SCMP News Digest
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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…
Why Britain seeks to take its relationship with China to ‘new level’ as Keir Starmer visits
Britain is eyeing greater engagement and closer trade ties with China, seeking to steady a relationship long marked by volatility, its ambassador to Beijing said, ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s highly anticipated visit.
Peter Wilson told reporters on Tuesday that Britain was taking a long-term “strategic approach” to China and that London sought “a relationship that is consistent”.
“We want to build the kind of relationship of mutual respect and trust between our leadership that allows…
China crushes rumours of after-school tutoring comeback with huge fine
China appears to have sent a message to the market with a recent 67 million yuan (US$9.7 million) fine on an unregistered education firm: the government is not planning to reverse its ban on after-school tutoring any time soon.
With Beijing striving to boost consumption and create jobs, there had been growing speculation that authorities might relax their restrictions on private academic tutoring – an industry that had been worth tens of billions of dollars before the 2021 ban.
But that now…
The Japanese public welcomes a Chinese tourist drought … but what about businesses?
China’s instructions to citizens not to visit Japan during the coming Lunar New Year holiday has been welcomed by some Japanese weary of overcrowding at tourist hotspots, while local travel operators say the immediate impact on business is likely to be limited.
Beijing’s advisory, issued on Monday through the Chinese foreign ministry and diplomatic missions, cites security concerns in Japan and a claimed rise in crimes targeting Chinese nationals.
It comes amid heightened diplomatic friction…
New York man who beat 4 to death in Chinatown rampage heard voices telling him to kill
A man on trial for bludgeoning four men to death with a metal bar as they slept on the New York streets had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when he left jail months earlier and was hearing voices telling him he needed to kill 40 people or he would die too, his lawyer told jurors on Tuesday.
Randy Santos, 31, is asserting an insanity defence at his trial in state court in Manhattan. Through his lawyers, he has acknowledged committing the 2019 Chinatown rampage. But, they argue, he is not…
Trump says will ‘de-escalate a little bit’ in Minneapolis, amid outcry over killings
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis, amid a backlash over the killings of two people by federal immigration agents.
“We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” Trump told Fox News after he sent his border tsar Tom Homan to the city and was expected to pull out hardline Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
Trump said Bovino was “very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy”, while saying of his shake-up in Minneapolis: “I don’t think…
In the age of Trump, are ‘safe-haven’ US assets not so safe any more?
For decades, the US dollar has served as the currency of global reserve, the de facto anchor for the vast majority of international exchanges.
Consequently, United States government debt – most commonly in the form of Treasury assets such as bonds, notes and bills – has long been regarded as a safe haven by investors, prized for its unmatched liquidity and deep market penetration.
That faith has remained strong in the past, even amid global financial crises. But the events of recent weeks…
US-China cooperation backed by most Americans, new national survey reveals
Most Americans favour cooperation with China in spite of Washington’s tougher stance on visas, research collaboration and tariffs, according to a new survey by the Committee of 100 (C100) civic group.
The results of the polling, conducted in June 2025 shortly after US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff onslaught and released this month, found relatively broad support for greater cooperation between Washington and Beijing on “diplomatic issues and policies that affect both…
Person critical after being shot in Border Patrol incident in Arizona
The US Border Patrol was involved in a shooting in Arizona on Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement, adding that his office was working with the FBI and Customs and Border Protection to look into the incident.
NBC News earlier reported, citing a Pima County Sheriff spokeswoman, that a person was in critical condition after being shot in an incident involving the Border Patrol.
The circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear and the person who was shot has…
Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight, a year into Trump term
The “Doomsday Clock” representing how near humanity is to catastrophe moved closer than ever to midnight on Tuesday as concerns grow on nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which set up the metaphorical clock at the start of the Cold War, moved its time to 85 seconds to midnight – four seconds closer than a year ago.
The announcement comes a year into US President Donald Trump’s second term in which he has shattered global norms including by…
China’s CMOC makes US$1 billion Brazil gold push as bullion jumps on rising global risks
One of China’s largest mining companies has taken control of three gold mines in Brazil in a deal worth about US$1 billion, as gold prices hit historic highs amid rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty in the United States and a global flight to safe assets.
CMOC said on Tuesday it assumed operational control on January 23 after Brazilian regulators approved the transfer of the Aurizona mine in Maranhao, the Riacho dos Machados mine in Minas Gerais and the Complexo Bahia, which includes…
Carney rolls eyes at US Treasury chief, says he told Trump he meant what he said at Davos
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that he told US President Donald Trump that he meant what he said in his speech at Davos, and told him Canada plans to diversify away from the United States with a dozen new trade deals.
Carney rolled his eyes and rejected US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s contention to Fox News that he aggressively walked back his comments at the World Economic Forum during a phone call with Trump on Monday.
“To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the…
TikTok cites technical glitch as California probes alleged Trump-critical censorship
TikTok said on Tuesday that technical issues caused posting problems after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a probe into the company for allegedly censoring content critical of US President Donald Trump. This came days after the short video app operator closed a deal with the Trump administration to avoid a US ban.
Newsom said on Monday via social media that he was launching a review into whether TikTok violated state law, citing another user’s post showing that a message read…
North Korea fires ballistic missiles as US signals defence shift
North Korea fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles off its east coast days after the US released a new defence strategy signalling a reduction in American military support to deter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
Multiple ballistic missiles were launched on Tuesday from north of Pyongyang towards waters off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Japan’s coastguard said an object suspected of being a ballistic missile likely already fell into the sea.
“Our military is…
Composite tool find puts China at centre of tech revolution up to 160,000 years ago: paper
China may have led a Stone Age technological race as early as 160,000 years ago, by crafting sophisticated stone tools for cutting, piercing and sawing, according to a new study.
An international team of scientists said the discovery of hafted tools – the earliest evidence for composite tools in eastern Asia – had reshaped the understanding of human evolution in the region.
They said the find showed that hominins in China were much more inventive and adaptable than previously thought,…
Donald Trump carries out only 1 in 4 tariff threats, ‘Taco’ study says
In less than three weeks, US President Donald Trump has issued four sweeping tariff threats that, in normal times, would rattle investors, unnerve CEOs and send economists rushing to revise their growth forecasts for the targeted countries.
Instead, financial markets and C-suite executives have mostly shrugged off Trump’s latest warnings involving Iran’s trading partners, Greenland’s supporters, Canada and South Korea, seeing them as merely words intended to gain leverage or change behaviour –…
Hong Kong drivers warned to look out for sham compensation claims
Hong Kong police and insurers have warned motorists to be alert to road scammers seeking unusually high and belated compensation claims stemming from minor or non‑existent traffic accidents, with officers reviewing 30 such cases.
Superintendent Charles Fung Pui‑kei of the commercial crime bureau warned on Tuesday that the police force had recently received reports of drivers facing sudden massive civil claims, well after officers closed a traffic case. Some incidents involved a tiny bump or even…
Hong Kong Lunar New Year parade to feature Labubu, wishing tree on floats
Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year parade next month is expected to attract 100,000 people, with global toy sensation Labubu and the city’s storied wishing tree being featured on floats in the procession.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board, which organises the event, said that eight “distinctive” floats would be displayed at Kai Tak Sports Park one day after the event – the first time for such an arrangement.
The event will be held in Tsim Sha Tsui on the evening of February 17, the first day of Lunar New…
Hong Kong eyes bigger marathon with egg waffles and milk tea to cheer runners
Hong Kong authorities have signalled openness to expanding the city’s annual marathon, suggesting future routes could bring runners closer to the public, allowing residents to cheer them on with “egg waffles and milk tea” along the way.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui told lawmakers that the government maintained a “positive and open” attitude towards expanding the capacity of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon or even turning it into a two-day event, an…
Judge orders ICE chief Todd Lyons to Minnesota court over Trump’s immigration crackdown
The chief federal judge in Minnesota says the Trump administration has failed to comply with orders to hold hearings for detained immigrants and ordered the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear before him on Friday to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt.
In an order dated Monday, Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, must appear personally in court. Schlitz took the administration to task over its handling of bond hearings for…