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US will end China’s dominance of rare earths, Trump...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

US President Donald Trump’s White House trade adviser predicted American industrial breakthroughs would help boost domestic production and eliminate China’s market dominance of rare earths. “China has been flexing its muscles now in Europe, in India, in the United States saying, basically, we’re gonna do what we want, and if you try to stop us, we’re gonna take away your critical minerals,” Peter Navarro said in an interview on Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show. “Because they have, they

US Senate rebukes Trump on Venezuela with war powers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The US Senate advanced a resolution on Thursday that would limit US President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the western hemisphere. Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled...

Minnesota, US officials clash over investigation into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The investigation into the killing of a US citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this week is being complicated by clashes between federal and local officials, with the FBI taking control over the objections of Governor Tim Walz. State authorities questioned whether a federal probe could be trusted, especially given comments by Trump administration officials that seemed to exonerate the officer. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that after it was invited to participate in

Brazil’s Lula vetoes law reducing Bolsonaro’s 27-year...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last year of coup plotting. Lula vetoed the law adopted by Congress late last year on the third anniversary of major riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital Brasilia over his defeat by Lula in the 2022 elections. In scenes reminiscent of the 2021 US Capitol riots, thousands of demonstrators ransacked government...

Uniform justice? Why the Philippine military expelled...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The Philippine military has opted to keep Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in charge of an army reserve command despite her incendiary public remarks, even as it recently expelled a pro-Duterte lawmaker from the reserve force for politicised conduct.Military officers and defence observers said the contrasting treatment underscores how power, political risk and legal grey zones shape how the Armed Forces of the Philippines disciplines its reservists, as the rift between the president and

Hongkonger, 61, remanded for allegedly posting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

A Hong Kong court has remanded a 61-year-old man in custody after he was charged with allegedly posting seditious content on social media. Retiree Chong Wai-man appeared at West Kowloon Court on Thursday afternoon over one count of intentionally publishing seditious material in breach of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Prosecutors alleged he shared seditious statements and images on Facebook from March 26, 2024 to November 29, 2025. Those materials were allegedly intended to

China launches Woody Island fresh food link as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

China has launched a fresh food supply service for residents of Woody Island, part of the hotly contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A flight carrying fresh fruit, vegetables and meat landed on Woody Island – known as Yongxing Island in Chinese – on Tuesday, according to local state broadcaster Sansha TV. Woody Island is the largest outcrop in the Paracels, which are called the Xisha Islands in China. The island hosts the government of Sansha, which was established to administer...

Klang residents ‘living in fear’ as gang shootings...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

A string of gang-related shootings in Klang has rattled residents who fear venturing out even during daytime, putting rising gun violence and deteriorating public safety in Malaysia’s Selangor state back in the spotlight. On Wednesday, two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead a 43-year-old man in Taman Wangsa, a suburb in the port city near Kuala Lumpur, before fleeing, Selangor Deputy Commissioner Mohd Zaini Abu Hassan said. Police also launched an investigation to hunt a suspect who gunned...

Chinese team unveils world’s most efficient e-waste...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Chinese scientists have unlocked a method to harvest gold from electronic waste at a cost less than a third of the present market price. This gold-mining method can extract precious metals from discarded central processing units (CPUs) in old mobile phones and computers and printed circuit boards (PCBs) removed from home appliances through chemical washing in less than 20 minutes. It achieves over 98.2 per cent gold leaching efficiency from waste CPUs and PCBs at room temperature, along with

China says US trade war, tech curbs have spurred...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

China’s economy has successfully weathered mounting shocks, including US tariffs and technology curbs, and continues to innovate despite a challenging environment, according to the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party. “Practice has fully demonstrated that China’s economic fundamentals are solid and its resilience strong, and that it is fully capable of withstanding rough waters and even stormy waves,” the People’s Daily said in an editorial on Thursday, published at the start of the

Malaysia turns to ‘honest, reliable’ Turkey for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s latest outreach to Turkey indicates a growing urgency among developing nations to close ranks with like-minded partners, experts say, amid uncertainty caused by US tariffs and mounting military aggression. Malaysia and Turkey on Wednesday agreed to elevate diplomatic and economic ties by establishing a High Level Strategic Cooperation Council. Chaired by the leaders of both nations, the council will oversee development across trade and investments in...

Hong Kong ombudsman raises concerns over repeated...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The Office of the Ombudsman has raised concerns over frequent landslides occurring at government man-made slopes in Hong Kong, highlighting that one location had four landslides in different areas within five years. In a direct investigation report released on Thursday, the office reviewed nine serious landslides that occurred since 2008. It found that most slopes with repeated landslides were either not included in a specific monitoring programme or deemed relatively low priority. In one

‘We’re really panicked’: Hong Kong parents lose faith...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Many Hong Kong parents have expressed concern and a loss of confidence in Nestle after the company recalled 21 batches of baby milk formula products over potential contamination, prompting hundreds of consumer inquiries. Some parents on Thursday claimed that their young children fell sick after consuming the affected products, while others called on food safety authorities to also examine Nestle’s other formula batches to ensure they were safe. Some also said they hoped to exchange or get a...

China to probe Meta’s purchase of Manus over export...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

China’s Ministry of Commerce says it will conduct a review and investigation into Meta’s acquisition of Manus regarding export controls and technology exports, confirming an earlier report by the Post. Spokesperson He Yadong said at a briefing on Thursday that the ministry would work with other Chinese regulators to check whether the deal, announced by Meta and Manus a week earlier, was consistent with China’s regulations of export controls, technology imports and exports as well as external...

Women tattoo artists, history behind viral Adidas...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

We have selected five Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Hong Kong’s women tattoo artists who draw on Chinese culture to ink differently These artists channel elements of Chinese painting, calligraphy and Buddhism through their needles in a new form of “poetic expression”. 2. History of Chinese-style ‘frog buttons’, seen on viral Adidas jacket During Shanghai Fashion Week

Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong says US raid in Venezuela...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The United States’ intervention into Venezuela would have worrying long-term consequences to the international system and small countries in particular, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday. Senior Minister Lee, who stepped down as prime minister in May 2024, noted that Singapore had always stated its position unequivocally and voted accordingly on such matters that were contrary to international law and the UN Charter, listing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and

Dose of uncertainty: experts wary of AI health tech...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Health tech gadgets displayed at the annual CES trade show make a lot of promises. A smart scale promoted a healthier lifestyle by scanning your feet to track your heart health, and an egg-shaped hormone tracker uses artificial intelligence to help you figure out the best time to conceive. Technology and health experts, however, question the accuracy of products like these and warn of data privacy issues – especially as the US federal government eases up on regulation. The US Food and Drug...

Drivers show up at Hong Kong licensing offices...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Some applicants for test-free driving licences turned up at a Hong Kong government office on Thursday hoping to secure walk-in appointments, despite transport authorities having suspended the arrangement that had drawn long queues and scalpers. Following the announcement of the policy change, a Post reporter spotted three applicants attempting to book a walk-in appointment at the Transport Department’s licensing office in Admiralty. They said they were either unaware of the changes or simply...

Mother of 3 killed by ICE in Minneapolis was a devout...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

The woman shot and killed by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday was Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who had recently moved to Minnesota. She was a US citizen born in Colorado and appears to never have been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket. In social media accounts, Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom”. She said she was currently “experiencing Minneapolis”, displaying a...

Nearly 94% of Malaysians who renounced citizenship...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/08

Most Malaysians who renounced their citizenship over the past five years went on to become Singaporeans, official data shows, underscoring the city state’s pull amid long-standing brain drain concerns. In the past five years, 61,116 Malaysians gave up their citizenship, Malaysia’s National Registration Department director general Badrul Hisham Alias said, as reported by the New Straits Times newspaper. Of those, nearly all – 57,314 individuals or close to 94 per cent – picked Singapore as

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