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Diplomacy

US and China trade chiefs to meet mid-March before Trump-Xi summit

The planned Paris talks suggest a meeting between the two countries’ leaders will go ahead despite American strikes against Iran.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shakes hands with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2025. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

China urges Israel to end war in Iran as regional tensions escalate

Beijing says US-Israeli strikes were in bad faith and calls for an immediate halt, a return to talks and opposition to unilateral action.

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Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran on Tuesday following air strikes by Israel and the US. Photo: WANA via Reuters

Middle East

Iran will not ‘automatically’ fall after Khamenei’s death, shah’s widow says

Farah Pahlavi, Iran’s last empress, has lived in exile in Paris since being driven from the country with her husband in the 1979 revolution.

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Women protest and chant anti-US and anti-Israel slogans in Magam town in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

United States & Canada

Dad who gave gun to US school shooting suspect guilty of second-degree murder

Colin Gray gave son Colt, 14, the assault-style rifle for Christmas before the attack, in which two students and two teachers were killed.

Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, arrives in court in Winder, Georgia, in December 2025. Photo: AP

Southeast Asia

Video | Philippine overseas workers under fire as Iran conflict worsens

Philippine government has no mass repatriation plan, leaving many workers to weigh risks against the livelihoods of their families back home.

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Philippine overseas workers are under fire as Iran conflict worsens. Photo: Handout/SCMP composite
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Law and Crime

Hong Kong court convicts British woman of blackmailing banker over false rape claim

Judge brands defendant ‘thoroughly dishonest’ for fabricating rape claim to extort compatriot out of £100,000.

Defendant Isabel Anonia Barbra Eudora Rose, centre, outside District Court in Wan Chai. Photo: Jonathan Wong

United States & Canada

Global sell-off in stocks slams Wall Street as oil prices leap even higher on war woes

Oil prices made the leap as Iran struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia.

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A display featuring Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

How will China adjust Israel ties as US-led strikes on Iran reshape Middle East?

Beijing is unlikely to abandon ‘balanced diplomacy’ in the region despite killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analysts say.

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Men inspect the ruins of a police station on Tuesday in Tehran, Iran. Photo: AP

Asia

Video | Philippine overseas workers under fire as Iran conflict worsens

The Philippine government still has no plan for mass repatriation, leaving many workers to weigh life‑and‑death risks against the livelihoods of their families back home.

Philippine carers have described racing to bomb shelters in Israel as the US-Israeli war in Iran sends missiles across the Middle East.
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Law and Crime

Hong Kong boy, 14, held over online videos, photos depicting abuse of cats

Student reportedly part of online group that sent graphic material to cat‑rescue groups on the mainland and incited others to dox the volunteers.

The boy must report back to Sham Shui Po Police Station next month. Photo: Handout
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Law and Crime

Hong Kong government: golf course flats study has ‘no legal effect’ in appeal

Rule changes render environmental study moot, lawyer says as authorities appeal court ruling rejecting report’s approval.

The Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling. Photo: Elson Li

Racing

SCMP Best Bets: Star Brose can shine brightest at Happy Valley

SCMP Best Bets: Star Brose can shine brightest at Happy Valley

China

China teen sensation Yu becomes youngest ever to receive Laureus nomination

Yu Zidi up for Breakthrough of the Year Award, while Hong Kong charity Rugby for Good also gets a nod in Sport for Good category.

Yu Zidi became the youngest swimmer ever to win a medal at the World Aquatics Championships. Photo: Reuters

China Economy

Not just oil: Iran war disrupts China’s imports of key industrial material

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking off China’s imports of methanol – a vital input for the country’s industrial sector.

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Smoke rises over Tehran after US and Israeli strikes on March 1. The growing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting shipping flows, affecting China’s imports of key materials. Photo: Getty Images

Diplomacy

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

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While China is directly referred to only twice in 93 pages of legislation and annexes, the act is seen as a crucial prong of Brussels’ efforts to de-risk from the Asian giant. Photo: Shutterstock
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Business

Will users stick around after China’s US$1 billion AI marketing battle?

Vouchers, red packets and sponsorships drove a surge in AI users over Chinese New Year, but now the tech giants face a retention test.

Red-packet battle: AI tech giants spent a collective US$1 billion on marketing this Chinese New Year. Photo: Getty Images

Diplomacy

Will Iran feature in foreign policy talks at China’s ‘two sessions’?

The focus is on economics and the five-year plan but the turmoil could prompt a rethink in some areas, analysts say.

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The Iran crisis is most likely to be discussed with other conflicts such as the Ukraine war rather than be singled out for special mention at this year’s “two sessions”. Photo: EPA

Diplomacy

China and France agree to help de-escalate US-Israeli conflict with Iran

The world must not return to the law of the jungle, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang tells France’s Jean-Noel Barrot.

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France says it was neither informed of nor involved in the military operations against Iran. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

Chinese AI drug researcher XtalPi expects to turn first annual profit

Shenzhen-based company projects net profit of at least US$14.5 million in 2025 on narrowing losses in core businesses, investment gains.

Founded in 2015 by three quantum physicists, XtalPi was listed in Hong Kong in June 2024. Photo: Handout

Asia Opinion

Opinion | US war on Iran isn’t likely to go as planned

US war planners have overlooked viewing their adversary through realpolitik in the past. They now face a far more organised opponent.

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on March 2, in Arlington, Virginia, the US. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
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Arts

Review | Chaotic, electrifying: Sebastian Kaiser’s The Drunkard is fiercely alive

Cross-cultural and gender-blind, Sebastian Kaiser’s stage adaptation of Liu Yichang’s 1962 novel stays true to its rebellious spirit.

Sze Wei in The Drunkard at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Studio Theatre. The stage adaptation of Liu Yichang’s 1962 novel is directed by Sebastian Kaiser for the 2026 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: Eric Hong

Global Economy

As US-Iran war threatens oil supplies, will China speed up its green transition?

Beijing is still dependent on fossil fuels but Washington’s recent interventions may prompt officials to fast-track shift, analysts say.

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Iran announced on Monday announced it had closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while Qatar halted liquefied natural gas production and Saudi Arabia shut down its largest oil refinery. The turmoil has hit global energy markets, as oil and gas prices soar. Photo: Reuters

Golf

From ‘flat-out terrible’ to LIV Golf champion, Kim says his best is yet to come

The American’s win in Adelaide last month was his first for 16 years, he heads into Hong Kong with an unfamiliar feeling but no expectations.

Anthony Kim celebrates on the podium with daughter Isabella after winning LIV Golf Adelaide. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong convention centre to host more medical, tech, finance, education events

Events linked to these four sectors will account for 43 per cent of activities held this year, venue’s managing director says.

Visitors attend the 19th Asian Financial Forum at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Photo: Eugene Lee

People

Villagers’ ‘swift action’ stops runaway train in Malaysia’s Sabah

The train had suffered a brake failure during a morning commute in southwest Sabah, prompting calls from officials for a full investigation.

Quick-thinking villagers in Malaysia’s Sabah state sacrificed a vital motorised rail trolley to force the runaway train to stop. The train had suffered a brake failure. Photo: handout
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Entertainment

Review | Ultimate Revenge: Hong Kong crime thriller is all brawn and no brains

Loud, action-packed and completely chaotic, Terry Ng’s Ultimate Revenge is packed with thrills but fails to deliver on plot.

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Alex Fong in a still from Ultimate Revenge.

Football

Women’s Asian Cup: China sweep aside Bangladesh in winning start to title defence

Wang Shuang and Zhang Rui strikes enough to see off tournament debutants. North Korea beat Uzbekistan in early game.

Wang Shuang scores China’s first goal against Bangladesh in the Women’s Asian Cup Group B clash at CommBank Stadium in Sydney. Photo: EPA

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Too high a cost’: why some Singaporeans are forgoing parenthood

As the city state battles a record low fertility rate, analysts say deeper anxieties and rising opportunity costs continue to shape decisions.

People walk across the Jubilee Bridge at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore in November 2025. Photo: AFP

Military

US patrol flights over South China Sea drop 30% as focus shifts to Middle East

Decline in reconnaissance aircraft sorties comes during critical time in China-US ties ahead of planned Donald Trump visit.

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The RC-135 is one of the mainstays of the US military’s large reconnaissance aircraft fleet. Photo: US Air Force

Tech Trends

Will Apple’s low-cost iPhone 17e make a splash in China’s smartphone market?

Presales for the new entry-level iPhone start on Wednesday, with a wide release set for March 11.

Apple’s new iPhone 17e model comes in black, white and soft pink colours. Photo: Handout