Sabah & Sarawak

Musa Aman calls for harmony among Sabahans this Christmas

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans are encouraged to strengthen their unity and maintain harmony as the state prepares to celebrate Christmas and welcome the New Year 2026.

World

Myanmar's decade of turmoil: elections, coup and conflict

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Nearly five years after it seized ‌power, Myanmar's military is moving ahead with a multi-phase general election starting on Sunday, despite conflict across the country.

China

Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance amid Japan tensions

Beijing is reviving stalled trade talks with Seoul as the Lee administration breaks with Tokyo on Taiwan, and analysts say Chinese market access could be the geopolitical prize

Nation

Albert Tei wants police to release CCTV footage of MACC raid

PETALING JAYA: Businessman Albert Tei is calling for CCTV footage of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raid on his house to be released.

Streaming

Spotify says piracy activists hacked its music catalogue

Music streaming service Spotify said Monday it had disabled accounts from a piracy activist hacker group that claimed to have "backed up" millions of Spotify's music files and metadata.

Nation

Illegal cattle pen issue in Batu Uban resolved through talks

GEORGE TOWN: The issue of an illegal cattle pen causing odour and pollution in Changkat Bukit Gambir has been resolved through talks between residents, the owner and local authorities.

Nation

PAS sec-gen extends Christmas greetings to Malaysian Christians

PETALING JAYA: PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan has extended Christmas greetings to all Malaysians of the Christian faith.

China

China teacher hides pupil’s death from class, asks group to write farewell letters

Parents of tragic boy who always had 'smiles and fun stories' for classmates are delivered box full of touching letters, flowers

Nation

Environment Dept raids Johor illegal waste site over burning odour

JOHOR BARU: The Johor Environment Department raided an illegal waste disposal site along Jalan Kempas Lama here on Tuesday (Dec 24) following complaints of a burning odour detected in several areas of the district since Monday.

Technology

Italy watchdog orders Meta to halt WhatsApp terms barring rival AI chatbots

MILAN, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Italy's ‌antitrust authority (AGCM) on Wednesday ordered Meta Platforms to suspend ‌contractual terms that could shut rival AI chatbots out ‌of WhatsApp, as it investigates the U.S. tech group for suspected abuse of a dominant position.

World

Bangladesh leader seen as likely next prime minister set to return from exile ahead of polls

DHAKA, Dec 24 (Reuters) - The Bangladesh Nationalist ‌Party aims to gather five million supporters to welcome its leader Tarique Rahman home from nearly 17 years in ‌exile on Thursday, a show of strength as he emerges as a leading contender for prime minister in ‌February elections.

Brunei

Brunei honours duo for contributions to cybersecurity sector

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Two cybersecurity professionals were honoured for their contributions to the sector at the CYSEC Appreciation Night 2025, which also recognised volunteers supporting regional cybersecurity efforts over the past year.

True Or Not

QuickCheck: Does the Social Welfare Department issue cards for senior citizens?

SENIOR citizens in Malaysia enjoy various privileges, including discounts and priority access for public transport, government offices and more.

Nation

Police seek help in locating missing 12-year-old boy in Taman Bukit Indah

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Police are seeking public assistance to locate a 12-year-old boy reported missing from Taman Bukit Indah.

Philippines

Railway operators keen on taking up north-south rail project: Philippine transport dept

MANILA: The high interest reportedly shown by several railway operators on the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project can be seen as proof that investors trust the government, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday (Dec 24).

Nation

Fare bidding issue in e-hailing sector among urgent matters to be discussed by proposed gig consultative council

PETALING JAYA: The issue of fare bidding or bargaining in the e-hailing sector is among the matters that will be discussed by the proposed gig consultative council, says the Human Resources Ministry.

Business

Higher corporate bond yields push issuers to delay debt sales to next quarter

MUMBAI: Elevated yields in the corporate bond market and the scrapping of four planned issues within three weeks have led some issuers to delay big-ticket fundraising until the next quarter, merchant bankers and investors said.

Nation

Nearly 100 detained in nationwide crackdown on gambling call centres

KUALA LUMPUR: Eighty-five individuals were detained following large-scale raids on illegal gambling call centres nationwide.

Indonesia

Indonesia can draw lessons from China's disaster management experience, says expert

JAKARTA: Indonesia can draw lessons from China's disaster management experience to strengthen its own preparedness and resilience, an Indonesian expert has said.

Entertainment

‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ is Time magazine’s best K-drama of 2025

Also in the list – 'Way Back Love', 'Squid Game' Season Three and 'Tempest'.