A 12 metre-tall statue of Young-hee, the iconic doll from Netflix's South Korean TV series 'Squid Game', is seen on a barge in front of Wat Arun temple on the Chao Prayer River ahead of the launch of Season 2, in Bangkok on Dec 19, 2024. - AFP
Malaysia
* New judge to preside over 1MDB's US$346mil suit against Rosmah
* Respect court's decision to acquit Rosmah, says Zahid
* Rosmah calls acquittal a 'meaningful birthday gift'
* High Court acquits Rosmah of RM7mil money laundering and tax charges
* Influencer Ady Hu among two M'sians held for fraud by Taiwan authorities
* Cops probing PAS president Hadi over alleged comments on Batu Puteh issue
* Sabah PKR rejects claims of political plot behind Musa’s appointment as TYT
* Petrol station company, two directors charged with selling subsidised diesel beyond permitted limit
* Seat negotiations within Sabah Pakatan 75% complete, says state PKR
* Papagomo under investigation for video insulting IGP
* Johor cops receive 952 body-worn cameras
* Japan leverages Madani framework to strengthen ties with Malaysia
* Brothers claim trial for cheating two individuals of more than RM450,000
* AGC plans to appeal Rosmah's acquittal
* Malaysia-China 11-month trade matches 2023 total trade, signalling strong recovery
* New A330neo aircraft joins Malaysia Airlines fleet
* Former cook escapes gallows as High Court frees him of murder charge
* Man arrested for insulting royal institution and PM
Singapore
* 59 workers, including 25 from Yeo’s, to be laid off due to Oatly Singapore plant closure
* Heavy traffic expected at land checkpoints in Singapore for year-end holidays; record number of travellers on Dec 13
* Longer travelling time on Thomson-East Coast Line trains between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations due to signal fault
* Scoot apologises after KL-bound flight took off 1½ hours earlier than scheduled on Nov 1
* Senior citizen jailed for sealing flat’s padlock with glue, assaulting man with diluted bleach
* Singapore authority Acra to restore Bizfile search function; restrict access to full NRIC numbers to paying users
Thailand
* Thai lawyer Arnon gets another two years, eight months over Harry Potter rally
* Thai police at border town kill six in gunfight to rescue Chinese businessman
* Five arrested in crackdown on Japanese call centre gang in Chonburi, Thailand
* Unfazed by police lock, western tourists pull bike away in Phuket
* 45 buffaloes abandoned by cross-border smugglers on Thai-Laos border
Indonesia
* Indonesia president pledges to pardon 'corrupters' who return what they stole
* Flash flood in Indonesia's North Sumatra leaves 10 injured
* Apple close to winning Indonesian approval to end iPhone 16 ban
* Pakistan, Indonesia agree to deepen economic, commercial ties
Philippines
* Philippines president says legal experts to consider clemency requests for convict Veloso
* VP Sara Duterte hit by third impeachment complaint
* Philippine House tags Duterte, others for ‘crimes against humanity’
* Holiday online shopping fraud ‘alarmingly high’ in Philippines
* Philippine central bank cuts policy rate as expected, flags measured easing in 2025
Vietnam
* Two victims in critical condition following café arson that killed 11 in Hanoi
* Man arrested for setting fire to cafe, killing 11 in Hanoi
* US envoy to Vietnam says US arms manufacturers could help Vietnam build up its armed forces
* 11 dead in Hanoi karaoke bar fire: police
* Vietnam PM eyes expansion of defence cooperation, US offers to play role
Cambodia
* Cambodia, UN agency sign MoU to strengthen cooperation on water supply, climate-resilient infrastructure projects
* Restoration work on Bayon Temple's terrace in Cambodia's Angkor Park completed
* Cambodia's Techo International Airport set to officially open in July 2025
Myanmar
* Myanmar pledges 2025 elections at six-nation consultation
* Sri Lanka navy to aid boat of 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar
* Myanmar civil war risks regional humanitarian crisis, warns Thai think tank
* Myanmar police destroy 960 acres of opium in eastern Myanmar
Laos
* Korea, Laos friendship groups pledge stronger cooperation in 2025
* Laos seeks to boost digital economy
Brunei
* Brunei Sultan meets with King Charles III in London
* Forecast shows unstable weather, thundershowers in Brunei
Aseanplus
* China woman scams blind date out of US$65,000 by hiring actors to pose as family and herself
* Vanuatu braces for possible cyclone two days after deadly quake - rescue mission continues
* South Korean conservatives make bizarre attempt to report K-pop star IU to the CIA
* Two South Korean colleagues win nearly US$689,000 lottery within minutes of each other
* Japanese police arrest man who stabbed schoolgirl to death at McDonald’s
* Divers, helicopters hunt survivors of Mumbai boat accident that killed 13
* Guilty plea for New York man who ran secret Chinese 'police station'
* Australia slows some foreign student visas after cap plan fails
* China eatery criticised for labelling cheap dishes as ‘kinder rates’, pricey ones as ‘PhD rates’
* Delhi-National Capital Region critical as air quality turns hazardous
* Chinese man gets to keep US$40,000 that his unfaithful ex-girlfriend gave as a form of apology, court rules
* South Korea's Yoon willing to present views himself in legal proceedings, lawyer says
* Woman in Madhya Pradesh stabs to death girl suspected of having affair with husband
* Newspaper body submits public comment to Japanese government; requests creation of legal framework to fit age of generative AI
* Asian stocks track Wall St down after Fed forecast, BoJ hits yen
* Renowned singer-songwriter Hai Lai A Mu is set to make history with his first-ever concert outside China - and its in KL
* Former Category III star Amy Yip invests in durian-themed hotel in Penang
