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Middle East

US says Gaza entering next phase of ceasefire plan, including disarming Hamas

The US expects Hamas to immediately return the final deceased hostage, Steve Witkoff says.

Palestinians walk through the ruins of destroyed buildings as the sun sets over Gaza City on January 4. Photo: AP

Politics

US halts visas for 75 countries indefinitely; China not on the list

Trump administration pauses immigrant visa processing from January 21, affecting applicants worldwide while exempting key visa categories.

The pause on visa processing will begin on January 21, and will continue indefinitely. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Hong Kong Cantopop singer Raymond Lam cancels 2 concerts in Japan

Lam’s shows scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre have been postponed indefinitely.

Hong Kong actor and singer Raymond Lam will not be performing in Tokyo. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Brazil-China trade hits record US$171 billion in 2025 as US tariffs prompt pivot

The US is a distant second in trade volume with Brazil as Beijing helps soften the impact of Washington’s levies.

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Total trade volume between Brazil and China rose 8.2 per cent year on year in 2025. Photo: AFP

Racing

Lui joins elite group of trainers on 1,000 wins after Dragon’s Valley victory

Veteran becomes sixth handler to reach major milestone after bagging a double at city circuit.

Francis Lui celebrates his January Cup win with Speed Dragon and 1,000th training success in Hong Kong. Photos: Kenneth Chan
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Hong Kong

Gaps laid bare by deadly Hong Kong fire focus of first Legco meeting of new term

City leader John Lee outlines government priorities in wake of November’s blaze, with resettlement of residents and investigations topping list.

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Chief Executive John Lee walks in the Legislative Council chamber as new Legco president Starry Lee looks on. Photo: Eugene Lee

Other Sport

Tiger’s lost tooth, Bode Miller’s one-ski show among tales from Olympic slopes

After being held at past 3 Winter Games at new venues, the Olympics downmhill racing programme return next month to iconic courses.

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Bode Miller of the United States makes a turn on one ski during the Men’s Combined at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Bormio, Italy in February 2005. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

A lack of response from the SCO and Brics could have a negative impact on the groups – but the crisis could also bring them closer.

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US President Donald Trump has threatened “very strong action” if Iranian authorities begin executing anti-government protesters. Photo: AFP

Law and Crime

Hong Kong customs arrests 62, seizes HK$431 million of drugs in joint operation

Large-scale crackdown with cross-border and global agencies busts syndicates smuggling drugs through airport passenger and cargo channels.

Wong Ngar-lun, group head of airport investigation at the Customs and Excise Department, left, and Joanna Mok, divisional commander of Air Cargo 3, reveal the details of the large-scale operation during a press conference. Photo: Jonathan Wong

China Economy

Why mortgage subsidies could be key to getting China’s consumers spending

Beijing is striving to boost household spending amid an economic slowdown. But first it needs to stabilise the housing market, scholars say.

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Cranes tower above an unfinished apartment building in Beijing. Photo: Getty Images
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Banking & Finance

Alibaba, JPMorgan said to back Chinese chip firm’s Hong Kong listing

Montage Technology could raise up to US$900 million in an IPO as soon as this month, sources say.

Bull statues sit in front of screens showing stock prices outside Exchange Square in Hong Kong on August 18, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Policy

Beijing opens antitrust investigation into Trip.com before Lunar New Year break

The Trip.com case shows how China’s regulatory inquiries into various online platforms have become the norm.

Trip.com Group is China’s largest online travel services provider. Photo: Shutterstock

Tennis

Jay Chou out early as amateur stuns stellar field to win ‘One Point Slam’ event

Mandarin pop idol among celebrity wild cards in 48-strong field for Australian Open warm-up event that also starred the top professionals.

Mandarin pop singer-songwriter and actor Jay Chou during the One Point Slam event on Wednesday, ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Photo: AP

Science

Zheng Yu, ‘rising star’ in chemical engineering from MIT, quits US for China

The researcher who specialises in wearable devices has taken up a position at Peking University.

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Zheng Yu was identified as a “rising star” by MIT. Photo: Handout

United States & Canada

Trump says ‘unacceptable’ if US does not control Greenland

Trump’s latest comments come hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance was to host Danish and Greenlandic officials for talks.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One on January 4. Photo: TNS
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Hong Kong Economy

Proportion of young Hongkongers owning subsidised flats halves in 30 years: study

Buying a 500 sq ft private flat now costs the equivalent of 18.4 years of median household income, compared with 5.6 years in 2002, study shows.

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An average household would have to spend nearly half of its monthly income to rent a 400 sq ft flat in Kowloon, the study shows. Photo: Sam Tsang

World Opinion

Opinion | Why Russia is gambling on a protracted war in Ukraine

Despite a stagnating economy and mounting casualties on the battlefield, Moscow believes it can wait out Ukrainian and Western resolve.

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Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at a heavily damaged residential building following Russian drone and missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 9. Photo: AFP

Asia

Video | South Korea and Japan’s leaders jam to K-pop hits

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung and Japan’s Sanae Takaichi played drums while covering two K-pop songs from the boy band BTS and the animated film Kpop Demon Hunters.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pose with autographed drumsticks after playing drums together post their meeting and exchanging them, in Nara, western Japan, January 13, 2026. Yonhap via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.
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Global Economy

Why China may buy Nvidia’s AI chips as US eases curbs – and replace them later

As the US reverses Biden-era restrictions, Beijing likely to take advantage – without compromising own industry, analysts say.

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China’s domestic chip industry has made rapid advances in recent years, but it still lags the US in cutting-edge models. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech War

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

Zhipu said the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US chips. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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Society

Hong Kong officials urge buy-back plan over ‘challenging’ Wang Fuk Court rebuild

Deputy finance chief Michael Wong says legal and ownership issues make rebuilding unfeasible, with buy-back option the fastest, most flexible solution.

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Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun believes a cash buy-back option is the “fastest and most flexible” solution for displaced Wang Fuk Court residents. Photo: Sam Tsang

Southeast Asia

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

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Guards escort accused scam boss Chen Zhi off a China Southern plane in Beijing on January 8, after his extradition from Cambodia. Photo: China’s Ministry of Public Security/AFP

China Business

Huawei reclaims top spot over Apple in China smartphone market

Huawei turns to China-designed processors to complete a rebound from US sanctions and ship nearly 47 million smartphones domestically.

Huawei secured 16.4 per cent of China’s smartphone market against Apple’s 16.2 in 2025, according to the International Data Corporation. Photo: Shutterstock

People

Caucasian ‘sugar daddy’ sextortion scam lands Malaysian in Singapore jail

Rajwant Singh Gill Narajan Singh was sentenced to 12 years in jail for pretending to be a rich white man and coercing women into sex.

People take pictures next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Fashion & Beauty

Wicked stars’ incredible costumes among exhibits at Oscar winner’s new show

Costume designer Paul Tazewell’s Chicago exhibition features his designs for Wicked’s Glinda and Elphaba, Hamilton, West Side Story and more.

Ariana Grande (left) and Cynthia Erivo in a still from Wicked: For Good. Their elaborate costumes were designed by Paul Tazewell, who is holding his first solo exhibition in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: TNS
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Politics

China’s anti-corruption body reveals how ex-banker fell in bribery scandal

Documentary details the downfall of Jiang Chaoliang and his brothers as disciplinary commission holds key session.

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Jiang Chaoliang is among the most prominent figures caught in the Communist Party’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign, which snared a record 65 high-ranking officials last year. Photo: CCTV

Hong Kong Economy

73% of Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area firms ramping up expansion into Asean: survey

Survey by Hong Kong Trade Development Council and United Overseas Bank also shows 98 per cent of companies plan to keep or expand Asean operations.

The Asean flag alongside those of its member countries ahead of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, in January 2025. Photo: Reuters

Football

Indian Super League starts next month – will they be ready for Hong Kong in March?

Football season delayed because league was left without a sponsor as national team gets set to face Hong Kong in ‘dead’ Asian Cup qualifier.

Defeat in Hong Kong spelled the end of Manolo Marquez’s time as head coach of the India team. Photo: Sun Yeung

Business

Li Ka-shing’s CK Infrastructure gets nod to sell UK train leasing firm

Deal to dispose of UK Rails (Eversholt Rail), which was bought in 2015, ‘will generate substantial revenue’, company says.

Eversholt Rail leases passenger trains, as well as freight locomotives, to rail and freight operators. Photo: Handout

Society

Animal welfare groups slam Hong Kong pet shop for offering cat rental service

Pet shop gave clients the chance to rent a cat for a week for HK$800 with a refundable deposit of HK$6,500 before buying.

The pet shop is located in a commercial building in North Point. Photo: Jelly Tse