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Sichuan regulators announced that two samples of WN‑N95 masks registered to Winner Medical’s Huanggang unit failed safety tests, citing poor filtration, inadequate fit and microbiological contamination. The finding, part of a wider provincial sampling sweep that flagged 17 non‑compliant batches, raises questions about batch control, storage and the scrutiny of PPE suppliers in China.

China has extended a fiscal loan interest‑subsidy scheme for service businesses through the end of 2026, raising the 2026 per‑borrower subsidy cap to RMB 10 million and widening eligible sectors to include digital, green and retail. The move aims to mobilise bank lending and central fiscal resources to revive consumption while imposing stricter oversight and faster settlement procedures.

China’s Air Force has begun its 2026 final pilot selection in Beijing, using enhanced medical and psychological tests and a suite of new diagnostic technologies. The recruitment drive emphasizes scientific precision, wider regional access, and strict anti‑intermediary rules, aiming to raise entry standards and streamline the admissions pipeline.

Hong Kong stocks ended slightly lower as investors rotated into new-consumption and gold stocks while AI and semiconductor names pulled back. The session highlighted a selective, sector-driven market with consumption and safe-haven themes gaining traction amid profit-taking in tech.

China’s finance ministry has pledged that public spending will rise in 2026 while shifting focus to more efficient, targeted outlays. The statement follows a large 2025 fiscal expansion — including an elevated deficit and heavy bond issuance — and is accompanied by measures to stimulate consumption, support enterprise innovation, and clean up local fiscal practices.

Veteran economist Li Xunlei told attendees at a Beijing forum that China’s housing market has not finished adjusting and that, for many households, renting in 2026 may be preferable to buying. He urged tighter rules on high-frequency quantitative trading, endorsed gold as a hedge, and proposed targeted fiscal measures — including higher rural pensions and food vouchers — to shore up consumption.

China’s Ministry of Finance will subsidise 1.5 percentage points of interest on qualifying fixed-asset loans to private small and micro enterprises in targeted industrial chains, effective from January 1, 2026. The one-year pilot caps subsidy per loan at RMB 50 million and channels support through a designated set of banks with central–provincial coordination and auditing mechanisms.

China has launched a central fiscal interest subsidy of 1.5 percentage points on fixed-asset loans for equipment upgrades, payable from loan disbursement and capped at two years. The scheme expands supported sectors, appoints 26 banks as implementers, simplifies payment procedures through pre-allocation and settlement, and runs through at least the end of 2026.

Europe responded to recent U.S. moves on Greenland and threats of tariffs with a mix of conciliatory diplomacy and firmer measures to protect sovereignty and economic interests. The episode highlights growing European strategic autonomy, the geopolitics of the Arctic and risks to transatlantic cohesion.

A fatal shooting by ICE in Minneapolis has sparked a winter of political confrontation rather than large street demonstrations. The White House has signaled possible use of the Insurrection Act and placed active-duty troops on standby, while Minnesota's governor has mobilized the National Guard, crystallizing a federal-versus-state dispute over how to restore order without eroding constitutional norms.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has told U.S. Secretary of State Rubio that Israel opposes Qatar and Turkey joining a proposed Gaza "peace committee," instructing his foreign minister to lodge a formal protest. He also insisted that no Turkish or Qatari forces will enter Gaza and reiterated that a second-phase ceasefire must demilitarize the territory and disarm Hamas.

Local military recruitment offices across China have launched a multi-pronged publicity drive to boost 2026 enlistment, using campus outreach, village visits, market booths and ceremonial honours to explain policies and incentivise service. The campaign reflects efforts to secure better-qualified volunteers amid demographic constraints and to embed military service within local social and political narratives.

Denmark has deployed additional troops to Greenland and published photos showing soldiers arriving in Nuuk, with more units to be stationed in the west. Copenhagen says the deployment, agreed with Greenland’s authorities, is a response to rising geopolitical tensions in the Arctic and follows public U.S. remarks about Greenland that have alarmed European capitals.

A reconnaissance detachment from the PLA Eastern Theater Command recently conducted a continuous day‑to‑night exercise that combined traditional small‑unit tactics with drones and real‑time target handoff to artillery. The drill highlights Beijing’s emphasis on realistic, integrated training to improve reconnaissance, night operations and the sensor‑to‑shooter cycle in complex environments.

UNDP will transfer nearly 400 posts from its New York headquarters to Europe—mostly to Bonn, with the remainder to Madrid—as part of a reform to adapt to fiscal pressures and strengthen ties with hosts and partners. The agency says the move complements earlier decentralisation to regional offices and aims to boost support for vulnerable populations while retaining New York as its global HQ.

A battalion in the PLA’s 75th Group Army runs a ‘Time Post Office’ in which soldiers write letters to their future selves and open them a year later to assess progress. The unit reports a greater-than-90-percent completion rate and uses mentoring, periodic reviews and public recognition to convert personal goals into improved skills and cohesion.

France has declined an invitation to join a U.S.-led Gaza “peace committee,” arguing the proposed body would exceed its brief and undermine the United Nations. Concerns focus on a draft charter that grants broad powers to the committee’s chair and hints at a remit beyond Gaza, prompting mixed international reactions and raising questions about legitimacy and governance of any postwar transition.

China has delivered the first batch of rice under an emergency food-aid project to Cuba, with state media releasing on-site footage of the handover. The shipment provides immediate relief while strengthening Beijing’s political and logistical presence in the Caribbean, though it does not address Cuba’s deeper economic problems.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally opposed a US proposal to include Qatar and Turkey in a proposed Gaza "peace committee," instructing Israel's foreign ministry to convey objections to Washington and publicly insisting neither country's forces will be allowed into Gaza. The dispute underscores deeper disagreements over who should help manage security, aid and governance in Gaza after fighting, and complicates US efforts to build a multilateral mechanism for the territory's stabilization.

IDF Chief Zamir announced the Israeli military is at high alert and prepared to use unprecedented offensive capabilities to meet potential multi‑front threats, citing lessons from a June 2025 confrontation with Iran. The declaration signals a sharpened deterrent posture but raises the risk of regional escalation and places persistent strain on Israel’s reserves and diplomacy.