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News - South China Morning Post

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In the age of Trump, are ‘safe-haven’ US assets not...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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

‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight than ever...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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 came a year into US President Donald Trump’s second term, in which he has shattered norms - ordering...

China’s CMOC makes US$1 billion Brazil gold push as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/27

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

Hong Kong travel agency backs out of Taiwan trip over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

A Hong Kong travel agency has withdrawn from its role in a trip to Taiwan that centred on a private screening of a movie banned in the city on national security grounds.Jetport Travel on Saturday also distanced itself from promotion of the tour, which was organised by e-commerce platform As One and advertised as a HK$7,199 (US$923) four-trip to the self-ruled island departing late February that included private screenings of Hong Kong director Kiwi Chow Kwun-wai’s films Deadline and A Foggy...

Spanish police free 15 Chinese women forced into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Spanish police on Saturday said they had freed 15 Chinese women forced into prostitution in “conditions of slavery” in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands, and arrested 14 people. The network profited not only from sexual exploitation but also from selling stimulants and drugs to clients. “The victims were kept in conditions of slavery; they had to be available at all times,” the national police said. Some of the women were already on the Spanish mainland or “had travelled...

What about Taiwan? Why US foreign policy is now all...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

In the US State Department’s catalogue of priorities for the next five years, Taiwan rates exactly zero mentions. The department’s Agency Strategic Plan does list peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific as a goal but its top focus after national security is the western hemisphere. The plan sets out the direction of US foreign policy and foreign assistance between 2026 and 2030 and in doing so, sidesteps the island entirely. It is a contrast to the White House’s National Security Strategy

61 die in Afghanistan, 110 injured, amid heavy snow,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Heavy snowfall and rain in Afghanistan have killed at least 61 people and injured 110 others, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. Spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Hammad said 458 houses had been completely or partially destroyed over the past three days of severe weather, affecting at least 360 families. Losses of livestock were also reported. Hammad said the figures were preliminary, adding that assessment teams were continuing surveys in affected regions

No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Online retailers and a Hong Kong pharmacy are offering slimming injections without prescriptions despite local authorities requiring a doctor’s approval before purchase, a Post investigation has found, with an expert warning it could lead to misuse. Weight-loss injections, which have been approved by Hong Kong authorities for use, have become increasingly popular around the world and work by targeting hormones, reducing appetite and slowing down food digestion. In Hong Kong, such products are...

Millions in US brace for ‘dangerous Arctic blast’

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Snow fell over parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on Friday in ‌a frosty prelude to a monster winter storm expected to converge with bitter Arctic cold and engulf much of the United States over the weekend from the Rockies to ‍the Eastern Seaboard. Forecasts called for heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, accompanied by dangerously frigid temperatures, to sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation, threatening to upend travel and spawn widespread power outages. At least 14 states and the...

China cancels rocket launches after failures – but...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

China has cancelled almost all of its rocket launches at the country’s busiest space port after two failures at other sites and signs of a long-awaited lift-off for a lunar supercarrier. The Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported on Friday that nearly all the rocket launches scheduled next month for the Wenchang space centre in the southern province of Hainan had been cancelled. “Only the test flight for a new type of rocket on February 11 [remains],” the Changsha-based newspaper quoted a space

Finland’s leader set for 4-day China visit as Europe...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Finland’s prime minister begins a four-day visit to China on Sunday, heading a large business delegation on a trip designed to forge closer ties with Beijing amid pressure from coercive US policies. According to analysts, Petteri Orpo’s trip also highlights Beijing’s efforts to strengthen ties with individual European Union member states as a way to soften broader EU scrutiny over claims that China’s overcapacity is driving a huge trade imbalance. Observers expect cooperation to largely focus

Blackpink fever hits Hong Kong as Rosé delights in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Fans flocked to catch the final leg of Blackpink’s world tour in Hong Kong, with shops reporting an around 30 per cent boost in business from concertgoers. Kai Tak Sports Park turned into a pink-dotted sea of fans on Saturday, as attendees in matching outfits or waving the band’s signature light sticks filled the venue and nearby shopping centres. “It feels more familiar watching [Blackpink] at home. The atmosphere here is great,” 29-year-old Matt Chan said. Saturday’s show marked the first

Iran will treat attack as ‘all-out war’, says...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against ‌us”, a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of ‍the arrival of a US military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days. “This military build-up – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we

Woman, 73, charged with murdering husband in Tsim Sha...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

An elderly woman has been charged with murder two days after she and her husband were found unconscious in a hotel room in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, with the man sustaining a potentially fatal stab wound to the neck. “Police today laid a holding charge against a 73-year-old woman with one count of murder,” the force said on Saturday. The woman was arrested on Thursday in connection with a murder and attempted suicide case that occurred on the same day. A police spokesman said the case would

Hong Kong ‘pivotal’ to rebuilding Canada-China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Deans from several of Canada’s top engineering programmes are exploring new academic exchange opportunities in Hong Kong, as relations between Ottawa and Beijing warm, with a forum organiser highlighting the city’s “pivotal role” in rebuilding ties. Speaking at the Canadian Engineering Asia-Pacific Conference, academics expressed hope that their students could learn from mainland China’s “impressive” development while also highlighting opportunities arising from major national projects in

Why Thailand, a US treaty ally, is stocking up on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

Thailand, a US treaty ally, has been adding to its arsenal of Chinese-made weapons with deals for ships, tanks and other high-value hardware. Analysts put the trend down to pragmatic considerations. The Royal Thai Army has finalised a deal to buy an additional batch of Chinese-made VN-1 armoured vehicles for 1 billion baht (US$32 million). This is expected to add around 20 new units to its existing fleet of more than 100 VN-1s, according to local media reports. The contract was signed on

Why old China custom requires brides to bring...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/24

An old Han Chinese wedding custom mandates that the bride brings her own “toilet,” typically filled with red eggs, red dates, and peanuts, which symbolise fertility and abundant blessings. Traditionally linked to filth and unpleasant odours, the chamber pot may seem an unlikely addition to a bride’s dowry. Nevertheless, in many regions of China, particularly rural areas, it was once deemed a standard and essential item for a bride to carry to her new home. Beyond its practical function as a...

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