Month: December 2025

North Korea’s move to publicly reveal the full hull and displacement of its first nuclear-powered submarine under construction appears to be a strategic counter to bids by the US and South Korea to expand their undersea capabilities.
North Korea’s state media on Thursday released images of leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” being built at an undisclosed location. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, believed to be…

Malaysia’s High Court is poised on Friday to deliver its verdict in the final criminal trial of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, bringing to a close one of Southeast Asia’s most far-reaching corruption sagas.
The case centres on allegations that the disgraced 72-year-old misappropriated 2.3 billion ringgit (US$490 million) from the scandal-ridden Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib is currently in Kajang Prison, over halfway through a sentence…

Traveller safety and outdated facilities remain pressing issues that could undermine Malaysia’s tourism ambitions if left unaddressed, according to Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing.
Tiong said many attractions lack basic infrastructure upgrades, particularly in destinations frequented by repeat visitors.
“Some foreign visitors tell us that when they came 10 years ago, the facilities were like this, and 10 years later, nothing has changed,” he added.
While Malaysia has produced…

A decision by a court in Switzerland this week to hear a climate lawsuit brought by four Indonesian fishermen against cement giant Holcim has been welcomed by campaigners as an important step for climate justice, even as they warned the legal fight could still stretch on for years.
On Monday, the Cantonal Court of Zug ruled that it would admit the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed to a full assessment on its merits.
The complaint accuses Holcim, a Swiss company based in the town of Zug, of…

A man who took a passenger’s luggage on a Singapore Airlines flight from Dubai to Singapore was jailed for 20 months on Tuesday.
Liu Ming, a 26-year-old Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.
The act was financed by a criminal syndicate and Liu had boarded the flight specifically to steal high-value items from business class passengers, the prosecution said.
His case follows other convictions for on-board theft this year, including one case of an offender who had accomplices on…

A major overhaul of the payment systems of England’s dental service under the National Health Service could cause extra challenges for those with existing obligations, an expert has warned.

The UN said on Tuesday that Myanmar’s junta was using violence and intimidation to force people to vote in upcoming military-controlled elections, while armed opposition groups were using similar tactics to keep people away.
“The military authorities in Myanmar must stop using brutal violence to compel people to vote and stop arresting people for expressing any dissenting views,” United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
Myanmar’s junta is set to preside over voting starting…

A new ruling brings clarity for international businesses hoping to resolve their disputes by arbitration seated in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), according to an expert.

Saudi Arabia has given the go-ahead to stricter rules on company ownership regulation in a bid to increase transparency over who is in charge of firms in the Kingdom.

Commercial games and gaming operators will now be required to align with stringent new anti-money laundering laws being brought into effect in the United Arab Emirates.