SCMP News Digest
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
K-drama star Cha Eun-woo faces scrutiny, life expectancy in Okinawa: 7 Asia highlights
We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Malaysian badminton player threatened with knife attack online over performance
2. K-drama star Cha Eun-woo’s ad campaigns pulled amid tax scrutiny in South Korea
3. Malaysia’s expat salary rules dubbed ‘ridiculous’, stoking talent drain fears
4. Groomed at 15:…
‘Very deep poverty’ in Britain hits worst level in 30 years, report says
Poverty in Britain has deepened, according to a report released on Tuesday, with approximately 6.8 million people now living in “very deep poverty”, the highest level in three decades.
“Very deep poverty” refers to households with an after-housing-costs income below 40 per cent of the UK median, amounting to around £16,400 (US$22,446.68) a year for a couple with two young children.
The report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), which conducts research aimed at solving poverty in Britain,…
Keir Starmer’s China trip to test Labour’s push for ‘reset’ in bilateral ties
In an era of ruptured global order, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s much-anticipated visit to China, scheduled for later this week, marks the culmination of London’s “re-engagement” strategy with Beijing, prioritising trade and growth amid escalating geopolitical risks, according to observers.
Beijing said on Friday that Starmer would visit from January 29 to 31. A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the dates on Monday, telling reporters “he will depart for his travel to China and Japan on…
How a Japan doctor’s 40-year reunion ended in ruin and US$4 million lawsuit
It all began with a phone call out of the blue to a doctor running a cosmetic surgery clinic in Tokyo’s swanky Ginza district in the winter of 2014.
“Do you remember me? I’d love to get together after all these years,” the man on the line told the doctor who had been his childhood friend in grade school.
They had not seen or spoken to each other since they sang together in their local choir some 40 years earlier. Feeling a tug of nostalgia, the doctor agreed to meet.
Ten years after their…
China’s Anta snags Puma from France’s Pinault family in US$1.8 billion deal
Anta Sports, China’s largest sportswear firm, is acquiring 29 per cent of German brand Puma from Groupe Artemis of the Pinault family, one of France’s wealthiest, for €1.5 billion (US$1.8 billion).
The Fujian-headquartered group said on Tuesday the deal would “accelerate” its multi-brand globalisation strategy, adding it had no plans to pursue a full takeover or make an offer for Puma Hong Kong. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“This acquisition makes Anta Sports the…
Hong Kong police probe pond cleaning operation that killed more than 100 fish
Hong Kong police have launched an investigation into animal cruelty after more than 100 fish, including large koi, died while a pond was being cleaned at a public housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.
The incident occurred on Monday morning when a cleaning contractor removed the fish to facilitate maintenance, but allegedly failed to provide a temporary space with adequate aeration, according to the animal rights group Hong Kong Pigeon and Dove Rescue.
“Someone has called for help. A cleaning company…
ICE thaw? White House softens tone on crackdown after Minneapolis killings fury
US President Donald Trump sent his top border enforcer to Minneapolis on Monday and struck a conciliatory note in a bid to tamp down nationwide outrage over the second killing of a US citizen protesting militarised immigration raids this month.
The White House was scrambling as video of the latest shooting went viral, prompting street protests, criticism from former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and, increasingly, from within Trump’s Republican Party.
Trump said Tom Homan, his point…
Steadfast state support is key to China winning tech race with US
In the science and tech race, China is steadily advancing while America is retreating. That’s the conclusion of multiple Western studies. US President Donald Trump’s own policies have greatly contributed to this trajectory.
Several salient features in this race for supremacy have been identified: China’s highly focused state support of science and tech, America’s federal defunding of them, and a nation of engineers and science graduates versus a nation of lawyers.
“China is an engineering state…
Nipah virus outbreak in India sparks worry in China before Lunar New Year
An outbreak of the highly fatal Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal has sparked widespread attention and public concern in China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday when millions will travel.
While the virus has infected at least five people in West Bengal, including one in critical condition, Chinese health experts say it is difficult to transmit and less likely to cause an outbreak in China.
With a fatality rate of up to 75 per cent and no effective treatment or vaccines…
Why Hong Kong is turning to Shanghai to build a gold hub
Hong Kong has struck a deal with the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) to deepen cross-border connectivity in bullion trading, as the city steps up efforts to build a broader gold ecosystem spanning trading, clearing and storage.
The agreement comes as gold prices hit a record high of US$5,110 per ounce on Tuesday morning, buoyed by geopolitical tensions and growing expectations of lower US interest rates, which have revived demand for the precious metal as a safe-haven asset.
A government official…
Chinese boy at Islamic preschool in Malaysia wins hearts, stokes debate
A Chinese mother enrolling her toddler in an Islamic preschool, a move that remains uncommon in Malaysia, has sparked widespread attention and debate on social media.
Chan Zhu Er, 31, said she enrolled her three-year-old son, Low Zi Kang, at a Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam in Chaah, Johor, when she returned to her hometown in November to attend to personal matters.
“I brought my son along while my husband remained in Perak, so I needed temporary childcare support while I handled my commitments,” Chan…
Singapore aims to be a ‘City in Nature’, but can residents and wildlife coexist in harmony?
At Seah Im Food Centre in southern Singapore, Nur’Ain Zainuddin is constantly on the lookout. Other than serving customers, the owner of hawker chain Aspirasi Chicken Rice has to make sure no uninvited visitors enter the stall.
“The birds like to pick up leftovers on tables and at the tray returning station, and even enter our stall sometimes. It’s concerning because we don’t know if they carry any viruses,” Nur’Ain said.
This concern is not hers alone. Singapore received more than 24,000…
Hong Kong minister Erick Tsang resigns, reveals prostate cancer battle
Erick Tsang Kwok-wai has resigned as Hong Kong’s secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, saying he is suffering from prostate cancer and cannot cope with the heavy workload.
State news agency Xinhua first reported the State Council’s decision to remove Tsang from his post on Tuesday morning, ending days of speculation over the 62-year-old’s departure from the cabinet.
Meeting the press later with Tsang, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he had decided to recommend the personnel…
US looking inward under Trump made development space for China, expert says
China should build on its “most important” strategic assets of domestic stability and progress to navigate US President Donald Trump’s shattering of global norms, a Washington watcher at a Chinese think tank says.
Ni Feng, a researcher and former director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies, said the Trump administration’s “disruptive” overhaul of US diplomacy was sending the international system into a “more volatile and uncertain” phase.
This could leave…
China public donate US$2.3 million within days to hospital for cleft lip kids after urgent appeal
More than 300,000 internet users have donated about 20 million yuan (US$2.3 million) to a struggling Beijing-based charity hospital which treats children with cleft lips.
The Beijing Smile Angel Children’s Hospital, in the Chinese capital’s Chaoyang District, is a comprehensive paediatric centre.
It focuses on providing treatment for children born with a cleft lip or palate.
Since it opened in May 2012, it has carried out 16,000 free operations on children with these congenital defects.
Many of…
Xpeng targets overseas sales surge in 2026 as China EV battle goes global
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng is aiming to double its overseas sales in 2026, as it battles domestic rivals such as BYD and Leapmotor for a bigger slice of the global market.
The Guangzhou-based company expects to deliver more than 90,000 vehicles to customers outside mainland China this year – about 15 per cent of its targeted annual output – as it accelerates its international expansion amid intensifying competition at home, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Part…
Blackpink lifts mainland Chinese arrivals in Hong Kong to January weekend record
Mainland Chinese tourists coming to Hong Kong on Saturday and Sunday made it a record-breaking weekend for this month, driven by K-pop girl group Blackpink’s shows, while the figure was just 2 per cent below New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day footfall.
Hotel and retail industry leaders said on Monday the three-day concert series had attracted crowds of local and mainland “Blinks” – the nickname for Blackpink fans – to Kai Tak.
They urged authorities to explore more celebrity tie-ups to promote…
25 years on, fears of alcohol-linked accidents in Japan linger despite rail safety upgrades
Twenty-five years after the deaths of two rescuers trying to help a drunk passenger at a Tokyo station shocked Japan and spurred safety upgrades, platform doors and other safeguards have reduced alcohol-linked accidents in the capital, but experts say the problem is far from eliminated.
“The situation has improved and many stations now have automatic barriers on their platforms to stop people falling onto the tracks,” said Masaki Maezono, a social worker specialising in alcoholism at Kurihama…
China’s manufacturing powerhouse cuts 2026 GDP growth target after missing mark
China’s premier manufacturing hub is recalibrating its economic ambitions, with policymakers in the industrial heartland of Guangdong setting a cautious growth target for 2026, signalling a strategic shift amid intensifying external pressures and internal regional imbalances.
The southern province, bordering Hong Kong, expects its gross domestic product to grow between 4.5 and 5 per cent this year, its governor, Meng Fanli, said on Monday while delivering the annual government work report at the…
Trump raises tariffs on South Korea to 25% as country ‘is not living up’ to trade deal
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would raise tariffs on imports from South Korea, accusing the country of “not living up to its deal” with the US. Tariffs had declined to 15 per cent but, assuming his threat is carried out, will jump back to 25 per cent.
“Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS,” he wrote on social…