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World leaders show caution on Trump’s broader ‘Board...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.Only ‍Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats. “We have, of...

Yemen’s leaders meet in Saudi Arabia after defeat of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Yemeni politicians met on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s capital in their first public gathering since a southern separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates was disbanded following weeks of clashes. The meeting in Riyadh discussed the future of southern Yemen ahead of a Saudi-sponsored conference, the dates of which have not yet been announced. The separatist demands in southern Yemen are one element in a complex civil war that has gripped the country since 2014, when Houthi rebels backed

Iran protests: 5,000 dead as judiciary hint at...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

At least 5,000 people have been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, an ‍Iranian official in the region said on Sunday, citing verified figures and accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of killing “innocent Iranians”. The nationwide protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and grew over two weeks into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule – resulting in the deadliest unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution. US President...

Hong Kong rolling out tender platform upgraded after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Hong Kong will launch an enhanced government-backed tendering platform for private building maintenance projects in the second half of the year to curb bid-rigging while tightening scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their leaders. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media that authorities aimed to launch the upgraded “Smart Tender” platform in the second half of the year. She added that under the new system, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct strict...

Why China may need to take the nuclear option for its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has significant design flaws that future carriers can overcome only by adopting nuclear power, according to a military magazine. The Fujian is the country’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier and was commissioned in November. With a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes, it is the world’s largest conventional warship and the first non-American ship to be equipped with advanced electromagnetic catapults. However, the most advanced US ships –

Syrian government forces take Al-Omar oilfield as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oilfield, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east. The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority across Syria after the ousting of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The Kurds’ de facto autonomous...

Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be “unacceptable” if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and

‘If you don’t die, it’s an adventure’: Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

A Hong Kong travel blogger whose brief disappearance during a solo trip to protest-hit Iran has triggered a heated online debate over the safety of women travelling alone to politically volatile nations. More female solo travellers took to the internet on Sunday to share their experiences and feelings on visiting Iran for leisure, as the country became embroiled in social unrest and was isolated from the rest of the world. Hong Kong authorities on Saturday night confirmed the missing blogger...

Australia faces record guns as Bondi massacre prompts...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 ‌million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, ‍a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre. There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with ⁠1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data. The Labour government on...

How China is stepping up Africa charm offensive to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

China is rolling out hundreds of activities across Africa, including study trips and AI competitions, as part of what experts have described as a “soft power” charm offensive designed to deepen its influence across the continent. In moving beyond its traditional focus on infrastructure and high-level finance, Beijing is expanding its engagement through the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges – an initiative dedicated to cultural and social diplomacy. Announced by Chinese

Are Western defence firms aiming at the Chinese navy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Two Western defence companies appear to have Chinese warships in their sights, with promotional videos of their weapons systems targeting vessels that look a lot like those belonging to the PLA Navy. London-based BAE Systems posted videos on social media on Wednesday for “game-changing naval weapons and launching systems” it said it was showcasing at a US defence industry conference last week. One animated video simulated a naval base under attack. The base then launches missiles from

Hong Kong police arrest 2, record 220 offences in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Hong Kong police arrested two drivers and found that motorists had committed about 220 traffic violations in a two-day crackdown on illegal vehicle modifications, speeding and other offences. Police said on Sunday the arrests were made during the force’s two-day operation called ‘Fossington’ over the weekend, targeting traffic violations across New Territories locations such as Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tolo Highway, Tai Mei Tuk, Luk Keng Road and Bride’s Pool Road. At around 9am on Sunday,

Europe’s far-right eyes run-off in Portugal’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

A record 11 candidates are standing in Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, with a populist party leader poised to bring another political breakthrough for Europe’s far-right. The large field makes it unlikely that any candidate will capture more than 50 per cent of the vote for a first-round win. That would leave the two top candidates to compete in a run-off ballot next month. Almost 11 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with most results expected late in the day.

Could China’s ion implanter ‘scalpel’ carve out...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Chinese nuclear scientists have developed a world-class “microscopic scalpel” essential to various forms of chipmaking, potentially unblocking a bottleneck in the country’s efforts to fortify key supply chains. The China Institute of Atomic Energy said on Saturday that it had developed the nation’s first high-energy hydrogen ion implanter called the POWER-750H, saying it performed on a par with advanced international standards. Ion implanters are a critical part of some forms of semiconductor...

China Manchu ethnic group childbirth tradition hangs...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

China’s Manchu people have quirky child-rearing traditions known as Luocao and Caisheng which include hanging a wooden bow outside the front door when a boy is born, or a red cloth strip for a girl. The Manchu ethnic group, historically known for founding the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), now lives across various regions of China. According to the China Statistical Yearbook 2021, their population exceeds 10 million. In Manchu tradition, the birth of a baby is referred to as luocao, which

Indonesia finds 1 body, wreckage from missing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Indonesian authorities said on Sunday they had located the wreckage of a fisheries surveillance plane that went missing in South Sulawesi province on the slope of a fog-covered mountain, and had recovered the body of one of the 10 people on board. The ATR 42-500 turboprop owned by aviation group Indonesia Air Transport lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday at about 1.30pm local time around the Maros ⁠region in South Sulawesi. There were seven crew members and three passengers on...

Paralysed Hong Kong dancer Mo Li set to undergo...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

A Hong Kong dancer paralysed from the neck down in an accident during a concert by popular local boy band Mirror is set to undergo a more intense rehabilitation programme, his father has revealed, calling for more financial support. Mo Li Ka-yin, 31, would embark on a three-year rehabilitation journey powered by advanced technologies, including regenerative medicine and an implantable microstimulator, his father, Reverend Derek Li Shing-lam, revealed in a prayer letter. “It is a thorny path

Hong Kong driver avoids injury after drone crashes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Hong Kong police are investigating after a drone fell out of the sky and damaged a car in Jordan. The force said it received a report from the owner of the Tesla at around 11.52am on Sunday. The driver said he was waiting at traffic lights along Cox’s Road in Jordan when the drone suddenly struck the roof of his car. The drone, measuring around 20cm (8 inches) wide, shattered the car’s glass roof and windscreen before bouncing onto the road. No one was injured in the incident, and officers

US’ Venezuela raid shows geopolitics is now a contest...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

The latest developments in Venezuela are interpreted as part of a broader US strategy to secure access to major oil resources. They are much more than that: the US raid signals a transformation in the global economy wherein a country’s power is increasingly determined not by its political actions, but by its capacity to embed resource wealth within a self-sustaining production system. These deeper processes did not begin today, but rather around 2008-2009 when, according to an integrated...

Hong Kong hiker, 63, dies after collapsing on Robin’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

A 63-year-old Hong Kong man has died after collapsing during a hike on Robin’s Nest Country Trail near the border with mainland China. Police received a call at 12.42pm on Sunday from a female hiker who said her male friend had collapsed and lost consciousness. He was hiking with two men and two women at Robin’s Nest Country Park in Sha Tau Kok, bordering the mainland city of Shenzhen. The unconscious man was transported by helicopter to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan

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