SCMP News Digest
Daily News • Thursday, 5 February 2026
Greece arrests soldier suspected of leaking ‘secret’ information to China
Greek defence authorities have arrested a member of the Greek defence forces accused of leaking “secret information” to “third parties”, the Greek National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) said on Thursday.
Two months ago, Greece’s intelligence service received a tip-off from a Western national security agency that “highly sensitive” information was leaked to China by a member of the country’s military, sources close to the investigation added.
The man, a member of the Greek Air Force in the…
Space-computing push of Elon Musk’s SpaceX shines beam on China’s solar supply chain
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been sounding out multiple Chinese solar suppliers in recent weeks, industry insiders and companies confirmed, as the world’s richest man advances his vision for space-based data centres powered by constant solar energy – drawing fresh attention to China’s solar supply chain.
The discussions, which have not yet resulted in confirmed orders, triggered a rally in shares of several solar-related companies earlier this week, before sentiment cooled on Thursday.
Analysts and…
Arizona sheriff says Nancy Guthrie presumed to ‘still be out there’ alive
Investigators in Arizona presume the missing elderly mother of popular US television news host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there” alive four days after she was abducted from her home but no suspect has been identified, authorities said on Thursday.
Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials said they have intensified their search for Nancy Guthrie, 84, and called in special forensic units, as a Thursday evening deadline set in a purported ransom note delivered to media…
After Davos, the search begins for what comes after the post-Cold War order
Europe’s political and business elite arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year with nerves already frayed after a bruising first year of US President Donald Trump’s second term. That period was defined by the imposition of a protectionist tariff strategy to gain economic and geopolitical leverage, an often combative approach to the war in Ukraine and renewed doubts over Nato security guarantees.
In the run-up to Davos, the White House threatened eight European countries – including…
Pizza Hut to close 250 US restaurants as parent company considers selling brand
Pizza Hut plans to close 250 US restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain.
Yum! Brands said on Wednesday it is targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the US.
The Louisville, Kentucky-based company said in November it was conducting a formal review of options for Pizza Hut, which has struggled with outdated restaurants and growing competition.
The chain’s US same-store sales, or…
Remaining 89 kidnapped Nigerian Christians released from captivity
The last 89 Christians held captive since criminal gangs attacked three churches in northern Nigeria in mid-January were released on Thursday, according to local officials and an Agence France-Presse journalist.
The worshippers, dressed in yellow, arrived on a bus escorted by security forces and were received by the governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, who said 183 people were initially abducted.
They were snatched from three churches during Sunday services on January 18 in the latest in a wave…
China could challenge US digital asset lead via Hong Kong, American Treasury chief warns
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he “would not be surprised” if China is already looking into ways to challenge the US’ pre-eminence in digital assets, given Hong Kong’s efforts to develop the industry.
When testifying before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, Bessent said that there are “lots of rumours of Chinese digital assets” possibly being backed by something other than its currency yuan, such as gold, but that the US could not confirm such claims.
“We don’t know that for…
Trump to unveil ‘TrumpRX’ website for people to buy discounted prescription drugs
US President Donald Trump plans to unveil a website on Thursday allowing people to directly buy prescription drugs, part of his push to address Americans’ concerns about affordability.
The president is scheduled to host a 7pm event to launch the site – branded as TrumpRx – at the White House alongside Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and government design chief Joe Gebbia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media.
The website is…
China achieves tamper-proof quantum communication over 100km with single atoms
Chinese researchers have pushed the frontiers of quantum encryption, demonstrating a powerful new way to send secure information over more than 100km (62 miles) of optical fibre – without having to trust the equipment being used.
A team led by Pan Jianwei at the University of Science and Technology of China used a pair of individual rubidium atoms, trapped in laser beams at two separate network nodes, as the foundation for their system, according to a paper published in Science this week.
The…
Trump announces White House visit by Japanese PM Takaichi on March 19
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, praising the Asian country’s first female leader ahead of weekend snap elections she is expected to win.
Takaichi “has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country”, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social as he announced her visit next month.
The United States and Japan have been working to strike a “very substantial” deal on…
Russian captain jailed for 6 years for death of crew member in North Sea tanker crash
A Russian captain was on Thursday jailed for six years over the death of a crew member lost at sea when his cargo ship hit an anchored oil tanker in the North Sea.
Vladimir Motin, 59, had been on sole watch duty when his ship, the Solong, crashed into the Stena Immaculate anchored just off the coast of Yorkshire, northeastern England, last March.
The collision triggered a huge fire and a major rescue operation.
Motin was an “accident waiting to happen”, judge Andrew Baker said as he sentenced…
18 dead, 8 injured in explosion at illegal India coal mine, police say
At least 18 people died on Thursday after an explosion ripped through an illegal coal mine in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, officials said.
“During the course of the rescue operation, a total of 18 dead bodies have been recovered from the site of the explosion,” local police said in a statement.
Eight other people were injured, said Manish Kumar, top official in East Jaintia Hills district where the explosion happened.
Rescuers were digging through the rubble at the site to find…
2 Chinese nationals suspected of spying from French Airbnb placed under investigation
Two Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from a base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed under formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Police were first alerted last week when locals noticed that a roughly two-metre (6.6-foot) wide satellite dish being installed at the property in Gironde, which coincided with an internet outage, the office said.
The two Chinese nationals, and two…
A prestigious Central address edged by green
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The Mid-Levels occupies a distinctive position on Hong Kong Island. Set immediately above Central, the enviable location allows residents to live at the heart of Asia’s financial centre while retaining daily access to established green space – a combination that has long been regarded as a privilege.
For many newcomers to Hong Kong, expatriates and internationally mobile professionals alike, residence in this part of…
Panama’s ‘dangerous precedent’: why global ports appear pawns as politics beat contracts
Panama’s decision to invalidate port contracts with a Hong Kong-based conglomerate is sending shock waves through global port investment, analysts warn, creating a destabilising precedent amid rising geopolitical fragmentation.
Tensions are escalating in the Central American nation following a top court’s ruling that voided CK Hutchison Holdings’ port concession – a long-term agreement granting rights to operate a port – from the 1990s as “unconstitutional”.
The local port authority later said…
‘Drastic increase’ in food poisoning cases in Hong Kong linked to raw oysters
Hong Kong’s health authorities have warned of a recent “drastic increase” in norovirus-related food poisoning incidents that are all related to raw oyster consumption, with 20 of them being recorded over the past 2½ weeks.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Thursday that it had received 23 reports of food poisoning, involving 69 patients, since January 18.
Among them, 20 cases affecting 57 people were related to norovirus, which typically causes food poisoning and acute…
What Xi’s calls with Trump and Putin reveal about China’s balancing act
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unprecedented back-to-back conversations with his US and Russian counterparts have shed new light on how the three powers are positioning themselves.
The Chinese leader’s separate talks on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin also reveal their attempts to stabilise ties as they prepare for in-person summits and grapple with mounting headwinds at home.
However, analysts expressed mixed views on whether – and how – China could…
Japan’s consulate in Hong Kong marks emperor’s birthday, but city officials absent
Japan’s representative to Hong Kong has said his consulate is making “steady progress” in improving ties with the city, while noting the absence of top local officials at a celebration of the emperor’s birthday amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.
Jun Miura, the country’s consul general to the city, on Thursday expressed his thanks for the friendship between Japan and Hong Kong at an event marking the 66th birthday of Emperor Naruhito.
“While we do not have a guest of honour per se, I…
Bitcoin drops, driving US$2 trillion slide in crypto market value
Bitcoin plunged on Thursday, its decline accelerating amid weakening risk sentiment driven in part by volatility in precious metals and a broad sell-off in tech shares.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to a low of US$66,675.12, its weakest since October 2024, a month before Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election, having signalled his intention to support cryptocurrency on the campaign trail. It was last down 6.5 per cent at US$67,817.
In total, the global digital market…
Indonesian village at risk of being swallowed by 100-metre-deep sinkhole
A 100-metre-deep sinkhole has slowly swallowed part of a village in northwestern Indonesia. Local farmers are struggling to expand their farmland to escape the advancing crater.
Staff from the state electricity company fear the sinkhole will reach a high-voltage transmission tower. Authorities say the affected area has expanded from about 27,000 square metres to 30,000 square metres (291,000 to 323,000 square feet).