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1. Hong Kong’s sex offence laws are to be overhauled. What needs to be updated?

   Jessie Ho recalls facing traumatic questions in court that focused on tiny details of her sexual assault case four years earlier, from whether the accused had used his left or right hand to why she had not kicked or bitten him to protect herself. As the grilling went on, Ho realised the defence lawyer was trying to portray her as having agreed to the actions of the accused and only later...

2. Why North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is hailing ‘invincible’ Russia ties in new year message

   In his new year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un praised troops fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine, a move observers said pointed to Pyongyang’s intention to sustain and deepen military cooperation with Moscow into 2026. The emphasis on Russia came as Seoul and Beijing confirmed plans for a state visit next week, with analysts noting that North Korean state media played down Chinese...

3. Hong Kong interbank rates forecast to drop on expected US monetary easing in 2026

   The US Federal Reserve under a new chairman in 2026 is expected to press ahead with interest rate cuts of up to 75 basis points, a move that would lower Hong Kong’s interbank-linked loan costs but leave prime lending rates stuck at their historical low, according to analysts. The Fed and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) both reduced their key policy rates by a total of 75 basis points in...

4. Just how close did a PLA drone come to the heart of Taipei during drill?

   An aerial video released by Beijing during this week’s military exercise and featuring the Taipei 101 landmark in Taiwan has ignited a debate on how close PLA drones came to the heart of Taipei. The black-and-white drone footage, released by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command on Monday, shows an ascending passenger plane flying past Taipei 101, the city’s tallest...

5. US urges Beijing to end military pressure against Taiwan, ‘engage in meaningful dialogue’

   The US State Department on Thursday urged Beijing to end intimidating military moves in the area around Taiwan that it said creates needless anxiety and stress. Washington’s New Year’s Day message followed a two-day live-fire exercise that Beijing wrapped up on Tuesday, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, that played out on a more extensive scale than its predecessors. “China’s military activities and...

6. US sanctions Chinese companies and tankers with Venezuela links

   The Trump administration stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Wednesday added four companies with links to Venezuela’s oil industry – Zhejiang-based Corniola and Hong...

7. Saudi Arabia sets executions record in 2025, putting 356 people to death

   Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, setting a record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” launched in recent years – with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and...

8. 41 young men die in South Africa from circumcision procedures

   At least 41 young men died as a result of circumcision procedures as part of traditional initiation activities in South Africa in November and December, authorities said on Tuesday. Traditional initiation is a rite of passage into manhood for young men that is practised annually by various ethnic groups in Africa, including parts of South Africa. Among them are the Xhosa, Ndebele, Sotho and...

9. Ukraine says it faked death of anti-Kremlin Russian fighter Kapustin

   Ukraine staged the death of an anti-Kremlin Russian fighter to prevent his killing ordered by Moscow’s special forces, Ukrainian military intelligence announced on Thursday. Denis Kapustin, leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps that had carried out cross-border raids into Russia during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, was killed on the front line, his group declared on Saturday. But on Thursday...

10. Trump blames bruised hand on aspirin, denies falling asleep in meetings

    US President Donald Trump blamed aspirin for large bruises on his hand and denied falling asleep while attending public meetings in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Thursday. In the interview defending his health, Trump also changed his previous statement about receiving an MRI scan in October, saying it was instead a quicker CAT scan. Trump, who at 79 is the oldest person...