Month: December 2025

Washington is set to deepen its defence support for the Philippines after approving billions of dollars for a loan and a grant to its Southeast Asian ally next year to counter what an American senator has called “serious threats” from China and its partners.
Philippine defence officials have welcomed the approval by the House and Senate in Washington as further evidence of the US commitment to their alliance, even as analysts caution that the bill under the US National Defence Authorisation Act…

Chris Thomas tells HRNews how the new £2,000 NICs cap on pension salary sacrifice announced in the Budget will affect UK employers.

Tom Barton tells HRNews why the Budget has put collective defined contribution pension schemes back on the agenda.

There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Eduardo Ano said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training.
The alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah…

Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit.
China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards.
Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical…

The UK government has confirmed it will legislate to reverse a Supreme Court ruling concerned with third-party litigation funding in a move that is expected to increase the risk of mass claims being brought against big organisations.

A man accused of perpetrating Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades will be charged later on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as the funerals of the Jewish victims of Sunday’s attack began.
The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene,…

Indonesia’s flagship programme to provide millions of schoolchildren with free nutritious meals is back in the spotlight after a delivery van linked to the initiative ploughed into a group of students in Jakarta last week, leaving 21 children and a teacher injured.
The accident on Thursday has raised fresh questions about safety and oversight in what critics call the “chaotic” roll-out of the signature initiative of President Prabowo Subianto, which has a 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.2 billion)…

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new rules for cryptoasset activities to propel the UK as a leader in “innovation friendly crypto regulation”, an expert has said.

A father and son appeared to be driven by “Islamic State ideology” when they opened fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed killed 15 people in a mass shooting that targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at the famous beach on Sunday evening.
Authorities have described the attack as an antisemitic act of terrorism but have so far given little detail on the deeper motivations.
Albanese gave one…