US to return 1MDB-linked artwork worth $38.8m to Malaysia
The pieces are DOJ's custody and held by auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s in the United States.
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US lifts sanctions on Belarusian potash, state media cite Trump envoy as saying
Dec 13 - The United States is lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash, Belarusian state media quoted President Donald Trump's envoy John Coale as saying after two days of talks in Minsk with President Alexander Lukashenko.
Malaysia urges Thailand and Cambodia to cease military action along border
Since Dec 8, Thailand and Cambodia have traded heavy weapons fire.
Angry fans throw chairs and bottles at Messi event in India
The Inter Miami and Argentina forward is in India for a tour, taking in events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Transatlantic unity shows cracks as America recasts its security strategy
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Shock and denial: Berlin, Brussels react to new US security doctrine Diego Faßnacht writes that Europe reacted emotionally to Washington’s new National Security
Ousted Nepal PM’s party holds biggest rally since Gen Z protests
Some 70,000 attended the rally to launch a three-day convention of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).
Ousted Nepal PM's party holds biggest rally since Gen Z protests
KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - Tens of thousands rallied for the party of Nepal’s ousted prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, on Saturday, in the largest gathering in the Himalayan country since youth-led anti-graft protests forced him out three months ago.
Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 1,000 as authorities grapple with relief efforts
More than 200 people remain missing as of Saturday (Dec 13), while over 5,400 have been injured.
Indonesia flood death toll passes 1,000, say rescuers
The disaster has also injured more than 5,400 people.
Rights groups condemn reported re-arrest of Nobel laureate Mohammadi in Iran
Dec 13 - International human rights groups on Saturday condemned the reported re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran, with the Nobel committee calling on the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her whereabouts.
Influencer Iris Hsieh’s death: Namewee’s bail extended for another month to Jan 11
Police are waiting for the autopsy and toxicology reports on influencer Iris Hsieh's death.
Philippine Vice-President Duterte faces graft complaint
The complaint alleged that she and other officials misused public funds through “coordinated schemes".
Several Malaysian politicians involved in South Korean cult, says minister
For now, the organisation's activities do not appear to be a threat to national security.
US seeks to broaden Vietnam defence ties as trade talks drag on
Vietnam’s leaders have repeatedly signalled plans to buy more big-ticket American items.
Iran detains 18 crew members of foreign tanker seized in Gulf of Oman
Dec 13 - Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.
Myanmar junta denies killing civilians in hospital strike
A military jet bombed the general hospital of Mrauk-U in western Rakhine state on Dec 10.
Muhyiddin denies Mahathir’s claims over stolen party funds
He said Mahathir’s allegations were likely made because he had received inaccurate information.
Philippines says fishermen hurt, boats damaged by China in South China Sea
Manila said nearly two dozen Filipino fishing boats near Sabina Shoal were targeted with water cannon and blocking manoeuvres.
Myanmar military acknowledges airstrike on hospital, claims armed opposition groups used it as base
More than 30 people, including patients, medical workers and children, were reportedly killed and about 80 others injured in the military airstrike on the general hospital in the western state of Rakhine.
Philippines says fishermen hurt and boats damaged by China in South China Sea
China’s coast guard said it had driven away multiple Philippine vessels and taken “control measures”.
China to boost exports, imports in 2026, seeking 'sustainable' trade, official says
Beijing's trillion-dollar trade surplus is stirring tensions with its trade partners and drawing criticism from observers who say its production-focused economic growth model is unsustainable.
East Java boarding school head gets 20 years’ jail, chemical castration for sexual abuse
Despite being in effect in Indonesia for nearly a decade, chemical castration remains a rare sentence.
China holds low-key Nanjing Massacre memorial amid Japan tensions
China consistently reminds its people of the 1937 massacre, in which it says Japanese troops killed 300,000 people in what was then its capital.
Zubeen Garg’s death: S’pore festival organiser among 4 charged with murder by Indian investigators
The 3,500-page charge sheet names a total of seven suspects.
Zubeen Garg tragedy: S’pore festival organiser among 4 charged with murder by Indian investigators
The 3,500-page charge sheet names a total of seven suspects.
North Korea acknowledges its troops cleared mines for Russia
Pyongyang has reportedly sent thousands of troops to fight for Moscow as it presses ahead with its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.
Thailand vows continued military action against Cambodia, despite Trump's ceasefire claim
"Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people," Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday (Dec 13).
China holds low-key Nanjing Massacre memorial despite Japan tensions
President Xi Jinping did not make an appearance at the memorial, which he last attended in 2017.
Google to build subsea cables in Papua New Guinea under Australia defence treaty
The cables will lower internet prices for consumers and support economic growth.
Thai PM vows continued military action against Cambodia despite Trump ceasefire claims
US President Donald Trump said on Dec 12 Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt fighting along their disputed border.
Cambodia says Thailand still bombing hours after Trump truce call
This comes just hours after US leader Trump announced an agreement between the 2 sides.
A velvet reset: Trump’s new strategy hands China breathing space
For years, Washington framed China as the defining adversary of the American century. The National Security Strategy released on December 4 has quietly abandoned that posture. At just 33 pages, the document mentions China sparingly and never as an existential threat. Instead,
Latest Thai-Cambodian clashes expose limits of ASEAN’s conflict management tools
The renewed fighting comes as the Philippines prepares to take over as ASEAN chair from Malaysia.
Seized oil tanker Skipper only the tip of the clandestine iceberg
The VLCC Skipper, seized by the US Coast Guard under a court warrant, with the assistance of two helicopters from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, with US Marines carrying out the takeover of the ship, was a legal seizure under US and international law, despite
China aims for twin-track use of Nvidia H200 amid back door fears
Beijing appears to be softening its stance on Nvidia’s H200 graphics processing units (GPUs), with Chinese policymakers and commentators shifting their focus from outright rejection to the practical question of how the chips would be governed in use. When Reuters reported on
‘Bullets were flying over my roof’: Mothers in Cambodia flee to shelters to protect their children
Some 303,200 civilians have been displaced by the latest fighting, according to figures from the Cambodia authorities.
North Korean leader Kim hails troops returning from Russia mission, state media says
SEOUL, Dec 13 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for an army engineering unit that had returned home after carrying out duties in Russia, the North's KCNA news agency reported on Saturday.
IndiGo chaos unmasks fragility of India’s aviation market
The flight disruptions laid bare weaknesses that threaten the sector’s growth, and the vulnerability of passengers.
Commentary: Why North Korea is modernising its conventional arsenal
Russia’s war economy is fuelling Pyongyang’s most ambitious military upgrade in decades, says an academic.
Russia-US détente can revolutionize global economic architecture
I have explained in a separate analysis that joint strategic resource investments after the end of the Ukrainian Conflict, particularly in energy and critical minerals, can assist the US in economically competing with China. This vision aligns with the focus of the new National
Joint Saudi-Emirate delegation in Aden for talks after STC takeover
Dec 12 - A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden to discuss measures aimed at defusing tensions in southern Yemen days after the country’s main southern separatist group claimed broad control across the south, a government source told Reuters on Friday.
Cambodia shuts border crossings with Thailand as fighting continues
It comes despite US President Donald Trump saying both sides had agreed to a ceasefire deal.
Trump says Thailand, Cambodia have agreed to stop border clashes
The latest fighting between the South-east Asian neighbours has killed at least 20 people this week.
Ukraine hits Russian oil infrastructure in Caspian for second time
KYIV, Dec 12 - Ukrainian drones struck two Russian oil rigs in the Caspian Sea, an official in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Friday.
Thais bomb three Cambodian border casinos deemed military threats
BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s US-supplied F-16 warplanes and Swedish Gripen jets bombed at least three Cambodian casinos during the past week in a gamble Bangkok hopes will obliterate its enemy’s alleged ability to fire armed drones from the border zone complexes and stockpile
Trump signs order intended to block states from regulating AI
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to preempt US states from enacting rules governing artificial intelligence, a major departure from the typical federalist structure of American government that Trump said was necessary because of the issue’s high
PLAN’s big underwater drones push undersea power toward US shores
China’s testing of giant un-crewed underwater drones signals a quiet but consequential shift in maritime warfare, one that could threaten undersea cables, sensor networks and even the strategic balance across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This month, Naval News reported that