SCMP News Digest
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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 at Minneapolis town hall
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, was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In video of the incident,…
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…
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…
US Border Patrol shoots and wounds human trafficking suspect in Arizona
A US Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a human trafficking suspect who fired on a federal government helicopter in Arizona on Tuesday and later engaged in a shoot-out with the agent, officials said.
The suspect, a fugitive who had escaped from a halfway house related to a previous smuggling conviction, was in a serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery, the Pima County sheriff and FBI told a news conference.
The incident near the Mexican border occurred amid heightened tensions…
‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight than ever before. Here’s why
The “Doomsday Clock” representing how near humanity is to catastrophe on Tuesday moved closer than ever to midnight as concerns mount 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 President Donald Trump’s second term, in which he has shattered norms – ordering unilateral…
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 reading…