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Middle East

Yemen’s leaders meet in Saudi Arabia after defeat of UAE-backed group

Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of smuggling an opposing leader to Abu Dhabi through Somalia, after the Saudi-backed government charged him with treason.

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman al-Mahrami along with other members from Yemen stand for Yemen’s national anthem during the Southern Consultative Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Other Sport

Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi wins India Open badminton event marred by ‘dirty’ conditions

South Korea’s world No 1 An Se-young wins women’s title but players slam ‘unhygienic’ playing conditions, ‘extreme’ air pollution.

Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in Sunday’s men’s singles final of the India Open in New Delhi. Photo: AP

Middle East

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

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, ‘We will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished’.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing a meeting with the people in Tehran on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Tennis

Australian Open: no Venus fairy tale as Alcaraz, Sabalenka win opening matches

Hong Kong Open champion Alexander Bublik also advances, as does Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan, though compatriot Zhang Zhizhen is out.

Venus Williams of the US waves as she leaves the court after her first-round loss to Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. Photo: Reuters

Society

Hong Kong’s URA will boost scrutiny of company heads in enhanced tender platform

Under new system, Urban Renewal Authority will conduct strict scrutiny of directors of contractors and consultants.

The use of substandard, non-fire-retardant scaffold nets and flammable foam boards to seal windows were suspected of contributing to the rapid spread of the Wang Fuk Court fire. Photo: Eugene Lee
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Military

Why China may need to take the nuclear option for its next carrier

Military magazine pinpoints design flaws in the Fujian carrier that significantly reduce its launch efficiency.

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The Fujian, China’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier, is the world’s largest conventionally powered warship. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion

Taiwan has just sold out TSMC and half its chips industry to the US

The so-called silicon shield is bust as there will not be much left of the island to defend after the forced relocation of a significant chunk of industrial base under new tariff deal.

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People walk beside a logo outside the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) Museum of Innovation at its headquarters in Hsinchu on November 21, 2024. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Syrian government forces take Al-Omar oilfield as Kurds withdraw

Al-Omar was home to the largest US base in Syria. It had been controlled by Kurdish-led forces since 2017 after Islamic State group was pushed out.

People destroy a statue representing the PKK and Kurdish service against the Islamic State group, in Raqa after its capture by the Syrian army, on Sunday. Photo: dpa

Outdoor

Hong Kong Marathon organisers to look into turning event into 2-day affair

Huge number of applications is an issue that needs to be addressed, they say, but so is disruption to the city caused by just one race day.

Almost all of the 74,000 runners who were awarded a place in the race, out of 120,000 applicants, turned up, organisers said. Photo: Karma Lo

World Opinion

Opinion | Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond the Arctic

Greenland is a test case for how alliances handle sovereignty and trust amid great power rivalry, with important consequences for Asia.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
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Society

Hong Kong blogger’s Iran trip sparks debate about solo travel safety

Online community split over whether women travelling alone to ‘dangerous’ nations is reckless or eye-opening.

Protesters gather in solidarity with Iran’s government. Photo: Reuters

Australasia

Australia faces record guns as Bondi massacre prompts reform

There were more than 4 million guns in Australia in 2025, more than at the time of a 1996 shooting that killed 35 and prompted a gun buy-back scheme.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, on December 19. Photo: EPA-EFE

Diplomacy

How China is ramping up Africa charm offensive to boost cultural ties, influence

Beijing dedicates 2026 to ‘cultural and social diplomacy’ across the continent, with 600 activities aimed at fostering strong friendships.

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A volunteer grinds coffee beans with children at a China-Africa economic and trade cooperation promotion park, in China’s Hunan province last August. Photo: Xinhua

Racing

Lui bags brilliant hat-trick as Browne McMonagle breaks through at Sha Tin

Veteran trainer caps red-letter week with three-timer, while young Irish star snares his first Hong Kong success.

Trainer Francis Lui (second from left), jockey Vincent Ho and connections of Amazing Partners celebrate his Sha Tin victory. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Military

Are Western defence firms aiming at the Chinese navy in their promo videos?

Vessels that look a lot like PLA warships appear in animation of BAE and Lockheed weapons systems.

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Lockheed Martin’s animated video promotes its “long range anti-ship missile”. Illustration: Handout
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Hong Kong

Gallery | In pictures: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2026

Runners in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2026 pass through Mong Kok along Nathan Road. Photo: Karma Lo

Entertainment

‘First Asian woman in hip hop’ went from misfit to managing Wu-Tang members

Sophia Chang moved to New York at 21 and worked with some of the 1990s’ biggest rappers. Now 60, the Korean-Canadian’s aim is to stay strong.

Sophia Chang with RZA (left) and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, in 2019. After growing up “a yellow girl in a white world”, the Korean-Canadian moved from suburban Vancouver to New York, where she would come to manage hip-hop artists from A Tribe Called Quest to D’Angelo. Photo: Sophia Chang

Racing

Patch Of Cosmo and Akashvani shine at Sha Tin ahead of Classic Mile

The pair is set to compete in the first leg of the Classic Series on February 1 after their striking wins on Sunday.

Patch Of Cosmo shines at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Racing

Future is bright for Richards as Cool Boy and City Gold Banner give him double

The New Zealand handler snapped a cold streak with a brilliant brace with two smart-looking youngsters.

Jamie Richards celebrates a double at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 2, record 220 offences in illegal road racing crackdown

Officers intercepted 50 vehicles on suspicion of illegal modification during two-day operation ‘Fossington’.

Operation ‘Fossington’ targeted traffic violations across New Territories locations. Photo: Handout
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HK Sevens

Hong Kong’s sevens pain as World Rugby meddling plunges beaten city team into void

Head coach Jevon Groves’ side have semi-final victory snatched from grasp by Canada, who join Belgium in HSBC SVNS 2.

Max Denmark, here in action during the victory over Tonga on Saturday, scored Hong Kong’s first try against Canada. Photo: World Rugby

Europe

Europe’s far-right eyes run-off in Portugal’s presidential election

A record 11 candidates are standing in the election, while a housing crisis and cost of living fears overtake anti-immigrant sentiment.

Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes of the current president’s Social Democratic Party dons boxing gloves during a visit to a nursing home on the campaign trail in Cascais, on January 9. Photo: EPA-EFE

Science

Could China’s ion implanter ‘scalpel’ carve out secure chip supply chains?

The technology is central to some forms of semiconductor manufacturing and dominated by overseas players.

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The China Institute of Atomic Energy says it has developed the nation’s first high-energy hydrogen ion implanter called the POWER-750H. Photo: Handout

Celebrities

Meet Spencer House, who plays tortured soul Mike Wrigley in Tell Me Lies

The Texas native was in Space Force, starring Steve Carell, and Netflix’s The Society, with this his biggest role to date – but is he really dating his co-star?

Spencer House plays Mike Wrigley in Hulu’s psychological relationship thriller Tell Me Lies. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Leisure

Explainer | What is mystery shopping, made popular by Labubu?

The Pop Mart craze is spreading to other retailers like Le Creuset and E.L.F. Beauty as ‘blind shopping’ takes off around the world.

When you buy a Labubu you do not know which one you will get, which has helped propel the toy to global domination. Photo: EPA
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Gender & Diversity

Explainer | China Manchu ethnic group birth ritual uses bow and arrow for boys, red strip for girls

Birthing rituals which ban expectant mothers from sitting on stoves, attending other people’s weddings, persist in some regions today.

We explain China’s Manchu ethnic group’s tradition of hanging a wooden bow and arrow to signify a boy’s birth and a red cloth strip for a girl’s. Photo: Sohu

Food & Drink

He wasn’t allowed to grill for years. That’s how he mastered yakitori

The chef behind Tokyo’s Torishiki brings his gospel of succulent skewers, steady discipline and generous mentorship to Torikaze in Hong Kong.

Chef Yoshiteru Ikegawa uses Kishu binchotan, a revered type of charcoal from Wakayama prefecture. Photo: courtesy Torikaze

Hong Kong

Hong Kong pair hope half-marathon finishes can give Asian Games dreams a boost

Gi Ka-man and Crystal Vut both finish on the podium, and in the twilight of their careers are chasing one last hurrah in Japan this September.

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China’s Chen Yufan wins the men’s half-marathon. Photo: Dickson Lee

Southeast Asia

Indonesia finds 1 body, wreckage from missing surveillance plane

There were seven crew members and three passengers on the plane chartered to conduct air surveillance on fisheries.

Members of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), look out from a helicopter on Saturday, after a passenger aircraft lost contact while approaching a mountainous region between Java and Sulawesi islands. Photo: AP

Society

Paralysed Hong Kong dancer Mo Li set to undergo ‘intense’ cutting-edge treatment

Dancer paralysed in accident during Mirror concert in 2022 will embark on a three-year advanced tech rehabilitation programme, father says.

Mo Li was left paralysed from the neck down by the accident in July 2022. Photo: Handout