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1. Argentina repays US emergency loan, boosting Trump’s economic strategy in Latin America

   US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Friday that Argentina has fully repaid an emergency currency loan that generated “tens of millions” in profit for American taxpayers while stabilising a key regional ally. In a social media post, Bessent praised Argentinian President Javier Milei’s economic reforms and said the successful intervention demonstrated that US President Donald Trump’s...

2. Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

   In 2025, even as US President Donald Trump sought to stabilise trade ties with Beijing, two Republican-led states were moving in the opposite direction, securing nearly US$50 billion in federal lawsuits for what they say was economic damage caused by China’s deliberate stripping of US hospitals and businesses of essential Covid-19 supplies. Using a new reading of the “commercial activity”...

3. Hourly services at first automated Hong Kong public car park partially resume

   Hourly services at Hong Kong’s first automated public car park have partially resumed following a suspension of operations for an urgent system update just two days after its debut. In a reply to the Post, the Architectural Services Department said on Friday that hourly parking services for larger vehicles had resumed at noon, while those for private cars would begin again shortly. The...

4. Trump ‘cancelled’ second attacks on Venezuela after prisoner release, eyes oil investments

   US President Donald Trump said on Friday he called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the government, whose leftist president was removed by Washington, began releasing prisoners. Trump made the comments as he prepared to meet major oil corporations that he said will invest at least US$100 billion in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves. Trump was implicitly making...

5. El Nino could cost Hong Kong US$300 billion and shorten life expectancy: study

   Extreme weather brought about by the El Nino phenomenon could cost Hong Kong as much as US$300 billion over the 21st century, according to a joint study by local and Singapore universities. The study also painted a bleak picture for public health, finding that Hongkongers born during the two strong El Nino events in 1982-83 and 1997-98 could have their life expectancy reduced by five to seven...

6. US job growth slows amid AI boom and tariff caution, Fed likely to hold rates steady

   US job growth slowed more than expected in December amid business caution about hiring because of import tariffs and rising artificial intelligence ‌investment, but the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4 per cent, supporting expectations the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged ‍this month. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000 jobs last month after rising by a downwardly revised...

7. The great chip leap: China’s semiconductor equipment self-reliance surges past targets

   China’s drive for chip manufacturing equipment self-sufficiency advanced so rapidly in 2025 that even the country’s planners were caught by surprise, as the ratio of domestically developed semiconductor equipment surged to 35 per cent by the year’s end, up from 25 per cent in 2024. The ratio was higher than Beijing’s target of 30 per cent, set in early 2025 to encourage China’s semiconductor...

8. US House lawmakers abandon bid to bring back controversial China Initiative

   Following months of opposition from the Asian-American community, US House lawmakers on Thursday removed a provision from a bill aimed at restarting the China Initiative, a programme that unfairly targeted Chinese-American researchers. Last September, the proposal to “direct the re-establishment of the China Initiative” was included as a measure to “counter China and maintain America’s...

9. EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

   A majority of European Union countries gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign the Mercosur free trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay after decades of negotiations. At a meeting of representatives from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, a sufficient number of participants agreed to the planned signing of the deal, diplomatic sources said. The new free-trade zone, with...

10. Hong Kong students lauded for using AI to help elderly fulfil travel dreams

    A group of Hong Kong students has created an award-winning initiative that uses artificial intelligence to help elderly couples fulfil their travel dreams, with the city leader’s wife highlighting the technology’s role in volunteer services. Janet Lee Lam Lai-sim, the spouse of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, lauded the achievement at the Hong Kong Volunteer Award’s presentation ceremony on...