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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..

AdvertisementChina-Latin America relationsChinaDiplomacyWhy won’t Chile let China’s Silk Road Ark military hospital ship give medical aid?The vessel has sailed into Valparaiso’s waters as the geopolitical winds shift in the western hemisphere
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP1Laura ZhouPublished: 6:00pm, 28 Feb 2026The Chilean government has turned down a request from a Chinese military hospital ship to treat Chilean residents on board the vessel.The decision reflects Santiago’s tilt towards Washington and US efforts to exert more influence in the western hemisphere, according to a Chinese academic.The Chilean Ministry of Health said on Friday that it had reviewed the Silk Road Ark’s request and decided not to grant it, citing a health code that restricts such services to professionals accredited ‌in the country, Reuters reported.
Advertisement“We ⁠determined that ⁠it is not appropriate to authorise this health operation to function on the ship’s facilities,” ‌the ministry s..

. Afghanistan said on Friday it carried out drone strikes on Pakistani military establishments as fighting between the two neighbours continued. Pakistan, meanwhile, said it shot down the drones using its anti-drone systems and reported no casualties.Afghanistan's military launched attacks late Thursday along the border in six provinces. It described the action as retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes carried out on Sunday in Afghan border areas, claiming “irrefutable evidence” that militants in Afghanistan were behind a recent wave of attacks and suicide bombings in Pakistan.Afghan authorities in Nangarhar province said fighting was ongoing in the Torkham border area on Friday morning.They also claimed Pakistani mortar fire hit civilian areas, including a refugee camp that had been evacuated overnight, as Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, said the country now considered itself in an “open war” with Afghanistan. Both sides gave different casualty figures. Afghanis..

Harvard University has found itself at the centre of a growing online storm after an artwork featured on its Department of South Asian Studies website drew sharp criticism and allegations of bias. The Coalition of Hindus of North America ignited the debate after calling out the university for what it described as “blatant Hinduphobia” in the visual used to represent its Elementary Sanskrit course.Taking to X, the coalition accused the university of bigotry for adding an image that feels “straight out of a horror movie,” starring a dark Hindu figure with a tilak, dangling “some sort of ghostly figurine in his hands.”The art was allocated for its course on Elementary Sanskrit, and the organisation blamed the university for introducing Sanskrit, “Hinduism’s sacred language,” in a “dark, manipulative and oppressive manner” to students, much like it introduces the religion itself.”“This is how students are introduced to Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages that has given birth to cla..

AdvertisementChina-Africa relationsChinaDiplomacyWhy Beijing’s US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline is being attacked by rebelsChinese nationals warned to avoid high-risk areas after infrastructure becomes a primary target for rebels seeking to halt military junta
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJevans NyabiagePublished: 6:30pm, 27 Feb 2026China has placed its nationals on high alert following a series of rebel attacks targeting the US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline and an Islamic State raid on the Nigerien capital’s international airport on January 29.On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Niamey urged citizens to avoid high-risk areas and instructed firms to implement emergency response plans as insurgent groups increasingly target Chinese-managed infrastructure.The warning follows recent attacks on the pipeline and a predawn assault on Air Base 101 and Niamey International Airport by Islamic State militants, who damaged several aircraft before being repelled with ass..

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & CanadaVance dismisses prolonged Mideast war fears as US-Iran tensions rageThe US vice-president said Trump’s options range from military strikes ‘to ensure Iran isn’t going to get a nuclear weapon’ to dialogue
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPdpaPublished: 6:04pm, 27 Feb 2026US Vice-President J.D. Vance has said he does not believe potential military action against Iran would drag the country into a years-long war in the Middle East, according to an interview with The Washington Post published on Thursday.
Vance said he did not know how US President Donald Trump would decide on the Iran issue. Options, he said, range from military strikes “to ensure Iran isn’t going to get a nuclear weapon” to a diplomatic solution.
“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight – there is no chance that will happen,” Vance told the newspaper.
AdvertisementHe cited last year’s limited US strikes on Iranian..

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Kuwait pardoned 539 inmates under Amiri Decree No. 21 of 2026/Representative Image In a move aimed at giving hundreds a second chance, Kuwait has pardoned 539 individuals following directives from His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The decision was issued under Amiri Decree No. (21) of 2026 and allows some inmates to be released immediately, while others will see their sentences reduced. The pardon reflects an effort to support rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Authorities said the objective goes beyond shortening prison terms. It is designed to help those affected rebuild their lives, reconnect with their families and commit to lawful conduct. The process was overseen by the Special Security Affairs and Correctional Institutions Sector, which coordinated with relevant government bodies to complete the necessary legal and administrative procedures. Officials ensured that those eligible for immediate release were freed without delay and that se..

Discover Eid Al Fitr 2026 dates across the Gulf — Oman’s likely 5-day break / Image: file As Ramadan 2026 progresses across the Gulf, attention is now turning to the expected dates for Eid Al Fitr. In Oman, early astronomical calculations indicate a strong likelihood that residents could enjoy a five-day public holiday in March. However, as always, the final confirmation will depend on the official crescent moon sighting.Eid Al-Fitr 2026 in Oman
Eid Al Fitr marks the beginning of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar. Because the Islamic calendar follows lunar cycles, the exact date of Eid changes each year and can only be confirmed after the crescent moon is sighted.Astronomers in Oman have projected that the Shawwal crescent is likely to be visible on the evening of March 19, 2026. If confirmed, the first day of Eid Al Fitr in Oman will fall on Friday, March 20, 2026.If the crescent moon is not sighted on March 19, Ramadan will complete 30 days, and Eid would begin o..