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International Bar Association president Claudio Visco. Photo: Edmond So

International Bar Association ‘will speak out’ if US sanctions Hong Kong judges

Chairman Claudio Visco says IBA has consistently spoken out against violations of international law and Hong Kong will not be excluded from monitoring efforts.

Train derails near Barcelona, killing driver, just days after deadly Spain crash

Canada PM’s blunt message to Davos: the rules-based order is dead

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Science

The West cheered China’s coal-fired export ban. Then came the massive blackouts

Did Beijing’s decision to stop financing overseas coal plants after pressure from US and Europe lead to mass – yet avoidable – power cuts?

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Europe

Scientists plan deep-sea expedition to probe ‘dark oxygen’

The existence of a previously unknown source of oxygen would call into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on Earth.

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Europe

Spain’s royals visit deadly train crash site as country mourns

The toll in the nation’s deadliest rail accident in over a decade has risen to 42, after another body was found in the wreckage.

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Middle East

Syria gives Kurds 4 days to accept integration, as US signals end of support

The government announced a new truce after seizing swathes of territory from the Syrian Democratic Forces.

SDF fighters walk near an armoured vehicle in Hasakah, Syria, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
SDF fighters walk near an armoured vehicle in Hasakah, Syria, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Europe

Greenland PM warns islanders to prepare for possible US invasion

The government is forming a task force and working on guidelines for the population, amid Trump’s threats to take over the territory.

Diplomacy

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

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United States & Canada

Canada models response to US invasion as Trump posts ‘takeover’ map: report

As Trump hints at making Canada the ‘51st state’, a report reveals a theoretical defence strategy to resist US forces if necessary.

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Canadian soldiers and Afghan National Army members take positions during a joint operation to seek out Taliban fighters in Kandahar province in 2006. Photo: AP

Transport

Hong Kong motor trade sees red over tightened vehicle inspection rules

New rules impose much stricter requirements for private cars and light goods vehicles over six years old that fail mandatory annual inspections.

Any vehicle found with one of 13 major defects will now be classified as “dangerous”, resulting in the immediate suspension of its licence. Photo: Dickson Lee
Any vehicle found with one of 13 major defects will now be classified as “dangerous”, resulting in the immediate suspension of its licence. Photo: Dickson Lee

China

EU moves to force Huawei out of networks, opening door to wider China tech bans

European Commission plan would make vendor removals mandatory within three years and allow broader curbs if China is deemed a cyber risk.

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Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 2 women as child abuse allegation goes viral online

Father makes social media post accusing helper of causing son’s brain haemorrhage day after two women arrested by police.

United States & Canada

Bessent cites trade progress after meeting China’s He Lifeng in Davos

US Treasury chief says rare earths are flowing and China is buying soybeans as talks move towards an April Trump-Xi meeting.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

China sends emergency food aid to Cuba as US sanctions worsen shortages

First batch of rice arrives in Cuba under new Chinese programme while the island reels from abrupt halt in Venezuelan oil shipments.

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Workers in Havana, Cuba stack donated rice that arrived from China on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Workers in Havana, Cuba stack donated rice that arrived from China on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

China Economy

China’s zero-tariff gambit: why Beijing is slashing duties as Trump raises them

China’s average effective tariff rate estimated to be as low as 1.3 per cent in 2025, helping it secure raw materials and build soft power.

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Society

Elderly Hongkongers facing eviction over subdivided flat revamp fear losing jobs

Residents of Sham Shui Po’s Yee Wa Building previously told they needed to leave sometime between March and December.

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Banking & Finance

Xi’s appointments underscore his policy priorities as economy slows

China’s government promoted Yi Huiman, the chairman of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), to head of the securities regulator to help steer the stock market toward an avenue for fundraising.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, visits a farm in Jiansanjiang in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on September 25, 2018. Xi was on an inspection tour of the region as China has slapped tariffs on US agricultural imports and looked to increase farming self-sufficiency amid a growing trade war with the United States. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, visits a farm in Jiansanjiang in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on September 25, 2018. Xi was on an inspection tour of the region as China has slapped tariffs on US agricultural imports and looked to increase farming self-sufficiency amid a growing trade war with the United States. Photo: Xinhua

Companies

Son of Hong Kong's ‘Superman’ tycoon reinvests in home town

Analysts say Victor Li, who has been frustrated by his attempts to acquire overseas assets because of protectionism, trade disputes and rising interest rates, has once again started looking at Hong Kong’s property market for reasonable returns on its investments.

Companies

Sun Hung Kai pays US$1.43 billion for fourth Kai Tak runway plot

Companies

China pharma has a bitter pill to swallow: R&D

Beijing wants cheaper, better drugs. That’s pressuring drug makers to innovate as generics become more competitive.

Beijing has moved to cut prices of drugs and improve their efficacy and safety. Here a woman works at the pharmacy of a state-owned hospital in a town in Hebei province, China, in this photo taken in 2008.
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OPINION
Alex Lo

As I see it | How Donald Trump could break up Canada

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Wang Huiyao

Opinion | As China and Canada reset ties, they must strike while the iron is hot

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Roberto Bocca

Opinion | Clean energy works at scale. Now it must be coordinated

Roberto Bocca
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MULTIMEDIA
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Malaysia’s king vows to ‘hunt for the corrupt’

February 25, 2024, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 25/02/2024.- A handout photo made available by Malaysia’s Department of Information shows Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar (C) inspecting the guard of honor during the opening of the third session of the 15th Parliament at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 26 February 2024. ‘The success or failure of this country doesn’t solely rest on the shoulders of the Prime Minister but on all 222 Members of Parliament entrusted by the people as their government representatives,’ Sultan Ibrahim said. (Malasia) (Credit Image: © Information Department Of Malays/Handout via ZUMA Press Wire)
Video

Man disqualified from HK marathon for running with baby

Man running marathon with baby
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Video

How might China address its historic low birth rate?

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Video

Knife-wielding man fatally shot by Hong Kong police

Knife-wielding man fatally shot by Hong Kong police
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