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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..

AdvertisementSouth KoreaThis Week in AsiaPeopleFate of South Korea’s Han Duck-soo to set tone for Yoon, others in martial law trialThe former prime minister will be the first of those linked to the decree to be sentenced. The prosecution has asked for 15 years’ jail
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPPark Chan-kyongPublished: 9:30am, 28 Nov 2025The sentencing of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged for their roles in impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched martial law decree, observers say.On Wednesday, a special counsel team investigating the insurrection charges related to Yoon’s December 3 decree demanded a 15-year jail term for the 77-year-old veteran administrator.Han is accused of helping “the mastermind of insurrection” and playing key roles in the failed self-coup.
AdvertisementSenior Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court has set the date for Han’s sentencing for January ..

AdvertisementHong Kong economyOpinionHong Kong OpinionDoug WoodringandDavid KetchumOpinion | A vacancy tax could bring back Hong Kong’s commercial buzzThe city’s magic comes from its energy and speed, not empty units. A gentle policy nudge could boost vibrancy and long-term asset values
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPDoug WoodringandDavid KetchumPublished: 9:30am, 28 Nov 2025Take a walk through some of Hong Kong’s most iconic streets and you might notice a puzzling sight: prime retail spaces in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and other areas are papered over with all types of rental advertisements where there used to be a buzz.
Out-of-reach rental prices are often a result of a simple human instinct: the desire to hold out for yesterday’s peak prices. For many property owners, accepting a lower rent can feel like a step back, potentially affecting bank valuations or reputations that have been built over the years. However, accepting a slightly lower rent today may no..

. Authorities have identified the suspect in the Washington DC shooting that critically injured two National Guard members near the White House. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the accused is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021. Officials are still verifying all his details, and the motive remains unclear.Images shared online appeared to show the suspect being taken away in handcuffs after being shot and placed on a stretcher.“This is the man who opened fire on the National Guard just one day before Thanksgiving. He was taken away in handcuffs after being shot, stripped, and loaded onto a stretcher before being placed in an ambulance,” an X user wrote, sharing the picture.The shooting happened on Wednesday afternoon when National Guard members were on “high-visibility patrols” near 17th Street and I Street NW. Police said the gunman came around a corner, raised a handgun, and fired directly at the two soldiers. Other Guar..

Trump (AP file photo) A judge in Georgia has dismissed the last pending criminal case against president Donald Trump, ending efforts to charge him for trying to overturn the 2020 election. With this, all three criminal cases filed against him before his re-election have now been taken down. Charges against his co-accused, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, were also dropped. The Georgia case was considered a major legal threat because a state conviction cannot be undone by a presidential pardon. But on Wednesday, Pete Skandalakis, who leads the state’s nonpartisan prosecutor council, asked the court to close the case. He said the earlier charges brought by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis did not hold, arguing that challenging election results is not a crime.Georgia prosecutor kills 2020 election interference case against Trump and alliesSkandalakis also said the federal investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith was the proper venue to review Trump’s actions. He..

AdvertisementChina societyOpinionChina OpinionPhoebe ZhangOpinion | Elite success stories are cold comfort for disillusioned young workersThe backlash over a tycoon’s letter to overburdened staff during his trip to Antarctica reveals a fissure beyond a generational divide
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPPhoebe Zhangin ShenzhenPublished: 9:30am, 27 Nov 2025On the 32nd anniversary of New Oriental, a private Beijing-based education services provider, the company’s founder, Yu Minhong, wrote an internal letter to his staff about his trip to the South Pole.“I am standing in the icy world of Antarctica, surrounded by vast expanses of pure white, emerald-like icebergs and boundless tranquillity,” he wrote. “The glaciers shimmer with a captivating glow under the sunlight, as if to silently declare the power of time and the meaning of perseverance.”
He went on to reminisce about his difficult journey from the lecture halls of Peking University to launching his business. He then wrot..

AdvertisementSouth KoreaAsiaEast AsiaItalian TV host Alberto Mondi apologises for ‘careless’ South Korea-Japan history remarksMondi pledged to study history after saying ‘you should listen to both sides’ on Japan’s colonial rule
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPThe Korea TimesPublished: 9:03am, 27 Nov 2025Italian TV personality Alberto Mondi has apologised for comments that sparked controversy over historical distortion involving South Korea and Japan.Posting on his social media on Wednesday, Alberto said, “I sincerely apologise for causing concern with my remarks in the recently released Team354 video. I deeply reflect on the discomfort and disappointment my shortcomings have caused.”
He added that historical issues between South Korea and Japan carry “pain and memories for many people” and that he failed to consider the weight of the topic. “I made a careless remark without fully acknowledging that gravity, and the responsibility is entirely mine,” he said.AdvertisementAlb..

. Paris prosecutor on Tuesday announced four more arrests linked to the major jewellery heist at the Louvre Museum in October, where a gang escaped with jewels worth $102 million. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the two men and two women arrested are from the Paris region and are between 31 and 40 years old. Her statement did not specify their suspected roles in the 19 October theft. Police can question them for up to 96 hours. French media reported that one of the arrested individuals, a 39-year-old already known to police, is believed to be the fourth member of the group that carried out the daytime robbery. He is said to be from Aubervilliers, a suburb north of Paris, where other suspects also have links. The other three suspected gang members had been arrested earlier. They face preliminary charges of theft by an organised group and criminal conspiracy. Investigators say their DNA was found at the scene or on items connected to the robbery. A woman arrested in October is accused of h..

. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday denied a report that president Donald Trump was considering firing FBI Director Kash Patel. Leavitt shared a photo of Trump smiling beside Patel in the Oval Office to counter the report. She wrote on X that she was in the room when the story was published. “This story is completely made up. I was in the Oval office, where president Trump was meeting his law enforcement team, including FBI director Kash Patel,” she said. Leavitt added that she read the headline aloud and Trump laughed. According to her, Trump said, “That’s totally false. Come on, Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job.” She ended her post saying, “Do not believe the fake news.” Earlier, MS NOW had reported that Trump was considering removing Patel as FBI director. The outlet, citing three unnamed people, said Trump and his senior aides were unhappy with negative headlines involving Patel. The report further said Trump was weighing Patel’..

AdvertisementScienceOpinionWorld OpinionAlex LoOpinion | Simulation hypothesis is really a proof for the existence of GodWhile science still disagrees on whether humanity lives in a simulation, philosophy has yet to rule out a ‘cosmic host’
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAlex Loin TorontoPublished: 9:30am, 26 Nov 2025Well, thank God we don’t live in a computer simulation after all. At least that’s according to a new paper by University of British Columbia physicist Mir Faizal and his team of international researchers, including cosmologist and science writer Lawrence Krauss.
AdvertisementOr rather, there is no God to thank because if our universe is not a computer simulation, there is no supreme programmer in the first place.
The team targets an influential simulation argument proposed by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, who believes there is a very good chance we’re all like Neo, the hacker played by Keanu Reeves and trapped inside The Matrix.But after their paper was pu..