Quirky China: sausage man mimics Trump, watch gang snared, twin woman has third baby shock
中国一位男子模仿美国前总统特朗普在网上推销中国香肠，引发关注。 这位中年男子通过填充外套使自己看起来更胖，模仿特朗普的口音和手势，用流利的英语在重庆街头推销香肠。
在网络流传的短视频中，他用特朗普式的口吻说：“你来到了中国，来到了重庆。你知道吗？你一定要尝尝这个。我为你准备了最好的东西。” 这一行为在社交媒体上引起了广泛讨论。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
中国一位男子模仿美国前总统特朗普在网上推销中国香肠，引发关注。 这位中年男子通过填充外套使自己看起来更胖，模仿特朗普的口音和手势，用流利的英语在重庆街头推销香肠。
在网络流传的短视频中，他用特朗普式的口吻说：“你来到了中国，来到了重庆。你知道吗？你一定要尝尝这个。我为你准备了最好的东西。” 这一行为在社交媒体上引起了广泛讨论。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Hong Kong vows to tackle ticket scalping for Kai Tak Sports Park opening show
香港政府誓言打击炒卖启德体育园开幕式门票的行为。此前有报道称，原价仅为10港元的门票在二级市场上被炒至高达1800港元（约232美元）。文化、体育及旅游局局长表示，已联系警方处理此事。
在8500张门票通过官方渠道在30分钟内售罄后，当局呼吁市民保持警惕。有媒体报道称，Carousell平台上有人以高达1800港元的价格出售门票，也有人出价1000港元求购。目前，该平台上已难觅高价票，但仍有卖家表示愿意以1300港元出售原价10港元的门票。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
香港政府誓言打击炒卖启德体育园开幕式门票的行为。此前有报道称，原价仅为10港元的门票在二级市场上被炒至高达1800港元（约232美元）。文化、体育及旅游局局长表示，已联系警方处理此事。
在8500张门票通过官方渠道在30分钟内售罄后，当局呼吁市民保持警惕。有媒体报道称，Carousell平台上有人以高达1800港元的价格出售门票，也有人出价1000港元求购。目前，该平台上已难觅高价票，但仍有卖家表示愿意以1300港元出售原价10港元的门票。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Tourists wearing this hat in Vietnam may face US$3,000 fine, entry denial
By The Korea Times
A Vietnam-focused travel agency has warned tourists against wearing a “Vietnam war veteran hat” when travelling to the country, citing cases of entry denial.
An advisory from a Vietnam travel agency gained attention on South Korean online communities such as DC Inside on Thursday.
The agency reported that a recent traveller wearing a Vietnam war veteran hat was denied entry at the airport. “A group of tourists wearing the hat was also fined US$3,000 after being stopped by authorities,” it warned. The agency further cautioned that “wearing the hat on the streets could lead to conflicts with locals”.
The agency included a photo of a hat with the phrase “Vietnam war Hero Korea” as an example. The hat is typically worn by elderly veterans who served in the Vietnam war and was created to commemorate the contributions of South Korean soldiers.
In South Korea, there are organisations such as the Korean Disabled Veteran’s Association by Agent-Orange in Vietnam war and the Vietnam Veterans Association Korea for those who served in the war.
Commonly referred to as the “Vietnam war” in South Korea, the conflict lasted for 20 years from 1955, pitting the communist North Vietnamese government against the US-backed South Vietnamese forces. At the request of the United States, South Korea deployed 320,000 troops to support South Vietnam.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By The Korea Times
A Vietnam-focused travel agency has warned tourists against wearing a “Vietnam war veteran hat” when travelling to the country, citing cases of entry denial.
An advisory from a Vietnam travel agency gained attention on South Korean online communities such as DC Inside on Thursday.
The agency reported that a recent traveller wearing a Vietnam war veteran hat was denied entry at the airport. “A group of tourists wearing the hat was also fined US$3,000 after being stopped by authorities,” it warned. The agency further cautioned that “wearing the hat on the streets could lead to conflicts with locals”.
The agency included a photo of a hat with the phrase “Vietnam war Hero Korea” as an example. The hat is typically worn by elderly veterans who served in the Vietnam war and was created to commemorate the contributions of South Korean soldiers.
In South Korea, there are organisations such as the Korean Disabled Veteran’s Association by Agent-Orange in Vietnam war and the Vietnam Veterans Association Korea for those who served in the war.
Commonly referred to as the “Vietnam war” in South Korea, the conflict lasted for 20 years from 1955, pitting the communist North Vietnamese government against the US-backed South Vietnamese forces. At the request of the United States, South Korea deployed 320,000 troops to support South Vietnam.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China drills ‘ultra-deep’ oil well to help shore up energy needs
中国石油天然气集团公司宣布，中国已从一口10910米深的油井中开采石油和天然气，这是地球上第二深的钻井。该油井名为深地塔科1井，位于中国西部新疆维吾尔自治区的塔里木油田，也是亚洲第一口“超深”油井。
据新华社报道，该油井的经理王春生表示，钻探到10000米左右用了270天，但最后900米的开采却花费了300多天。在钻探深度达到10000米时，团队面临井壁不稳定、钻井工具损坏和地下泄漏等挑战。由于国家能源安全问题，中国石油巨头正在加紧国内油气勘探力度，以降低对进口的依赖。中国是世界第二大经济体，其大部分原油依赖进口，主要来自俄罗斯和沙特阿拉伯。去年，中国进口了5.53亿吨原油，同比下降1.9%，而国内产量总计2.128亿吨，同比增长1.8%。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
中国石油天然气集团公司宣布，中国已从一口10910米深的油井中开采石油和天然气，这是地球上第二深的钻井。该油井名为深地塔科1井，位于中国西部新疆维吾尔自治区的塔里木油田，也是亚洲第一口“超深”油井。
据新华社报道，该油井的经理王春生表示，钻探到10000米左右用了270天，但最后900米的开采却花费了300多天。在钻探深度达到10000米时，团队面临井壁不稳定、钻井工具损坏和地下泄漏等挑战。由于国家能源安全问题，中国石油巨头正在加紧国内油气勘探力度，以降低对进口的依赖。中国是世界第二大经济体，其大部分原油依赖进口，主要来自俄罗斯和沙特阿拉伯。去年，中国进口了5.53亿吨原油，同比下降1.9%，而国内产量总计2.128亿吨，同比增长1.8%。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Woman drugged, robbed elderly men in deadly ‘romance scam on steroids’, FBI says
一名女子利用在线约会应用引诱至少四名老年男性见面，然后用镇静剂麻醉他们，并窃取了数十万美元。联邦调查局官员称这是一起“邪恶”的爱情骗局。其中三名受害者已经死亡，该女子被指控与其中一人的死亡有关。
这名女子名叫奥罗拉·菲尔普斯，现年43岁，目前被拘留在墨西哥。她面临21项指控，包括电信欺诈、身份盗窃和一项导致死亡的绑架罪。据称，菲尔普斯在2021年和2022年期间针对这些受害者，其中一名受害者在昏迷后醒来，原因是菲尔普斯在一周内给他服用了处方镇静剂。在其中一起案件中，菲尔普斯被指控绑架了一名受害者，她给受害者注射了大量镇静剂，然后用轮椅将他带到美国-墨西哥边境，最后带到墨西哥城的一家酒店房间，受害者后来在那里被发现死亡。
联邦调查局官员表示，在使受害者失去能力后，菲尔普斯偷走了他们的汽车，从他们的银行账户中取款，使用他们的信用卡购买奢侈品和黄金，甚至试图获取他们的社会保障和退休账户。当局称，这起案件是“类固醇上的爱情骗局”。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
一名女子利用在线约会应用引诱至少四名老年男性见面，然后用镇静剂麻醉他们，并窃取了数十万美元。联邦调查局官员称这是一起“邪恶”的爱情骗局。其中三名受害者已经死亡，该女子被指控与其中一人的死亡有关。
这名女子名叫奥罗拉·菲尔普斯，现年43岁，目前被拘留在墨西哥。她面临21项指控，包括电信欺诈、身份盗窃和一项导致死亡的绑架罪。据称，菲尔普斯在2021年和2022年期间针对这些受害者，其中一名受害者在昏迷后醒来，原因是菲尔普斯在一周内给他服用了处方镇静剂。在其中一起案件中，菲尔普斯被指控绑架了一名受害者，她给受害者注射了大量镇静剂，然后用轮椅将他带到美国-墨西哥边境，最后带到墨西哥城的一家酒店房间，受害者后来在那里被发现死亡。
联邦调查局官员表示，在使受害者失去能力后，菲尔普斯偷走了他们的汽车，从他们的银行账户中取款，使用他们的信用卡购买奢侈品和黄金，甚至试图获取他们的社会保障和退休账户。当局称，这起案件是“类固醇上的爱情骗局”。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China ready to take control as US and UK back out of AI Action Summit statement
Analysts suggest China could step into a leadership role in AI governance after the US and UK declined to sign a global declaration on "inclusive and sustainable" AI at a recent Paris summit. This declaration, signed by over 60 countries including China, aims to establish safeguards ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy.
The UK cited "national security and global governance concerns" for not signing, while the US, through Vice-President J.D. Vance, expressed concerns that excessive regulations could stifle the AI industry. Some experts believe the UK prioritized its alliance with the US in this decision. The absence of the US and UK leaves an opening for China to shape the global AI landscape, while countries in the Global South are unlikely to take sides in any AI rivalry between China and the US.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Analysts suggest China could step into a leadership role in AI governance after the US and UK declined to sign a global declaration on "inclusive and sustainable" AI at a recent Paris summit. This declaration, signed by over 60 countries including China, aims to establish safeguards ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy.
The UK cited "national security and global governance concerns" for not signing, while the US, through Vice-President J.D. Vance, expressed concerns that excessive regulations could stifle the AI industry. Some experts believe the UK prioritized its alliance with the US in this decision. The absence of the US and UK leaves an opening for China to shape the global AI landscape, while countries in the Global South are unlikely to take sides in any AI rivalry between China and the US.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Hong Kong temperatures to dip to 13 degrees on Monday next week
香港天文台预测，下周一香港气温将降至摄氏13度（华氏55.4度）。 周六天气仍然较凉，气温介于15至17度。预计下周中期气温将略有回升。
受东北季候风影响，香港气温将逐渐下降，并在周一早晨变得相当寒冷。下周中期，季候风将逐渐缓和，广东沿海地区的气温将略有上升，并可能出现零星降雨。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
香港天文台预测，下周一香港气温将降至摄氏13度（华氏55.4度）。 周六天气仍然较凉，气温介于15至17度。预计下周中期气温将略有回升。
受东北季候风影响，香港气温将逐渐下降，并在周一早晨变得相当寒冷。下周中期，季候风将逐渐缓和，广东沿海地区的气温将略有上升，并可能出现零星降雨。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Show me the money: unveiling Hong Kong’s 10 biggest spenders in government
香港财政司司长陈茂波呼吁各政府部门勒紧裤腰带，以应对预计近1000亿港元的财政赤字。此举引发部分人士担忧，认为预算削减可能导致弱势群体生活成本上升，这或将与其他政府政策相悖，并损害香港的长期发展。
在各政府部门中，社会福利署支出最高，达到1086.2亿港元，约占公共支出的18%，主要用于社会保障，包括为弱势群体提供支持。卫生局位居第二，支出为967.7亿港元，约占总支出的16%，其中超过96%的资金流向医院管理局，该机构负责管理43家公立医院和机构。教育局排名第三，支出为796.9亿港元，占总支出的13%，其中约40%用于中学教育，31%用于小学教育。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
香港财政司司长陈茂波呼吁各政府部门勒紧裤腰带，以应对预计近1000亿港元的财政赤字。此举引发部分人士担忧，认为预算削减可能导致弱势群体生活成本上升，这或将与其他政府政策相悖，并损害香港的长期发展。
在各政府部门中，社会福利署支出最高，达到1086.2亿港元，约占公共支出的18%，主要用于社会保障，包括为弱势群体提供支持。卫生局位居第二，支出为967.7亿港元，约占总支出的16%，其中超过96%的资金流向医院管理局，该机构负责管理43家公立医院和机构。教育局排名第三，支出为796.9亿港元，占总支出的13%，其中约40%用于中学教育，31%用于小学教育。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Trump says Russia attacked Ukraine in U-turn, predicts deal on minerals soon
By Reuters
President Donald Trump reversed course on Friday and said Russia did in fact invade Ukraine, and that Kyiv would soon sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Trump had said on Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war three years ago, prompting a wave of criticism both domestically and internationally.
Pressed on the subject in an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, he acknowledged Russia had invaded Ukraine on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump said, adding that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and then US president Joe Biden should have taken steps to avert the invasion.
Later, Trump predicted a minerals agreement would be reached soon.
“We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about a possible deal for Ukraine’s minerals.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Reuters
President Donald Trump reversed course on Friday and said Russia did in fact invade Ukraine, and that Kyiv would soon sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Trump had said on Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war three years ago, prompting a wave of criticism both domestically and internationally.
Pressed on the subject in an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, he acknowledged Russia had invaded Ukraine on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump said, adding that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and then US president Joe Biden should have taken steps to avert the invasion.
Later, Trump predicted a minerals agreement would be reached soon.
“We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about a possible deal for Ukraine’s minerals.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
PLA steps up Taiwan military patrols over Lunar New Year holiday
During the Lunar New Year holiday, China's military significantly increased its activity near Taiwan, signaling a continued pressure campaign. Taiwan's defense ministry reported a rise in PLA aircraft and naval vessels operating in the area compared to the previous year, with a notable increase in aircraft crossing the median line.
This escalation aligns with a trend observed since William Lai Ching-te, from the DPP, assumed office in Taiwan. Analysts interpret Beijing's actions as a normalization of its military presence, reinforcing its claim over Taiwan and its willingness to use force if necessary to assert control.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
During the Lunar New Year holiday, China's military significantly increased its activity near Taiwan, signaling a continued pressure campaign. Taiwan's defense ministry reported a rise in PLA aircraft and naval vessels operating in the area compared to the previous year, with a notable increase in aircraft crossing the median line.
This escalation aligns with a trend observed since William Lai Ching-te, from the DPP, assumed office in Taiwan. Analysts interpret Beijing's actions as a normalization of its military presence, reinforcing its claim over Taiwan and its willingness to use force if necessary to assert control.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Ex-Miss HK winner and other pet owners bewildered by spate of poisonings
By Sammy Heung
Within 30 seconds of eating meat left on a street in Lam Tsuen, two dogs belonging to former Hong Kong beauty queen Lisa-Marie Tse Ga-ye, Peachy and Summer, began foaming at the mouth and dropped to the ground, overcome by seizures.
“[Peachy] was kind of jumping back, she was very scared … There was like this white horrible, horrible foam just coming out like every second,” the Miss Hong Kong 2020 winner recalled.
“When I turned round back from Peachy, then Summer started to have seizures as well.”
Her two dogs ate what appeared to be a mixture of roasted pork and chicken covered in white powder. Peachy died during the ride to the veterinarian, while Summer was alive when she arrived at the clinic only for her heart to stop 15 minutes later.
Tse adopted Summer, a dachshund, at 12 weeks old in Scotland in 2017, and met Peachy, a mixed-breed, who was 12 weeks old, at a charity event in 2021.
“I’ve been emotionally traumatised,” she said. “That’s like two months of absolute horribleness and both my dogs are dead now.”
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Sammy Heung
Within 30 seconds of eating meat left on a street in Lam Tsuen, two dogs belonging to former Hong Kong beauty queen Lisa-Marie Tse Ga-ye, Peachy and Summer, began foaming at the mouth and dropped to the ground, overcome by seizures.
“[Peachy] was kind of jumping back, she was very scared … There was like this white horrible, horrible foam just coming out like every second,” the Miss Hong Kong 2020 winner recalled.
“When I turned round back from Peachy, then Summer started to have seizures as well.”
Her two dogs ate what appeared to be a mixture of roasted pork and chicken covered in white powder. Peachy died during the ride to the veterinarian, while Summer was alive when she arrived at the clinic only for her heart to stop 15 minutes later.
Tse adopted Summer, a dachshund, at 12 weeks old in Scotland in 2017, and met Peachy, a mixed-breed, who was 12 weeks old, at a charity event in 2021.
“I’ve been emotionally traumatised,” she said. “That’s like two months of absolute horribleness and both my dogs are dead now.”
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Malaysia rages at Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ gambit – but what can it do?
By Hadi Azmi
Donald Trump’s brazen proposal to expel more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and morph the war-torn territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has ignited a firestorm of outrage in Malaysia, Asia’s most vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.
First to condemn the plan was the Malaysian chapter of the influential Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement against Israel, calling Trump’s idea “shockingly ill-conceived” and one that “belongs in the dustbin”.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza more than 500 days ago, the movement has spearheaded a boycott campaign that resonated deeply with the Malaysian public, dealing a major blow to Western brands perceived as having ties to Israel including Starbucks, McDonald’s and KFC.
For many in the Muslim-majority nation that has long supported the Palestinian cause, Trump’s announcement completely undercut the fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas that he had loudly claimed credit for.
Malaysian accountant Nor Aida Yassin expressed disbelief, saying the Gaza plan “tops the list” of the bizarre and contentious things the US president has said in his first weeks back in office.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Hadi Azmi
Donald Trump’s brazen proposal to expel more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and morph the war-torn territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has ignited a firestorm of outrage in Malaysia, Asia’s most vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.
First to condemn the plan was the Malaysian chapter of the influential Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement against Israel, calling Trump’s idea “shockingly ill-conceived” and one that “belongs in the dustbin”.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza more than 500 days ago, the movement has spearheaded a boycott campaign that resonated deeply with the Malaysian public, dealing a major blow to Western brands perceived as having ties to Israel including Starbucks, McDonald’s and KFC.
For many in the Muslim-majority nation that has long supported the Palestinian cause, Trump’s announcement completely undercut the fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas that he had loudly claimed credit for.
Malaysian accountant Nor Aida Yassin expressed disbelief, saying the Gaza plan “tops the list” of the bizarre and contentious things the US president has said in his first weeks back in office.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
I look Chinese but don’t speak the language. Is that so bad?
By Christina Pantin
Tôi không phải là người Việt Nam, tôi là người Mỹ gốc Malaysia. (“I’m not Vietnamese; I’m an American originally from Malaysia.”)
This was the first phrase I asked my Vietnamese language instructor to teach me as I took up the bureau chief position for Reuters in Hanoi. I found it necessary to recite this often to establish my background at the outset, because to many Vietnamese, I looked Vietnamese.
It occurred to me as I moved back to Hong Kong in 2019 that I might need to memorise something similar in Cantonese. I am ethnically Chinese, and I think I look Chinese (or at least Asian; I’ve been mistaken for a Thai in Bangkok, and a Filipina in Manila). I did eventually settle on a phrase, sik teng mm sik gong, which covers a multitude of my linguistic sins – “I understand, but can’t speak.”
My Chinese vocabulary has been frozen in time since primary school, when conversations were simple in our hometown, Petaling Jaya, a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur. My siblings and I spoke Chinese to our live-in amah, our paternal grandmother, taxi drivers, market vendors and in restaurants.
My parents are to blame. While neither had higher education, both became native-level English speakers, reading voraciously and passing down the reading bug to their five children. We devoured all manner of English-language material, written, spoken and on celluloid. Working for an American oil company, my father brought home Time and Newsweek magazines, and the Western influence was further transmitted via music: Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, Mozart and Bach, Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady, and later, Police and Earth, Wind and Fire. (And, OK, don’t hate me, but even Abba.)
The exception was when our parents took us to every Bruce Lee film screened in Kuala Lumpur, as well as any “historical” Chinese movie, like one about the Boxer Rebellion. I guess it was their way of giving us a touchstone for being Chinese, or in the case of Lee, letting us connect with a rare global Chinese icon.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Christina Pantin
Tôi không phải là người Việt Nam, tôi là người Mỹ gốc Malaysia. (“I’m not Vietnamese; I’m an American originally from Malaysia.”)
This was the first phrase I asked my Vietnamese language instructor to teach me as I took up the bureau chief position for Reuters in Hanoi. I found it necessary to recite this often to establish my background at the outset, because to many Vietnamese, I looked Vietnamese.
It occurred to me as I moved back to Hong Kong in 2019 that I might need to memorise something similar in Cantonese. I am ethnically Chinese, and I think I look Chinese (or at least Asian; I’ve been mistaken for a Thai in Bangkok, and a Filipina in Manila). I did eventually settle on a phrase, sik teng mm sik gong, which covers a multitude of my linguistic sins – “I understand, but can’t speak.”
My Chinese vocabulary has been frozen in time since primary school, when conversations were simple in our hometown, Petaling Jaya, a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur. My siblings and I spoke Chinese to our live-in amah, our paternal grandmother, taxi drivers, market vendors and in restaurants.
My parents are to blame. While neither had higher education, both became native-level English speakers, reading voraciously and passing down the reading bug to their five children. We devoured all manner of English-language material, written, spoken and on celluloid. Working for an American oil company, my father brought home Time and Newsweek magazines, and the Western influence was further transmitted via music: Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, Mozart and Bach, Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady, and later, Police and Earth, Wind and Fire. (And, OK, don’t hate me, but even Abba.)
The exception was when our parents took us to every Bruce Lee film screened in Kuala Lumpur, as well as any “historical” Chinese movie, like one about the Boxer Rebellion. I guess it was their way of giving us a touchstone for being Chinese, or in the case of Lee, letting us connect with a rare global Chinese icon.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Donald Trump abruptly sacks top US military general CQ Brown
By Associated Press
US President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force General CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.
The ouster of Brown, only the second black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump posted on social media.
Trump said he was nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman. Caine is a career F-16 pilot who served on active duty and in the National Guard, and had most recently served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA, according to his official military biography.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement praising both Caine and Brown, announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Vice-Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Jim Slife.
Brown had spent the day at the US-Mexico border, assessing the military’s rapid build-up of forces to meet Trump’s executive order on countering illegal immigration.
Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the army-navy football game. Brown had been meeting regularly with Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
US President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force General CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.
The ouster of Brown, only the second black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump posted on social media.
Trump said he was nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman. Caine is a career F-16 pilot who served on active duty and in the National Guard, and had most recently served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA, according to his official military biography.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement praising both Caine and Brown, announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Vice-Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Jim Slife.
Brown had spent the day at the US-Mexico border, assessing the military’s rapid build-up of forces to meet Trump’s executive order on countering illegal immigration.
Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the army-navy football game. Brown had been meeting regularly with Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Deadline diplomacy: Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ scheme mobilises the Arab world
Donald Trump's proposal to relocate Gaza's 2.2 million residents and transform the area into a Mediterranean resort has sparked widespread condemnation and diplomatic efforts to defuse potential chaos in the Middle East. The plan, viewed as a colonialist fantasy and a blueprint for ethnic cleansing, has been embraced by Israel's far-right government but faces strong international backlash.
Experts warn that forced relocation would likely be met with fierce Palestinian resistance, potentially triggering further violence and instability. Egypt and Jordan, suggested by Trump as potential destinations for displaced Palestinians, have rejected the idea of hosting millions of Gazan refugees, highlighting the impracticality and potential regional consequences of the proposal.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Donald Trump's proposal to relocate Gaza's 2.2 million residents and transform the area into a Mediterranean resort has sparked widespread condemnation and diplomatic efforts to defuse potential chaos in the Middle East. The plan, viewed as a colonialist fantasy and a blueprint for ethnic cleansing, has been embraced by Israel's far-right government but faces strong international backlash.
Experts warn that forced relocation would likely be met with fierce Palestinian resistance, potentially triggering further violence and instability. Egypt and Jordan, suggested by Trump as potential destinations for displaced Palestinians, have rejected the idea of hosting millions of Gazan refugees, highlighting the impracticality and potential regional consequences of the proposal.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Dennis Lo bets on blood to bare all, with tests that saved 10 million mums from the needle
Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming's pioneering work in 1995, which discovered fetal DNA in maternal plasma, has revolutionized prenatal testing, sparing millions of expecting mothers from invasive amniocentesis. His groundbreaking discovery led to the development of the T21 blood test for Down syndrome and other genetic diseases, now available in 90 countries. Lo envisions future blood tests capable of revealing much more about a person's health, including neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's and age-related diseases.
Inspired by observing instant noodles, Lo's initial discovery involved finding DNA fragments in the blood plasma of pregnant women. The T21 test, priced between HK$4,500 and HK$8,000 in Hong Kong, has been widely adopted since 2011. Lo's ongoing research focuses on utilizing circular nucleic acids for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases and exploring epigenetics as a "clock of the DNA" to understand aging. This work underscores his continued progress in pathology, as highlighted just before he assumed the presidency of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming's pioneering work in 1995, which discovered fetal DNA in maternal plasma, has revolutionized prenatal testing, sparing millions of expecting mothers from invasive amniocentesis. His groundbreaking discovery led to the development of the T21 blood test for Down syndrome and other genetic diseases, now available in 90 countries. Lo envisions future blood tests capable of revealing much more about a person's health, including neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's and age-related diseases.
Inspired by observing instant noodles, Lo's initial discovery involved finding DNA fragments in the blood plasma of pregnant women. The T21 test, priced between HK$4,500 and HK$8,000 in Hong Kong, has been widely adopted since 2011. Lo's ongoing research focuses on utilizing circular nucleic acids for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases and exploring epigenetics as a "clock of the DNA" to understand aging. This work underscores his continued progress in pathology, as highlighted just before he assumed the presidency of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Trump orders new curbs on Chinese investments in strategic areas
美国总统特朗普签署了一份备忘录，指示美国外国投资委员会限制中国在战略领域的投资。此举旨在保护美国国家安全利益，防范来自中国等外国对手的威胁，同时促进外国投资。
备忘录指出，中国正在“利用美国的资本和智慧来资助其军事、情报和安全行动的现代化，对美国安全构成直接威胁”。美国将制定新规，限制中国等外国对手利用美国的资本、技术和知识，确保只有符合美国利益的投资才能被允许。此外，特朗普政府还将考虑对美国在半导体、人工智能、量子技术、生物技术、航空航天等敏感技术领域对华投资实施新的或更严格的限制，此举可能会加剧与中国的经济紧张关系。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
美国总统特朗普签署了一份备忘录，指示美国外国投资委员会限制中国在战略领域的投资。此举旨在保护美国国家安全利益，防范来自中国等外国对手的威胁，同时促进外国投资。
备忘录指出，中国正在“利用美国的资本和智慧来资助其军事、情报和安全行动的现代化，对美国安全构成直接威胁”。美国将制定新规，限制中国等外国对手利用美国的资本、技术和知识，确保只有符合美国利益的投资才能被允许。此外，特朗普政府还将考虑对美国在半导体、人工智能、量子技术、生物技术、航空航天等敏感技术领域对华投资实施新的或更严格的限制，此举可能会加剧与中国的经济紧张关系。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Hong Kong Bar Association chair urges global unity against planned US sanctions on judges
香港大律师公会新任主席呼吁全球法律协会联合起来，反对美国可能对香港法官和检察官采取的惩罚性措施。 他强调，任何对司法程序的干预都将损害司法公正。
主席Jose-Antonio Maurellet表示，计划在今年晚些时候重启大律师公会的公益计划，并与更多非营利组织合作，以帮助那些无力承担法律服务费用的人。此前，美国两党议员提出了旨在制裁涉及国安法案件的香港法官和检察官的法案，引发了对香港法律界潜在影响的担忧。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
香港大律师公会新任主席呼吁全球法律协会联合起来，反对美国可能对香港法官和检察官采取的惩罚性措施。 他强调，任何对司法程序的干预都将损害司法公正。
主席Jose-Antonio Maurellet表示，计划在今年晚些时候重启大律师公会的公益计划，并与更多非营利组织合作，以帮助那些无力承担法律服务费用的人。此前，美国两党议员提出了旨在制裁涉及国安法案件的香港法官和检察官的法案，引发了对香港法律界潜在影响的担忧。
via SCMP Full Text Feed
