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.
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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 Russia submarine deal as Putin visits
India expects to take delivery of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine 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.
Rain forecasts raise fears in flood-hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka
The Indonesian weather agency warned that some provinces in Sumatra would see moderate to heavy rain.
ADB, World Bank launch Pacific islands projects under new cofinancing model
MANILA, Dec 4 - The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank on Thursday launched two Pacific islands projects under a first-of-its-kind cofinancing model that aims to streamline processes and speed up delivery.
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes China’s Xinjiang region
The earthquake struck at 3.44pm local time, with the epicentre at a depth of 10km.
Japan stiffens defence resolve to protect long-term interests amid row with China
The public backs PM Sanae Takaichi's moves to make Japan more militarily formidable.
China massing military ships across region in show of maritime force, sources say
The operations are said to exceed a mass naval deployment in 2024 that prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level.
Turkey told Russia, Ukraine to keep energy infrastructure out of war, minister says
ISTANBUL, Dec 4 - Turkey is telling Russia, Ukraine, and all other parties to keep energy infrastructure out of their conflict and wants energy flows to continue uninterrupted, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said after a series of attacks off Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Australia jails ‘Asia’s El Chapo’ for 16 years
SYDNEY, Dec 4 - An Australian court has jailed for 16 years the former kingpin of a multibillion-dollar drug trafficking syndicate, police said on Thursday, bringing to a close their 14-year investigation of man popularly called \"Asia’s El Chapo\".
Australia says it has received AUKUS submarine review from US
SYDNEY, Dec 4 - Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia had received the United States' review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership and is \"working through it\".
Israel identifies body of returned hostage, remains of Israeli officer still in Gaza
Dec 4 - Israel has identified the remains of the hostage it received from Hamas on Wednesday as Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the prime minister's office said on Thursday.
Indonesia promises action on any mining permit violations as Sumatra floods toll at about 800
JAKARTA, Dec 4 - Indonesia will revoke mining permits if companies are found to have violated rules on flood-ravaged Sumatra island, the energy minister said as questions intensified about the role of deforestation in worsening the deadly disaster.
How an oil pipeline battle shows the US gaining sway in Iraq
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, Dec 4 - Iranian drones swept through the mountain air of northern Iraq's Kurdistan region in mid-July, homing in on their targets: oilfields run by Americans.
Malaysian businessman pleads not guilty to bribing PM Anwar’s former aide
Albert Tei was accused of bribing Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin on four separate occasions.
US halted plans to sanction Chinese spy agency to maintain trade truce, FT says
Dec 3 - The United States has halted plans to impose sanctions on China's ministry of state security over a massive cyber spying campaign to avoid derailing a trade truce struck by both countries this year, the Financial Times said on Wednesday.
Hong Kong races to remove scaffolding nets blamed for fuelling deadly fire
HONG KONG, Dec 4 - Hong Kong authorities rushed on Thursday to remove mesh netting on all buildings undergoing renovation across the city after the material was blamed for fanning a blaze last week that has killed at least 159 people.
Malaysia charges PM's former aide with receiving bribes
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 - Malaysian authorities on Thursday charged a former top aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with receiving bribes, increasing scrutiny on the premier's pledge to crack down on corruption.
Anwar’s former aide, businessman plead not guilty to bribery charges involving US$43,000
Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, the prime minister’s former senior political secretary and mining boss Albert Tei Jiann Cheng, were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday (Dec 4).
China hopes AI can fix its consumer demand problem
China wants its consumers to spend again. This ambition sits at the center of a newly unveiled action plan issued by Beijing last month, a sweeping attempt to engineer demand by reshaping what households buy rather than how much they earn. The initiative is expansive,
Australia says the world will follow social media ban as Meta starts blocking teens
SYDNEY, Dec 4 - Australia's internet regulator said a teen social media ban would be the first domino to fall in a global push to rein in Big Tech, as Meta's Instagram, Facebook and Threads began locking out hundreds of thousands of accounts ahead of a deadline next week.
Optus restores nbn broadband services across Brisbane, other parts of Queensland, says telco
About 95,000 customers in Brisbane and other parts of Queensland faced an outage on Dec 3.
‘No food’: Indonesians scrounge for supplies after flood disaster
Humanitarian groups warned the scale of rescue and recovery efforts was unprecedented.
Flanked by business leaders, Macron meets Xi as EU prepares tougher trade rules
BEIJING, Dec 4 - French President Emmanuel Macron met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, seeking stronger commercial ties, as the European Union prepares to toughen up its trade rules.
Hong Kong orders scaffold netting to be removed at over 200 sites in wake of inferno
It follows six arrests and the launch of a criminal probe into the Wang Fuk Court fire, said to be Hong Kong’s worst in decades, which has claimed at least 159 lives.
Bangladesh’s Gen Z battles to gain political ground after ousting long-time leader Sheikh Hasina
The National Citizen Party faces entrenched rivals with deep networks and resources.
Bangladesh’s Gen-Z battles to gain political ground after ousting Hasina
DHAKA, Dec 4 - Thousands in Bangladesh flocked to hear the plans of the students who toppled long-time leader Sheikh Hasina when they launched a new political party this year, but now it finds itself struggling to translate the street power into votes.
Melbourne ex-childcare worker charged with more child rape offences
Alleged paedophile Joshua Dale Brown faces an extra 83 charges with four new victims identified.
Malaysian villagers help keep lost elephant calf safe
A few days before, the same calf had been caught in a buffalo trap not far from the settlement.
Malaysian victim speaks of scam by ‘friend’, torture in Cambodia
Some 700 others are still trapped there.
Trump appears open to production of Japan-style minicars in US
He has asked for immediate approval of regulatory changes that would allow them to be manufactured.
One year after ousted president Yoon’s failed martial law bid, South Korea works to rebuild stability
Following Yoon Suk Yeol’s surprise announcement on Dec 3 last year, hundreds of South Koreans rushed to the National Assembly in an effort to stop the martial law order from taking effect.
Malaysian PM Anwar’s former aide Shamsul Iskandar claims trial to four counts of bribery
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years prison time, or a fine.