Category: Uncategorized

Sebastien Lecornu (AP) France’s newly re-appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Sunday unveiled his new Cabinet, balancing members of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance, conservative allies, and a few figures from outside politics, AP reported.The 39-year-old Lecornu faces immediate challenges, including producing a national budget and restoring investor confidence amid growing political turmoil and public discontent. France’s parliament remains deeply fractured, with Macron’s camp lacking a clear majority, increasing the risk of a no-confidence vote.Among key appointments, former labor minister Catherine Vautrin was named defense minister, tasked with overseeing France’s military support for Ukraine and addressing European security threats from Russia. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, who supervised security operations during the 2024 Paris Olympics, was appointed interior minister, while Roland Lescure will take charge as finance minister, a pivotal post as France ..

AdvertisementIsrael-Gaza warWorldMiddle EastTrump says ‘the war is over’ in Gaza as he sets off for the Middle East to mark ceasefire dealTrump will first visit Israel, where he has been invited to address the parliament, then fly to Egypt for a summit to discuss peace in Gaza
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAgenciesPublished: 5:49am, 13 Oct 2025US President Donald Trump headed off on a high-stakes trip to Israel and Egypt on Sunday, saying “the war is over” in Gaza.
AdvertisementAir Force One took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington in light rain, Agence France-Presse reporters said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA chief John Ratcliffe were also aboard the plane, the White House said.“This is going to be a very special time,” Trump told reporters. “Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time.”The US president also said hostages “may get out a little bit early”.
“The war is over. OK? You understand that?” Trump responded..

AdvertisementIndiaOpinionChina OpinionRichard HeydarianOpinion | Why India is hedging its bets on another China charm offensiveAs Washington pushes New Delhi closer to Beijing, both Asian powers must exercise strategic patience for an effective detente
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPRichard HeydarianPublished: 5:30am, 13 Oct 2025In a fast and furious year of devastating wars and high-stakes diplomacy, the historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands out as a potential harbinger of a new global order.AdvertisementIn his first visit to China in seven years, Modi agreed with Xi that Asia’s two powers should be “partners” rather than “rivals”, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.Modi stressed that “their differences should not turn into disputes” and expressed a commitment to the “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement” of their border dispute. Crucially, he mentioned t..

Astronomer's Gwyneth Paltrow ad was done by actor Ryan Reynolds' production house Maximum Effort. Astronomer CEO Pete DeJjoy in his latest message revealed that they not only roped in Gwyneth Paltrow but also actor Ryan Reynolds — to tide over the Coldplay scandal in which the company's former CEO Andy Byron and former HR chief Kristin Cabot were involved. They were caught canoodling at a Coldplay concert in Boston, cheating on their respective partners. In the wake of a major social media backlash, both of them resigned and Astronomer is believed to have the last laugh in their masterclass PR. The company released a video featuring Gwyneth Paltrow who was formerly married to Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin but now it has been revealed that the tongue-in-cheek ad was created by Maximum Effort — a production company of Ryan Reynolds.Gwyneth Paltrow has been hired by the company as a spokesperson on a “very temporary basis”. In the video, she answers questions which ar..

The project is expanding globally with planned rollouts in Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and India to share the Hijrah experience/ Image: Saudi Gazzette TL;DR
Saudi Arabia's immersive Hijrah experience opens in November.
Over 1 million people have already registered.
The 470 km route includes 41 restored sites and a Hijrah museum.
Part of Vision 2030 to boost religious and cultural tourism.Saudi Arabia’s groundbreaking cultural project, ‘In the Prophet’s Steps’, has crossed a major milestone, over one million people have registered to take part in the immersive Hijrah experience ahead of its official November launch. Led by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), this initiative brings to life the migration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Makkah to Madinah, aiming to offer a deeply spiritual, historically accurate, and technologically advanced journey to both domestic and international visitors.The Project: What ‘In the Prophet’s Steps’ Is All About ‘In the Prophet’s Steps,’..

AdvertisementScienceChinaScienceWu Yiquan: the Chinese AI researcher scoring big on the basketball courtBrains and brawn: university assistant professor turns heads with his slam dunks
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPHolly ChikPublished: 6:00am, 29 Jul 2025Amid China’s tech revolution, a new kind of multidisciplinary star is emerging – one who dominates both coding and sport.AdvertisementWu Yiquan, an artificial intelligence (AI) scientist pioneering legal large language models by day, is also making headlines as a rising provincial basketball sensation.Wu, an assistant professor at the Zhejiang University law school, specialises in developing and training legal large language models for applications in education and research.The 1.8m-tall (5 feet 9 inches) star caught media attention after he scored 22 as the defender for the West Lake team in a Zhejiang Provincial City Basketball League qualifier match on July 17.
In an interview with Henan-based news site Daxiang News on..

AdvertisementClimate changeOpinionWorld OpinionKalinga SeneviratneOpinion | World Court’s ruling opens the door wider for climate justiceThe court’s decision could result in legal action against countries that fail to honour their climate commitments
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPKalinga SeneviratnePublished: 5:30am, 29 Jul 2025In a unanimous decision, a 15-member bench of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the Netherlands ruled on July 23 that government failures to protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems from climate change could amount to breaches of international law. The court’s non-binding ruling, which says that countries must comply with climate treaties, has been hailed as a great victory for youth activism from small island nations facing the brunt of the climate crisis.AdvertisementThe triumph at the ICJ is the culmination of a unique university project started by a group of law students at the University of the South Pacific’s law s..

Sean Feuch (Picture: Instagram) US singer Sean Feucht’s permit to hold a concert at the York Redoubt National Historic Site in Halifax was cancelled this week by Parks Canada. Officials cited safety concerns following public backlash against his anti-2SLGBTQ+, anti-women’s rights, and anti-diversity remarks on social media. Feucht, a religious performer with links to the MAGA movement, was scheduled to perform on Wednesday. His permits for other events in Charlottetown (P.E.I.), Moncton (New Brunswick), and some parts of Quebec were also revoked soon after.MAGA movement rising star and Christian rocker Sean Feucht’s Halifax show faces backlash Feucht later performed at a private venue in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, hosted by pastors Christine and Neil Barr. They said they faced hundreds of hate messages and some protests but went ahead with the show.”A lot of very hateful emails, texts to say that we were allowing a fascist on our property and that we should know better and the Christia..

Representational image Prince Harry has agreed to share his official diary with the royal family to avoid clashes in public appearances and ease ongoing tensions. The move comes after his recent trip to Angola made headlines for revisiting princess Diana’s iconic anti-landmine walk, on the same day Queen Camilla's 78th birthday portrait was released. Harry’s photos reportedly overshadowed the coverage of the Queen’s milestone, which did not go down well with the palace. According to The Mail, Harry is now open to “deconflicting” his schedule with other senior royals, including Prince William’s team at Kensington palace. Their PR teams have reportedly kept in touch since private talks began earlier this year. In fact, aides from both camps were seen meeting at a London members club earlier this month.Harry's olive branch
Harry is also quietly pushing for a more personal reconnection with his father. According to royal expert Hilary Fordwich, King Charles remains “cautious and ..

AdvertisementUS-China relationsEconomyChina EconomyExclusive | Yuen Yuen Ang on how China can turn ‘polycrisis’ into ‘polytunity’The Johns Hopkins professor of political economy says Beijing’s ‘directed improvisation’ remains essential at a time when innovation is king
Reading Time:14 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAlice LiPublished: 6:00am, 28 Jul 2025Updated: 6:32am, 28 Jul 2025Yuen Yuen Ang is the Alfred Chandler Chair Professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University. She is an influential scholar, writing extensively on China’s political and economic trajectory, its international relations and its adaptive development in a fragmented, unpredictable world. Originally from Singapore, her award-winning work includes the books How China Escaped the Poverty Trap and China’s Gilded Age.
AdvertisementThis interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.As a professor based in the United States, do you think there is a general de..