SCMP World·Monday, December 22, 2025

SCMP World - Monday, December 22, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

UK man, 5 others charged with more than 60 sex offences against woman

A British man was charged on Monday with drugging and raping his ex-wife, and five other men were charged with sexual offences against her over a 13-year period, UK police said. Philip Young, 49, will appear on Tuesday at a court in Swindon, west of London, charged with dozens of offences against his 48-year-old former spouse Joanne Young, who has waived her legal right to anonymity. The alleged offences include multiple counts of rape and administering a substance with intent to stupefy or...

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Top Democrat urges Senate to sue over Justice Department’s staggered Epstein files release

Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, urged his colleagues on Monday to take legal action over the Justice Department’s incremental and heavily redacted release of records pertaining to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that required disclosure of records by last...

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UK street artist Banksy unveils latest mural in central London

British street artist Banksy unveiled his latest work in central London on Monday amid speculation over an identical second work which has appeared elsewhere in the city. The black and white mural painted on the side of an old building in Bayswater shows two people, probably children, in winter hats and Wellington boots lying down, looking up and pointing to the sky. Banksy, whose real identity has not been revealed, posted an image of the work on his official Instagram account on Monday. A...

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Ex-Israeli PM accuses Netanyahu of ‘treason’ over alleged Qatar funding to aides

Former Israeli premier Naftali Bennett, widely regarded as a leading contender in next year’s legislative elections, called on Monday for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing his office of “treason” over alleged Qatari funding to his aides. Netanyahu has also announced he intends to seek another term in office ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for October 2026. At the centre of the controversy is the “Qatargate” affair, in which close associates of Netanyahu.

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‘Driving Home For Christmas’ singer Chris Rea dies at 74

British singer Chris Rea, whose songs include the festive hit “Driving Home For Christmas”, has died at the age of 74, a spokesperson for his family said on Monday. The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke. Rea found fame in the late 1970s and 1980s with hits such as “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”, “Let’s Dance” and “The Road to Hell”. A statement from his family to the Press Association said:...

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Paramount vs Netflix: Ellison guarantees US$40 billion for son’s Warner Bros bid

Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a US$40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros Discovery, deepening a bidding war with Netflix, a statement said on Monday. The amended proposal, worth a total US$108 billion from the company run by Ellison’s son David, addresses concerns raised by Warner Bros’ board, which saw the Paramount bid as too risky and asked shareholders to accept a competing buyout offer from Netflix. Netflix shocked the industry on...

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Nigeria says ‘spat’ with Trump over killing of Christians ‘largely resolved’

The Nigerian government on Monday said its recent diplomatic dust-up with the United States, in which President Donald Trump threatened military intervention over the alleged killing of Christians, “has been largely resolved”. Trump unexpectedly tore into the west African nation in October and November, saying that Christians there faced an “existential threat” that amounted to “genocide” amid Nigeria’s myriad armed conflicts. The diplomatic offensive was welcomed by some but interpreted by...

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Trump administration triples ‘self-deport’ stipend to US$3,000

The Trump administration has tripled its stipend offer to migrants who choose to voluntarily “self-deport” ‌from the United States to US$3,000, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ‍said on Monday. The stipend would be given to people in the US illegally who sign up to leave the country by the end of the ⁠year, DHS said. The offer would include a free flight back to their home countries, it said. “Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we...

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Did CBS postpone a ‘60 Minutes’ report on El Salvador prison for ‘political’ reasons?

CBS News pulled a 60 Minutes report on El Salvador’s CECOT prison just hours before its ‍scheduled Sunday broadcast, saying it would air at a future time. “The broadcast line-up for tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes has been updated,” the programme posted on social media. “Our report ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast,” the programme posted on social media three hours before it was slated to air. A CBS News spokesperson said in ⁠an email that the segment “needed additional reporting”...

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The shifting global university landscape: Western decline, Asia rising

The British university system is facing a steep decline, a crisis in the making for over a decade. In the last year, universities have announced over 12,000 job cuts. A report by the Office for Students warns that 40 per cent of England’s universities are facing budget deficits this year, with courses and departments at risk of closure. A great deal of uncertainty has now gripped the university sector. Several factors account for this degradation. Historically, the university sector was funded..

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