SCMP News Digest
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
China new blind box series features cute muyu-inspired toys to help ‘gain merits’, reduce stress
Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s new blind box series, inspired by the Buddhist ritual instrument called muyu, or “wooden fish,” has become the latest sensation in China following the success of Labubu.
The series, titled Pucky Knock Knock, was launched in January and is priced at 99 yuan (US$14) per piece.
This plush toy keychain series showcases a charming and fluffy character that holds a wooden drumstick.
One can pull out the drumstick to knock on the toy’s head, producing the electronic sound of…
Top Malaysian football officials quit over foreign-born players scandal
The entire executive committee of Malaysia’s football association resigned on Wednesday, the latest blow in a damaging eligibility row over forged documents used to field foreign-born players in Asian Cup qualifiers.
Fifa suspended seven foreign-born players for a year in September and fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) US$400,000 for submitting false documents claiming they had Malaysian ancestry.
Football’s global governing body had launched an investigation after receiving a…
Malaysians lampoon minister over stress-gay link: ‘they never work hard in parliament?’
A Malaysian minister has become the butt of jokes for claiming that work stress can turn people gay, as continued government intervention of what it describes as sexually deviant behaviour piles pressure on the country’s LGBTQ community.
The enforcement spotlight fell on Malaysia’s sexual minorities two weeks ago after religious authorities and police acted on complaints from a sultan and Islamist politicians that a camping retreat was promoting the LGBTQ lifestyle.
The community came under…
North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s capture
The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong-un feeling he was also vulnerable to “decapitation”, according to a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana.
In a wide-ranging interview, Lee Il-kyu, who served as Pyongyang’s political counsellor in Cuba from 2019 until 2023, said Washington’s lightning extraction in Caracas was a worst-case scenario for his former boss.
“Kim must have felt that a so-called decapitation operation…
Hong Kong authorities consider legal action after tooth found in Maxim’s toast
Hong Kong authorities have said they may take legal action against a major bakery chain after a government laboratory confirmed that a foreign object found in its toast was a tooth.
The case surfaced in December when a customer reported finding what appeared to be a decayed tooth inside a “Rich Milk Toast” bought from a Maxim’s Cakes branch in Sai Wan Ho.
The customer described the discovery as “disgusting” in a social media post and said a family member had vomited repeatedly from the…
Hong Kong home prices snap 3-year downturn as rents surge to a new high
Hong Kong’s lived-in home prices ended a three-year downturn with a 3.25 per cent increase in 2025, as the property market gallops into the new year buoyed by expectations of more transactions and further price gains, according to analysts.
Rents climbed to a record high in December, boosting annual gains to 4.26 per cent in 2025 and marking a third consecutive year of increase, according to the Rating and Valuation Department on Wednesday.
“Hong Kong’s residential market strengthened notably…
Ukraine war military casualties ‘near 2 million’ as more crunch talks loom
Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine has caused nearly 2 million military casualties – killed, wounded or missing – between the two countries, according to a new study by a US think tank.
Moscow’s forces have borne the brunt of the losses, suffering as many as 325,000 killed out of an estimated total of 1.2 million casualties since invading Ukraine nearly four years ago, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found.
“No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of…
Workers stage protest to demand wages owed by contractor involved in Tai Po fire
A group of construction workers have staged a demonstration at an upscale residential estate undergoing renovation in Hong Kong to demand that the contractor involved in the deadly Tai Po fire settle their unpaid wages, with two climbing up the erected scaffolding as part of the protest.
About 15 workers on Wednesday held banners and chanted slogans outside Baguio Villa in Pok Fu Lam at around 9am. The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said Prestige Construction &…
Taiwan’s defence ministry slams TPP’s ‘unworkable’ military spending plan
Taiwan’s defence ministry on Tuesday pushed back against an opposition party proposal to cut a planned NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special military budget to NT$400 billion and drop plans for the “T-Dome” layered air defence system.
It said the plan would not only be unworkable but could also undermine the island’s defence readiness in the face of mounting military pressure from Beijing.
The warning came as Taiwan’s legislature remained deadlocked over the special funding bill, which was…
‘Don’t blindly follow’ US changes to infant vaccines, Hong Kong tells parents
Hong Kong health authorities have warned parents not to “blindly follow” overseas changes to childhood immunisation schedules, including the flu and hepatitis B birth dose, after the US scaled back its routine vaccine recommendations for infants.
The Health Department’s Centre for Health Protection issued the warning on Wednesday in response to a controversial overhaul by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Albert Au Ka-wing, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s…
Trump warns Iraq against returning former prime minister to power
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end all US support for Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister with ties to Iran, returns to the post.
Trump, in his latest blatant intervention in another country’s politics, said that Iraq would make a “very bad choice” with Maliki, who has been nominated as prime minister by the largest Shiite bloc.
“Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again,” Trump…
Partnerships, not plants: Chinese companies rethink overseas expansion strategy
As Chinese companies accelerate their overseas expansion, industry leaders are urging a more partnership-driven approach rather than simply building factories abroad – a strategy they say could help ease growing concerns about excess capacity.
As it pushes further into global markets, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will prioritise partnerships over rapid capacity build-outs, vice-chairman Daniel Li Donghui said at the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
“We don’t think it’s the…
Operation Santa Claus: law firm volunteers dig deep with Hong Kong elderly
On a sunny Saturday, 25 employees from the Hong Kong law firm Deacons spent the morning working side by side with 18 elderly volunteers, weeding, tilling the soil, and transplanting seedlings, while sharing laughter and lessons on organic farming and healthy eating.
The event on January 24 took place on the rooftop of Metroplaza in Kwai Fong, at an urban farm run by Farm the City, one of 13 charities selected to receive funding this year from the annual fundraising campaign, Operation Santa…
Malaysian man arrested after illegal sea crossing to see pregnant second wife in Indonesia
A 46-year-old man from Perak in Malaysia sneaked out of the country to visit his pregnant second wife without his first wife’s knowledge.
He landed in hot water when he was arrested while returning from Indonesia via an illegal route. His passport was being held by his first wife.
The man, a lorry driver, who just arrived from Tanjung Balai in Indonesia, told officers he had travelled to Medan to visit his pregnant second wife.
“My second wife was pregnant and in critical condition, which is why…
US congresswoman Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance in town hall attack
A man sprayed an unknown substance on Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar before being tackled to the ground on Tuesday during a town hall she was hosting.
The incident occurred in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement have come to a head after agents fatally shot an intensive care nurse and a mother of three this month.
The audience cheered as the man, who was wearing a black jacket and holding a syringe, was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In…
China has a drug that could help India battle deadly Nipah virus outbreak: study
A Chinese drug could help manage outbreaks of Nipah and prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has no vaccine or cure, researchers said.
The virus has a fatality rate of up to 75 per cent and the most recent outbreak in the Indian state of West Bengal has infected at least five people.
While the virus has no approved treatment, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology have found that VV116 – an oral antiviral drug originally developed to treat Covid-19 – allowed two-thirds of…
Philippines steps up patrols around ‘significant’ gas find amid security concerns
The Philippine military and coastguard have stepped up security around a newly announced natural gas discovery off Palawan, treating the operation as a test case for protecting future offshore energy projects in contested waters, according to officials familiar with the deployment.
The expanded patrols cover Malampaya East-1, a fresh gas and condensate find about 5km from the existing Malampaya gas field, the country’s most important domestic energy source, which supplies fuel to power plants on…
China’s slowing overseas investment reflects caution, not retreat
China’s latest outbound investment numbers look underwhelming at first glance. At the commerce ministry’s recently concluded national conference on outbound investment and foreign aid, officials revealed that outward direct investment grew by just 1.3 per cent in 2025, a sharp slowdown from the double-digit pace seen in 2024 and 2023. On paper, it appeared to confirm a cooling of China’s overseas expansion.
That conclusion misses what is actually changing. The more important story is not the…
China ‘drama queen’ lamb goes viral for pretending to be dead when potential buyers approach
A 10-day-old animal nicknamed the “drama queen lamb” has gone viral online for its hilarious ability to play dead, which has attracted so much attention that someone even offered 130,000 yuan (US$19,000) to buy it.
On January 13, the lamb from Zhongfang Village, Baofeng Town, Pingluo County, Shizuishan in Ningxia, northwestern China, went viral online for its unique ability.
According to the lamb’s owner, farmer Jin Xiaolin, he had taken four lambs to a local market to sell.
Three were sold at…
Hongkongers urged to avoid India’s West Bengal amid outbreak of deadly Nipah virus
Hongkongers should avoid travelling to West Bengal, which is battling an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus, an infectious diseases expert has said, with an Indian community leader in the city predicting a short-term impact on family and business trips.
The community leader also sought to reassure the public, dismissing fears that India’s outbreak would significantly affect Hong Kong in the long term.
“There is a large and thriving Bengali community in Hong Kong. Those who are planning trips…