SCMP World·Monday, January 5, 2026

SCMP World - Monday, January 5, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Palestinian embassy in UK officially inaugurated at ceremony in London

The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London in a short ceremony on Monday, hailed by its ambassador as a “profound milestone” in British-Palestinian relations. “We gather today to mark a historic moment – the inauguration of the embassy of the State of Palestine to the United Kingdom, with full diplomatic status and privileges,” said Husam Zomlot in a speech outside what was previously known as the Palestinian Mission to the UK in west London. The official upgrading of the...

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US ouster of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region. The operation, which removed President Nicolas Maduro and placed Venezuela under a US-managed “transition”, marked the most direct American military action in Latin America in...

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Zelensky hires Canada’s ex-deputy PM Chrystia Freeland as Ukraine’s economic adviser

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ‌on Monday he had ‍appointed Canada’s former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as his economic development adviser, ⁠citing her experience in attracting investment. “Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience – both ‍for the sake of Ukraine’s ‍recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, ‌and to reinforce our defence if, because ‍of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to ‌an end,”...

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Pentagon to cut Senator Mark Kelly’s military retirement pay over misconduct, says Hegseth

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday ‌that he will demote Senator Mark Kelly from his rank ‍as a retired Navy captain for “reckless misconduct” after he and other Democratic lawmakers urged troops to refuse any illegal orders. Hegseth said Kelly will see a reduction in retirement pay and ⁠a letter of censure attached to his military record. He could face additional measures in the future depending on his actions, he warned in a post on social media. Although extraordinary, the..

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Where is the January 6 memorial plaque? Missing tribute sparks legal battle

Approaching the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honouring the police who defended democracy that day is nowhere to be found. It’s not on display at the Capitol, as is required by law. Its whereabouts aren’t publicly known, though it’s believed to be in storage. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has yet to formally unveil the plaque. And the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to dismiss a police...

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Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 VP candidate, exits Minnesota governor race as Klobuchar weighs bid

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 candidate for vice-president, is ending his bid for a third term as governor amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on a fraud investigation into child care programmes in the state. Less than four months after announcing his re-election campaign, Walz said on Monday that he could no longer devote the energy necessary to win another term, even as he expressed confidence that he could win. Walz said in a statement on Monday that he “can’t give a

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If the US seizes control of Venezuela’s oil, who wins – and who loses?

After US air strikes hit Caracas on Saturday, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife were detained and transferred to the United States. US President Donald Trump later said his country planned to “run” Venezuela for the time being and take control of its oil reserves. In the wake of the military operation, the Post examines the potential winners and losers in the global oil market. Who are the winners? The US stands to be the biggest beneficiary. One immediate implication could be...

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Venezuela’s Maduro says he is ‘innocent’, declares he is ‘president of my country’

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro told a New York court on Monday he was innocent and an upright person as he and his wife entered pleas of not guilty on charges of narcoterrorism and possession of illegal weapons after being forcibly taken into US custody following a US strike on his Caracas compound 60 hours earlier. During the brief hearing where the charges were read out and pleas entered, Maduro, 63, took notes, asked the judge to allow him to hold on to them and opted not to ask for

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US attack on Venezuela tests moral clarity of the post-war world order

More than 36 years after the United States invaded Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega, Washington has once again launched a military operation to seize the sitting president of a sovereign Latin American country. The move echoes the logic of the Monroe Doctrine revived for the Trump era: enforcing US dominance in the western hemisphere through the use of force rather than law. Beyond its immediate impact on Latin America, the operation has sent a wider signal. It underscores a willingness to bypass

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UK begins ‘world-leading’ junk food ad ban to curb childhood obesity

New regulations come into force on Monday in Britain banning daytime TV and online adverts for so-called junk foods, in what the government calls a “world-leading action” to tackle childhood obesity. The ban – targeting commercials for products high in fat, salt or sugar – is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, according to the health ministry. The restrictions, which cover television advertisements before 9pm and all digital platforms, will cut...

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