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AdvertisementNepalThis Week in AsiaHealth & EnvironmentNepal rolls out tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreigners after protest delaysStarting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBibek BhandariPublished: 11:00am, 17 Dec 2025As tourist numbers climb back towards record highs, Nepal is rolling out a new digital registration system to track every foreign visitor, in a move officials say will boost safety and curb visa misuse.Starting from January 1, all foreign visitors will be required to register detailed accommodation information through the government’s new digital platform, replacing the earlier system that allowed only partial disclosures.
Authorities say the measure will modernise an overstretched immigration network while giving authorities faster access to location data during emergencies.
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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..

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & Canada2 people found dead in Los Angeles home of director Rob ReinerAuthorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the people found dead in Reiner’s home
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPAgenciesPublished: 11:21am, 15 Dec 2025Two people were found dead at a Los Angeles home owned by director-actor Rob Reiner on Sunday, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request Sunday afternoon and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside.
AdvertisementReiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work includes some of the most memorable films of the 1980s and ‘90s, including This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.
His role as Meathead in the 1970..

AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaPoliticsJapan’s retreat from global health funding hands China diplomatic openingTokyo’s over 52 per cent funding cut to a global body fighting Aids and malaria risks damaging its hard-won reputation as a ‘peace nation’
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJulian RyallPublished: 11:14am, 15 Dec 2025Updated: 11:18am, 15 Dec 2025Japan’s sharp reduction in funding for a leading international body fighting infectious diseases risks damaging Tokyo’s credibility and long-held “peace diplomacy”, in a move analysts say could give China an opening to expand its influence across developing nations.The Switzerland-based Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established in 2002, has saved an estimated 70 million lives in more than 100 countries by boosting testing capacity, surveillance systems, community networks and medical training.
At a meeting in Johannesburg last month, Japan pledged “up to” 81 billion yen (US$520 million) in contribut..

AdvertisementTikTokChinaPoliticsSoft power – hard work: can China harness social media apps to rewire its global image?After the US migration to RedNote, experts say transforming engagement into influence will require a ‘light touch’ from Beijing
Reading Time:7 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPMeredith ChenPublished: 11:10am, 14 Dec 2025Mary Roettger was just one of millions of Americans seeking a social media life raft when she warily logged onto China’s RedNote platform for the first time in January.As fears loomed over a threatened US ban on TikTok, the Florida writer braced for a clumsy, spam-filled experience full of “negative people”.Instead, she was struck by a starkly different culture. Roettger was “blown away with the amount of tenderness and excitement” of the online community suddenly before her.
Advertisement“That was new,” said the 27-year-old, who shared on RedNote her poems, pictures of her cat and videos taken during casual strolls. “It was people speaking with people, not..