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AdvertisementIndonesiaThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureJoy of rare Indonesian flower find wilts over Oxford’s failure to name local researchersAfter an uproar over the perceived snub, the university named the Indonesian researchers involved in Rafflesia’s rediscovery on social media
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPResty Woro YuniarPublished: 10:00am, 4 Dec 2025A recent rediscovery of the extremely rare Rafflesia hasseltii, a giant parasitic red flower, in a forest in Indonesia’s West Sumatra has sparked backlash following an initial social media post by Oxford University that left out local researchers involved in the search and credited only its scientist.The uproar has exposed the perceived lack of equal recognition for Western researchers and their Global South counterparts when they collaborate, and the lingering legacy of colonialism in academia, observers say.
The encounter on November 17 with the white-speckled blossom with its giant petals was made possible throu..

AdvertisementChina’s Communist PartyChinaPoliticsChina urged to boost hi-tech innovation to drive development at home and abroadSpeakers at a conference pointed to the country’s advances in a number of fields, with one saying it could help support the Global South
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPPhoebe Zhangin ShenzhenPublished: 10:00am, 4 Dec 2025China should focus on technological innovation to drive domestic and global development, a forum this week has heard.China would push for high-quality development and opening up to the outside world, Li Shulei, head of the Communist Party’s publicity department, told the 2025 Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou on Monday.
The event, which ran between Sunday and Tuesday, was attended by around 800 people and technological innovation was a central theme.
AdvertisementChina also strove to help developing countries and worked with all parties to address challenges in global development, Chen Xiaodong, director of the China Int..

Meghan Markle faces backlash as Perez Hilton calls her turkey clip a safety hazard and names her Salmonella Sussex (Image via Getty) Meghan Markle went viral over Thanksgiving, and the talk quickly turned sharp after many people online said she made a “major safety hazard” in her kitchen. On December 2, 2025, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton jumped into the conversation and joked that Meghan Markle now had a new nickname: “Salmonella Sussex.” Hilton shared a post on X and wrote, “Martha Stewart would never!” The line spread fast, and so did the clip that started all the drama.The clip came from Meghan Markle’s Instagram Story on November 28. In the video, she showed herself mixing seasoning and rubbing it on a raw turkey with almost bare hands. She also wore her gold wedding band and bracelet while touching the meat. This upset many people because food-safety rules warn against touching raw poultry without gloves and while wearing jewelry. The video was captioned, “Let the ‘game’ begin. ..

Candace Owens alleges TPUSA leaders betrayed Charlie Kirk before deadly shooting and vows to show evidence (Image via Getty) Candace Owens made a strong claim about Charlie Kirk. She said Charlie Kirk was “betrayed” by people inside Turning Point USA. She wrote on X that she is “fully confident” about this. She also said she will soon share proof and name the people she thinks hurt him. Owens told people who gave money to Turning Point USA that they should ask for a refund because “leadership knew.”Charlie Kirk, who was a well-known American political activist, was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was doing a “Prove Me Wrong” talk at the campus when the shooting happened. After his death, Donald Trump said Charlie had once told him he might run for president one day.Owens’ new claim has brought a lot of attention because many people loved Charlie Kirk. Many want to know what she will say next. Many also want to see the proof she says she has…

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & CanadaUS pauses all immigration applications from 19 countriesThe pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 10:16am, 3 Dec 2025The Trump administration on Tuesday said it paused all immigration applications, including green card and US citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety.
The pause applies to people from 19 countries that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June, placing further restrictions on immigration – a core feature of US President Donald Trump’s political platform.The list of countries includes Afghanistan and Somalia.
AdvertisementThe official memorandum outlining the new policy cites the attack on US National Guard members in Washington last week in which an Afghan man has been arrested as a suspect. One m..

AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureIn greying Japan, killings of parents by elderly children spur soul-searchingTwo cases of victims aged 100 and 102 killed by their children aged above 70 have highlighted the challenges faced by elderly carers
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJulian RyallPublished: 10:00am, 3 Dec 2025Masato Watabe made no effort to hide the killing. A little over an hour after he held his hand over his victim’s mouth until she was no longer breathing, he called the emergency services. Taken into custody, 79-year-old Watabe admitted to police that he alone was to blame for her death.
Instead of blanket condemnation, however, Watabe has attracted sympathy in Japan, which is struggling to come up with solutions to a rapidly ageing population and growing pressure on families to take care of the elderly and infirm.“I killed my mother,” police quoted Watabe as saying. “I held her mouth. I was too tired from caring for her.
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The White House on Monday defended a follow-up US military strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea last September, saying the Navy commander involved acted lawfully, even as the episode triggered bipartisan calls in Washington for investigations and a parallel inquiry in Caracas into the deaths of Venezuelans.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, then commander of Joint Special Operations Command, operated “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second strike on September 2 after an initial hit left survivors on the disabled boat. She added that defence secretary Pete Hegseth had authorised Bradley “to conduct these kinetic strikes.”President Donald Trump distanced himself from the follow-up strike, saying on Sunday he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike,” though he later defended Hegseth, telling reporters, “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men… And I believe him.”Congress seeks ..

AdvertisementHong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedyHong KongLaw and CrimeBreaking | John Lee orders judge-led independent inquiry to uncover truth behind Hong Kong fireThe committee will be chaired by a judge and will investigate the cause of the deadly fire in Tai Po which claimed 151 lives
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPMatthew ChengPublished: 10:09am, 2 Dec 2025Updated: 10:11am, 2 Dec 2025Hong Kong’s leader has ordered the establishment of an independent inquiry committee, chaired by a judge, to investigate the cause of the deadly fire in Tai Po which claimed 151 lives.
Chief Executive John Lee Ke-chiu said on Tuesday ahead of his weekly meeting with the city’s key decision-making Executive Council that authorities will set up the committee to find out the truth and enable a “systematic change”.
He will be in touch with the judiciary to have a judge to chair the committee, which will conduct its work in “high efficiency”.
AdvertisementThe fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court last We..

AdvertisementHong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedyHong KongSociety‘Grieving and exhausted’: Hong Kong fire victims call for centralised relief platform‘Now all the information is here and there and we have to spend a lot of time searching and filling it in one by one,’ a survivor says
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJiang ChuqinPublished: 9:42am, 2 Dec 2025Victims of Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades have called for a unified platform to access funds and resources, as some elderly people say they feel “exhausted” having to travel around and repeatedly provide their personal information to different parties for support.
Several people who lost their homes in the Tai Po fire, which had claimed 151 lives as of Monday, told the Post that while retrieving new identity cards and other documents from the Immigration Department was a smooth process, they faced difficulties navigating funds and other forms of support dispersed across various locations.
The Immigration Department said on M..