Season’s first snowfall throws Seoul into traffic chaos

Overnight subzero temperatures froze slush into thin sheets of ice.

Taiwan’s opposition leader, once for independence, turns towards China

After her election win, China’s Xi Jinping sent her a congratulatory message, an indication of Beijing’s approval.

A Hong Kong man asked for accountability after a deadly fire. So why was he arrested?

Miles Kwan was detained after he launched a petition demanding answers from Hong Kong authorities.

Malaysia’s BN leader Bung Moktar dies from illness, days after retaining seat in Sabah election

His death comes less than a week after he retained his Lamag state seat in the Nov 29 Sabah election.

Cambodia shuts down Huione Group that laundered billions in scam profits

Huione is believed to be responsible for laundering more than $5.2 billion in illicit profits since August 2021.

No US-Russia deal for now, as Ukraine suffers reversals

​Neither the Russians nor the Americans have revealed much about the December 2 meeting in Moscow. The meeting went on for five hours. In parallel, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was meeting with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central

Chinese-linked hackers use back door for potential 'sabotage,' US and Canada say

Dec 4 - Chinese-linked hackers used sophisticated malware to penetrate and maintain long-term access to unnamed government and information technology entities, U.S. and Canadian cybersecurity agencies said on  Thursday.

Could Johor’s new energy freeport compete against Singapore and other regional oil trade hubs?

The Maharani Freeport - which consists of three manmade islands off the coast of Muar - is targeting crude carriers plying the Straits of Malacca. But can it lure business from more established ports in the region?

Commentary: Trump’s ‘dealmaker’ approach to peace and war is cause for concern

US President Donald Trump is turning to trusted envoys such as his son-in-law to achieve diplomatic breakthroughs. But these efforts come at a cost to America’s allies, argues Kevin Chen from RSIS.

Commentary: Vietnam’s police are joking online and that makes their messaging more serious

Ho Chi Minh City police are using humour online to create a friendlier, more familiar voice, says an ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute academic.

A village in India’s poorest state weaves a better life for its children

Once said to be the Manchester of Bihar for its weaving tradition, Patwa Toli is now known as an IIT Village.

'Taking away my purpose' - Influencers on Australia's social media ban

Australia is banning social media for everyone under 16 from December 10. The BBC spoke to two teenage content creators about how this might change their lives.

Kimchi may boost immune function, recent study shows

Kimchi has been enjoyed for centuries in Korea. But the spicy fermented cabbage dish has recently gained popularity in other parts of the world not only because of its delicious taste, but because of its potential to positively influence the many thousands of important microbes

Sri Lanka cyclone survivors afraid to go home, stuck in relief centres

A total of 1,289 houses across the country have been destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah.

Russian attacks cut power, heating for tens of thousands in southern Ukraine

KYIV, Dec 4 - Tens of thousands of people were left without power and heating in southern Ukraine after Russian attacks on the frontline city of Kherson and Ukraine's largest seaport, Odesa, authorities and a top energy provider said on Thursday.

Kremlin impasse: what we know after the latest US-Russia talks

Once again there is an impasse in the attempts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. A five-hour meeting in the Kremlin between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the US team led by Donald Trump’s envoys, businessmen Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, has failed to make

Iran intensifies outreach to African partners for critical needs

Burkina Faso’s security minister headed to Tehran on November 12, 2025, for high-level talks with Iranian officials. The visit was a fruitful one: The West African nation reopened its Iranian embassy, finalized new agreements on security cooperation and held discussions about

UK sanctions Russian intelligence agency GRU over Novichok poisoning

LONDON, Dec 4 - Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia, including the entire GRU military intelligence agency that was singled out in a UK public inquiry into the 2018 death of a woman poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok.

Six Asian nations on Trump administration’s immigration hold list

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration late Tuesday paused all immigration applications from 19 countries the president earlier had listed for restricted travel into the United States, a move that freezes processing for green card holders and citizenship applications. Included

Devastating landslides turn Sri Lanka village into burial ground

The main road in Kandy province has been cut off for over a week due to falling boulders and landslides.

Putin visits Delhi as Russia and India seek to increase and diversify trade

NEW DELHI, Dec 4 - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to start a two-day state visit, and India and Russia both said they want to boost mutual trade and expand the variety of items in transactions.

Pentagon's AUKUS review finds opportunities to put deal on "strongest possible footing", US official says

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 - The Pentagon has completed its review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership and found areas to put the deal on the \"strongest possible footing,\" a U.S. official said on Thursday.

Macron meets Xi in Beijing, in renewed pitch for European strategic autonomy

China welcomes such a stance as it means a Europe that is less aligned with the US.

Russia's Putin in India for defence, trade talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin is on his first visit to India since the Ukraine war, with possible deals on fighter jets and air defence systems expected to be discussed.

Heavy downpour gridlocks Kuala Lumpur traffic

Major roads around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre came to a standstill from as early as 5pm.

Putin questions US punishing India for buying Russian oil

The US has put pressure on India to shun Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Israeli army radio says anti-Hamas leader Abu Shabab dies of wounds

Dec 4 - Israel's Army Radio, citing security sources, said on Thursday that Yasser Abu Shabab, the most prominent anti-Hamas clan leader in Gaza, had died in a hospital in southern Israel of unspecified wounds.

Indonesia pledges action on companies causing catastrophic Sumatra floods

JAKARTA, Dec 4 - Indonesia is investigating companies suspected of clearing forests around flood-hit areas in Sumatra, its forestry minister said on Thursday, acknowledging poor forest management worsened the disaster.

Spanish police break up gang accused of forcing migrants into slave-like work

MADRID, Dec 4 - Spanish police have dismantled a crime ring accused of bringing in hundreds of foreign migrants irregularly to work at farms across eastern Spain in what the Interior Ministry described as inhumane, slave-like conditions.

Chaos after India’s biggest airline IndiGo cancels 1,200 flights

The carrier’s flight disruptions have persisted for three days since Dec 1.

Indonesia’s new capital falls victim to the politics of forgetting

In the final years of Joko Widodo’s presidency, Nusantara —Indonesia’s new capital in East Kalimantan —was hailed as a bold experiment in nation-building. Conceived as a sustainable smart city meant to redistribute growth beyond Java’s overburdened plains, it was Jokowi’s

Russia, India aim to increase and diversify trade

NEW DELHI, Dec 4 - India and Russia want to boost their trade and expand the variety of items in transactions, both said on Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin headed to New Delhi to start a two-day state visit.

UK sets out new sanctions against Russia after Novichok report

LONDON, Dec 4 - Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia, including the state's GRU military intelligence agency, following a UK public inquiry report into the death of a woman after being poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok.

Russia mocks EU deliberations on frozen assets, says seizure will prompt 'harshest response'

MOSCOW, Dec 4 - Russia said on Thursday that any \"illegal action\" by the European Union in relation to its frozen assets would elicit \"the harshest reaction\", and that Moscow was already preparing its response.

Chaos after India's biggest airline cancels 1,200 flights

Honduras election swings again, conservative Asfura takes slim lead

Dec 4 - Results flipped in the contested Honduran presidential election as conservative candidate Nasry Asfura took a slight lead over centrist Salvador Nasralla, with 84.4% of the votes counted.

Taiwan to suspend access to Chinese app Xiaohongshu over fraud

Taiwan to ban China’s Xiaohongshu app for one year on fraud concerns

The ministry cited security risks and its alleged involvement in over 1,700 fraud cases since 2024.

Seoul eases travel advisory for Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, keeps restrictions in high-risk regions

The authorities said the adjustment reflects improvements in public safety.

S. Korean President Lee mulls over visit to Japan in mid-January: Sources

If realised, the visit will be symbolic of a recent improvement in bilateral ties.

Myanmar military set to win sham vote — but will a shake-up follow?

Myanmar’s military regime has announced elections will be held in three phases, starting on December 28 and concluding in January. Two outcomes are certain: first, the military-aligned party will be recorded as winning and, second, the government in exile – the National Unity

Italy says Germany and other countries may be interested in GCAP jet programme

ROME, Dec 4 - Italy's defence minister on Thursday said other countries, including Germany and Australia, may be interested in entering the GCAP fighter jet programme in the future, with requests also coming from Saudi Arabia and Canada.

India clinches $2.6 billion Russian submarine deal as Putin visits

India expects to take delivery of the nuclear-powered vessel within two years.

US Shahed-style drones won’t cut it in a naval war with China

The US has begun deploying its own Shahed-style drones in the Middle East — but the same low-cost swarming logic that works against Iran may fall apart in the vast, naval-dominated Pacific. This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that the US has deployed its first operational

Iraq freezes funds of Hezbollah and Houthis, official gazette says

BAGHDAD, Dec 4 - Iraq will freeze the money of Iran-backed armed groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, the official gazette said.

Turkey building a sub as it ramps up homemade defence industry

ANKARA, Dec 4 - Turkey's defence ministry said on Thursday construction work had started on its first indigenous submarine (MILDEN), adding that Ankara had also completed its first sale of a corvette warship to a NATO ally by inking an agreement with Romania.

Quantum risk is the next boardroom reckoning

The corporate world has faced its share of existential shocks: Y2K, the collapse of trust in TLS/SSL cryptographic protocols and the stringent enforcement of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Each was initially dismissed as a distant technical

Putin says Russia will take all of Ukraine's Donbas region militarily or otherwise

MOSCOW, Dec 4 - President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw, something Kyiv has flatly rejected.

Aid workers stand trial in Greece on migrant smuggling charges

ATHENS, Dec 4 - Two dozen aid workers went on trial in Greece on Thursday on charges including migrant smuggling, in a case that rights groups have dismissed as a baseless attempt to outlaw aid for refugees heading to Europe.