January 8, 2026 – Singapore Headlines

1Xi Is Testing Japan’s Ties With Trump by Escalating Trade Battle

Story gist: Bloomberg reports Chinese President Xi Jinping escalating a trade battle to test Japan’s ties with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Left
No major left-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Center
Xi Is Testing Japan’s Ties With Trump by Escalating Trade Battle
— Bloomberg.com
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Right
No major right-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets show no coverage, leaving progressive and conservative perspectives absent—potentially omitting emphasis on Chinese aggression or U.S. ally support. Center outlet Bloomberg frames the story with the headline focusing on Xi’s strategic ‘testing’ of Japan-Trump relations through ‘escalating’ trade actions, highlighting geopolitical maneuvering without domestic U.S. angles.

2One taken to hospital, 30 evacuated after fire breaks out at Sungei Kadut industrial building

Story gist: On January 7 at about 6:40pm, a fire broke out in a production area on the second floor of a four-storey industrial building at Sungei Kadut Avenue. One person was taken to hospital and 30 people were evacuated.
Left
No major left-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Center
[Final Update: Fire @ 14, Sungei Kadut Avenue] At about 6:40pm today (7 Jan), SCDF was alerted to a fire at the abovementioned location. Upon arrival, a production area on the second floor of a four-storey industrial building was on fire. Firefighters deployed
— facebook.com
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Right
No major right-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Bias summary: Left- and right-leaning outlets provided no coverage, omitting any progressive or conservative framing, emphasis on safety regulations, or industrial policy angles. Center sources delivered neutral SCDF updates, focusing on factual details like time, location, and firefighter deployment without dramatic tone, speculation, or omissions of response efforts.

3Trump: Venezuela to send US up to 50 million barrels of oil

Story gist: Trump stated Venezuela will send up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.
Left
What happens to the planet if Trump gets his hands on all of Venezuela’s oil?
— CNN
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Center
Oil falls, stocks mixed after Trump reveals plan for Venezuelan oil
— Reuters
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Right
No major right-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Bias summary: Left-leaning CNN frames with alarmist tone, exaggerating scope as ‘all of Venezuela’s oil’ and questioning environmental impact on the planet. Center Reuters neutrally emphasizes market effects, noting oil price drop and mixed stocks after Trump’s revelation. Right-leaning outlets absent, lacking perspective on energy security or economic benefits.

4Xi-Lee summit signals thaw in relations, sends strategic message to Japan, US

Story gist: China’s top legislator met the president of the Republic of Korea.
Left
China’s top legislator meets ROK president
— China Daily – Global Edition
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Center
Xi-Lee summit signals thaw in relations, sends strategic message to Japan, US
— The Straits Times
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Right
No major right-leaning outlet from our monitored sources covered this story
Bias summary: Left-leaning China Daily frames the event plainly as a meeting between China’s top legislator and ROK president, emphasizing routine diplomacy. Center Straits Times portrays it as a ‘Xi-Lee summit’ signaling a thaw in relations and a strategic message to Japan and the US, with interpretive optimism. No right-leaning coverage appears, absent a skeptical view on China-ROK ties or security implications.