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Xu Bo, a 48-year-old Chinese billionaire and founder of online gaming company Duoyi, has fathered more than 100 US-born children through surrogacy agencies and reportedly hopes they will one day marry Elon Musk’s children to create a sprawling family dynasty, according to social-media posts verified by the Wall Street Journal.Xu, who calls himself “China’s first father,” publicly stated he intended to sire at least “50 high-quality sons.” Duoyi later posted on social media that he had produced over 100 children via US surrogacy.The story ignited on Chinese social media after Xu’s ex-girlfriend, Tang Jing, claimed he had fathered more than 300 children, 11 of whom she said she had raised for years. “That number might even be undercounted, but it’s certainly not exaggerated,” said Tang Jing, Xu’s ex, in a post Nov. 15, according to the India Times.The pair are now engaged in a custody battle over two daughters they share, with Xu claiming his ex owes him tens of crores in expenses he pai..

AdvertisementUnited StatesWorldUnited States & Canada2 people found dead in Los Angeles home of director Rob ReinerAuthorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the people found dead in Reiner’s home
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPAgenciesPublished: 11:21am, 15 Dec 2025Two people were found dead at a Los Angeles home owned by director-actor Rob Reiner on Sunday, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request Sunday afternoon and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside.
AdvertisementReiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work includes some of the most memorable films of the 1980s and ‘90s, including This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.
His role as Meathead in the 1970..

AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaPoliticsJapan’s retreat from global health funding hands China diplomatic openingTokyo’s over 52 per cent funding cut to a global body fighting Aids and malaria risks damaging its hard-won reputation as a ‘peace nation’
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJulian RyallPublished: 11:14am, 15 Dec 2025Updated: 11:18am, 15 Dec 2025Japan’s sharp reduction in funding for a leading international body fighting infectious diseases risks damaging Tokyo’s credibility and long-held “peace diplomacy”, in a move analysts say could give China an opening to expand its influence across developing nations.The Switzerland-based Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established in 2002, has saved an estimated 70 million lives in more than 100 countries by boosting testing capacity, surveillance systems, community networks and medical training.
At a meeting in Johannesburg last month, Japan pledged “up to” 81 billion yen (US$520 million) in contribut..

AdvertisementTikTokChinaPoliticsSoft power – hard work: can China harness social media apps to rewire its global image?After the US migration to RedNote, experts say transforming engagement into influence will require a ‘light touch’ from Beijing
Reading Time:7 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPMeredith ChenPublished: 11:10am, 14 Dec 2025Mary Roettger was just one of millions of Americans seeking a social media life raft when she warily logged onto China’s RedNote platform for the first time in January.As fears loomed over a threatened US ban on TikTok, the Florida writer braced for a clumsy, spam-filled experience full of “negative people”.Instead, she was struck by a starkly different culture. Roettger was “blown away with the amount of tenderness and excitement” of the online community suddenly before her.
Advertisement“That was new,” said the 27-year-old, who shared on RedNote her poems, pictures of her cat and videos taken during casual strolls. “It was people speaking with people, not..

AdvertisementChina’s private sectorEconomyChina EconomyChina’s growing young billionaire class masks innovation hurdles, analysts sayTechnological innovation – one of Beijing’s top priorities – is helping to drive wealth creation, report says
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPMandy Zuoin ShanghaiPublished: 11:00am, 14 Dec 2025While China continues to produce many young self-made billionaires, showcasing its economic dynamism, observers have urged the creation of a more supportive environment, saying that innovation is still being held back.
About 98 per cent of the super-rich in mainland China, with assets valued at US$1 billion or more, are relatively young first-generation entrepreneurs, reflecting the vitality and wealth-creation power of its economy, Swiss bank UBS said in a recent report.
However, Beijing’s tendency to strengthen state ownership and the lack of a loss-proof mechanism – which would shield innovative risk-takers from severe repercussions for failures – hav..

Indian-origin semi driver Kamalpreet Singh, believed to be an illegal immigrant, staying in the US without any valid documentation, was released on bond after he was charged with vehicular homicide. The bond amount was set at $100,000. A major outrage started against Indian-origin drivers behind the wheel in the US, taking lives recklessly and then walking free. 29-year-old Robert B Pearson was killed as his car was crushed between two trucks on SR 167. Troopers said three vehicles were traveling in lane one when two of them stopped for traffic and a third failed to slow in time. A 2020 Freightliner Cascadia semi driven by 25-year-old Kamalpreet Singh of Elk Grove, California, struck the rear of a blue 2010 Mazda 3 sedan that had stopped behind a white 2016 Peterbilt truck. The Freightliner overrode the back of the Mazda and pushed it under the rear of the Peterbilt. Karoline Leavitt Calls Indian Trucker Illegal Alien After Deadly California Road Accident Kill Three The engine of Rober..

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been receiving lists of travelers who are coming through airports to cross-check with their list of people who ICE thinks should be deported, making the work easier but in a controversial way. The New York Times reported that since March, the list of air travelers has stopped being confidential and ICE has been receiving such lists several times a week. White House did not deny the co-ordination between the two departments as DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said: “The message to those in the country illegally is clear: The only reason you should be flying is to self-deport home.” ‘Muslims Sucking Our Resources’: Republican Andy Ogles Tells Trump To Deport All Muslim Immigrants A DHS spokesperson said this is not new. “Back in February, Secretary [Kristi] Noem reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country and do so without identification,” the spokesperson added. “Under Presi..

Photo credit: AP
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had spoken by telephone with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, who both agreed to end border hostilities and return to a ceasefire he brokered earlier this year.“I had a very good conversation this morning with the PM of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the PM of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their longrunning War. They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great PM of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the USA.”Trump’s remarks differed significantly from those of Thai premier Anutin hours earlier, who made no mention of an agreement to end the fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which raged for a fifth day on Friday. Anutin said he had asked Trump to urge Cambodia..

A California jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $40 million to two women who claimed its talc-based baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The women testified that decades of use led to major surgeries and chemotherapy. Johnson & Johnson plans to appeal, stating the verdict is aberrant and lacks evidence. A California jury on Friday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $40 million to two women who said decades of using the company’s talc-based baby powder led to their ovarian cancer.Kent was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, and Schultz was diagnosed in 2018. Both California residents said they used J&J’s baby powder after bathing for 40 years. Their treatments involved major surgeries and dozens of rounds of chemotherapy, they testified at the trial, Reuters reported.In closing arguments viewed on Courtroom View Network, Andy Birchfield, an attorney for the women, told the jury, “Absolutely they knew, they knew and they were doing everything they could to hide it, to bury the tr..

AdvertisementChina consumptionEconomyChina EconomyChina’s copper heartland vows to build US$28 billion empire, dominate in global marketShandong province plans to create a world-class smelting hub by 2027 to secure supply chains for the strategic metal as prices sizzle
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPKandy WongPublished: 11:00am, 13 Dec 2025A key industrial hub in eastern China is launching a push to transform itself into one of the world’s top copper-smelting bases, aiming to forge stronger supply chains for the strategic metal as prices flirt with record highs.
In an implementation plan released on Tuesday, the Shandong provincial government pledged to expand its copper industry, with the next two years seeing rapid advancements. The move comes as geopolitical tensions and the race for technological dominance shore up copper’s role as a critical asset.
“[We strive] to further enhance the resilience and security of the industrial supply chains,” the document stated. The pl..