Category: Uncategorized

UAE and Scotland Sign Investment MoU: What Does This Mean for Global Business? In a significant development for global investment flows, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Scotland have signed a pivotal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen bilateral investment cooperation, broaden economic ties and unlock new opportunities for businesses in both nations. The agreement, inked on January 30, 2026, reflects the UAE’s strategic vision of strengthening international economic partnerships that support diversification, sustainable growth and resilient development while offering Scottish companies expanded access to one of the Gulf’s most dynamic markets.UAE and Scotland's milestone agreement for bilateral investment
The MoU was formally signed in Dubai by Mohammad Abdulrahman Alhawi, Under-Secretary of the UAE Ministry of Investment and Kate Forbes MSP, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, on behalf of the Scottish Government. This partner..

AdvertisementE-commerceTechPolicyChina slaps US$3.7 million fine on Kuaishou over live-streaming e-commerce violationThe penalty reflects a broader regulatory crackdown on content and operations deemed undesirable or harmful on Chinese online platforms
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBen Jiangin BeijingPublished: 3:39pm, 31 Jan 2026Chinese regulators have slapped a 26 million yuan (US$3.7 million) fine on a unit of Kuaishou Technology, operator of the country’s No 2 short video platform, over multiple violations and misconduct in its live-streaming e-commerce operations, signalling tighter oversight of this market segment.Chengdu Kuaigou Technology, a unit of Beijing-based Kuaishou, was found to have committed seven breaches including failure to disclose information in accordance with the law, charging unreasonable fees on merchants and inadequate consumer protection, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) in its WeChat post on Friday.That ruling..

AdvertisementSingaporeAsiaSoutheast AsiaSingaporean convict returns to jail voluntarily 4 days after being freed by accidentA paperwork error saw the man, who had been convicted for assaulting a police officer, released 12 weeks early
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPCNAPublished: 3:35pm, 31 Jan 2026A man who was sentenced to jail in Singapore over an altercation with the police was released on the same day he was sentenced due to an error in calculating the jail term.Muhammad Fathurrahman Mohd Adzlan was contacted and returned to jail four days later to complete his sentence.
In a statement on Friday, a judiciary spokeswoman said Muhammad was sentenced to 32 weeks’ jail on October 27, last year. However, this was erroneously reflected as 20 weeks.
AdvertisementAccording to court papers, Muhammad, then 31, had made an emergency call saying: “If committing suicide is an offence … Singaporeans behave like Isis how? … Police can’t do anything … You will be receiving more calls ..

Is Sydney Sweeney Really 'MAGA Barbie'? Hollywood Star Speaks Out on Political Label Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney has become the centre of an unexpected political conversation after addressing recurring online speculation about her views and identity, a discussion that she says she never asked to be a part of. Known for roles in Euphoria, The Housemaid and The White Lotus, the 28-year-old actor recently spoke out about being dubbed as “MAGA Barbie” on social media, insisting that the label and its political baggage are something that others have attached to her but not something that she embraces.In a wide-circulated interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, Sweeney said, “I’ve never been here to talk about politics. I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t contr..

A lavish premiere of Melania, a big-budget documentary centred on US First Lady Melania Trump, brought together senior members of the Trump administration, global celebrities and business leaders at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Thursday, even as domestic and foreign policy tensions loomed large for the White House .The film, financed at a reported $75 million by Amazon MGM Studios, chronicles the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration and the family’s return to the White House. Melania Trump is among the producers.Melania Trump’s $40 Million Documentary Struggles Before Premiere: Insider | WATCHAmazon MGM paid $40 million to license the film and an accompanying docuseries, with another $35 million spent on promotion and international distribution, according to a person familiar with the matter .Trump and Melania were seen leaving the White House together for the premiere. The couple also interated with media at the event. The premiere was attended by several..

AdvertisementBanking & financeBusinessBanking & FinanceBreaking | HSBC suffers system shutdown, stopping services in Hong KongBoth the bank’s mobile app and in-person services at several branches were made unavailable by the outage Friday afternoon
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPEnoch YiuPublished: 3:13pm, 30 Jan 2026HSBC, Hong Kong’s biggest bank with a customer base of 6.2 million, saw a system breakdown on Friday afternoon.
The bank’s mobile banking app could not be accessed, instead showing a message stating the system was under maintenance and would be available at a later time.
A staff member at the bank’s Mong Kok branch said HSBC’s computer network across the city had failed, but did not know the reason for the stoppage.
AdvertisementAn official with the bank also confirmed there had been a breakdown, but the system began resuming service around 3pm.
Official comments from HSBC or the Hong Kong Monetary Authority were not immediately available.
AdvertisementMore to ..

AdvertisementSingaporeThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureSingapore begins ban on ‘undesirable’ visitors as airline boarding rules take effectAmong such visitors barred from entering are those with a criminal record in Singapore or who pose a threat to public safety
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPSCMP’s Asia deskPublished: 3:07pm, 30 Jan 2026Singapore’s ban against undesirable visitors began on Friday, with airlines flying to the city state required to bar passengers flagged as risks from boarding.The new directive is aimed at preventing “undesirable or prohibited immigrants, and those who do not meet Singapore’s entry requirements, from boarding flights bound for Singapore”, according to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) statement released on November 28 last year.
Starting on Monday, airlines flying into Seletar and Changi airports had been issued no-boarding directive (NBD) notices, the ICA said.AdvertisementForeigners subject to NBDs include those with pre..

Breaking Bad Star Giancarlo Esposito Declares 'Time for Revolution,' Sparks Outrage and Support In a striking political statement that has quickly gone viral on social media, Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito urged collective action and described the present moment in the United States as one requiring “a revolution”. The remarks have ignited intense discussion online, across political circles and within the entertainment community.Esposito made the comments during the Sundance Film Festival, where he was attending the premiere of his new crime thriller The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. Speaking to Variety, the Emmy-nominated actor framed his remarks in the context of mounting political tension, particularly relating to federal law enforcement actions such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that have drawn national scrutiny.“This is time for a revolution”: What Giancarlo Esposito actually said
Esposito’s remarks were forceful and literal, not met..

AdvertisementSingaporeThis Week in AsiaPeopleSingapore court rules man, 97, mentally capable to remarry, dismisses son’s suitThe widower, who had an extramarital affair with his secretary since 1971, has filed separate lawsuits against his second son and grandson
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPSCMP’s Asia deskPublished: 3:35pm, 29 Jan 2026A Singapore court has dismissed a man’s attempt to have his 97-year-old father declared mentally incapable for wanting to marry his long-time mistress, with the judge saying that mental capacity should not be determined solely by age or appearance.
The elderly man, who is still chairman of the chemical company he founded in the 1960s, had been conducting an extramarital affair with his secretary since 1971, Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported on Tuesday, citing court proceedings.
The two had a child together, while he had three sons with his wife, whom he married in 1950. His wife, who died in 2014, was aware of the affair b..

AdvertisementSCMP HighlightsPeople & CultureTrending in ChinaJapan’s love for Chinese noodles; AI’s Year of the Horse forecasts: 7 Lifestyle highlightsFrom AI’s predictions for the Year of the Horse to an ‘unlucky’ chocolate mahjong set, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPSCMPPublished: 3:30pm, 29 Jan 2026We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. How did China’s dan dan mian noodle dish become so popular in Japan?It seems an unlikely match. Japanese cuisine traditionally venerates light, clean flavours and the essence of each ingredient. So how did the country end up having such a spicy love affair with the dish?
2. Is the Year of the Snake’s 12th month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signsHow’s your luck in the Year of the Snake’s 12th month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictio..