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1. Chinese journalist Liu Hu detained in Sichuan after report scrutinising local officials

   A veteran Chinese investigative journalist has been detained by police in Sichuan province after publishing an article critical of local officials, raising fresh concerns about the abuse of power. On Monday evening, police in Jinjiang district in the southwestern city of Chengdu issued a notice on social media stating that a person surnamed Liu, 50, and a person surnamed Wu, 34, had been...

2. Hong Kong’s retail sales edge up 1% in 2025 after 7.3% decline in 2024

   Hong Kong’s retail sales rose 1 per cent last year after recording a 6.6 per cent year‑on‑year increase in December, with authorities saying that improving consumer sentiment and growth in visitor arrivals would continue to support the sector. Figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday estimated that the value of December’s retail sales reached HK$35 billion (US$4.48...

3. 85% of insurance claims related to Tai Po fire settled, totalling HK$510 million

   Around 85 per cent of insurance claims for damages caused by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have been settled, with the amount paid out totalling almost HK$510 million (US$65.3 million). The city’s Insurance Authority said on Tuesday that insurers had settled 1,032 claims related to the Tai Po fire that broke out last November, accounting for around 85 per cent of such claims. “The...

4. China grows nuclear arsenal as last US-Russia limits expire

   The last treaty limiting nuclear weapons deployments by the US and Russia expires on Thursday, ending more than 50 years of restraints on the world’s two biggest nuclear powers. Russia has offered a one-year extension to New START, which was originally signed in 2010 by then-presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. No “substantive reaction” has been received from the US, Medvedev, now deputy...

5. China’s financial powerhouse Shanghai aims for 5% growth, ‘global influence’

   China’s economic locomotive Shanghai is aiming for a growth rate of around 5 per cent this year, after gradually rebounding since 2023 and reaching a better-than-expected 5.4 per cent growth last year. The megacity, whose economic size is comparable to that of Belgium with last year’s GDP totalling 5.67 trillion yuan (US$816.2 billion), is upgrading its role as a global financial, trade and...

6. In Malaysia, 3 children, teen among charred remains found in burnt house; 2 face murder charges

   Two men are set to be charged with murder in Malaysia following the discovery of the charred skeletal remains of six people – including three young children – in a remote, abandoned house in Johor state. Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad confirmed on Tuesday that the grisly findings were made on January 9 in Kangkar Pulai. The remains were discovered by a 48-year-old local man who had been...

7. China’s finance sector rocked by another sudden death amid overwork fears

   The sudden death of a top fund manager in Shanghai – the latest in a string of similar cases – has raised alarm in China’s financial sector, as worries grow over the health risks posed by the industry’s intense work culture. Shen Xianbing, a founding partner of the private fund Qilin Investment, died on Monday at the age of 40, the company announced the same day, without explaining the cause of...

8. China’s real constraint is where to direct limited fiscal resources

   I pay far less attention to China’s growth numbers today. What matters more is where fiscal capacity is flowing. China has entered a phase where population ageing, security needs and industrial upgrading all draw on the same budget. This shift follows a structural adjustment in property. Income from land sales – once a pillar of local government finance – has fallen sharply and is unlikely to...

9. Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s ‘ruin you’ scam threat

   A social media warning to transnational scam networks by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ignited backlash from Cambodians accusing him of tarnishing their country’s image, prompting the post’s deletion amid diplomatic clarifications. On Friday, Lee shared a report by Korean outlet OhMyNews stating that Chinese organised crime groups in Cambodia were shunning Korean recruits for fear of...

10. Data leaks jump 21% in Hong Kong, doxxing cases hit record low

    Data leakage cases recorded by Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog increased 21 per cent last year, with hacking being the primary cause. But the number of doxxing cases had dropped significantly since legislation criminalising the act was passed in 2021, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Tuesday. Chung’s office received 246 data breach notices in 2025, a 21 per cent...