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Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre extended his Diwali greetings and clubbed it with 'Bandi Chor Divas' wish inviting criticism for the way he worded it. Social media users commented that he was pandering to Khalistanis and it was no wonder that his party lost the last election. “Sikhs, Hindus, Jains & Buddhists across Canada are celebrating Bandi Chhor Divas & Diwali — festivals of light, freedom & hope. May this day inspire peace, justice & prosperity for all. Happy Diwali & Bandi Chhor Divas!” Pierre Poilievre posted. Social media users claimed they are Hindus, Jains and Buddhists and never heard of Bandi Chhor Divas.Prime Minister Mark Carney too wished for Bandi Chhor Divas but he kept his message only for the Sikh communities in Canada. “Sikh communities are gathering across Canada today for Bandi Chhor Divas — a celebration of freedom and justice. As you come together with family and friends to reflect on the values of service, faith, and generosity, I wish you a won..

AdvertisementScienceChinaScienceTrump, Xi and the ‘green paradox’: how China is building a climate-proof futureAmbitious transformation of country’s energy consumption and urban planning makes economic sense too, analysts say
Reading Time:5 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP3Holly ChikPublished: 6:00am, 23 Oct 2025China and the United States often find themselves sharply at odds on policy, but nowhere is the divide between the rival powers more striking than on climate change – as their leaders made clear at last month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.AdvertisementEven as US President Donald Trump dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”, his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, used the moment to unveil Beijing’s latest strategies for addressing the issue.Xi said China sought to cut its emissions by 7 to 10 per cent from peak levels by 2035, while increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy mix to over 30 per cent, with a focus on..

AdvertisementUS-China trade warOpinionChina OpinionWenran JiangOpinion | Can China make its rare earth controls bite?If China backs down or fails to enforce its controls effectively, it will undermine this policy and cast doubt on other tools it wields
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPWenran JiangPublished: 5:30am, 23 Oct 2025The Chinese government’s recent announcement of more export controls on rare earth-related items marks a significant shift in global economic statecraft. The new measures, covering a spectrum of rare earth elements, other critical materials and relevant processing technologies, have been justified as measures to safeguard national security and fulfil non-proliferation obligations.AdvertisementThe controls aim to deny the use of the materials in foreign military systems, linking China’s mines directly to the heart of Western military technological superiority.This could be seen as a robust policy response to the challenges posed by the United States’ own..

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he did not want a “wasted meeting” with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, expressing his frustration with previous fruitless attempts at resolving the Ukraine war.Reacting to his Budapest summit with Putin being shelved, he said, “I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time, so I'll see what happens.”Just days ago, Trump had indicated he would meet Putin within two weeks while pressuring Ukraine to cede the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace. However, the Kremlin reportedly continued to insist on all its demands despite a recent call with Trump, prompting the White House to announce that no immediate meeting was planned.The Kremlin confirmed there is no set date for a new Trump-Putin meeting, following earlier talks in Alaska in August that failed to produce a breakthrough on Ukraine.Trump has shown signs of frustration with Putin despite claiming a personal rapport, but his stance ..

A man from New York, who was pardoned by US President Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Police said.34-year-old Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with making terrorist like threats. He is the first pardoned Capitol rioter to face arrest over alleged political violence, reports ABC News. Investigators said Moynihan sent threatening text messages last week to an unidentified recipient. One message read, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.” Another said, “Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future.” The complaint said the messages “placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant.”Moynihan appeared in the Town of Clinton Court and was sent to the Dutchess County Justice and T..

AdvertisementUkraine warWorldUnited States & CanadaTrump says Ukraine talks with Putin off for now, doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’The US president’s comments are the latest twist in his stop-and-go effort to resolve the war
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAssociated PressPublished: 6:28am, 22 Oct 2025US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he doesn’t want it to be a “waste of time”. It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine.
AdvertisementThe decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting,” Trump said. “I don’t want to have a waste of time – so we’ll see what happens.”
Trump’s hesitancy is likely to come as a relief to European leaders, who ha..

AdvertisementUS-China relationsChinaDiplomacyHow ‘paramount leader’ Donald Trump could prove to be a guard rail in US-China tiesFor now, the US president has tamed the China hawks on his team while opting not to antagonise counterpart Xi Jinping, analysts say
Reading Time:6 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPDewey Simin BeijingPublished: 6:00am, 22 Oct 2025China’s rocky trade relationship with the United States was on full display this month as US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports.AdvertisementSeparately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denounced China’s move to expand curbs on rare earth exports, calling it “a sign of how weak their economy is”. He also described Li Chenggang, one of China’s trade negotiators, as “pretty unhinged and very aggressive”.Trade ties between the rival powers remain fraught, even as Bessent held “frank” talks over video with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Saturday, with the pair set to hold fresh in-person neg..

US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Hamas against violating the Gaza ceasefire, asking the militant group to “be good” or it would be “eradicated”.”We made a deal with Hamas that they're going to be very good, they're going to behave, they're going to be nice,” he told reporters at the White House as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.”And if they're not, we're going to go and we're going to eradicate them, if we have to. They'll be eradicated, and they know that,” he added.He further claimed that Hamas had no support of Iran and said: “They don't have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they're not good, they'll be eradicated.””They got very rambunctious, and they did things that they shouldn't be doing, and if they keep doing it, then we're going to go in and straighten it out, and it'll happen very quickly and pretty violently,” he said.Israeli forces, on Sunday,..

AdvertisementUS-China trade warUSDiplomacyPanama ports deal: CK Hutchison gets encouraging signs from Panamanian governmentPanama is still open to being flexible and reaching an amicable agreement with CK Hutchison, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPFrank Tangin WashingtonPublished: 6:39am, 21 Oct 2025Updated: 6:42am, 21 Oct 2025A senior Panamanian official said on Monday that Panama will remain flexible and potentially reach an agreement with CK Hutchison as the Latin American country navigates the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China.Advertisement“We are working on a plan in case that [Panama’s Supreme Court] ruling goes against the extension of the contract” for CK Hutchison, said José Ramón Icaza, Panama’s minister of canal affairs.
“In that case, we have to step in as the Panama Maritime Authority to take control of that concession, without generating a disruption of the supply chain,” he said in an event wit..

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & CanadaEx-FBI director Comey seeks dismissal of criminal charges, cites vindictive prosecutionComey claims he is a victim of Trump’s ‘personal spite’ and charges against him were filed by an unlawfully appointed lawyer
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 6:17am, 21 Oct 2025Former FBI Director James Comey on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, arguing that the US lawyer who brought the case was unlawfully appointed and that he is being unfairly targeted because of US President Donald Trump’s “personal spite” against him.
AdvertisementThe court filings from Comey, which accuse the Trump administration of “wilfully unlawful conduct”, represent his best chance to get the charges quickly dismissed and avoid a jury trial. Comey previously said he is innocent and has “great confidence” that the court system will clear his name.“The indictment in this case arises from multiple glaring cons..