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China

Sun makes table tennis history with World Cup three-peat, Wang wins men’s crown

Sun Yingsha becomes just second player to win three consecutive singles titles with victory in Macau, while Wang Chuqin claims his first.

Sun Yingsha celebrates beating compatriot Wang Manyu in the women’s singles final at the ITTF World Cup in Macau. Photo: Xinhua

Middle East

Israeli strikes kill 11 in Lebanon, Israel announces ‘security buffer’

Israel said it intends ‌to control a ‘security zone’ as deep as 30 km into Lebanon and has issued evacuation orders for around 15 per cent of Lebanese territory.

Smoke and dust from an Israeli airstrike on the streets of the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion

My Take | Why Beijing is now the only true partner of Africa and Latin America

In contrast to friendly China, the United States has weaponised foreign aid on one continent and returned to gunboat diplomacy in the western hemisphere.

A section of the Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Xinhua

Science

China reveals military capabilities in new space solar power plant design

Revamped orbital technology can potentially send steerable microwave beams to Earth, capable of jamming or securing military communications.

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China is one of the world’s leading countries developing space-based solar power. Photo: Shutterstock

Racing

SCMP Best Bets: Lucky Ranger can be a good omen at Sha Tin

SCMP Best Bets: Lucky Ranger can be a good omen at Sha Tin
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Russia & Central Asia

Afghanistan wants US$10 billion in trade deals with Central Asia

Central Asia’s typical trade routes through Russia are hampered by heavy sanctions, while the Taliban is trying to trade with the world despite international sanctions.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (centre, back), along with representatives from Central Asian states, takes part in the Afghanistan-Central Asia Consultative Dialogue at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Kabul on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Science

China’s push for hydrogen-powered planes gets boost amid Iran energy crisis

The maiden flight of the most powerful plane of its kind was hailed by state media as establishing a ‘complete technological chain’.

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The plane pictured during its maiden flight. Photo: CCTV

Society

Talk about death comes alive in ageing Hong Kong

Minimal Funeral founder Pasu Ng says people more willing to discuss death in wake of the Covid pandemic, mass emigration and deadly Tai Po fire.

Minimal Funeral founder Pasu Ng in his booth at the retirement expo. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Opinion

Opinion | Hong Kong must not undo the good work of its HK$2 transport scheme

Efforts to cut growing costs of transport subsidy must not lose sight of the reasons behind scheme’s success.

An elderly person taps an Octopus card to board a bus at Choi Hung, Hong Kong, on April 3. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong Economy

Signal fault disrupts Hong Kong MTR’s Airport Express, Tung Chung line services

Rail operator says issue has been fixed after emergency repair work and all services back to normal after 8pm.

The rail operator said at 7.10pm a signalling fault on Lantau Island had affected MTR train services. Photo: Elson Li
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Military

China unveils handheld coil gun that works like a ‘less deadly’ pistol

The electromagnetic weapon is designed for stealth operations, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The gun featured on state television. Photo: CCTV

Football

Spanish former Villarreal goalkeeper embracing dream Hong Kong opportunity

Gianni Cassaro joined the district club in January but despite an ‘incredible experience’ he is unsure of his future beyond this season.

Gianni Cassaro dives to make a save during Eastern’s recent 2-1 defeat by Kitchee. Photo: Eastern SC

Europe

Pope Leo calls for peace, dialogue amid Ukraine, Iran wars in Easter mass

Leo addressed some 50,000 in St. Peter’s Square and quoted his predecessor, who reminded the faithful of the ‘great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day’.

Pope Leo XIV gestures from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after delivering his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (To the city and the world) message, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Entertainment

What happened when Ann Hui adapted Eileen Chang’s classic stories?

Director Ann Hui has adapted three of Eileen Chang’s stories for the big screen. We look at two: Love in a Fallen City and Eighteen Springs.

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Chow Yun-fat (left) and Cora Miao in a still from Love in a Fallen City (1984), directed by Ann Hui.

Politics

Are China’s TV dramas obsessed with beauty? An industry regulator thinks so

A national watchdog says there should be more to productions than physical appearances.

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Zhang Linghe’s portrayal of a warrior in the costume drama Pursuit of Jade earned him the nickname of the “foundation-wearing general”. Photo: Handout
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Policy

China’s rigid corporate culture slows AI adoption, ex-OpenAI executive says

China’s tech-savvy consumers embrace AI, but rigid corporate hierarchies hold back enterprises, Zack Kass says.

China has a very “techno-centric consumer”, while the US has a very “techno-centric enterprise”, according to a former OpenAI executive. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong Economy

Move over, Easter Bunny: cats are the stars in Hong Kong this holiday

Seasonal cat-themed artworks are stealing the limelight this Easter, tapping into the city’s booming ‘cat economy’.

‘A Moment to Purr’, a giant interactive cat art installation, is located at the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Eugene Lee

Australasia

Australia receives fuel export guarantees from Singapore, Japan

Australia is seeking to diversify its sources of oil products as a result of the war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, including making purchases from the US and Mexico.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left) sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement during a Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting, at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on October 8 last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Global Economy

China’s luxury spending seen boosting global sales in 2026 despite headwinds

Affluent Chinese consumers are expected to splurge, though a volatile property market and oil price shocks pose challenges, analysts say.

A huge, ship-shaped Louis Vuitton cultural and retail landmark is seen in Shanghai. China’s luxury spending is expected to help drive a global rebound this year. Photo: Getty Images

Trending in China

Chinese man, 90, cycles across country after death of wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson

Sprightly nonagenarian finds solace in beauty of nature after car crash wipes out his family; ‘this is the life I have chosen’, he says.

After enduring the tragic losses of his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, a 90-year-old man in China spent 30 years cycling across the country on a tricycle. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
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Hong Kong

Table tennis star Wong hopes to build on strong momentum with partner Chan

The duo, who only became regular partners in 2024, enjoyed a successful 2025, winning a maiden Smash crown and moving top of the rankings.

Wong Chun-ting (left) and Baldwin Chan celebrate winning their maiden WTT Europe Smash in Sweden. Photo: WTT

World Opinion

Opinion | Fixing US branding woes starts with rebuilding trust Trump has damaged

Lavishly funded celebrations will not fly in Asian countries struggling to get by and increasingly sceptical of Trump’s America.

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A driver pushes his auto rickshaw to get compressed natural gas at a filling station in Peshawar, Pakistan, as the government reduces the station’s working hours to save energy on March 18. Photo: AP

Food & Drink

How Okinawan food evolved with Chinese influences to become ‘truly unique’

Long ago, Okinawa was part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a trade hub linking Japan to Asia. Today, dishes like goya champuru reflect this history.

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Champuru is a representative dish of Okinawa, Japan. Its use of goya, or bitter melon, reveals its Chinese influences. Photo: Getty Images

Middle East

UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait lose water, energy infrastructure to Iran strikes

Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvoes over Iran’s accusation that its neighbours allow US forces to carry out attacks from their territory.

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Smoke plumes billowing from the Jebel Ali port and desalination plant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after an Iranian strike on March 2. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

Who is Xu Rui, the ex-ByteDance executive tapped by Meta to lead AI hardware?

The veteran Chinese executive will lead a team that develops AI devices at the Facebook parent’s superintelligence unit.

Xu Rui, a graduate of Harbin Institute of Technology and Seoul National University, has had a storied career, including stints at several Chinese tech giants. Photo: Handout
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Politics

Growing Pains meets the ‘kill line’: a new Chinese hot take on the American dream

Internet commenters retrofit the viral metaphor to US movies and TV to highlight financial and social insecurity.

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The US sitcom Growing Pains revolved around the lives of the Seaver family. Photo: Warner Bros. Television

Business

How changes in home rental laws in England impact Hong Kong, mainland investors

Hong Kong-based investors own about 19 per cent of foreign-owned homes in London, while mainland Chinese account for about 12 per cent.

An estate agent sign outside a property in London, March 5, 2026. Photo: EPA

Society

Hong Kong rescuers search for man, 81, who went missing on hike in Tuen Mun

Police say man, surnamed He, was hiking with his wife along Section 10 of the MacLehose Trail on Saturday morning.

The man, who is mainland Chinese and holds a three-month visitor visa, was only carrying a little water and a mobile phone without roaming services. Photo: Handout

Southeast Asia

Indonesia lays to rest peacekeepers killed in Lebanon, Prabowo condemns attacks

Another blast took place at a UN facility in southern Lebanon on Friday, injuring three more Indonesian blue helmets.

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A relative reacts next to the grave of Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, a UN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon, after a funeral ceremony at Cikutra Heroes Cemetery in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Arts

Top Hong Kong bartender swaps cocktails for cameras for first photo exhibition

Jay Khan of Coa and The Savory Project compares mixology and photography as his first photography exhibition opens at Sin Sin Fine Art.

Jay Khan bought his first camera in 2020. This month, he unveiled his first-ever photography exhibition, “Pouring Shadow”, at Sin Sin Fine Art, an independent gallery in Hong Kong’s Wong Chuk Hang neighbourhood. Photo: Jonathan Wong