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Politics

Why KMT leader’s planned Beijing visit is under scrutiny in Taiwan

Meeting with Xi Jinping is expected on six-day trip, eliciting consternation from not only the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

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Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang, speaks during the KMT’s 12th National Congress in Taipei on November 1, 2025. Photo: AFP

Other Sport

Chinese snooker star Zhao hopes to take winning run into World Championship

A win for 29-year-old, who made Players Series history on Sunday, would see him become the first player to defend his title at the Crucible.

Zhao Xintong of China beat world No 1 Judd Trump of England to win the Tour Championship in Manchester on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Racing

Crawford keeps momentum rolling with Mugen as Newnham bags bittersweet double

South African handler helps Group Three winner break long drought as Australian trainer experiences roller coaster day.

Mugen gets up on the inside to score a thrilling win under Hugh Bowman. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Racing

Yuen draws high praise from Whyte after first Sha Tin turf winner

Local jockey’s dream first week in Hong Kong continues with victory aboard Fast Responder on Monday.

Douglas Whyte and apprentice Nichola Yuen are all smiles after their win with Fast Responder at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan

World Opinion

Opinion | In closing airspace to US, Europe opens an existential debate over Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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People

Singapore’s Shanmugam slams ‘hypocrisy’ over deported blogger Amos Yee

The minister says Yee’s case shows how foreign media and rights advocates have mistaken an offensive repeat offender for a free-speech icon.

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Controversial blogger Amos Yee has been charged with violating Singapore’s compulsory military service rules. Photo: Handout

Racing

Bold decision pays off as Sweynesse steps out of the shadows for Group Two win

Manfred Man’s stable star secures his first win in two years with Chairman’s Trophy win at Sha Tin.

Lucky Sweynesse and Derek Leung win at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Asia

Video | Small hobby businesses hit by rising costs from Iran war

Thai figurine studio founder calls for an urgent lifeline to help small businesses stay afloat.

Thai figurine studio founder calls for an urgent lifeline to help small businesses stay afloat
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Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong restaurant revenues drop over Easter as departures outnumber arrivals

Estimated 6 to 7 per cent year-on-year dip in catering sector business over long weekend amid exodus of locals, F&B trade representative says.

A restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui on Easter Sunday. Photo: Eugene Lee

South Asia

Bangladesh targets 1 million children for vaccination as measles spreads

Health ministry figures show 17 confirmed deaths, 113 suspected ‌deaths and over 7,500 suspected infections nationwide.

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A nurse prepares a dose of a vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella. File photo: via TNS
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Economics

Oil smugglers in Thailand worsen supply crisis as Anutin warns of tough times

Police are investigating alleged oil hoarding in southern Thailand and reselling to nearby countries, citing ‘abnormal’ vessel movements.

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A Thai farmer refuels diesel into an oil drum at a gas station in Ayutthaya province on Wednesday. Thai farmers are struggling with shortages of diesel, fertiliser and insecticides amid the ongoing Iran war. Photo: EPA

Entertainment

How Generation Alpha could save Hollywood as PG-rated films lead the way

As PG-rated films outperform other ratings at the US box office, studios are looking to cash in on a growing love of family-friendly films.

A study conducted in 2025 by the National Research Group found that no generational group wanted to watch films on the big screen, as opposed to at home, more than Gen Alpha. Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Racing

Ka Ying Rising at peak of his powers as super sprinter obliterates track record

Zac Purton and the world’s best sprinter annihilate competition in Group Two Sprint Cup.

Ka Ying Rising, ridden by Zac Purton, wins the Group Two Sprint Cup at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan.

Russia & Central Asia

Floods kill 3 in Russia, thousands evacuated after dam wall breaks

Footage showed entire buildings sinking beneath the water amid heavy rain that has continued for days.

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People are evacuated from a flood zone in Dagestan, Russia, on Sunday. Photo: Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP

Business

Hong Kong developers test homebuyers with price increases after sell-outs

‘This is a classic recovery-phase strategy: testing price elasticity without undermining the building momentum,’ an analyst says.

The Chester has 241 flats with layouts from one to four bedrooms. Photo: Handout
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Military

As Trump hails airman rescue in Iran, Chinese experts count US wins and losses

Former PLA personnel say Iranian success in shooting down military aircraft boosts morale and shows it remains a threat to US and Israel.

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sepah News website published this image on Sunday, saying a US aircraft that had been searching for the crew member of a missing US fighter jet had been destroyed. US President Donald Trump said earlier that the second crew member from the American fighter jet that crashed inside Iran was “SAFE and SOUND” after being rescued. Photo: Sepah/AFP

Transport

Tuen Mun bus operator cuts services amid soaring fuel prices, warns of closure

ABC Touring Car Company says rising oil prices mean “every service is like pouring money into the sea”.

The firm operates services between Tuen Mun and various locations in city centres. Photo: Facebook/ABC Bus

East Asia

South Korea aims to send ships to Saudi port for oil to bypass Hormuz

Special envoys will also sail to Oman and Algeria to try to secure oil via other routes, said lawmaker Ahn Do-geol.

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Cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11. Photo: Reuters

Gender & Diversity

Top China university apologises for mini-film about career man, family-focused woman

Gender bias fury as film shows esports excelling male maturing into a programmer while woman star becomes a mother.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has apologised for a mini-film it produced that depicted a male student excelling in video games who became a programmer, while it portrayed a female student known for her dancing who later became a mother. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Society

Anxious days, sleepless nights for young Iranians in Hong Kong as war rages on

Peace of mind is elusive for young Iranians, who wait helplessly for news of loved ones and fight disinformation amid flood of contradictory reports.

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Behzad Nasiri Ahmadabadi, a 37-year-old Iranian biomedical researcher based in Hong Kong, spends his days wracked with uncertainty. Photo: May Tse
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Basketball

Chinese basketballer Guo Ailun reportedly lost 10 million yuan in investing scam

Guo and his family are allegedly victims of large-scale fraud perpetrated by a close friend, a mainland sports media outlet reports.

Guo Ailun (right) in action for China in 2022, has filed a report with public security authorities in Shenyang in Liaoning province. Photo: AFP

Video | Cambodia honours legendary demining rat Magawa

Monument marks International Day for Mine Awareness and Cambodia’s 2030 mine-free goal.

Cambodia unveiled a stone statue of Magawa, the world’s most decorated landmine-detection rat on April 3, 2026.
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Arts

‘A system of slavery’: ex-geisha apprentice on the dark side of the tradition

Kiyoha Kiritaka says she left Kyoto’s geisha world after experiencing sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and more.

Maiko (apprentice geisha) are seen in Kyoto, Japan. An ex-maiko describes how she left the geisha tradition - which she describes as an “extremely abnormal world” - after she says she experienced sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and more. Photo: AFP

Economics

Can palm biodiesel be Malaysia’s quick fix for soaring fuel prices?

Infrastructure costs, supply chains and industry readiness could pose problems for wider adoption of biodiesel blends, analysts say.

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A man holds a nozzle at the petrol station in Negri Sembilan. Diesel in Peninsular Malaysia rose to 6.02 ringgit a litre for the week of April 2 to 8. Photo: EPA

Society

Hong Kong doctor who posted resuscitation photo exits Hospital Authority

Kowloon West Cluster of Hospital Authority confirms doctor’s departure but does not say whether he had resigned or been dismissed.

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The photo shows Jensen So performing the procedure while surrounded by hospital staff. Photo: Handout
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Asia Opinion

The View | Quirks of Asia’s energy markets work to the benefit of data centres

Asia’s unique energy markets, power sourcing strategies and vast digital infrastructure requirements underpin the sector’s resilience.

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Construction workers walk to a data centre under construction at Sedenak Tech Park in the Johor state of Malaysia on September 27, 2024. Photo: AP

Middle East

Iran and US receive draft proposal for 45-day ceasefire as attacks continue

Mediators propose ⁠plan to end war as US deadline looms, Israel hits petrochemical plant and Iran pushes back on pressure to reopen Strait.

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Burnt-out vehicles in Petah Tikva, Israel, following a barrage of missiles launched from Iran. Photo: Reuters

Politics

‘Remorseless’ Yoon slammed for invoking Jesus in a note from South Korean prison

The ex-president may be a liability to his former People Power Party ahead of local elections on June 3 amid falling approval ratings.

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A news report on the sentencing trial of South Korean former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s insurrection case in February, stemming from his short-lived December 2024 declaration of martial law. Photo: Reuters

China Business

More foreign marques face a do-or-die moment as Chinese buyers shun petrol cars

Following Skoda’s exit from China, other carmakers with falling sales are also likely to close shop this year, analysts say.

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Skoda, Volkswagen’s mass-market brand, shut down its Chinese operations this year. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

Chinese AI rivals clash over Anthropic’s OpenClaw exit amid global token crunch

Chinese companies are competing to offer the cheapest alternatives to premium US services from the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic.

A lobster-shaped cutout representing OpenClaw stands outside the Baidu offices in Beijing, March 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters