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Over 60 South African nationals, including nine children, deported from Ireland

Over 60 South African nationals, including nine children, have been deported from Ireland following an operation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau. The deportations, which took place on Saturday, were carried out under orders issued by Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan. The group removed comprised 28 men, 26 women, and nine children, all part of family units.
They left Dublin on a chartered flight on Saturday and arrived in South Africa on Sunday.
The group were accompanied on the flight by gardai members, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.
Gardai said 10 of the individuals had been convicted of offences in Ireland.
open image in galleryA United Airlines Boeing 757-224 comes in to land at Dublin Airport (PA Archive)Mr O’Callaghan said: “Charter flights are now a routine and essential part of immigration enforcement for the state.
“Without effective enforcement measures, our immigration laws would be undermined, and I want to ensure that there is publi..

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Inside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officials

AdvertisementChina’s Communist PartyChinaPoliticsInside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officialsChinese leader targets ‘two-faced’ officials and demands new benchmarks tailored to local needs in newly released speeches
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAlcott Weiin BeijingandJun Maiin Hong KongPublished: 6:00pm, 1 Mar 2026For a book on performance appraisals, it contained some surprising language – especially given its author, President Xi Jinping.
The volume, published by the Central Party Literature Press, coincided with the launch of an overhaul of the Communist Party’s promotion system that will continue in the run-up to next year’s leadership transition.Among the raft of speeches and instructions from Xi since November 2012 is a blunt warning to cadres about pursuing debt-laden white elephant projects.
Advertisement“Some officials probably didn’t even think about repaying the debt when they raised it. When will it be their turn to pay it?” Xi says in..

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Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

AdvertisementRetailingBusinessWarm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growthPolicy support, Chinese New Year demand and Winter Olympics exposure lift China’s sportswear makers, with Li Ning and Anta leading gains
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPCao LiPublished: 6:00pm, 1 Mar 2026China’s major sportswear makers have shrugged off soft consumer spending and a warm winter, according to analysts.
Retail sales in China’s sportswear sector picked up in the first two months of 2026 and beat expectations, helped by fresh policy support and Chinese New Year demand, analysts said. Separately, Chinese households also tuned into the Winter Olympics, where domestic sportswear giants Li Ning and Anta had high visibility.
“We are turning more positive on the China sportswear industry for the first time in 12 months,” Jefferies equity analysts John Chou, Boya Zhen and Anne Ling said in a report.
AdvertisementJefferies forecasts sportswear retail sales to grow by more ..

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What we know so far: Supreme Leader Khamenei killed, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes

What we know so far: Supreme Leader Khamenei killed, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes47 minutes agoShareSaveHafsa KhalilandDavid GrittenShareSaveAirbus DS 2026Satellite image showing damage to the compound of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in TehranIran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed after Israel and the US launched a “massive” and ongoing attack against Iran's leadership and military.
US President Donald Trump has urged Iranian forces to lay down their arms, and for Iran's people to rise up against its government.
Iran has responded by firing ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, targeting Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
On Sunday, Israel said it had launched fresh attacks on “the heart of Tehran”, as Iranian attacks across the region also continued.
Here's what we know.
Videos shared online show aftermath of strikesWhy have the US and Israel att..

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Ayatollah Khamenei’s iron grip on power in Iran comes to an end

Ayatollah Khamenei's iron grip on power in Iran comes to an end9 hours agoShareSaveSam WoodhouseShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesAyatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed on the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, US President Donald Trump has announced.
The death of the 86-year-old ruler of the past three decades – one of the longest in the world – was later confirmed on Iranian state TV.
Iran has had only two supreme leaders since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
It's an all-powerful office – the supreme leader is head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Khamenei is not quite a dictator, positioned in the middle of a complex web of competing power centres, able to veto any matter of public policy and hand pick candidates for public office.
Young Iranians have never experienced life without him in charge.
State television has covered Khamenei's every move. His image is plastered on billboards in pub..

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Mapped: Which countries have been targeted in Middle East as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli strikes

The United States and Israel have launched a wide-scale military attack on Iran, plunging the Middle Eastern region into turmoil as Tehran retaliates.
Several nations, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan, have since been targeted following the attacks ordered by Donald Trump and Israel on Saturday morning.
It has prompted the closure of airspaces within the region, with global airlines cancelling flights throughout the Middle East and Dubai International Airport, the biggest global aviation hub, suspending all travel.
Confirming the attacks, Donald Trump said the US had launched “major combat operations”, aimed at “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime”, including to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The US President called the regime “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people”, adding that “its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world..

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Iran latest: US and Israel launch strikes on Tehran as Trump confirms ‘major combat operation’

Smoke seen rising from area of southern Tehran following Israeli attackThe US and Israel have launched co-ordinated strikes across Iran, including Tehran, on Saturday, in a “preventative attack”.
Iran have retaliated with the Israel Defence Forces confirming that they had identified missiles launched towards them, and were intercepting the threat. Reports of explosions have also been made in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, which house US military bases.
President Donald Trump confirmed a “major combat operation” in an eight-minute speech, stating Iran could never have a nuclear weapon and adding: “It's been mass terror, and we're not going to take it any longer.”
Witnesses said they heard the blasts in the Iranian capital, while footage appears to show columns of smoke rising above the city.
Iran and Israel have closed their airspace, while officials in Tehran said their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location.
The development comes amid hei..

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Flights cancelled and routes suspended after US and Israel launch strikes on Iran

Flights between Western Europe and the Middle East have been severely disrupted after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and many other airlines are cancelling flights.
The “major combat operation” confirmed by Donald Trump on Saturday morning has had a major impact on flights in the region, as Iran and Iraq’s airspaces were closed due to the escalating action.
With missiles being launched from Israel against Iran, and retaliatory strikes from Iran, flights that would normally cross those countries are being forced to divert.
A video from the flight tracking service Flightradar24 shows the overnight stream of aircraft from the Gulf crossing northeast Iraq. But from around 6 am GMT, the pattern ends with aircraft instead flying west over Saudi Arabia.
British Airways has cancelled its flights linking London Heathrow with Bahrain and Tel Aviv until 3 March. Saturday’s link to Amman is also grounded.
A spokesperson told The Independent: “We are c..

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Aspiring taxi drivers taking tests each month up 30% after simplified assessment

AdvertisementHong Kong transportHong KongTransportAspiring taxi drivers taking tests each month up 30% after simplified assessment‘The average monthly number of candidates has now risen to around 1,800,’ transport chief Mable Chan says
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAmbrose LiPublished: 6:06pm, 28 Feb 2026Updated: 6:23pm, 28 Feb 2026The average number of aspiring Hong Kong taxi drivers taking a crucial industry test each month has increased by nearly 30 per cent following the launch of a simplified version of the assessment last year, the transport minister has said.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that the government was increasing the number of dedicated meeting spaces for the city’s five premium taxi fleets at cultural and business landmarks.
“We streamlined the written test arrangements for taxi drivers last year. The average monthly number of candidates has now risen to around 1,800, representing an increase of nearly 30 per cent..

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