Indonesia

Palm oil expansion in Papua raises eyebrows

JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto's aspiration to expand palm oil plantations in Papua for biofuel production has drawn strong backlash from environmentalists, who warn the policy risks repeating the ecological disasters already unfolding in Sumatra.

Nation

Two youths nabbed for smuggling cannabis buds via courier in Johor

JOHOR BARU: Two youths have been separately detained for attempting to smuggle cannabis buds using courier services, with the drugs disguised as household items such as towels and curtains.

Vietnam

63 Vietnamese citizens repatriated from Cambodia after fleeing online scam networks

DONG NAI: Border authorities at the Hoa Lu International Border Gate in the southern province of Dong Nai on Wednesday (Dec 17) received 63 Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodian authorities, many of whom had escaped from online fraud operations.

Nation

Mosques must evolve into centres of excellence, says Perak Sultan

IPOH: Mosques must move beyond rigid and outdated paradigms to become centres of excellence for the Muslim community, says Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.

Stock on the Move

Gamuda shares rise in early trade after securing RM2.69bil Marinus Link project

KUALA LUMPUR: Gamuda Bhd's shares rose at early trade today after its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, DT Infrastructure Pty Ltd, as part of the TasVic Greenlink joint venture with Samsung C&T Corporation, was jointly awarded the A$994 million (RM2.69 billion) Marinus Link project in Australia.

Nation

Kelantan sees spike in commercial crime cases, but overall losses down

KOTA BARU: Commercial crime cases in Kelantan saw a significant increase to 2,016 cases for the first 11 months of this year compared to 1,014 cases for the same period last year.

Nation

Unemployed man charged with wife's murder

BUKIT MERTAJAM: An unemployed man was charged in the Magistrate's Court here on Thursday (Dec 18) with murdering his wife in Seberang Jaya earlier this month.

Singapore

Expect heavy traffic at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during upcoming festive holidays

SINGAPORE: Those travelling to Malaysia during the upcoming holidays in December should expect longer waiting times at both the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.

Nation

Immigration Dept nabs 46 Bangladeshi men in Nilai

SEREMBAN: The Immigration Department has detained 46 illegal immigrants for various immigration-related offences during an operation at a factory in Nilai on Wednesday (Dec 17) night.

Nation

Hearing of Shafie's contempt case set for Feb 3, influencer fined RM300

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's contempt of court case relating to the ongoing Zara Qairina Mahathir inquest will be heard on Feb 3.

Cybersecurity

Google sues Chinese ‘Darcula’ group over alleged phishing scheme

Alphabet Inc's Google filed a lawsuit against alleged Chinese cybercriminals, accusing the group of orchestrating a vast phishing campaign designed to dupe Americans into turning over their credit card numbers. 

Europe

8 Swiss cities with interesting Christmas markets to check out

Switzerland's Christmas markets can put even the grumpiest person in a cheerful spirit.

AseanPlus News

Australia PM vows to stamp out hatred as nation mourns youngest Bondi Beach victim

SYDNEY: Australia's prime minister vowed to stamp out extremism Thursday (Dec 18) as the nation mourned the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach shooting, a 10-year-old girl remembered as "our little ray of sunshine".

Banking

CIMB commits to developing tokenised financial services

KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Group Holdings Bhd says it is committed to develop tokenised financial services spanning tokenised assets, tokenised settlement and next-generation payment rails, supporting Malaysia's national agenda to broaden adoption of tokenisation across the financial ecosystem.

True Or Not

QuickCheck: Did JPJ issue an 'EE' vehicle registration series?

VEHICLE owners are quick to pounce on special registration index series introduced by the Road Transport Department (JPJ), often bidding huge sums to get one of these plates.

Cricket

Cricket-India rule white ball amid geopolitical issues and S Africa lift WTC mace

NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - India owned white-ball cricket while South Africa shed their 'bridesmaids' tag but the spectre of geopolitics loomed large over the game in a tumultuous 2025.

Cambodia

Passengers travelling to Cambodia via Thailand complain of tighter restrictions at Bangkok airports

PHNOM PENH: The Cambodian embassy in France has noted restrictions placed on air passengers transiting through Thailand en route to Cambodia, with Thai immigration authorities "harassing" passengers with unusual questions, wasting their time.

Markets

Tech jitters dent stocks before central banks take centre stage

SYDNEY: Asian shares fell on Thursday as the tech sector took a beating on renewed angst about AI spending, while investors braced for a wave of central bank meetings set to underscore policy divergence worldwide.

Cricket

Cricket-Review technology under fire again in Adelaide Ashes test

ADELAIDE, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The 'Snicko' technology used in the Ashes came under fresh scrutiny during the third test on Thursday after England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was dismissed caught behind despite the ball not appearing to have touched his bat.

Nation

T'ganu seeks emergency federal funds to repair collapsed road

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu government, through the state Public Works Department (JKR), has requested emergency funds from Putrajaya to repair the collapsed Aring 8-Kenyir-Kuala Jeneris road near the Sungai Deka Elephant Conservation Centre in Hulu Terengganu.