Global World News Digest
Multi-Source Editorial Roundup • Sunday, 25 January 2026
At least 80 political prisoners released in Venezuela, rights group leader says
At least 80 people considered political prisoners by a leading Venezuelan rights group had been released on Sunday as part of a continuing release process, according to the leader of the group.
The people were released from prisons across the country and more releases were likely to take place, Alfredo Romero, the director of Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal, said on social media.
Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said on Friday that 626 people have been released from…
Row erupts within UK’s Labour Party after Manchester mayor blocked from coming election
A row erupted Sunday within Britain’s governing Labour Party after the ambitious mayor of Manchester was prevented from trying to re-enter parliament at a special election in the city in the coming weeks, with critics claiming that Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not want to see a potential rival back in the House of Commons.
Andy Burnham, who has been in charge of the Greater Manchester region since 2017, made a request to Labour’s governing committee on Saturday to stand as the party’s…
Indonesian rescuers recover bodies after Java landslide, 72 still missing
Improved weather on Sunday helped rescuers on Indonesia’s main island of Java recover more bodies as they dug through mud and debris in search of scores of missing in a landslide that killed more than two dozen villagers.
The predawn landslide on the slopes of Mount Burangrang in West Java province on Saturday buried some 34 houses in Pasir Langu village. On Sunday, 72 people remained missing, many feared buried under tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees. About 230 residents living near the…
Qianhai to strengthen role as key partner to Hong Kong
A new action plan released by the Qianhai authorities in Shenzhen aims to strengthen its position as a “key partner” to Hong Kong rather than a competitor, further bolstering the city’s status as a global hub for finance, trade and talent.
The 2026 plan, released recently by authorities, is set to deepen cooperation between the special economic zone and the city through a dual-headquarters hub that enables Hong Kong-based unicorns to benefit from the free flow of capital, data and resources.
A…
Russian shadow tanker’s Indian captain, crew in French custody
France on Sunday took into custody the Indian captain of an oil tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet” for the vessel’s failure to fly a flag, prosecutors said.
The 58-year-old captain was in charge of the tanker, the Grinch, which was seized by the French navy in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday and is now moored under guard at a southern French port near Marseille.
The Marseille prosecutors’ office, in charge of investigating the case, said the rest of the…
Why China’s rapid ousting of 2 top generals is a sharp warning on party purity
The sudden removal of China’s two most senior generals is believed to be a stark warning underscoring President Xi Jinping’s zero-tolerance focus on Communist Party discipline and political purity ahead of two landmark events next year.
Beijing announced on Saturday that Zhang Youxia, first-ranked vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and China’s top uniformed officer, was under investigation for serious disciplinary violations, as was Liu Zhenli, chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff…
Hong Kong civil servants warned to avoid perks after official’s bribery probe
Hong Kong civil servants have been urged to exercise greater caution and refrain from accepting any offers in the workplace, as stakeholders called on authorities to explain how the head of a government office became embroiled in a bribery case.
Ricky Cheng Chun-sang, former director of the Tianjin Liaison Unit, was dismissed last week and placed under criminal investigation for allegedly accepting advantages without permission, after posting on social media about perks such as an upgraded…
Iraq elects president, to choose PM amid US pressure to cut Iran ties
Iraq’s parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect the country’s new president, who will then appoint a prime minister, which is expected to be Nouri al-Maliki after he was endorsed by the Levantine country’s largest Shiite bloc.
By convention, a Shiite Muslim holds the post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.
Parliamentary speaker Haibat al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a…
What does China’s first naval visit to Uruguay say about its Latin American ambitions?
The PLA Navy hospital ship Silk Road Ark arrived at the Uruguayan port of Montevideo last Tuesday for a four-day technical stop.
The port call, as reported by China’s state news agency Xinhua, marked the first visit by a Chinese naval vessel to Uruguay – which sits between South America’s two biggest economies, Brazil and Argentina.
Analysts said the inaugural visit signalled that Beijing’s efforts to expand its military exchanges in the western hemisphere were unaffected by America’s military…
Europe must make the US feel the cost of coercion
Europe’s survival as an independent political power depends on its readiness to impose costs on the United States while reopening a sustained channel with China.
The Arthashastra counsels that the enemy of one’s enemy is one’s friend. Europe has ignored this principle, absorbing repeated American bullying while refusing to leverage relations with China as a counterweight.
The Greenland episode crystallises a reality enforced through trade threats, security conditionality and territorial…
South Korea withdraws budget minister nominee after allegations
South Korea’s president has withdrawn his nomination of Lee Hye-hoon to head the country’s newly created budget ministry after she was accused of unlawful real estate investments and mistreating staff.
The plan to appoint the former conservative lawmaker from former president Yoon’s People Power Party was viewed as an attempt by President Lee Jae Myung to promote national unity with some cross-party appointments. Lee’s liberal government was elected after his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, was…
China-US team’s feat could ‘open entirely new avenues’ in semiconductors
A joint Chinese-US research team says it has developed a new semiconductor manufacturing method that it says could “open up entirely new avenues” to develop high-performance light-emitting and integrated devices.
The process would surpass conventional lithography machines, which are the main way today of making the semiconductors used in most electronics.
When a lithography machine etches a chip circuit, the laser strikes the material vertically. If light goes sideways, it causes uncontrolled…
Macron pushes forward France’s social media ban for under 15s
French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants his government to fast track the legal process to ensure that a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 can enter into force in September at the start of the next school year.
In a video released late on Saturday by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Macron said he had asked his government to initiate an accelerated procedure so that the proposed legislation can move as quickly as possible and be passed by the Senate in time.
“The brains of our…
Filipino crew head home after China Coast Guard rescue near Scarborough Shoal
More than a dozen Filipino crew members rescued from the South China Sea have been transferred from the Chinese coastguard to Philippine vessels close to where their ship went down.
The China Coast Guard said the transfer of the 15 survivors and the remains of two deceased from the capsized cargo ship took place on Sunday afternoon at the request of Philippine search and rescue authorities. Four other crew members from the ship remain missing.
The Chinese coastguard rescued the men on Friday…
Man dies after collapsing while hiking on Hong Kong Island
A hiker in his forties was airlifted to hospital and later pronounced dead after passing out on a trail on Hong Kong Island on Sunday.
Police said they received a report at 2.16pm that the man had collapsed on the Hong Kong Trail, near Parker Avenue on Siu Ma Shan.
A government helicopter airlifted the hiker to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where he was later certified dead.
Police are investigating the cause of his death.
The 50km trail runs from Victoria Peak to Big…
EU envoys top guests at India celebration to seal trade deal
European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday, as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free-trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations between the economic behemoths.
Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are chief guests for this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday before the 16th EU-India summit on Tuesday, where they hope to shake hands on the accord, described as the “mother of all deals”.
“The summit will be an…
Why China Miao ethnic group moves houses at night, dances with soot on faces upon completion
China’s Miao ethnic group is marked out from others thanks to their observance of a unique tradition known as “moving house at night”.
The custom sees young men smear soot on their faces, dance, turn lights on and off and conclude the relocation by firing a hunting rifle before sunrise.
The tradition is long-standing in a Miao ethnic township in Xiangyun county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwestern China.
The Miao people, who primarily live in the mountainous regions of…
Chinese army rifle-wielding drone gets 100% hit rate in 100-metre-range shooting test
A new Chinese military special-ops drone has shown unprecedented accuracy in live-fire tests, hitting a human-sized target with every shot while using a standard infantry assault rifle.
The drone fired 20 single rounds while hovering at a height of 10 metres (3.2 feet) and a distance of 100 metres from the human-sized target, a standard 50cm by 50cm (about 20 by 20 inches) chest board.
The drone achieved a 100 per cent hit rate during flight trials, according to a peer-reviewed study published…
Hong Kong MPF operator tightens identity verification process in wake of scam
The operator of Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) has tightened its online security by scrapping an electronic verification system after scammers used forged identity cards to open accounts and steal residents’ pensions.
Ayesha Macpherson Lau, chairwoman of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, said in a blog post on Sunday that the body had jettisoned the identification tool for its eMPF online platform in favour of the government’s one-stop verification app, “iAM Smart”.
The…
South Korea begins investigation into Grok, sexually exploitative images
The South Korean government is moving towards regulatory actions against Grok, xAI’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, following mounting concerns over its alleged involvement in generating and distributing sexually exploitative deepfake images.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has launched a preliminary fact-finding review into Grok after the allegations were reported on Sunday.
The preliminary process is to confirm whether the violation actually occurred and…
Chinese carmaker BYD chases 24% export growth with new models, more showrooms abroad
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) king BYD aims for a 24 per cent increase in its overseas deliveries in 2026, buoyed by an expanded sales network and new model launches, as it pursues growth abroad to counteract a slowing domestic market.
The Shenzhen-based company, the world’s largest builder of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, expected to sell 1.3 million cars this year outside mainland China, up 24.3 per cent from 2025, said Li Yunfei, general manager of branding and public relations,…
Refurbish or rebuild, Hong Kong’s housing renewal must put residents first
The reason ordinary Hongkongers acted so swiftly and generously to help the victims of the Tai Po fire is that they understood instinctively just what a traumatic effect the tragedy must have had on their fellow citizens.
The loss of the family home would arouse the deepest emotions at any time. In circumstances where the loss was sudden, not the fault of the individuals themselves and accompanied by the deaths of scores of neighbours, the feelings would be particularly intense.
There is a…
Saudi-UAE rift risks tearing Middle East apart: ‘anything can happen’
The arrival of 2026 has brought anything but peace to the Middle East, caught in the gravitational pull of rival ambitions and with the uneasy sense that the next war may already be under way.
From Gaza to Syria, conflict hotspots are flaring as the region finds itself at the epicentre of a global order in flux.
The result is a landscape in which rivalries are multiplying, former partners are pitted against each other and more violence appears inevitable, analysts say.
“While it is still early…
China raises minimum wages amid drive to boost household spending
China has recorded a five-year peak in the number of provincial governments raising minimum wages, official data showed, as Beijing pledges to “invest in people” to support economic growth over the course of its latest five-year plan.
Twenty-seven of the mainland’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises – outpacing China’s 5 per cent gross domestic product growth rate in 2025 – according to the Post’s…
China husband divorces sick wife for losing hair, neglects her, refuses to pay for treatment
A woman in China who suffers from baldness on the top of her head because of a skin disease has been cruelly divorced by her husband, arousing much sympathy on social media.
The 36-year-old, who lives in Shangqiu, central Henan province, said her husband did not care for her at all; instead he has disdained her since she became ill two years ago, Henan TV reported.
“I have devoted myself to the family. I take care of our child, wash clothes, prepare food and do other domestic chores,” the wife,…
The Henderson named ‘World’s Best Property’ as Hong Kong shines in building awards
When Kevin Ng Shu-keung inspected the mock-up of a curved glass panel in 2019 to be mass-produced for the facade of The Henderson, a grade A commercial tower in Hong Kong, he was shocked to discover its flaws.
The geometrically complex glass panels had never been used in Hong Kong before and his team had to put them through rounds of tests and trials at a residential construction site in Sham Shui Po, said Ng, senior deputy general manager of project management at property giant Henderson…
Fans in Japan jostle for final glimpse of China-bound twin pandas
Fans gathered at a Tokyo zoo on Sunday to bid farewell to the last two giant pandas in the country, long a symbol of Sino-Japanese friendship, two days before they leave for China.
The departure of Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, when China gifted a pair to Japan following the normalisation of bilateral ties.
Prospects for a new panda loan by China remain uncertain amid soured ties following remarks last year by Prime Minister…
Jensen Huang celebrates Lunar New Year with Nvidia employees in Shanghai
Jensen Huang marked the coming Lunar New Year with Nvidia employees in Shanghai on Saturday, as the CEO of the world’s most valuable company made his first trip to China in 2026 amid uncertainties around its H200 graphics processing unit (GPU).
Huang received a rock-star welcome when he joined Nvidia’s annual Lunar New Year celebration, according to two employees who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Huang gave a speech and handed out tangerines that he…
Hong Kong woman dies after taxi overturns in crash
A 65-year-old woman died after being trapped inside a taxi that crashed into a private car and overturned early on Sunday in northern Hong Kong, police said.
A subsequent police investigation led to the arrest of the driver and passenger of the car involved in the collision in Pat Heung in the New Territories. They were suspected of possessing offensive weapons after officers found a knife and an extendable baton at the scene.
The crash occurred at around 12.30am when the driver of the taxi…
Chinese boy saves US$28 for 6 months to buy mum birthday gift, touches shop owner
A Chinese primary school boy saved his pocket money for half a year, accumulating one yuan at a time (14 US cents), to buy his mother a pair of shoes as a birthday gift, touching both the shop owner and millions of netizens.
The 11-year-old boy from Hebei province in northern China entered a shoe shop with a stack of one-yuan notes in his hands, asking to purchase a pair of shoes for his mother.
He indicated that it was a birthday gift for her to use during her daily commute, as he had noticed…