SCMP News Digest
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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…
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…