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Zelensky proposes appointing First Deputy PM Fedorov...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Ukrainian President ‌Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday proposed appointing ‍First Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s new defence minister, praising his abilities in developing ⁠the drones and digitalisation needed for the country’s defence. Fedorov also served as minister of digital transformation and his appointment must be approved by parliament. He is to replace Denys Shmyhal. “Mykhailo is deeply engaged in the ‘drone line’ initiative and ‌works very effectively on the...

China’s biopharma sector ‘in prime position to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

China’s biopharmaceutical sector is said to have entered an “innovation 2.0” phase as it moves to a commercialisation mindset that could see it sideline global competitors and outpace the US – despite restrictive trade policies. In recent years, innovative drug development in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market has rapidly approached – and in some cases surpassed – that of the United States, the world’s biggest market. Growing concerns over China’s biotech capabilities have led

Can Europe survive its crippling paralysis?

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

By any measure, 2025 will be remembered as a tipping point. Violent armed conflict escalated in many areas, notably Ukraine, Israel-Gaza-Iran-Lebanon, Pakistan-India, Thailand-Cambodia, Venezuela, Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar. It was also among the three hottest years on record and one of the most expensive for natural disaster costs. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s tariff wars inflicted trade uncertainty and strategically shifted global supply chains. Technology witnessed massive leaps

Owner of Swiss bar where New Year fire killed 40...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

The owner of the bar in a Swiss ski resort town ravaged by a deadly fire during New Year’s Eve celebrations insisted to Swiss media on Friday that safety norms had been followed. Jacques Moretti, a Frenchman who manages the Le Constellation bar with his wife Jessica, told the Tribune de Geneve daily that the establishment had faced “three inspections in 10 years”. “Everything was done according to the regulations,” he said. The question of whether safety standards were respected has raged

2 dead as 6.5-magnitude quake shakes Mexico City and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

A strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico on Friday, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the new year as seismic alarms sounded. At least two people died. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and its epicentre was near the town of San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero near the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, according to Mexico’s national seismological agency. There were more than 500 aftershocks. The state’s civil defence agency reported...

Trump to meet US’ China envoy after call with Japan...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

US President Donald Trump is meeting US Ambassador to China David Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday, rounding off a day of diplomacy that began with a call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The engagements come at a delicate moment for the administration as it seeks to align its “America first” regional approach amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan, and following Washington’s recent approval of its largest-ever arms sale to the...

Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Gaza’s Rafah...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza, where she spoke to members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers ferrying humanitarian aid, Agence France-Presse journalists said. Accompanied by an American delegation and greeted by former and current officials, Jolie said she was “honoured” to meet aid volunteers at the crossing. A Red Crescent volunteer told the Oscar winner that “there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting” at the border...

FBI says it disrupted potential New Year’s Eve attack...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

The FBI said on Friday it had disrupted a plot to attack a North Carolina supermarket and fast-food restaurant on New Year’s Eve, arresting a man who officials said was inspired by Islamic State and had pledged loyalty to the extremist militants. Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint ‍Hill, North Carolina, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terror organisation after officials say he communicated his attack plans to an undercover FBI (Federal bureau of

Driver in fatal Anthony Joshua car crash charged with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

The driver of a car carrying British boxer Anthony Joshua that was involved in a fatal crash in Nigeria has been charged with reckless and dangerous driving, police in Nigeria’s southwestern Ogun state said on Friday. Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was driving the boxer and two of his friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in southwest Nigeria when the Lexus SUV in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck on Monday. Kayode is expected

Champagne sparklers blamed for Swiss bar fire that...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Investigators said on Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year’s Eve revellers. Authorities planned to look into whether the material on the ceiling that was designed to muffle sound conformed with regulations. The candles, which give off a stream of upwards-shooting sparks, were the same type that is commonly available for parties, officials said. Forty...

43 measures for Hong Kong’s CLP to improve power...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Hong Kong’s biggest electricity company, CLP Power, has been urged to implement 43 measures to improve the stability of its supply, including enhancing lightning protection systems, after a series of failures.The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department released a review report on CLP on Friday, following an independent consultant’s analysis – under the supervision of experts – of power supply interruptions and voltage dips between 2021 and mid-2024. CLP, which supplies electricity to...

Jose-Antonio Maurellet set to return as Hong Kong Bar...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Jose-Antonio Maurellet is set to serve for another term as chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, with the current vice-chairpersons also to return. Senior Counsel Maurellet on Friday confirmed a circular stating that he had been nominated as chairman for the 2026-27 term. Martin Hui Siu-ting and Eva Sit Yat-wah, both senior counsel, would continue to serve as vice-chairpersons for the coming term, he added. But the association is set for a shift in administrative roles after Martin Wong...

US poet laureate Arthur Sze on slowing down to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

When Arthur Sze translates classical Tang dynasty poetry into English, he writes Chinese characters by hand, slowing himself to the pace of brush strokes and gaps. This deliberate resistance to speed is central to the craft of the US’ 25th poet laureate, and reflective of his belief that poetry must be treated with care if it is to cross borders with depth intact. Sze only translates poems he loves; by his count, he’s done just 75 translations over a five-decade-long career. “I don’t work on...

China’s BYD dethrones Tesla as world’s top EV maker...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker (EV) on Friday to China’s BYD, as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row. Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9 per cent from a year earlier. By contrast, BYD is now the world’s largest EV maker, having sold 2.26 million vehicles last year – a 27.9 per cent increase. For the fourth quarter, Tesla sales...

2 cats found at Tai Po inferno site a month after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

At least two pet cats have been found alive at the Wang Fuk Court fire site in Tai Po about a month after the inferno, according to an animal protection group, which called the discovery a “miracle” and expressed hope of finding more. The non-profit body, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), revealed on Friday that it had trapped a cat a day before and reunited it with the owner. It was the second cat found in the week following Christmas Day, the group said. In an earlier...

Chinese public warms to US while strongly backing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

The Chinese public’s favourability towards the United States saw a “notable” rebound in 2025 to reach a three-year high, according to a new study by Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS). The annual Chinese Outlook on International Security survey, released on Wednesday, also found that the share of respondents holding a positive view of Sino-US relations increased by a “substantial” margin over the last year. Despite this warming sentiment, domestic

Hong Kong’s John Lee has sciatica. Here’s what you...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu is suffering from a bout of sciatica, a common degenerative condition that mostly affects middle-aged people who might be unaware of its seriousness at first, until the pain worsens and affects their mobility. The Chief Executive’s Office revealed that Lee had sciatica after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for lawmakers on Thursday, and a walking cane was spotted nearby. His condition raised awareness of the at-times excruciating ailment, which is caused

7 dead as Saudi jets strike UAE-backed separatists in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Seven separatist fighters died in air strikes on Friday as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen hit back against a sweeping advance by the UAE-backed Southern Transition Council (STC) that threatens to spiral into a major confrontation. The deaths are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s government-run territories, but the STC’s offensive has...

As the US struggles with affordability, consumer...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

One of the most resonant words in the United States today is “affordability”. From rent and utilities to groceries and medical bills, prices seem to keep climbing. The term has helped Democrats win a string of local elections. It has also become a favourite target of US President Donald Trump. At a rally in Pennsylvania last month, the US president dismissed talk of affordability as a Democratic “hoax”. That stance came months after Trump revived the threat of sweeping tariffs, declared...

China’s top contract chipmakers pursue acquisitions...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/02

Hua Hong Semiconductor, China’s No 2 contract chipmaker, on Wednesday announced the acquisition of its sister foundry in Shanghai, days after market leader Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) said it would take full control of a subsidiary. Those big-ticket transactions – 8.27 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) for Hua Hong and 40.6 billion yuan for SMIC – signalled a fresh round of consolidation in the country’s semiconductor industry, as Beijing’s tech self-sufficiency drive...

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