SCMP News Digest
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Death of Filipino in Russia-Ukraine war sparks fears of forced recruitment
The first documented case of a Filipino man who died fighting alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war has raised concerns in the Philippines over coerced recruitment and sparked calls for compensation from Moscow.
In a report released on Monday, Ukraine’s intelligence operations identified the body of John Patrick, a Filipino national, among Russian troops killed near the village of Novoselivka in the Donetsk region, marking the first such report of its kind.
Kyiv officials said Patrick’s…
Exchange Fund reports record earnings in 2025
The Exchange Fund posted its best-ever annual gain since the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) began releasing the data in 2003, as solid stock market returns boosted the city’s financial war chest used to defend the local currency.
The Exchange Fund’s full-year earnings for 2025 jumped 51 per cent to HK$331 billion (US$42 billion), compared with HK$218.8 billion in 2024, the HKMA said on Wednesday.
The returns surpassed full-year gains of HK$264 billion in 2017.
More to follow …
Hong Kong hit with record cyberattacks in 2025 as AI-linked threats rise
The number of cyberattacks in Hong Kong hit a record high in 2025, with detected system vulnerabilities tripling, prompting experts to warn that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a major risk of further attacks this year.
Edmond Lai Shiao-bun, chief digital officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, warned on Wednesday that AI would pose three of the top five security threats to enterprises this year, urging firms to invest more in cybersecurity defences and staffing.
“It may not be…
On EV targets, Europe should take a page from China’s playbook
In the global shift towards carbon neutral mobility, a striking role reversal is taking shape. China, often seen as a top-down planner, has emerged as a pragmatic, market-responsive architect of new energy vehicle (NEV) policy. Europe, a champion of climate ambition, is seemingly executing a retreat amid a disconnect between ambition and reality.
The planned dilution of the European Union’s ban on new combustion-engine cars by 2035 to a carbon dioxide output reduction target of 90 per cent is…
As US naval strike force sails near Iran, Trump faces ‘no easy levers’ against Tehran
With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week.
While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public.
Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open…
Historic EU-India trade deal to slash auto tariffs, double bloc’s India exports by 2032
After nearly two decades of efforts, the European Union and India have formally concluded negotiations in New Delhi for a free-trade deal, shoring up the 27-member bloc’s ambitions to diversify trade ties while navigating tariff pressure from Washington and a ballooning deficit with Beijing.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday and praised by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as “the mother of all trade deals”, is poised to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 96.6 per cent of the EU’s…
Authorities to seek public views on walkway for New Praya selfie hotspot
Hong Kong authorities will consult the public later this year on building a pedestrian walkway for a waterfront selfie hotspot in Kennedy Town, with the options including small-scale reclamation works.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, speaking at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, said authorities were considering whether they could use “small-scale reclamation” to build a pedestrian walkway or sea wall along New Praya.
“To allow tourists at New Praya, Kennedy Town, to enjoy…
Hong Kong to test firefighting drones in pilot scheme
Hong Kong authorities will launch a pilot scheme to test firefighting drones, with the aim of deploying the equipment in operations once the technology has matured, the security minister has said.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung made the remarks on Wednesday while answering lawmakers’ questions on fire safety in the Legislative Council, following the Tai Po blaze in November, that claimed 168 lives.
Tang said drones in Hong Kong were used only to analyse fire scenes, while mainland…
Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but experts say wider spread unlikely
A small cluster of Nipah virus infections reported in eastern India has sparked regional anxiety because of the disease’s high fatality rate, prompting countries across Asia to tighten health screening ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, even as experts say the outbreak is likely to remain contained.
That assessment follows confirmation by Indian authorities of two Nipah cases in West Bengal, but analysts have said the limited numbers, combined with the time that has passed since the…
Nipah virus alarms China, semiconductor fibre breakthrough: 7 science highlights
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1. China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returns to Earth broken and unbroken
China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returned to Earth with no astronauts inside – just metal, heat and a cracked window – touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia on Monday.
2. Nipah virus outbreak in India sparks worry in China…
Hong Kong’s US$8 billion wealth fund eyes fintech, aerospace and AI for growth
The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) is eyeing investments in fintech, aerospace and artificial intelligence, tapping the city’s strengths and a wave of incoming talent and enterprises as geopolitical shifts create new opportunities, according to its CEO.
The city’s wholly owned investment vehicle, which manages HK$62 billion (US$8 billion) in funds, would look at these new sectors in addition to its other focus areas, “playing to Hong Kong’s advantages in the context of the global…
South Korea’s ex-first lady Kim Keon-hee gets 20 months’ jail for corruption
A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to 20 months in prison for corruption on Wednesday but acquitted her of alleged stock manipulation and other charges.
While the ruling marked the first time that both members of a presidential couple were convicted of crimes in South Korea, analysts described Kim’s lighter punishment as a “courtroom victory” after prosecutors sought a 15-year jail term, a 2 billion won fine and 948 million won in forfeiture for the three core…
China new blind box series features cute muyu-inspired toys to help ‘gain merits’, reduce stress
Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s new blind box series, inspired by the Buddhist ritual instrument called muyu, or “wooden fish,” has become the latest sensation in China following the success of Labubu.
The series, titled Pucky Knock Knock, was launched in January and is priced at 99 yuan (US$14) per piece.
This plush toy keychain series showcases a charming and fluffy character that holds a wooden drumstick.
One can pull out the drumstick to knock on the toy’s head, producing the electronic sound of…
Top Malaysian football officials quit over foreign-born players scandal
The entire executive committee of Malaysia’s football association resigned on Wednesday, the latest blow in a damaging eligibility row over forged documents used to field foreign-born players in Asian Cup qualifiers.
The move follows Fifa’s investigation last year into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) over its inclusion of “heritage players” in the national team – foreign-born athletes accused of falsely claiming Malaysian ancestry.
“The resignations are to safeguard the reputation and…
Malaysians lampoon minister over stress-gay link: ‘they never work hard in parliament?’
A Malaysian minister has become the butt of jokes for claiming that work stress can turn people gay, as continued government intervention of what it describes as sexually deviant behaviour piles pressure on the country’s LGBTQ community.
The enforcement spotlight fell on Malaysia’s sexual minorities two weeks ago after religious authorities and police acted on complaints from a sultan and Islamist politicians that a camping retreat was promoting the LGBTQ lifestyle.
The community came under…
North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s capture
The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong-un feeling he was also vulnerable to “decapitation”, according to a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana.
In a wide-ranging interview, Lee Il-kyu, who served as Pyongyang’s political counsellor in Cuba from 2019 until 2023, said Washington’s lightning extraction in Caracas was a worst-case scenario for his former boss.
“Kim must have felt that a so-called decapitation operation…
Hong Kong authorities consider legal action after tooth found in Maxim’s toast
Hong Kong authorities have said they may take legal action against a major bakery chain after a government laboratory confirmed that a foreign object found in its toast was a tooth.
The case surfaced in December when a customer reported finding what appeared to be a decayed tooth inside a “Rich Milk Toast” bought from a Maxim’s Cakes branch in Sai Wan Ho.
The customer described the discovery as “disgusting” in a social media post and said a family member had vomited repeatedly in shock.
After…
Hong Kong home prices snap 3-year downturn as rents surge to a new high
Hong Kong’s lived-in home prices ended a three-year downturn with a 3.25 per cent increase in 2025, as the property market gallops into the new year buoyed by expectations of more transactions and further price gains, according to analysts.
Rents climbed to a record high in December, boosting annual gains to 4.26 per cent in 2025 and marking a third consecutive year of increase, according to the Rating and Valuation Department on Wednesday.
“Hong Kong’s residential market strengthened notably…
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 &…