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Representational (AP file photo) Trump administration on Friday ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers to stop making all asylum decisions, following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC. The pause comes after Wednesday’s attack, which officials say was carried out by an Afghan man who received asylum earlier this year. One of the soldiers has died. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the US in 2021 under the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole programme and was granted asylum this spring. The order affects all nationalities and covers “affirmative” asylum cases handled by USCIS. Officers were told to continue interviews and case reviews, but stop at the point where a decision would normally be entered. In-person appointments scheduled for Monday, where applicants receive final decisions, were also cancelled. In a statement to CBS News, USCIS director Joe Edlow confirmed the decision. He said, “USCIS has halted all asylum..

Hernandez, Trump (AP file photos) US president Donald Trump on Friday intervened in Honduras' politics by pardoning former president Juan Orlando Hernandez, just days before the country votes for a new president, and warned that US support to the country could be cut if his preferred candidate loses.Hernandez was convicted in a US court last year for drug trafficking and given a 45-year sentence. He governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022 and was accused by US prosecutors of helping move nearly 400 tonnes of cocaine into the United States. He was extradited soon after leaving office, when the current president, Xiomara Castro, took power. Trump’s announcement came through a social media post backing Nasry Asfura, the candidate from Hernandez’s right-wing party. Trump had already endorsed Asfura, but this time he went further, suggesting that future US aid depends on Asfura winning Sunday’s election. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “If he doesn't win, the United States will not be t..

AdvertisementWomen and genderOpinionChina OpinionAudrey Jiajia LiBeing Chinese | Why Chinese women like me are done being quiet and ‘appropriate’Chinese women are praised for gentleness. Our tone must please; our anger must be graceful. But a new generation is speaking out
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAudrey Jiajia LiPublished: 9:30am, 29 Nov 2025In China, girls are taught early to be “appropriate” – to listen, not lead; to speak gently, not loudly. We grow up believing that quietness is likeability, and likeability is safety. But something is shifting.
When Chinese writer Jiang Fangzhou said to me during a recent interview, “I can’t be waiting for some influential man to say, ‘I’ll give you an hour to talk about literature’. You can’t be waiting for a seat, for a microphone”, it struck a chord far beyond us. It was a generational declaration – for women who are done being echoes.
Jiang’s trajectory is familiar to many in China. She began writing at seven, published her ..

AdvertisementSingaporeThis Week in AsiaPeopleWhy new coach Gavin Lee could be key to Singapore football’s revival: ‘future is bright’Lee’s appointment, following the Lions’ qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup, is a ‘long-needed change’ in Singapore football, analysts say
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJean IauPublished: 9:00am, 29 Nov 2025Singapore’s long-frustrated football fans are daring to hope again after a landmark Asian Cup qualification win and the appointment of a home-grown coach they believe can restore pride to a national side long eclipsed at home by English Premier League fandom.On Friday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced that Gavin Lee, the interim coach that secured the Lions’ qualification for the Asian Cup on merit for the first time, has been given the head coach job on an 18-month contract.Singapore came from a goal down to beat Hong Kong 2-1 at Kai Tak Stadium on November 18, granting the city state a spot in Saudi Arabia in 2027 ..

. US president Donald Trump said on Thursday that Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House a day earlier, had died of her injuries. The second soldier, he said, was “fighting for his life”.Trump called Beckstrom a “highly respected, young, magnificent person” and said he learned of her death just before starting a Thanksgiving video call with US troops. He told them the other soldier remained in “very bad shape”.On Cam: FIRST Photos Of National Guardsmen Shot 24-Hours After Swearing In I DC Ambush“Seconds before I went on right now, I heard that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia… highly respected, young magnificent person…” “She's just passed away. She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. This just happened,” Trump said.The shooting took place on Wednesday afternoon a few blocks from the White House, near the intersection of 17th Street NW and I Street NW. The area includes the Eisenhow..

Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP) Russian president Vladimir Putin has said a revised US proposal “could form the basis” of a future Ukraine agreement, but only if Kyiv pulls its troops out of areas Moscow claims as its own. If Ukraine refuses, he warned, Russia will take the territory by force. The comments come as Washington tries to restart peace talks with a new plan it hopes to discuss with both Moscow and Kyiv. The war is now close to four years old, with Ukrainian forces outnumbered and under strain along the eastern front. Speaking during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin said, “If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” Putin said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don't, then we will achieve it by military means.”Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly said it will not give up any land. Washington’s first proposal, drafted without involving European allies, had suggested Kyiv withdraw f..