullying over her physique. Photo: Xinhua

Tech Trends

Biren, Iluvatar CoreX post triple-digit revenue growth as AI chip race heats up

Other Chinese AI chipmakers, including Cambricon, Moore Threads and MetaX, also posted stellar revenue growth for 2025.

The Biren Technology BR100 GPU chip. Photo: Handout

Society

Fire alarm, pump systems switched off before tragedy, Tai Po blaze panel told

Electrical worker Wong Kin-wa says Wang Fuk Court office staff told him the switches were shut off for water tank repair work.

Wong Kin-wa (right), an electrical worker for Victory Fire Engineering, testified on Monday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Law and Crime

Hong Kong man arrested on suspicion of taking upskirt images of woman shopper

Suspect, 36, seen holding Apple Watch while carrying bag that may have contained recording device at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin.

Hong Kong police question the man at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. Photo: Threads / hazelwong

Big Tech

Xiaomi, Alibaba ramp up AI recruitment amid global talent war

AI-related positions account for more than 80 per cent of Alibaba’s open roles, up from around 60 per cent last year.

People test the latest Xiaomi smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters
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Science

From Mach 0 to 6: this engine may power China’s future fighter jets and missiles

Revolutionary engine prototype three decades in the making could replace combined turbine-ramjet systems in high-speed flight.

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A graphic outlines the principle of the ramjet. Photo: CCTV

East Asia

Japan’s PM will mull top-level talks with Iran at ‘appropriate’ time

Stability in the Middle East is vital for Japan, which relies on the region for over 90 per cent of its crude oil imports.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s comments come as prospects for a US-Iran meeting mediated by Pakistan remain uncertain. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Israel suspends military unit that assaulted CNN crew in West Bank

It suspended the Netzah Yehuda, a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers that has been linked to abuses of Palestinian civilians in the past.

Israeli soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda unit during a swearing-in ceremony at the end of their military training, when graduates receive an assault rifle and a Bible (Tanakh), at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem in 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Other Sport

Hong Kong’s Ceci Lee defends title at Asian cycling event as teammates also shine

The 24-year-old reaches podium in every event she enters while Law Ching-kiu, 16, emerges as a breakout star.

Ceci Lee (middle) on the winners’ podium with silver medallist Chen Ning of China (left) and Japan’s Tsuyaka Uchino, who won bronze. Photo: The Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China

Business

Hong Kong turns the page on paper shares as digital shift begins in November

Some 2,600 Hong Kong-listed firms will go paperless in stages over five years, with new listings issuing no physical certificates.

End of an era: the SFC says firms issuing shares after November 16 will no longer issue physical share certificates. Photo: SCMP
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Diplomacy

Why Trump needs a short-term win in Iran before he visits Xi in China

A surge in US service members in the Middle East suggests the makings of a protracted and low-intensity conflict, analysts say.

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US sailors and marines aboard the USS Tripoli at an unspecified location in the Middle East on Friday. Photo: US Central Command via AP

Lifestyle

The scientists diving deep beneath Arctic ice to discover the secrets below

Scientists want to understand the impact of climate change on Arctic and Antarctic marine life amid rapidly warming sea temperatures.

A diver swims under the ice during a Polar Scientific Diving class in Kilpisjarvi in Finland. Photo: AP

Europe

Sweden charges ‘monster’ man for selling wife to over 120 men

The man, 62, had for years benefited financially from pressuring his wife ‘to perform and submit to sexual acts’.

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The man, 62, was arrested in late October after his wife reported him to police in northern Sweden. He has been held in custody since then. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

US senators visit Taiwan to push defence spending as arms deadlines loom

The trip signals Washington’s frustration with budget impasse, but analysts say real power over Taiwan policy rests with the White House.

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Members of a bipartisan delegation of US senators, including (from left) Thom Tillis, Jeanne Shaheen, John Curtis and Jacky Rosen, attend a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Business

Exclusive | HKU kicks off roadshow for US$385 million bond to back Northern Metropolis plan

Roadshows arranged by bankers including HSBC Holdings will draw banks, insurers, pension funds and asset managers in the coming days.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is targeting proceeds of between HK$2 billion and HK$3 billion as part of the proposed bond deal. Photo: Dickson Lee
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Global Economy

How the Hormuz attacks stoke oil-shock fears and memories of 1970s stagflation

A timeline of past oil shocks is seen offering ‘clear lessons’ for today’s Strait of Hormuz crisis, with an eye on ripple effects and contingency tools.

Transport ships are seen anchored in Muscat, Oman’s port capital, on March 9, amid risks of travelling through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Photo: Reuters

Other Sport

Aussie Rules player banned for ‘disgraceful’ act of wiping blood on rival’s face

North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri charged with serious misconduct over the incident, for which he earns a three-match ban.

Tristan Xerri of the North Melbourne Kangaroos (left) about to wipe blood on the face of Essendon captain Andrew McGrath (second from right) in their AFL match at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday. Photo: Getty Images

Hong Kong Opinion

Opinion | Let’s be clear: national security law update is not a power grab

The amendments clarify ambiguities, close loopholes and are neither more intrusive nor less lawful than comparable legislation elsewhere.

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Police officers stand guard outside the Court of Appeal on February 23 as it delivers its verdict on 12 appeals related to the unofficial primary election held in Hong Kong in July 2020. Photo: Dickson Lee

Education

Hong Kong schools urged to find ‘way out’ over falling student numbers

Education University of Hong Kong head warns that teacher training must not be ignored despite dwindling student population.

Professor John Lee has expressed hope that authorities will maintain their commitment to teacher training. Photo: Elson Li

Society

Tai Po fire survivors mourn heroine who alerted neighbours to flames

Pak Shui-lin’s husband, Sdanni Yip, and neighbour Lam Yin-ming say heroine, who died during fire, ‘did not deserve to suffer such a fate’.

Residents evacuate Wang Fuk Court on November 26. Photo: Eugene Lee
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Health & Environment

Authorities rule out smoking areas at construction sites under proposed ban

Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui tells lawmakers that proposed smoking ban will apply to all areas of construction sites.

The government is clamping down on smoking at construction sites following the Tai Po fire. Photo: Jelly Tse

China Economy

How China’s massive pig farms created a serious pork supply glut

Vast hog farms – some rising 26 storeys high – have caused China’s pig herd to swell, but consumers dislike the industrially produced meat.

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Pigs feed inside a sprawling 26-storey hog farm in central China’s Hubei province. Photo: Xinhua

Arts

Review | South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, 22, wows the Hong Kong Arts Festival

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields put on a spirited performance with South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim and guest conductor Wilson Ng.

Pianist Yunchan Lim with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall during the Hong Kong Arts Festival on Saturday. Photo: HKAF

China Economy

China’s sci-fi industry rides a tech wave as revenues hit record high

China’s sci-fi industry has built on the success of breakout hits like ‘The Three-Body Problem’, with revenues up over 15 per cent last year.

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Robots perform at the China Science Fiction Convention in Beijing. The Chinese sci-fi industry saw revenues reach a record high last year, according to a report released during the event. Photo: Xinhua

Football

Fifa World Cup risks being ‘stage for repression’, Amnesty International says

Human rights organisation urges football governing body and host nations US, Canada and Mexico to players, fans and communities.

The Fifa World Cup trophy on display at BBVA Stadium during a promotional stop in Monterrey, Mexico earlier this month. Photo: EPA