SCMP World·Monday, January 12, 2026

SCMP World - Monday, January 12, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

With domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In the days since Washington’s ousting and abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro – an event that sent shock waves through global markets – some...

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US Senator Mark Kelly sues Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth over demotion threats

US Senator Mark Kelly sued Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, saying Pentagon ‌proceedings to demote the Arizona Democrat from his retired Navy captain ‍rank violated Kelly’s free speech rights because he urged troops to reject unlawful orders. Kelly, also a former astronaut, said in his lawsuit in federal court in ⁠Washington that the Defence Department’s actions were retaliatory and violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection of free speech. The lawsuit asked the court to.

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Why timing may be right for China to press North Korea on denuclearisation

The Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have significantly altered northeast Asia’s geopolitical landscape. North Korea’s defence treaty with Russia and leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to deploy troops to support Moscow have shattered any remaining illusions of strategic restraint. While Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with finance and technology, Japan and South Korea are accelerating military spending and preparing for long-term confrontation, potentially –...

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Mattel adds an autistic Barbie to doll line devoted to showcasing diversity and inclusion

Mattel is introducing an autistic Barbie on Monday as the newest member of its line intended to celebrate diversity, joining a collection that already includes Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, a Barbie and a Ken with vitiligo, and other models the toymaker added to make its fashion dolls more inclusive. Mattel said it developed the autistic doll over more than 18 months in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a charity that advocates for the rights and better media...

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Trump to meet Venezuela opposition leader Machado at White House on Thursday

US President Donald Trump will host Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado on Thursday at the White House, a senior administration official told Agence France-Presse. Machado has so far been sidelined by Washington after US forces seized former president Nicolas Maduro on January 3, with Trump’s administration claiming it would be “running” Venezuela. Hours after deposing Maduro, Trump said Machado lacked the “respect” necessary to run the country, even.

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2 supertankers sailing to pick up Venezuelan oil for China make U-turn, ship data shows

Two China-flagged supertankers that were ‌sailing to Venezuela to pick up debt-paying crude cargoes ‍amid the US oil embargo on the Opec country have made U-turns and are now heading back to Asia, LSEG shipping data showed on Monday. Following the US announcement last week of a US$2 billion deal to export up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil stuck in storage, US President Donald Trump said China would not ‍be deprived of Venezuela’s crude. But the Asian country, the first market of the...

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Argentina’s Milei plans China trip for 2026 as US pressures Buenos Aires to curb ties

Argentine President Javier Milei said he intends to travel to China in 2026, confirming the plan at a moment when the United States is stepping up pressure on Buenos Aires to scale back its relations with Beijing. Milei made the remarks in an interview with the local newspaper Clarin that was published on Sunday. Asked whether the trip was still on his schedule, he said it was and framed the visit as part of Argentina’s wider commercial agenda rather than a political signal. “We have a very good

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Zohran Mamdani joins New York City nurses on strike over labour dispute

Thousands of nurses at three major hospitals in New York City began to strike on Monday, amid a severe flu season and broader pressures on the US healthcare system. The walkout impacts roughly 15,000 nurses at hospitals including Mount Sinai Medical Centre and NewYork-Presbyterian in Manhattan as well as Montefiore Medical Centre in the Bronx. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined striking nurses on the picket line in Washington Heights. “All parties must return immediately to the...

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Former UK finance minister Nadhim Zahawi defects to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

Former British finance minister Nadhim Zahawi defected to ‌Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK Party from the Conservative Party on ‍Monday, saying the country was broken and needed Farage as prime minister to fix it. Zahawi, who had a short spell in charge of the nation’s finances under former prime minister Boris Johnson ⁠in 2022, becomes the latest in a long line of former Conservatives to switch to Farage’s populist Reform UK. Reform is currently leading the polls in Britain, far ahead of...

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Greenland says it should be defended by Nato, rejects any US takeover

Greenland’s government said on Monday it will ‌increase efforts to ensure the defence of the Arctic territory ‍takes place under the auspices of Nato, and again rejected US President Donald Trump’s ambition to take over the island. Trump has said the United States must ⁠own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent China or Russia occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich territory in the future. “All Nato member states, including the United States, have a..

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