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SCMP

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. ‘Stop subverting Venezuelan regime’: China urges US to release Maduro

China has expressed “serious concern” over the US capture and forcible removal of the Venezuelan leader, calling on Washington to ensure the personal safety of Nicolas Maduro and his wife and “release them immediately”.
2. Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

With economic stakes high, Beijing seen as “more cautious in handling external frictions”, avoiding fanning of “uncontrollable” nationalism.
3. AI scientist Ling Haibin, father of first plant ID app, leaves US for China

AI scientist Ling Haibin, the acclaimed computer scientist behind the world’s first mobile plant identification app, has left his position in the United States to take up a full-time role at Westlake University in Hangzhou, eastern China.
4. Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.
5. Towering teen boy and girl, 9, in China figure skating partnership raise eyebrows

A little and large Chinese figure skating pair have sparked debate on social media, with many debating whether the significant size and age gap is good for the sport as the country grapples with a lack of competition at the elite level.


Singapore’s elite schools spark debate; concern for domestic helpers: 7 Asia highlights

US captures Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro: everything you need to know

AI scientist leaves US for China; domestic helpers in Asia: 5 weekend reads you missed

China’s record hypergravity machine, Nepal’s ‘bride buying’ probe: SCMP’s 7 highlights

SCMP Highlights

Domestic helpers gather in Hong Kong’s Central to relax and socialise on their Sunday day off. Photo: Karma Lo

Venezuelans celebrate in Santiago, Chile on January 3, 2026, after US President Donald Trump announced that President Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of Venezuela. Photo: AP

Illustration: Henry Wong

Ling Haibin is a former Empire Innovation Professor at Stony Brook University in New York and IEEE Fellow. Photo: Handout

Filipino domestic workers gather on a street in Hong Kong. Indonesia and the Philippines have provided millions of helpers to the rest of Asia over the decades. Photo: Dickson Lee

Li Xinze, a nine-year-old girl, skated with 16-year-old Li Mingda, creating a dramatic visual contrast on the ice. Photo: Bilibili

China is likely to thread the needle after US attack on Venezuela

A pro-government, armed civilian in Caracas, Venezuela, attends a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, after US forces captured and flew them to the United States. Photo: AP

Pro-government, armed civilians at a protest in Caracas, Venezuela on Sunday. Photo: AP

A US Air Force F22 Raptor takes off from José Aponte de la Torre Airport, formerly Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico on Sunday. Photo: AFP

US scrambles geopolitics with stark attack on Venezuela

US President Donald Trump and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John D. Caine at a news conference  on Saturday about the US attack on Venezuela. Photo: EPA

Government supporters burn a US. flag in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday that he was following developments in Venezuela with “deep concern”. Photo: dpa

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in custody at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration in New York City on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

China’s emission-free tech boosts productivity 3-fold, debunks Trump’s green burden theory

Critics have long dismissed green regulations as a drag on industry, claiming they raise costs and cut production. New study shows slashing carbon emissions can dramatically boost productivity. Photo: Getty Images

News

World

From China’s reaction to Maduro’s capture to another AI scientist leaving the US, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend


From China’s reaction to Maduro’s capture to another AI scientist leaving the US, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.


AI scientist leaves US for China; domestic helpers in Asia: 5 weekend reads you missed

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From China’s reaction to Maduro’s capture to another AI scientist leaving the US, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend

1. ‘Stop subverting Venezuelan regime’: China urges US to release Maduro

2. Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

3. AI scientist Ling Haibin, father of first plant ID app, leaves US for China

From China’s reaction to Maduro’s capture to another AI scientist leaving the US, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend