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Donald Trump (AP) US president Donald Trump on Monday said a peace deal to end the four-year-long war between Ukraine and Russia is “closer than ever,” citing ongoing talks between European leaders and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.Trump said the United States is receiving “tremendous support” from European countries, including Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands, all of which he said are keen to see an end to the conflict.Putin’s Men ‘CHANGE’ Front With New Capture, KILL 1450+ Ukraine Troops As Berlin Talks Struggle”We are going to get it done. I think we are closer now, and they will tell you that they are closer now with numerous conversations with President Putin of Russia. And I think we are closer now than we have ever been… We want to save a lot of lives,” Trump said, speaking at the White House. “We are getting closer. We are having tremendous support from European leaders that want to get it ended also,” h..

US President Donald Trump (Photo credit: AP)
US President Donald Trump on Monday filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing Britain’s public service broadcaster of misleadingly editing a speech he delivered to supporters in Washington on January 6, 2021, shortly before the US Capitol was stormed, news agency AP reported.The January 2021 attack on the US Capitol sought to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the violence.According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami. Trump has alleged that edited clips aired by the BBC falsely suggested he urged supporters to storm the Capitol, causing him serious reputational and financial damage.Trump claims the broadcaster stitched together excerpts from different parts of his speech including remarks urging supporters to march to the Capitol and another in which he said “fight like hell” — while excluding a p..

AdvertisementPerforming arts in Hong KongLifestyleArtsHong Kong classical concert to raise money for family of firefighter lost to Tai Po fireProceeds from the December 22 show, featuring big Hong Kong classical musicians, will go to relatives of Ho Wai-ho, who died in the blaze
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPSyrena JinPublished: 11:15am, 16 Dec 2025Updated: 11:25am, 16 Dec 2025Some of Hong Kong’s biggest names in classical music are coming together to raise funds for the family of the firefighter who lost his life in the Tai Po fire.
The concert, titled “Salute to the Brave, Soothing the Soul”, has been co-organised by the violinist and conductor Leung Kin-fung, and will be held on December 22 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, died in the line of duty in Wang Fuk Court. The worst blaze in Hong Kong in more than 70 years killed more than 160 people and injured dozens, including 12 other firefighters.
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AdvertisementPakistanThis Week in AsiaPoliticsIndia wary as US backs Pakistan with F-16 upgrades and mineral projectsAnalysts say New Delhi faces an ‘uncomfortable truth’ as Washington and Beijing find rare common ground on stability in Pakistan
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP1Tom HussainPublished: 11:00am, 16 Dec 2025The United States and Pakistan are reviving defence and minerals cooperation in a bid to reset their uneasy ties, marking a policy shift that has stirred anxiety in India even as Washington seeks to reassure New Delhi.Washington has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades for Pakistan’s ageing F-16 fighter jets and opened the door to more than US$1 billion in financing for US companies involved in critical minerals projects in the South Asian nation.
These moves mark the most substantive warming in US-Pakistan ties since Donald Trump returned to the White House, in sharp contrast to his first term, when Washington froze military aid to Islamabad ..

Australia was rocked by one of its deadliest mass shootings in decades after a Pakistani-origin father and son opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 16, including gunman, during a Jewish festival. The shooting has been declared a “terrorist incident”, with two Islamic State (IS) flags being recovered during subsequent raids, ABC news reported.Authorities identified the assailants as a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The father was shot dead by police at the scene, while the son was taken to hospital with critical injuries. Police said the father legally owned six firearms, believed to have been used in the attack.What we know so far
Who were the attackers
The two suspected gunmen behind were identified as a father and his son, authorities said. The 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was critically injured and remains hospitalised, CBS news cited New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon..

Xu Bo, a 48-year-old Chinese billionaire and founder of online gaming company Duoyi, has fathered more than 100 US-born children through surrogacy agencies and reportedly hopes they will one day marry Elon Musk’s children to create a sprawling family dynasty, according to social-media posts verified by the Wall Street Journal.Xu, who calls himself “China’s first father,” publicly stated he intended to sire at least “50 high-quality sons.” Duoyi later posted on social media that he had produced over 100 children via US surrogacy.The story ignited on Chinese social media after Xu’s ex-girlfriend, Tang Jing, claimed he had fathered more than 300 children, 11 of whom she said she had raised for years. “That number might even be undercounted, but it’s certainly not exaggerated,” said Tang Jing, Xu’s ex, in a post Nov. 15, according to the India Times.The pair are now engaged in a custody battle over two daughters they share, with Xu claiming his ex owes him tens of crores in expenses he pai..