Verified News Online

AdvertisementTaiwanChinaPoliticsUpdated Taiwan safety guide sparks fierce debate amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure‘Little orange book’ sent to nearly 10 million households advises on survival response, but many question its cost and value
Reading Time:5 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPLawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 10:00am, 6 Dec 2025Taiwan’s updated crisis and war survival guide has ignited fierce political debate, hailed by officials as a lifeline amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure but blasted by critics as costly propaganda prompting fear rather than readiness.Mass distribution of In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide – quickly dubbed the “little orange book” – began late last month, targeting 9.83 million households.
The 29-page comic-style publication explains how to stockpile food and water, locate shelters and identify signs of escalating threats to the public, ranging from cyberattacks to a full-scale military assault.
AdvertisementIt updates p..

AdvertisementChina’s Communist PartyChinaPoliticsChina’s official media calls for end to name-and-shame campaign against grass-roots cadresSeries of commentaries says insulting officials will backfire and more effort must be made to tackle reasons for perceived poor performance
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPWilliam ZhengPublished: 10:00am, 6 Dec 2025China’s official media has called on disciplinary watchdogs to stop giving low-level officials insulting nicknames that imply they are not doing their jobs properly.The provincial publicity department of the eastern province of Zhejiang became the latest to weigh in on this issue. In a commentary posted on its official social media on Tuesday, it warned that this approach was likely to backfire.
It criticised the use of labels such as “refrigerator” officials to describe those who “don’t speak up, stay cold and don’t change”; “treadmill” types who “look busy and sweaty but who make no progress in their work”; or “lipstick” cad..

The US military said four people were killed on Thursday in a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific, the latest action in a counter-narcotics campaign that has drawn intensifying scrutiny. According to a post by US Southern Command on X, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted the strike on the orders of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after intelligence indicated the boat, operated by a “designated terrorist organization,” was carrying illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route. The post said “four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed,” releasing a short video that showed the craft speeding across the water before being hit by an explosion.US defense secretary Pete Hegseth in a post on X reacted to the strike. He posted, “Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat,” while responding to an request for downing another alleged narco-boat.The development came hours after lawmakers viewed classified footage of a sepa..

A public spat between Candace Owens and Turning Point USA has escalated, with TPUSA announcing a livestream addressing allegations surrounding Charlie Kirk's death without Owens. Owens' insistence on a virtual appearance, citing a scheduling conflict with her own show, was rejected by TPUSA, leading to her exclusion from the December 15 event. The dispute intensifies scrutiny on the controversial matter. The tense back-and-forth between Candace Owens and Turning Point USA has taken a sharp turn, as TPUSA’s Blake Neff announced the organization will move forward with a livestream addressing allegations tied to Charlie Kirk’s death, without Owens participating. The conservative commentator had previously suggested that TPUSA “betrayed” Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10, and was offered a chance to discuss her claims on The Charlie Kirk Show. At first, Owens appeared ready to join in, but a clash over whether she would appear in person or remotely triggered an online de..

AdvertisementSingaporeThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureAre Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image ignites beauty debateSocial media users said Singapore had no Vivian Chow or Edison Chen, but experts warned against warped beauty standards shaped by media
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPKolette LimPublished: 10:15am, 5 Dec 2025A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has ignited debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool.
But psychotherapists say perceptions of beauty might be warped by media and celebrity culture, warning against the normalisation of conversations centred on physical appearance.
The discussion was prompted by drawings of male faces from China’s northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast and Xinjiang regions, which went viral on social media this week and racked up..

AdvertisementChina's military weaponsChinaMilitaryChina’s unmanned Moyujian strike helicopter is ready for plateau combat testsAt Aero Asia in Zhuhai, developer says it put high-altitude drone with missiles through live-fire target tests above 4,000 metres
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP3Alcott Weiin BeijingPublished: 10:00am, 5 Dec 2025China’s unmanned reconnaissance and strike helicopter tailored for deployment in plateau areas is ready for critical combat testing.
The new multipurpose medium-sized helicopter was displayed on November 27 at an air show in Zhuhai, in southern China, where the next stage of testing was announced by its developer.
The Moyujian was exhibited at the second Asia General Aviation Exhibition (Aero Asia), held from November 27 to 30.
AdvertisementAero Asia, jointly organised by the German General Aviation Exhibition and Airshow China, was held for the first time in 2023. The event, which takes place every two years, is China’s only general a..