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An F-16 fighter jet assigned to the US Air Force Thunderbirds, the service’s elite aerial demonstration team, went down Wednesday morning in a Southern California desert. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Officials said the jet went down around 10:45 a.m. during a training flight in controlled airspace. Video posted to X by DisasterAlert shows the pilot making what appears to be a lucky escape, drifting slowly toward the ground beneath a parachute.Later military officials said the pilot ejected just before impact and survived.The pilot was listed in stable condition and is receiving medical treatment, Staff Sgt. Jovante Johnson, an Air Force spokesperson, confirmed in an email Wednesday, New York Times reported. A rocket-like blast in a barren desert backdrop. A wide plume of dark smoke was visible after the plane went down near Trona Airport in San Bernardino County. The jet was part of the US Air Force Thunderbirds, the military’s official aerial demonstration team, a..

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..