SCMP World·Thursday, December 25, 2025

SCMP World - Thursday, December 25, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s residential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro endorsed his son ‌Flavio’s 2026 presidential bid on Thursday in a statement from a hospital where he ‍underwent a scheduled hernia operation that doctors said went smoothly. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorised Bolsonaro to leave prison, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, for the surgery. Police were ordered to stay outside ⁠his room where computers and mobile phones were prohibited. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 44,..

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Russia makes ‘proposal’ to France over jailed NGO researcher Vinatier

Moscow has made an offer to Paris regarding jailed French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison, the Kremlin said on Thursday. The surprise public overture comes as both Russia and France have expressed interest in possible talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron. Vinatier, who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO and was jailed in June 2024, is serving a three-year sentence for failing to

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Andrew’s daughters join UK royals for traditional Christmas Day service

Britain’s Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attended the royal family’s traditional Christmas Day church service ‌on Thursday, while their father Andrew, recently stripped of his titles ‍over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was absent. King Charles and Queen Camilla led senior royals to a church in Sandringham in eastern England, about 110 miles (175 km) northeast of ⁠London, greeting well-wishers in crisp winter weather. Charles and Camilla walked ahead while the Prince and...

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‘Christmas under fire’: Ukraine, Russia report fatal air strikes

Russian air attacks caused death and destruction across Ukraine, authorities in different regions reported on Thursday, with Russian authorities reporting similar Ukrainian attacks on their territory. A Russian drone attack in the southwestern Odesa region on the Black Sea left one person dead and two injured. Damage was caused to port and energy infrastructure, the regional authorities said. In the Kharkiv region bordering Russia in Ukraine’s northeast, one person died and 15 were injured. And.

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Mercedes-Benz acquires stake in Chinese autonomous driving developer for US$191 million

Mercedes-Benz on Thursday said it completed the acquisition of a 3 per cent stake, worth 1.34 billion yuan (US$191 million), in motorcycle maker-turned-autonomous driving systems developer Chongqing Qianli Technology, three months after the deal was first announced. The transaction involved Mercedes-Benz Digital Technology, the German carmaker’s tech unit, and Shanghai-listed Lifan Holdings, which transferred 135.6 million shares of Qianli at 9.87 yuan per share. Before the transaction, Lifan...

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From Shein to Labubu, French shoppers are buying Chinese for Christmas

The first physical store of Chinese-owned fast-fashion giant Shein – which opened in central Paris in November amid heated protests – has become a new retail destination for many denizens of the French capital as they rush to finish their Christmas shopping. Hundreds of customers wandered among the racks of clothing, rifling through items carrying tags with rock-bottom prices, including a €66.99 (US$79) leather jacket and a €78.99 puffer coat. Those wishing to use the fitting rooms at the Shein.

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Southern California drenched by powerful Christmas storm, flash flooding

A powerful winter storm is lashing Southern California, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state of emergency in Los Angeles and neighbouring counties. Coastal communities are bracing for multiple months’ worth of rain in just a few days, while areas charred by wildfires face the risk of mudslides. A third person has died, according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a flood watch was extended for most of Southern California. The state has pre-positioned emergency...

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Pope Leo calls for end to all wars in first Christmas as pontiff

In an appeal on Thursday during a message and blessing given at Christmas and Easter, Pope Leo called for an end to all global wars. Speaking from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he lamented conflicts, political, ‌social or military, in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, Myanmar, ‌and Thailand and Cambodia, among others. Leo said people in Ukraine, where Russian troops are threatening cities critical to the country’s eastern defences, have been...

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Trump-backed Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras presidential election

Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ presidential election, electoral authorities said on Wednesday, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation’s fragile electoral system. The election is continuing Latin America’s swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician Jose Antonio Kast as its next president. Asfura, of the conservative National Party, received 40.27 per cent of the vote in the

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Trump’s Justice Department says may have found a million more Epstein documents

The US Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline. The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen US senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a...

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