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A drone view of the lighting up of a Christmas tree in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank JERUSALEM: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the second phase of a US plan to end the war in Gaza was close, but cautioned several key issues still needed to be resolved, including whether a multinational security force would be deployed in the Gaza strip. Netanyahu, speaking to reporters alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said that he would hold talks with US President Donald Trump at the end of the month on how to ensure the plan's second phase was achieved.The prime minister's office in Nov said that Trump had invited Netanyahu to the White House “in the near future”.A Hamas member said Sunday the group is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel, offering a possible formula to resolve one of the thorniest issues in the agreement. Bassem Naim, a member of Ha..

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola's watch sold for $11 million (Picture credit: NYT) By Jacob BernsteinLast March, the filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola said he was nearly broke after spending millions of dollars of his own money to finance the film “Megalopolis.” In Oct, he said in an interview with the New York Times that to “keep the ship afloat” he was selling several of his watches through Phillips, a leading auction house.On Saturday, during a frenzied bidding war on Park Avenue, an F.P.Journe timepiece from his collection sold for nearly $11 million. It was the sixth-most-expensive watch to ever be sold at auction. And it is the only watch on that list that was not manufactured by Patek Philippe or Rolex. Coppola designed the watch in 2014 as a collaboration with F.P. Journe, a Swiss watch company whose horological marvels are so expensive that they make Rolex look like Swatch.Called the FFC, the watch sold on Saturday has an openwork design, which means its inner workings are on..

AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureJapan’s youth are now the most hostile to immigration, survey findsObservers say daily exposure to overcrowding and disruptive behaviour in urban centres has made young adults the most resistant to change
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJulian RyallPublished: 10:30am, 8 Dec 2025Younger Japanese are proving to be the most resistant to immigration, defying assumptions that generational change would produce greater cosmopolitanism.
A new survey found that 70 per cent of those aged 18 to 39 expressed safety concerns about foreign workers – higher than any other demographic.
This unexpected reversal reveals a generation grappling with anxieties that cut across conventional narratives of openness and globalisation.
AdvertisementThe study by the Yomiuri newspaper and Waseda University’s Institute for Advanced Social Studies, published on December 2, found that nearly 60 per cent of 2,004 respondents opposed accepting more forei..

AdvertisementChina-Japan relationsChinaDiplomacyMid-air military stand-off triggers duelling protests in China-Japan row latestChina responds to ‘ill-intentioned’ Tokyo with counter-protest over ‘dangerous’ Japanese maritime behaviour
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP1Orange WangPublished: 10:01am, 8 Dec 2025Updated: 10:35am, 8 Dec 2025Beijing has hit back with “counter-protests” against Japan’s representations over the weekend mid-air military stand-off northeast of Taiwan near the Miyako Strait, accusing Tokyo of “purely ill-intentioned” rhetoric.The escalation of the diplomatic clash showed that tensions between the two neighbours continue to heighten following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November over Taiwan.According to Japan’s defence ministry, there were two separate instances of radar targeting of its F-15J jets on Saturday, involving J-15 fighters launched from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier.

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Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent..

Internet sensation IShowSpeed shows surprising wrestling talent during WWE training. However, wrestling icon John Cena advises him against a career switch. Cena believes Speed's unique charisma and livestreaming success offer a more promising future. He suggests Speed maintain his digital career, occasionally surprising fans with wrestling skills for crossover stardom. IShowSpeed may be one of the internet’s most energetic entertainers, but his recent dive into WWE training has sparked a more serious conversation: could the 20-year-old streamer actually become a professional wrestler? From running drills at the WWE Performance Center to taking bumps from established stars, Speed has shown he’s not just playing for the cameras. He sells moves convincingly, engages the crowd like he’s been doing it for years, and brings a natural athletic flair that most rookies don’t have. Yet, even with that potential, John Cena, one of WWE’s biggest icons, thinks Speed’s future belongs somewhere ..