50% highway toll discount for motorists in Malaysia to celebrate Christmas

The toll discount will cost the government an estimated RM20.65 million (S$6.5 million).

240,000 victims of Coupang data leak sue South Korean company

The data breach is thought to have leaked personal information related to around 33 million Coupang users .

Made in China, Made in India – and powered by sustainable coal

The global energy debate is entering a reckoning it can no longer postpone. Not because activists have relented or governments have found consensus, but because geopolitics, productivity energy and national security have forced reality back into the room. For more than a

City in North Sumatra cancels New Year’s Eve celebrations after public backlash

The city of Medan remains under disaster emergency status following flooding in November 2025.

Cyclone warning prompts Bali to step up flood mitigation efforts

On Sept 10, Bali was hit by its worst flooding in its history, inundating six of the island’s eight regencies.

Why is Malaysia ruling coalition party DAP making vocal demands on Anwar’s government?

Rattled by its poor showing in Sabah election, DAP has taken an aggressive reformist stance to reclaim its political identity, though some analysts ask if the party could be panicking for “the wrong reasons”.

‘I deserve it?’: Australia’s ‘Bondi hero’ handed $2.1 million collected from fundraising

Mr Ahmed, 43, left his hometown in Syria nearly 20 years ago to seek work in Australia.

Australia's 'Bondi Hero' handed $1.65 million collected from fundraising

SYDNEY, Dec 19 - A man credited with saving lives for wrestling a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach received a cheque for more than A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday, after ‍tens ​of thousands of people contributed to

Toyota to sell made-in-America vehicles in Japan from 2026 to please Trump

Toyota is aiming to meet the diverse needs of customers while improving US-Japan trade relations.

Japan should have nuclear weapons, official reportedly says

Japan upholds a long-standing commitment to not possess, produce, or permit the entry of nuclear weapons.

Cars decorated with Christmas ornaments light up Malaysian roads

The videos received thumbs-ups from netizens, who commended the cars’ owners for bringing cheer to the roads.

Three arrested for allegedly burning wild elephant in Sri Lanka

Police said villagers used flaming torches to drive away the elephant, which later died.

Up to 18,000 could die in major Tokyo quake, mostly from fires: Government panel

There is about 70 per cent chance of a magnitude 7 quake occurring beneath Tokyo within the next 30 years.

Giant lanterns light up Christmas in Catholic Philippines

The festival acts as a platform to highlight the region’s famed lantern industry.

US launches review of advanced Nvidia AI chip sales to China, sources say

Made-in-China EUV machine targets AI chip output by 2028

China has reportedly built an extreme‑ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine inside a high‑security laboratory in Shenzhen, in what sources described as a nationally coordinated push to overcome the most tightly held chokepoint in advanced chipmaking. The machine is described as

Bus bound for Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport catches fire

The driver and approximately 40 passengers evacuated safely.

Japanese woman convicted of hiding daughter’s body in freezer for 20 years

The 76-year-old woman was sentenced to one year in prison.

Indonesian pro-government parties open to scrapping direct regional elections

Most political parties in the House signalled their willingness to revisit the current direct regional elections.

Japan eyes bigger role in central Asia with first leaders’ summit

Japan will host top officials from five countries for a two-day gathering starting Dec 19.

Indonesia sends top minister to US to finalise trade deal

Crude palm oil, one of Indonesia’s key exports, will reportedly be a focus of the talks.

Australia’s gun control consensus frays after Bondi Beach attack

One of the assailants, Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by police, was the legal owner of six guns.

A photo of Miss Finland sparks racist accusations and furore across Asia

Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo posted on social media of her pulling the skin at the corners of her eyes went viral late last month.

Australia announces gun buyback scheme in wake of Bondi attack

It is the largest scheme since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which prompted massive gun law reform.

Sri Lanka farmers face daunting task of replanting after cyclone

PALLEPOLA, Sri Lanka, Dec 19 - Mud and sand have swamped a rice crop across Kalanchi Dewage Risman's two-acre (0.8-hectare) tract that had just been starting to show green shoots when Cyclone Ditwah ripped through Sri Lanka.

Australia announces gun buyback as swimmers mourn Bondi shooting victims

Australia was also planning a separate “national day of mourning”.

Hong Kong cancels fireworks over harbour after deadly tower blaze

The decision comes some three weeks after a deadly blaze in a high-rise estate.

Cambodia counts the cost of its border war with Thailand

Despite a Trump-brokered ceasefire in July, fighting has flared up again between Thailand and Cambodia.

Australian police say 7 men detained in Sydney likely had ideological links to Bondi attackers

One of ​the locations the group was planning ​to visit was ‌Bondi, police said.

Australian Jews hold prayers, hundreds of surfers paddle out at Bondi to honour shooting victims

Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out into the water to honour the 15 victims killed.

Violence erupts in Bangladesh after wounded youth leader dies in Singapore

Sharif Osman Hadi had been receiving emergency medical treatment in Singapore after he was injured in an assassination attempt in Dhaka.

'Matter of survival': The president who wants to help fund hair loss treatment

Experts say Lee Jae Myung's bid to insure hair loss treatment is a "strategic gesture targeting young male voters".

Seized buildings, other assets linked to Marcos dictatorship corruption fall into neglect

The assets are deteriorating, sit unsecured, or have no updated valuations at the central bank.

Violence erupts in Bangladesh after wounded youth leader dies in Singapore hospital

Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was airlifted to S'pore after he was shot by masked gunmen a week ago.

Crunch time for former Malaysia PM Najib ahead of two crucial court rulings

Malaysia’s High Court will deliver two pivotal rulings in the coming days in the protracted legal battles of jailed former premier Najib Razak.

Commentary: Japan-China tensions signal uncomfortable changes in Asia

Amid heated rhetoric and economic retaliation, there are three points about Taiwan and Japan we should not conflate, says NUS political scientist Chong Ja Ian.

As cultural confidence grows, Chinese brands highlight China’s heritage in storytelling

Younger Chinese people tend to prioritise emotional resonance when choosing how to spend their money, analysts say.

A decade on, a Singapore-China project is turning landlocked Chongqing into a global logistics hub

As the Singapore-China Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) marks its 10th anniversary, CNA visits businesses on the ground to examine the gains - and the bottlenecks that remain.

Commentary: What can ASEAN expect from incoming chair Philippines?

Manila is likely to focus on managing China, but the string of problems it inherits will make its turn as ASEAN chair tricky, says former foreign correspondent Nirmal Ghosh.

Violence breaks out in Bangladesh after death of youth protest leader

Sharif Osman Hadi was a prominent figure in the movement that ousted former prime minister Sheik Hasina.

New EU draft text on Russian assets offers uncapped guarantees for Belgium

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 - A new draft text discussed by European Union leaders on Thursday offers Belgium ‍and ​other countries holding frozen ‍Russian assets unlimited guarantees for potential damages, should Moscow successfully ​sue ​them for an EU plan to lend them to Ukraine.

How Trump's Venezuela embargo could put Taiwan at risk

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 - Donald Trump's decision to impose a partial blockade on Venezuela marks a dramatic escalation in U.S. pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but it also risks undermining a top U.S. policy goal: deterring a potential Chinese naval encirclement of

India’s Parliament passes Bill to open nuclear power to private firms

India is the third-biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases linked to climate change.

Venezuela authorizes two unsanctioned loaded oil supertankers to depart, sources say

Dec 18 - Venezuela on Thursday authorized two very large crude carriers (VLCC) to set sail for China, according to two sources familiar with ‍Venezuela's ​oil export operations. They would be only ‍the second and third supertankers to depart the country since the U.S. ​seized

Bondi bravery: Lifeguards, a 'superhero' mum and a couple who died fighting

One father tells the BBC he owes the life of his child to a stranger forced into an impossible decision.

Finland's far-right party reprimands two MPs over racism scandal

HELSINKI, Dec 18 - Finland's far-right Finns Party said on Thursday it had reprimanded two of its lawmakers who posted derogatory images widely seen as offensive ‍to ​Asians.

ECB's Lagarde 'fully confident' EU will agree reparation loan plan for Ukraine

LONDON, Dec 18 - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday she was \"fully confident\" European Union leaders would agree a way to support Ukraine given ‍the ​vital importance of the issue.

Pickup driver killed after overpass collapses in Thai province near Bangkok

An 18-wheel dump truck had raised its bed while driving before colliding with the overpass structure.

China’s Hainan island takes steps towards goal of becoming a leading free trade port

It has launched islandwide Customs operations that allow 74 per cent of imported goods to be tariff-free.