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Oceanographers studying the Atlantic Ocean are revisiting an old assumption using newer data and slower, more detailed analysis. For decades, researchers believed the Atlantic lacked a true equatorial water mass, unlike the Pacific and Indian oceans. Instead, water in this zone was thought to be an extension of South Atlantic Central Water. Using temperature and salinity measurements from thousands of Argo floats, scientists have now found a clearer pattern. In the upper 2,000 metres of the Atlantic, especially near the equator, water properties show a consistent structure that does not fully match known categories. The findings suggest that a distinct body of water exists within the equatorial Atlantic thermocline, shaped by mixing rather than direct formation. This adds a new layer to how the Atlantic Ocean is understood and classified.
A vast underground ocean has been lurking beneath the Atlantic for millions of yearsOcean water is not uniform. Scientists define water masses by sha..

AdvertisementConsumer protection in Hong KongHong KongSocietyMapping issues in 7 of 8 power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong watchdogConsumer Council also finds significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platform
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPHarvey KongPublished: 2:14pm, 15 Jan 2026Seven out of eight power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog displayed inaccurate navigation or positioning data on map applications, a problem that may waste users’ time and incur extra charges due to delays.
The Consumer Council on Thursday also found a significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platforms, with charges for a 30-minute rental differing by nearly 1.3 times and the daily cap on charges differing by more than 2.3 times.
“When in urgent need of a power bank, consumers’ phone battery is often critically low. Inaccurate navigation not only wastes time, but may also deplete the p..

AdvertisementSouth China SeaChinaDiplomacyBeijing looks for social workers to place on disputed South China Sea islandsJob adverts for ‘community workers’ say military veterans and Communist Party members will be favoured for the posts
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP2Laura ZhouPublished: 2:00pm, 15 Jan 2026China is recruiting social workers for disputed islands in the South China Sea.
According to a notice published on Monday, the government of Sansha, the authority set up to administer the disputed territories, said it was looking for 11 “community workers” to post on eight reefs and islands in the Paracel and the Spratly islands.
The territories include Woody Island, the administrative centre of the disputed territories, and Mischief Reef, which is home to a large military base.
AdvertisementThe notice was unclear about the nature of the roles, but it suggested they would play a role in day-to-day governance. Beijing recruited 16 people to similar positions in 2023.
It a..

World’s Safest Airline Announced and Emirates Fans May Be Shocked In an aviation milestone that is turning heads worldwide, a national carrier of the United Arab Emirates based in Abu Dhabi, has been named the world’s safest full-service airline for 2026 by AirlineRatings.com, beating out more than 320 global competitors and relegating even the region’s famed Emirates to a lower spot on the list. This marks the first time a Gulf carrier has claimed the very top spot in the annual safety rankings, underscoring the UAE’s rising influence in global aviation safety and operations.The annual AirlineRatings list, considered one of the most trusted benchmarks in global aviation, assesses carriers not by popularity or luxury branding but by incident history, fleet age, pilot training, international audits and other rigorous safety metrics, including a new emphasis on turbulence prevention efforts and onboard real-time response protocols.UAE airline that surpasses the giants: Why it topped the ..

AP image Former US President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton on Wednesday defied a congressional subpoena through a letter, declining to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and their past associations with the convicted sex trafficker, even as Republican lawmakers move to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against them.In the letter, which was shared on social media, the Clintons criticised the House Oversight Committee’s probe as “legally invalid” and said the committee’s Republican chair, Representative James Comer, was pushing a process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”“We will forcefully defend ourselves,” the Clintons, who are Democrats, wrote.“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” the Clintons wrote. “For us, now is that time.”Bill Clinton was due to appear before the committee on Tuesday, while H..

AdvertisementMalaysiaAsiaSoutheast AsiaMan fined US$2,200 in Malaysia for masking Singapore number plate to buy subsidised fuelA judge said Long Sa Kow will be required to serve nine months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPCNAPublished: 2:01pm, 14 Jan 2026The man who was caught on video pumping subsidised RON95 fuel into his Singapore-registered car in Johor was on Wednesday fined 9,000 ringgit (US$2,217) for obstructing the registration number of his vehicle.Malaysian Long Sa Kow, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was charged under Section 108 (3) (E) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for allegedly exhibiting an altered or tampered vehicle registration number.
The offence carries a fine of between 5,000 ringgit and 20,000 ringgit, a prison term of one to five years or both.
AdvertisementIn the video that made its rounds on social media, Long was seen pumping RON95 fuel – which is subsidised only for Malaysians with locally register..

AdvertisementScienceChinaScienceChinese risk study finds space solar power stations could accidentally zap satellitesBeijing team finds that potential electrical discharges, though brief, could induce abnormal currents in spacecraft systems
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLing Xinin OhioPublished: 2:00pm, 14 Jan 2026As China pushes to take the global lead in building space-based solar power stations, a new study warns that powerful lasers beaming energy back to Earth could pose serious risks to other satellites in the increasingly crowded low-Earth orbit.
If these beams miss their targets – because of tracking errors or system malfunctions – they could strike nearby spacecraft, overheat solar panels or trigger electrical discharges, according to a team from the Beijing Institute of Satellite Environment Engineering.
Such discharges can induce unintended currents, potentially damaging on-board electronics and forcing an emergency shutdown. The risk is greater when the laser ..

Dubai Airports and Salik sign a 10-year deal to introduce seamless e-wallet parking / AI Image for Illustration Starting your next holiday from Dubai International (DXB) is about to get a lot smoother. In a major move to end the era of paper tickets and long queues at payment machines, Dubai Airports and Salik Company PJSC have officially signed a landmark 10-year agreement. This partnership brings the same “drive-through” convenience you enjoy on the highways directly to the airport parking lots. DXB and Salik unites for smart parkingDubai Airports has teamed up with Salik, Dubai’s road toll operator, in a new 10-year partnership to bring e-wallet parking payments to Dubai International Airport (DXB), one of the world’s busiest airports. The agreement, signed in a ceremony attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai Airports and Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of Salik, marks a significant step towards smarter, more efficient parking management at the airport.Under this deal, dri..

‘This Isn’t America Anymore’: Viral Dallas Video Sparks Racism Against Indian Communities in US A seemingly off-hand social media video sparked a broader and highly charged conversation about race, immigration and identity after Turning Point USA affiliate and influencer Kambree (@KamVTV) shared a viral clip on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that parts of Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, no longer feel like America and instead likened the area to “India” due to its visible Indian community and businesses. The video, originally tweeted by content creator Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes), shows a street lined with Indian grocery stores and eateries and includes the caption, “Americans in Dallas, Texas say they aren’t in Texas anymore, “We’re in India” This is actually wild, we are losing our country “Dallas Texas is the most Indian place in America” (sic).”In her repost, Kambree wrote “It's not just Dallas, it's the ENTIRE DFW area. This started 16 years ago.” amplifying a hostile n..

AdvertisementYuanEconomyChina EconomyChina’s central bank sets onshore yuan fixing at strongest point in nearly 16 monthsAnalysts note how Beijing’s policy goals, such as internationalising China’s currency and curbing overcapacity, are aligning with a firmer exchange rate
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPSylvia MaPublished: 2:00pm, 13 Jan 2026China’s central bank strengthened the yuan’s daily fixing for a third consecutive session to a nearly 16-month high, as the currency also held firm in offshore markets despite recent US dollar strength.
On Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint rate, also known as the daily fixing rate, at 7.0103 to the US dollar – the strongest showing since the end of September 2024, when the rate was set at 7.0074.
That official midpoint rate, however, was still weaker than that of the offshore yuan, which was trading at around 6.97 to the US dollar as of midday Tuesday – in line with broad market expectations that, while the PB..