China issues draft rules to govern use of human-like AI systems

Users must be informed they are dealing with AI when they log in to a service and at two-hour intervals.

Malaysian PM Anwar welcomes latest Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire

The conflict has killed at least 41 people and displaced almost one million people on both sides of the border.

Singaporean, 5 others hurt in car and excavator crash in Ipoh

A woman was trapped between the front and rear seats of the car.

As Hong Kong’s ‘king of umbrella’ retires, a vanishing craft takes a final bow

Mr Yau Yiu-wai’s family has been in business since 1842, but times have finally caught up.

Spanish family missing after tourist boat sinks near Labuan Bajo in Indonesia

Padar and Komodo islands in Komodo National Park have been temporarily closed to visitors due to potential extreme weather, says the Labuan Bajo port authority.

Spanish family missing after tourist boat sinks in Indonesia

The Labuan Bajo port authority attributed the sinking to high waves of up to 3m.

China passes revised foreign trade law to bolster trade war capabilities

The revision focuses on areas such as digital and green trade, along with intellectual property provisions — key improvements China needs to make to meet the standards of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Thailand and Cambodia agree ceasefire after weeks of deadly clashes

Almost one million people have been displaced since hostilities resumed earlier this month.

At least 7 killed in Vietnam after bus overturns

The bus carrying 19 passengers overturned on a mountainous road in Vietnam's northern province of Yen Bai, ‌state-run media reported.

Thailand and Cambodia sign truce to halt fierce border conflict

BANGKOK, Dec 27 - Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Saturday to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries that has included fighter jets sorties, exchange of rocket fire and artillery barrages.

China revises aviation law to regulate drones, tighten safety rules

China has implemented “interim regulations” for unmanned aircraft starting from 2024.

Thailand and Cambodia sign ceasefire agreement

Thailand and Cambodia sign ceasefire agreement to halt fierce border conflict

"Both sides agree to maintain current troop ⁠deployments without further movement," their defence ministers said in ‍a joint statement on the ceasefire, to take effect at noon local time (1pm in Singapore) on Saturday (Dec 27).

Thailand and Cambodia halt fierce border conflict with second ceasefire

"Both sides agree to maintain current troop ⁠deployments without further movement," their defence ministers said in ‍a joint statement on the ceasefire, to take effect at noon local time (1pm in Singapore) on Saturday (Dec 27).

Conflict and fear sap campaign energy ahead of Myanmar election

In Mandalay city, about 600 km north of Yangon, the lack of campaigning is palpable, with no sustained canvassing for votes just days ahead of the polls, two residents say.

Myanmar goes to the polls amid civil war and humanitarian crisis

Dec 27 - Myanmar heads to the polls on Sunday as it battles a civil war that has ravaged parts of the country as well as one of Asia's worst humanitarian crises.

Man arrested over attack at Japan rubber factory where he previously worked

This follows an attack on Dec 26 that left 15 employees injured.

Japan’s wedding industry faces battle to adapt to changing culture amid drop in number of traditional ceremonies

As the industry experiences more large-scale bankruptcies, the search is now on for ways to survive.

Indonesia grants Christmas remissions to over 16,000 prisoners, including graft convicts

Officials said the move would help reduce state spending.

2 dead, 26 injured in 50-vehicle expressway pile-up north-west of Tokyo

Police said the vehicles likely skidded on the icy surface as snow fell.

Myanmar election: military seeks legitimacy amid war, exclusion

On Sunday December 28, Myanmar goes to the polls for the first phase of its first general election since the military coup of February 1, 2021. After several extensions, the State Administration Council, controlled by the military (Tatmadaw), lifted the state of emergency on

1MDB trial verdict: Former Malaysian PM Najib admits to feeling ‘alone’ in struggle for freedom

He said he remained confident in the country’s judicial process, regardless of the outcome.

China sealing Hainan customs borders to make full free trade port

Beijing has moved to seal Hainan’s customs borders and turn the island into a full-fledged free trade port (FTP), a move that has sharply divided Chinese and overseas analysts over its economic and geopolitical implications. Under the new framework, the Hainan FTP will

North Korea’s Kim stresses shared bloodshed in New Year message to Putin

Mr Kim said 2025 was a “really meaningful year” for the bilateral alliance.

China hits US defence firms with sanctions over arms sales to Taiwan

The move follows Washington’s announcement last week of $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.

Her husband's kidnapping became Malaysia's biggest mystery. Then came a stunning confession

Nine years after her husband disappeared, Susanna Liew had a stunning legal win in one of Malaysia's biggest mysteries.

'We will vote but not with our hearts': Inside the election staged by Myanmar's military rulers

This is the first election since the army's coup in early 2021 - and it is being widely condemned as a sham.

Bangladesh protests push India ties to the brink, fanning regional security fears

But it is unfathomable that Dhaka and New Delhi will allow relations to deteriorate further.

A 2018 Pakistan study helps explain other post-colonial failures

In the ongoing quest to understand South Africa’s political and economic stagnation, it may be helpful to look at other postcolonial states that have traveled farther along the path of independence. This may help clarify the stagnation question that citizens, politicians and

China frowns as Mona Lisa of Taiwan’s palace museum goes on loan to Prague

Taiwan’s National Palace Museum strikes a balance between its Chinese roots and Taiwanese narrative.

Myanmar junta lifts Yangon curfew ahead of elections

"Regional stability in Yangon region is improving now," said a statement shared by junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

North Korea’s nuclear sub reveal jolts US-Russia-China dynamics

North Korea’s nuclear submarine gambit marks a dangerous inflection point in the rise of an authoritarian nexus that challenges established deterrence dynamics. This month, multiple media outlets reported North Korea’s unveiling of what it says is the completed hull of its

Data centre surge reaches India as American tech giants invest billions

India hosts nearly 20 per cent of the world’s data but only 3 per cent of its storage.

Israel becomes first country to formally recognise Somaliland as independent state

Dec 26 - Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday -- a decision that could reshape regional dynamics and test Somalia’s longstanding opposition to its secession.

Moscow sentences Russian diplomat to 12 years for passing secrets to U.S. intelligence

MOSCOW, Dec 26 - A Moscow court sentenced a former Russian diplomat to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony for selling secrets to U.S. intelligence while on a posting to the United States, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.

Many cheer, but some disappointed with guilty verdict for Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib

Some continue to praise Najib, others say he did not receive a fair trial that led to his 2022 conviction.

Explosion at Alawite mosque in Syria's Homs kills eight

DAMASCUS, Dec 26 - Eight people were killed in an explosion at a mosque of the Alawite minority sect in the Syrian city of Homs on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

US once again recalls imported Indonesian shrimp over Caesium-137 findings

The recall involved 83,800 units of frozen shrimp sold under the Market 32 and Waterfront Bistro brands

Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib and the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal

Najib co-founded 1MDB and chaired its advisory board until 2016.

Two dead in Palestinian attack in Israel, Israeli authorities say

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 - A Palestinian assailant ran over a man and stabbed a woman and killed them both in northern Israel on Friday, Israeli emergency services said.