SCMP Asia·Sunday, December 14, 2025

SCMP Asia - Sunday, December 14, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Netanyahu accuses Australia’s PM of inaction in tackling antisemitism

Following the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Australia of not taking decisive action to tackle antisemitism. Netanyahu said in a statement that he had warned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a letter four months ago, stating that “the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia”. Australia and other leading nations formally recognised the State of...

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For some Australian Jews, Bondi shooting feels inevitable after thousands of antisemitic incidents

Days after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and sparking the devastating war in Gaza, an inverted red triangle was spray-painted on the front of a Jewish bakery in Sydney. It was the first of a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia. Sixteen months and thousands of arson, firebombing, graffiti and hate-speech incidents later, the head of the nation’s main intelligence agency declared that antisemitism was his number one priority in terms of threat to...

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Is plunder complaint against Philippine VP Sara Duterte an attempt to blunt her 2028 bid?

A plunder complaint filed against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reopened scrutiny of her use of “confidential funds” and opened a new legal front in a political stand-off that could shape the early dynamics of the 2028 presidential race. A highly placed source, who told This Week in Asia about the complaint a week before it was filed, said the move was intended to blunt Duterte-Carpio’s prospects in the 2028 presidential election by tying her down in a prolonged...

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At least 16 dead in Australia Bondi Beach terrorism shooting during Jewish holiday event

A child is among at least 16 people killed in a terrorist attack in Australia at one of the world’s most famous beaches, officials said on Monday. Hundreds of people had gathered at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday for the “Chanukah by the Sea 2025” event to mark the start of the eight-day Jewish Hanukkah festival when gunmen opened fire. New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said the death toll had risen from 12 to 16 overnight, including a 12-year-old child. At least 40 people including...

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Cambodia-Thailand border clashes persist, civilians dying, despite Trump’s intervention

Thailand on Sunday announced its first civilian death in a week of fighting with Cambodia, as international efforts fail to stop violence that has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The latest killing comes a day after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The border clashes, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along the two nations’ 800km (500 miles) border, have displaced around 800,000 people,

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Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

Washington’s latest national security blueprint may be one of its most consequential in years, yet it barely mentions Southeast Asia. Analysts say that absence speaks volumes, signalling a narrowing of American priorities that risks turning the region into a “bargaining chip” in the US-China rivalry. The National Security Strategy published by the White House on December 4 presents the Trump administration’s vision for restoring “American economic independence”, alongside preventing conflict in.

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Age just a number for Singapore Slinger Lim, 71-year-old sets world darts record

A year after Luke Littler became the youngest winner of the PDC World Darts Championship, 71-year-old Paul Lim became the oldest winner of a match in the tournament’s history. Roared on by the usual raucous Alexandra Palace crowd on Saturday, the Singapore veteran stunned Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf, winning 3-1. Lim, who famously thew the first world championship nine-darter way back in 1990, eclipsed the mark set by Northern Irishman John MaGowan who beat Chris Mason in December 2008,...

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Japan’s proposal to ‘speedily draft’ anti-spy laws raises human rights concerns

The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time proponent of tightening rules on espionage and secrecy, was already formulating policies before she took office in October. On November 26, Takaichi told a Diet session

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Deported porn star Bonnie Blue mocks Bali arrest: ‘did you think I’d face jail time?’

Bonnie Blue, the former OnlyFans star who made headlines for claiming to have slept with more than 1,000 men in just 12 hours, is back in her native UK after being deported from Indonesia, where she was arrested in Bali for allegedly violating “morality” laws. Upon returning to England on Saturday, the 26-year-old adult content creator addressed the controversy in a press release sent to the media. She said it cost her less than “US$20 to get out of prison” in Indonesia, and joked that she...

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Why South Koreans are falling out of love with K-pop: ‘it’s all in English now’

From sold-out stadium tours in the US, Europe and Asia to history-making Grammy nominations, K-pop has never stood taller on the global stage. Yet within South Korea, many say the music they once called their own now feels made for someone else. For fans like 21-year-old university student Lee Ye-jin, that shift hits every time she turns on the radio or scrolls through new releases on her phone. Lee has been a member of “Light” – the official fan club of popular boy band Highlight – since 2016..

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