A plan by the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party to visit Beijing this year, hoping to meet President Xi Jinping, has fuelled hopes of better dialogue amid soaring cross-strait tensions. But while supporters have hailed Cheng Li-wun’s planned trip as a chance to ease frictions across the Taiwan Strait, critics warn that it risks…
Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET:Add us as a preferred sourceon Google. Remember The Clapper? The plug-in staple may have made for a catchy jingle in the 1980s, but it could also be considered as a primitive ancestor of today’s smart plug — that is, if you can say anything from a few decades ago is primitive….
A decade ago, Samantha Ong would go to the cinemas in Singapore twice a week. She now goes about once a month, opting instead to watch films on Netflix at home. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel worth it to spend three hours on a movie, so it’s better to watch it at home where there is…
The composer of the musical Wicked has said he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to include US President Donald Trump’s name in the name of the venue. Stephen Schwartz said in a statement that appearing at the centre “has now become an ideological statement”, adding: “As long as that…
The bodies of 16 more victims of a bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have been identified by police. The youngest person was a Swiss girl aged 14, with nine aged under 18. The group includes people of Swiss, Italian, Romanian, Turkish and French nationalities, police said. This brings the number of…
The charity Brigitte Bardot established has issued a warning about “scam” merchandise purporting to fund its work following the French actress’s death. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said it was aware of “crude fabrications” being advertised online alongside claims the proceeds will go to the animal welfare charity. It threatened to take legal action against anyone…
Kumail JafferLocal Democracy Reporting Service BBC People are choosing between food and basic hygiene products, campaigners said Almost a third of Londoners aged 16 to 55 cannot afford basic hygiene products, leaving them unable to live normally, a charity has warned. According to research from the Hygiene Bank, about three out of 10 women in…
Nearly three months since border clashes prompted the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, university students, merchants and families are left hanging with no way of getting back. “We miss our parents and relatives,” said Shah Faisal, 25, who studies medicine at an Afghan university and was hoping to visit his family back…
Ramona ShelburneJan 4, 2026, 02:42 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown tied a career high Saturday with 50 points on a blistering 18-of-26 shooting night in the team’s 146-115 blowout victory to halt the LA Clippers six-game…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Temperatures in Hong Kong are expected to drop to as low as 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday due to an incoming…
