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AdvertisementUS-China relationsChinaMilitaryJapan, US defence chiefs cover radar row and other China tensions in phone callWashington and Tokyo share ‘serious concerns’ about regional security, reaffirm commitment to alliance
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMP2Seong Hyeon ChoiPublished: 10:22am, 12 Dec 2025Updated: 10:24am, 12 Dec 2025US and Japanese defence chiefs spoke on the phone on Friday about the recent confrontation between Chinese and Japan Self-Defence Force fighter jets, as Tokyo said it did not seek to escalate the tensions.
During the call, Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth engaged in a “candid exchange” of views on the “rapidly deteriorating” security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Japanese defence ministry release.
“The two sides stated serious concerns about any actions that heighten tensions in the region, expressing that China’s actions do not contribute to peace and stability in the region,” t..

A parent of a Kentucky State University student was charged with murder and first-degree assault after an on-campus shooting at the school’s Frankfort campus on Tuesday that killed one student and critically injured another.Jacob Lee Bard, 48, was at the campus and fired shots at victims in Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, police said in a statement. The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox of Indianapolis. A second student remains in critical condition; his name was not released, CNN reported.Police said Bard is from Evansville, Indiana, which is about 150 miles west of Frankfort. He was booked into the Franklin County Jail on charges of murder and first-degree assault. Bard is represented by a public defender at the Franklin County Department of Public Advocacy, which declined to comment on the case.University police officers who were near the scene of the altercation arrested Bard immediately, investigators said. Surveillance footage and videos taken by others at the scene have been rev..

US President Donald Trump unveiled the long-awaited Gold Card visa at the White House on Wednesday, billing it as a million-dollar fast track to US citizenship and a tool for companies to retain foreign graduates. He said it was “somewhat like a green card, but with big advantages,” adding that firms could “go to any school, buy a card, and keep that person in the United States.” The White House began accepting applications from Wednesday afternoon. The card costs $1 million for individuals and $2 million for corporate sponsors.Also Read: 'Direct path to citizenship': Donald Trump launches Gold Card, cites corporate demand — what it meansWhat is the Gold Card?
The Gold Card is a new US visa pathway based on an applicant’s ability to deliver substantial benefit to the United States. It carried a $15,000 DHS processing fee and a $1 million gift after vetting. Successful applicants received lawful permanent residence under an EB-1 or EB-2 classification.What does it cost? – $15..

AdvertisementDonald TrumpWorldUnited States & CanadaTrump calls media reports on his health ‘seditious, perhaps even treasonous’Trump outburst comes as 79-year-old US president’s health and appearance come under public scrutiny
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAgence France-PressePublished: 10:38am, 11 Dec 2025US President Donald Trump has blasted media reports questioning his state of health as “seditious, perhaps even treasonous”, sparking pushback on Wednesday by one of the major outlets behind the stories.
In a long, late-night social media post, the oldest elected president in US history raged about stories in The New York Times and elsewhere suggesting that at the age of 79 he is slowing down.
“There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me! My hours are the longest, and my results are among the best,” Trump said in the nearly 500-word screed on his Truth Social network.
Advertisement“I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The N..

AdvertisementEducation in Hong KongHong KongEducationPupils of school closed after Hong Kong fire inspired by new university homesAbout 600 pupils at Tai Po Baptist Public School near Wang Fuk Court have adjusted well to classes held at CityU and EdU, educators say
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPWilliam YiuPublished: 10:30am, 11 Dec 2025Hundreds of children whose school near the scene of Hong Kong’s deadly blaze that has been temporarily closed are finding their classes at two university campuses to be an eye-opening experience, educators have said, with some pupils planning on becoming vets or teachers.
Tai Po Baptist Public School, located opposite Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the scene of the November 26 inferno that claimed at least 160 lives, remains sealed off, with about 300 senior form pupils taking lessons at City University in Kowloon Tong and an equal number from junior forms going to the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) in Tai Po.
Senior form pupils will al..

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Nov. 30, with its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument Ever since 3I/ATLAS was first spotted in July, it’s been the space object everyone argues about. It’s only the third interstellar visitor ever found passing through our Solar System, it refused to sit neatly in the “just another comet” box.…its strange colour shifts, abrupt changes in speed, and the appearance of both a tail and an anti-tail have kept astronomers on alert for months. And, more recently, the comet has added yet another oddity to the list: a now-famous 16.16-hour “heartbeat,” a rhythmic brightening and dimming that scientists are still trying to explain.NASA’s line has stayed consistent: 3I/ATLAS is a comet, it poses no threat to Earth, and it will stay far away. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, meanwhile, has spent months saying we shouldn’t rush to that conclusion. He’s suggested there is a 30–40% chance the object is not naturally formed, has talked ab..

During the Streamer Awards 2025, a financial creator overheard violent and sexually abusive threats directed at streamer Fiona “Fanfan” in a venue restroom. The alleged perpetrator, reportedly from New York, made the remarks after Fanfan allegedly made jokes about Kai Cenat. The incident has sparked calls for improved security at influencer events. The Streamer Awards 2025 was meant to be a celebration of the year’s biggest creators, from record-breaking Twitch personalities to viral gaming icons. But alongside the jokes, red carpet photos and fan excitement, a troubling story has emerged about an alleged threat made against streamer Fiona “Fanfan.” Instead of post-event buzz being centered around winners and standout moments, one clip circulating on X has ignited concern about safety at influencer events. In it, financial creator Jason “TheStockGuy” recounts overhearing a violent conversation at the venue, one that included both physical and sexual assault threats directed at Fanfan, ..

AdvertisementArtificial intelligenceTechBig TechOpenAI names Slack CEO as first chief of revenue as ChatGPT maker aims to make a profitOpenAI is facing increased competition from rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed the latest version of its own AI assistant
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAssociated PressPublished: 10:45am, 10 Dec 2025OpenAI said Tuesday it has picked Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue, a message to wary investors that the ChatGPT maker is serious about making a profit from its artificial intelligence technology.
OpenAI said Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and “help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations”.
Dresser had already spent more than a decade at Salesforce when the software pioneer announced in 2020 it was buying work-chatting service Slack for US$27.7 billion. She helped integrate Slack into the software company before Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked her as CEO in 2023.
Adv..

AdvertisementChina tradeEconomyChina EconomyEuropean firms need to abandon overreliance on China and US, chamber report warnsEuropean Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges companies to “eliminate single-source dependencies”
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPXinyi Wuin BeijingPublished: 10:39am, 10 Dec 2025Updated: 10:41am, 10 Dec 2025A new report recommends European companies diversify away from overreliance on China and the US, as companies find themselves squeezed between Beijing’s preferential policies for local companies and Washington’s trade volatility.
The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China advised companies to “eliminate single-source dependencies on both China and the United States where possible” in a report on supply chain dependencies released on Wednesday.
“We are probably only seeing the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding dependencies,” the chamber’s president, Jens Eskelund, said at an earlier media briefing, at which he noted Eu..

Piers Morgan fires back after Nick Fuentes explodes over family racism question (Image via Getty) Nick Fuentes, a far-right political streamer with a long history of racist remarks, clashed sharply with Piers Morgan during a tense episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. What started as a discussion about Fuentes’ own words quickly turned into an angry exchange about race, family, and responsibility. The moment drew even more attention after Morgan posted a blunt response on social media.The argument began when Morgan asked Fuentes about a story he had shared earlier on his own podcast. In that story, Fuentes said his father avoided restaurants like Applebee’s and Red Lobster because many Black people ate there. Morgan asked if growing up with that thinking meant Fuentes was raised in a racist environment.Fuentes reacted strongly and accused Morgan of attacking his parents. Piers Morgan said the question was fair because the story came from Fuentes himself. After the episode aired, the deba..