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United States
United States
The latest breaking news and stories on the United States (US), a country in North America known as a federal republic, and the world’s largest economy. Also covering US-China relations, plus commentary and updates on US economy, politics, society, healthcare, military and crime.
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Head of State
President Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Head of Government
President Donald Trump
Donald Trump
People gather next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

China-founded Shanda’s AI lab boosts Singapore operation, pulling China research

MiroMind asks some staff in Shanghai to relocate and continue their AI research work in Singapore, sources say.

World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos

Sidestepping Greenland, Nato chief urges Arctic unity to counter China, Russia

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Donald Trump addresses World Economic Forum in Davos

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US-China relations

US losing out to China with ‘onslaught’ on cutting-edge research: Nobel laureate

America risks losing the tech race to China unless it elects a government more supportive of scientific research, Nobel-winning economist says.

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Washington has suspended or cancelled more than 7,800 research grants since US President Donald Trump’s return to office, Nature reported on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Ukraine war

US envoy Witkoff to meet Putin in Moscow for pivotal peace talks Thursday

US special envoy and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner head to Russia to pursue a breakthrough on territorial disputes and security guarantees.

US-China relations

Opinion | Why China’s response to Trump’s chaos will be to wait and watch

Although the US president’s destabilising actions might seem like an opportunity for Beijing, it is likely to opt for strategic patience.

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China-Africa relations

China widens trade gap with Africa to record US$102 billion amid US pressure

Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.

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Workers load trucks for export to Africa at Yantai port in Shandong province this month. The jump in Africa’s trade deficit with China was driven by a 25.8 per cent surge in Chinese exports, outpacing 5.4 per cent growth in African shipments to China. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

How Asia’s economies could benefit from Trump’s global power plays

Countries such as Canada are looking to diversify their customers, particularly for oil and gas, with ‘a strong focus on Asia’, analysts say.

Artificial intelligence

AI shaping world’s biggest infrastructure buildout: Nvidia CEO

Building the AI infrastructure will require trillions of dollars in investment, Huang says at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

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Fame and celebrity

Meet James Jordan, who plays Dale Bradley on Landman

Texas-born Jordan, a long-time Taylor Sheridan collaborator, shocked fans with his physical transformation on season 3 of the hit show.

James Jordan attends Landman’s season two advance screening in November 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: Getty Images
World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos

Larry Fink considers rotating World Economic Forum away from Davos

The interim co-chief, and BlackRock CEO says the ‘mountain must come down to earth’ proposing a rotation to hubs like Detroit, Dublin and Jakarta.

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Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink, attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
China-UK relations

China mega-embassy approval further boosts UK relations

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer may soon visit Beijing after approving a controversial new Chinese embassy in London, making him the next world leader to face the challenge of balancing relations with China and the US.

Singapore

US clears US$2.3 billion jet and torpedo sale to Singapore

Pending US Congress approval, the US$2.3 billion Boeing P-8A deal announced at Pentagon talks will upgrade Singapore’s anti-submarine capabilities.

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Bonds

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

A monitor displays long-term interest rates in Tokyo, Japan, on January 19, 2026. Photo: EPA
Fame and celebrity

Meet Sonia Mena, who plays Pippa on Tell Me Lies and is dating Spencer House

Before she starred in Feral and The Deuce, she was a dancer and then a poet – she also co-founded an all-femme non-binary film collective.

Sonia Mena attends the season three screening of Tell Me Lies in New York, on January 12. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Aviation

Former flight attendant posed as pilot for hundreds of free US trips

Dallas Pokornik, 33, pleaded not guilty to a scheme where he allegedly used forged credentials to board major US airlines.

China trade

China should leverage buying power to boost yuan’s use, former PBOC adviser says

With the yuan’s fixing at fresh 2023 highs and US dollar uncertainty rising under Trump, Beijing is urged to expand yuan-settled imports to internationalise its currency.

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Asean

As more nations block Grok for obscene content, calls for Asean-wide curbs mount

The Philippines should push the fight against deepfakes high on the Asean agenda as the bloc’s chair, analysts say.

The Grok AI website displayed on a mobile phone as a nationwide restriction on the service took effect in Malaysia earlier this month. Photo: EPA
Americas and the Caribbean

US forces seize seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela

MV Sagitta is the latest ship linked to Venezuela that the US has captured since early December.

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SCMP Highlights

Chinese carmakers eye Western markets, China-EU dispute progress: 7 EV reads

From a widening gap in US-China electric vehicle markets to Xiaomi’s refreshed SU7, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

Donald Trump

Trump could lead his Board of Peace for life after leaving White House

Donald Trump’s signature diplomatic initiative is drawing resistance from fellow leaders who see it as an undisguised challenge to the UN.

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US President Donald Trump after speaking with reporters at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks trade rangebound on Japan bond rout, Greenland unease

Signs emerge that the flare-up of geopolitical tensions could spill over to the financial markets.

A man talks on the phone in front of an electronic board displaying data on Japan’s 10-year government bonds outside a brokerage in Tokyo on January 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Long and short of it: why Okinawa lost crown as Japan’s island of longevity

Okinawan men fell from first to 43rd while women slipped to 16th in the last life expectancy survey, a slide that is expected to continue.

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Middle East

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Artificial intelligence

Divergent AI growth paths emerge from China, US amid bubble concerns: CICC

Last year, US venture capital investment in AI reached US$175 billion, nearly 30 times China’s US$6 billion in the same period.

The world’s two largest economies are advancing along divergent paths in AI, according to CICC. Photo: Shutterstock
Semiconductors

Memory chip crunch to persist even as Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron boost production

Major vendors are scrambling to expand production, but the scarcity of general-purpose memory chips is forecast to continue well into 2027.

The global shortage of commodity memory chips is not expected to be addressed any time soon. Photo: Shutterstock
Biomedicine: Industry Trends

Harbour BioMed stake in US drug developer shows Chinese firms’ growing clout

Latest example of Chinese drug maker acquiring equity in overseas partner shows they are becoming true development partners, analysts say.

World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos

Canada PM’s blunt message to Davos: the rules-based order is dead

Without naming Trump, Carney said the world is now a place where the powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as a weapon.

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