World

Zelensky signals progress in talks with US on peace plan

Zelensky signals progress in talks with US on peace plan 6 hours agoShareSaveRachel Muller-HeyndykShareSaveEPAUkraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said he had a “very constructive” phone call with Donald Trump's peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Zelensky said they had discussed how to ensure that Russia stuck to any potential deal to end its war with Ukraine and that he was “determined” to continue working with the US.
Ukrainian officials also joined the call from Miami, where they are in engaged in a third day of talks on US efforts to engineer a peace deal with Russia.
Moscow does not appear to have made any concessions, and continues to carry out massive bombardments of Ukraine.
“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelensky said on X.
“We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the ..

World

Deadly attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan

Deadly attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan 8 hours agoShareSaveSeher AsafShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesMillions of people have been displaced within war-torn Sudan (file photo)A drone attack on the town of Kalogi, in Sudan's South Kordofan region, is said to have hit a kindergarten and killed at least 50 people, including 33 children.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group battling the army in Sudan's civil war, was accused of Thursday's attack by a medical organisation, the Sudan Doctors' Network, and the army.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF.
The RSF in turn accused the army of hitting a market on Friday in a drone attack in the Darfur region, on a fuel depot at the Adre border crossing with Chad.
Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023 when a power struggle broke out between the RSF and the army, who were formerly allies .
The reports could not be verified independently.
According to the army-aligned foreign ministry, the..

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‘Get a kick out of it’: JD Vance dismisses divorce rumours; claims marriage to Usha ‘strong as ever’

AP file photo Vice President JD Vance on Friday dismissed a wave of online speculation about his marriage, saying his relationship with Second Lady Usha Vance is “as strong as it’s ever been.”He said the couple has taken the growing swirl of social media rumors in stride, opting to laugh off the speculation about their personal lives.This comes after a recent rash of tabloid-style headlines that surfaced when the second lady was photographed without her wedding ring.“I think that we kind of get a kick out of it,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News, when asked whether the recent controversy had frustrated him.“With anything in life, you take the good with the bad,” Vance said, adding that “there are some sacrifices and there are some very good things that come along with it, too. But our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think Usha’s really taken to it, and it’s been kind of cool to see how she’s developed and evolved in this new role.”The couple’s marriage drew onlin..

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FIFA World Cup draw: Donald Trump kicks off the event with his signature ‘YMCA’ dance – watch

AP file photo US President Donald Trump on Friday stole the spotlight at the FIFA 2026 World Cup draw when he rose from his seat at the Kennedy Center and performed his signature “YMCA” dance. The moment came as organizers brought the Village People on stage to perform the hit number, a staple at Trump campaign rallies alongside “Nessun dorma.”Trump attended the event alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The ceremony was co-hosted by actor-comedian Kevin Hart and supermodel Heidi Klum, and featured appearances by sports icons including Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Eli Manning and Aaron Judge.FIFA Raises Trump Speculations After Announcing ‘YMCA’ Performance For 2026 World Cup DrawThe US president also received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from the sport’s global governing body.”Mr President, this is your prize. This is your peace prize,” said Gianni Infantino, the president of the international football association as p..

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Lifeline or trash? Taiwan safety guide sparks fierce debate amid Beijing threat

AdvertisementTaiwanChinaPoliticsUpdated Taiwan safety guide sparks fierce debate amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure‘Little orange book’ sent to nearly 10 million households advises on survival response, but many question its cost and value
Reading Time:5 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 10:00am, 6 Dec 2025Taiwan’s updated crisis and war survival guide has ignited fierce political debate, hailed by officials as a lifeline amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure but blasted by critics as costly propaganda prompting fear rather than readiness.Mass distribution of In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide – quickly dubbed the “little orange book” – began late last month, targeting 9.83 million households.
The 29-page comic-style publication explains how to stockpile food and water, locate shelters and identify signs of escalating threats to the public, ranging from cyberattacks to a full-scale military assault.
AdvertisementIt updates p..

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Official Chinese media calls for end to name-and-shame campaign against cadres

AdvertisementChina’s Communist PartyChinaPoliticsChina’s official media calls for end to name-and-shame campaign against grass-roots cadresSeries of commentaries says insulting officials will backfire and more effort must be made to tackle reasons for perceived poor performance
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPWilliam ZhengPublished: 10:00am, 6 Dec 2025China’s official media has called on disciplinary watchdogs to stop giving low-level officials insulting nicknames that imply they are not doing their jobs properly.The provincial publicity department of the eastern province of Zhejiang became the latest to weigh in on this issue. In a commentary posted on its official social media on Tuesday, it warned that this approach was likely to backfire.
It criticised the use of labels such as “refrigerator” officials to describe those who “don’t speak up, stay cold and don’t change”; “treadmill” types who “look busy and sweaty but who make no progress in their work”; or “lipstick” cad..

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Trump Mobile is offering phones for $500 —they are just refurbished, and three years old

True Donald Trump devotees who put down their $100 deposits are still awaiting the chance to receive one of his family’s $499 golden smartphones for “real Americans”.
But in the meantime, perhaps you'd like to buy a refurbished Apple or Samsung phone from several years ago, for up to $225 more than you could get on Amazon?
That's the astonishing deal now on offer from Trump Mobile, the patriotic phone vendor launched this June by the President's family business, the Trump Organization (currently run by his eldest sons Don Jr and Eric Trump).
There's still no update on the company's forthcoming T1, a “proudly American” Android handset retailing for $499 that was forced to remove its “MADE IN THE USA” branding after experts argued that the facilities to manufacture such devices wholly within the States simply do not exist.
That hasn't stopped the firm hawking refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s, which appear to have no specific Trump..

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Stuck in a van while the president measures the Kennedy Center drapes: Inside Trump’s day of ego boosting as crises loom

Donald Trump grinned from ear to ear as he took the gold medal that had been offered to him and placed it around his own neck.
He had finally claimed his peace prize.
Not the Nobel Peace Prize, mind you. Trump didn’t win that one this year, despite openly campaigning for it since returning to power ten months ago and embarking on a non-stop series of peace overtures meant to bring about the end to long-running, if obscure, world conflicts.
Instead, he had strode onto the stage at the Kennedy Center Opera House to accept an entirely new honor that had been made up by the head of the world soccer governing body after he was snubbed by the Swedish Nobel Committee in favor of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
It was the FIFA Peace Prize, which the international football association had never awarded in its 121-year history, that Trump was there to accept at the start of a star-studded ceremony to determine the draw for the quadrennial tournament, which the U.S. will joint..

World

Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds11 hours agoShareSaveBethany BellBerlinShareSaveWatch: 'We're protesting now before it's too late'Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to introduce voluntary military service, in a move aimed at boosting national defences after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It marks a significant shift in Germany's approach to its military and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push to create Europe's strongest conventional army.
The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women.
Students at schools across Germany have said they will join strikes in as many as 90 cities on Friday to protest against the move.
EPAGermany scrapped compulsory military service in 2011 but the size of its milit..

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Putin says Russia ready to supply ‘uninterrupted’ fuel to India

Putin says Russia ready to supply 'uninterrupted' fuel to India 13 hours agoShareSaveVikas Pandey,DelhiandRuth ComerfordShareSaveReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, as Delhi faces pressure from the US to stop buying Russian oil.
Putin, speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, questioned earlier why India should be punished for buying oil when the US itself buys nuclear fuel from Moscow.
President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on most Indian products, arguing that Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil helped fund the war in Ukraine – an accusation India denies.
Putin's visit comes as the US holds a series of talks with Russia and Ukraine in an attempt to broker a peace deal to end the war.
On Thursday, Putin told India Today that Russia was working on a “peaceful solution” to ending the war – warning that Ukraine must withdraw from the Donbas or Ru..