A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume swims with school of fish to welcome the upcoming Christmas at the Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, on Saturday, Dec 24, 2022. - Reuters
Malaysia:
* Malaysia-Australia committed to strengthening bilateral ties, says Anwar
* Dr Noor Hisham heads new WHO committee on pandemic response
* Chile ratifies CPTPP, a big opportunity for Malaysian businesses: Tengku Zafrul
* Covid-19 Watch: 902 new cases bring total to 5,022,144
* Cabinet to decide on targeted subsidies mechanism soon, says Salahuddin
* Batang Kali landslide: Nadma releases names of 30 dead victims
* Batang Kali landslide: Rescuer rushed to hospital after collapsing during SAR ops
* Batang Kali landslide: Remains of last victim was found under 1.5m of soil and still in his sleeping bag
* Batang Kali landslide: Body of the last victim found
* King and Queen offer seasons greetings to Malaysian Christians
* MA63: PM to make announcement on Jan 4, says Fadillah
* Armizan: 27 matters related to Sabah, Sarawak's demands to be raised on Jan 4
A worshipper holds a candle during a Christmas Eve service at Immanuel Church in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. - AP
Singapore:
* Singapore's Changi Airport Group and tenants to continue absorb GST in 2023
* A third of Singapore adults expect to spend less on Christmas due to rising cost of living
* Singapore: 60-year-old man who committed incest with intellectually disabled daughter jailed for seven years
* Retiree, 77, turns heads with community artwork using 80,000 bottle caps in Singapore' Bedok
* S’pore-UK flight makes emergency landing
* Oil rises US$3/bbl after Russia signals output cut due to price cap jut before Christmas holidays
Indonesia:
* Indonesia banks on sports tourism for ambitious 2036 Olympics hosting bid
* Indonesia ‘disappointed’ over the Taliban suspending university education for women
* Indonesia aim to export natural gas to Vietnam in 2026
* Indonesia takes 'measured' rate hike as inflation cools
* Indonesian families sue over deadly stadium disaster
* Security beefed up in Indonesia ahead of year-end holiday season
A girl looks on as she holds a candle during a Christmas mass at Immanuel Church in Jakarta, Indonesia,on Saturday, December 24, 2022. - Reuters
Thailand:
* Thai court to decide Malaysian businessman Tedy Teow's extradition on Jan 18 - either to Malaysia or China
* Six more bodies recovered after sinking of Thai warship
* Thailand: Queue-fixers help tourists stomach long lines at Bangkok’s Michelin-rated eateries
* Funny old world and that includes local cannabis lovers are still on a high after Thailand's first Cannabis Cup
* Funeral held for six from sunken warship in Thailand
* Thailand PM Prayut declares candidacy for 2023 general election
Philippines:
* Philippines logs 834 new cases and 22 more deaths on Saturday (Dec 24)
* Philippines posts US$756mil balance of payments deficit in Nov; extends tariff cuts on imported rice, other food items to fight inflation
* Spending scandal at Philippine phone giant had roots in ambition
* Philippines boosts military in disputed sea after Chinese 'encroachment'
* Philippines: Hope dims as missing believed dead
* Witan goal earns Indonesia opening Asean Cup win over Cambodia; Philippines back to winning ways after trouncing Brunei
A diver wearing a Santa Claus costume poses with children to welcome the upcoming Christmas at the Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, December 24, 2022. - Reuters
Vietnam:
* Vietnam reports 107 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday (Dec 24), lowest daily number in almost a year
* English student from the city of Da Nang crowned Miss Vietnam 2022
* Coffee ain't for Christmas - Sluggish trading in Vietnam and Indonesia ahead of holidays
* Samsung Electronics opens huge US$220 million R&D Centre in Vietnam
* Meet the disability activists campaigning to make Vietnam accessible
Myanmar:
* UN Security Council trying to 'destabilise' Myanmar, junta says
* Myanmar's Suu Kyi to hear final verdicts in junta trial
* Myanmar shadow govt raises alarm after junta meets Asean members
* 110 held for travelling ‘without documents’ in Myanmar
People heading to the provinces ahead of Christmas arrive at a bus terminal in Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines. - Reuters
Cambodia:
* One year on, RCEP, CCFTA give momentum to Cambodia's trade growth in post-pandemic era
* ADB provides US$361.4 million to Cambodia to support various sectors
* 36 convicted in mass trial in Cambodia
Laos:
* Laos commits to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025
* Laos records US$45 million in trade deficit in November
Brunei:
* Bad weather and heavy rain to persist in Brunei at least until Tuesday (Dec 27)
* Brunei records daily average of 332 Covid-19 cases in past week
Shoppers pass Christmas decoration lights at a mall in Singapore. - Reuters
AseanPlus:
* Hong Kong eyes reopening border with China by mid-January, says leader
* China angered and Taiwan cheered by new US defence act
* Chinese city seeing half a million Covid cases a day, says official
* China pushes for stronger ties with France ahead of possible Macron visit
* German firms splash out billions on Taiwan supply chain, largely in semiconductors and chemicals
* Hong Kong financial sector ‘urgently’ needs help with measurement of climate risks, HKMA report says
* China’s shrinking working-age population to send ripples through global economy
* Flying car concept vrooming into reality
* Japan: Record defence spending okayed
* CPO futures to trade slightly bullish next week in anticipation of lower production
* Like the BoJ, central banks will pivot in 2023
* Court jails Hong Kong TV star Mat Yeung, rejects appeal against 18-day prison sentence for careless driving
* WTO rules for Hong Kong in its trade dispute with US
* Young Chinese put kids, marriage on back burner at record rate as cost pressures and Covid overwhelm
* Stock markets mostly retreat on returning recession worries
* Schools closed, flights cancelled as coldest day of the season grips South Korea
* China provinces warn of blood shortage as Covid-19 infections surge
* 'The Serpent' serial killer Charles Sobhraj arrives in France - media
* Japan prosecutors to indict suspected Abe assassin - Kyodo
* China must import mRNA vaccines to stop Covid-19 ‘disaster’, US health experts say
