SCMP Asia·Thursday, December 25, 2025

SCMP Asia - Thursday, December 25, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

With 1MDB verdict due, will Malaysia’s Najib have to ‘prepare for the worst’?

Malaysia’s High Court is poised on Friday to deliver its verdict in the final criminal trial of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, bringing to a close one of Southeast Asia’s most far-reaching corruption sagas. The case centres on allegations that the disgraced 72-year-old misappropriated 2.3 billion ringgit (US$490 million) from the scandal-ridden Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib is currently in Kajang Prison, over halfway through a sentence...

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Aspiring Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman welcomed home after 17 years abroad

Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shook hands with party leaders after touching down at the Dhaka airport. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, a visibly emotional Rahman took off his shoes, stood on the grass outside the airport and...

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Duopoly of Air India, IndiGo to face competition from 2 new airlines

India’s aviation sector is poised to become more competitive after authorities granted initial approval to two new airlines to start operations in the country, in a move that will further challenge the duopoly of IndiGo and Air India. The expansion comes as the sector was rattled by a series of setbacks this year, including IndiGo’s massive flight cancellations earlier this month and the crash of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad in June. On Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan...

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Indonesians in flood-struck Sumatra hold Christmas mass

At a church in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island. The Angkola Protestant Church, in the hard-hit South Tapanuli district, was festooned on Wednesday with balloons and simple Christmas decorations. Outside, the street leading to the building was buried under mounds of debris and foliage. Many in the congregation are still sheltering at evacuation sites after the disaster wreaked.

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US politicians back Coupang, seethe over South Korea’s ‘campaign of aggression’

Coupang’s significant spending on lobbying politicians in the United States has apparently paid off, with Republicans criticising the South Korean government’s ongoing investigation into the Seattle-headquartered e-commerce firm. They have denounced South Korea’s investigation into Coupang as an attempt to favour China while remaining silent on the company’s massive data breach of the personal information of 33.7 million users, allegedly by a former employee who is a Chinese national. Amid...

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Indonesians see red after porn star Bonnie Blue uses flag to ‘wipe the floor’

Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue has again earned the wrath of Indonesia after a video of her insulting the Southeast Asian nation’s flag went viral on social media. In a clip filmed in front of Jakarta’s embassy in London, Blue, who was deported from Bali earlier this month, is seen holding the red-and-white flag surrounded by a group of masked men. “Yes, I got arrested in Bali, and so for my last time, I came to the embassy so they could watch in person,” said the 26-year-old,

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Philippine court upholds murder verdict in drug war case: what does it mean for Duterte?

The Philippine Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of three policemen who killed a teenage boy at the height of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in 2017, a watershed moment that legal analysts say affirms the country’s justice system. In a decision made public on Monday, the court found Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz guilty of murdering 17-year-old high school student Kian delos Santos while conducting an anti-drug operation in the city of Caloocan in...

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Australia investigates after car with Hanukkah sign torched in Christmas Day attack

Australian police are investigating a “suspicious fire” after a car carrying a sign celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was set ablaze on Thursday in Melbourne. The empty car, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign fixed to the roof, was scorched by the fire while parked in a house driveway, images on national broadcaster ABC television showed. It was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing it.

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Singapore’s viral moments of 2025: politician slip-ups, sinkhole heroes and a new US envoy

From political gaffes and diplomatic stumbles to courtroom fury and security breaches, many of Singapore’s viral moments in 2025 showed how quickly everyday incidents in the city state could turn into national focal points. Passionate online discussions have revealed deep concerns about power, accountability and how the country sees itself – and is seen by others. Locker-room rage Singapore’s acting sports minister came under fire after he was caught calling the Hong Kong men’s football team...

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Malaysia arrests 2 over video of man in headscarf drinking alcohol

Two people have been arrested in Malaysia after a viral video showing a man wearing a headscarf while drinking alcohol at a hair salon triggered religious sensitivities in the Muslim-majority country. The 28-second clip widely shared across social media showed a man wearing a green headscarf drinking a can of beer, prompting public anger over what many viewed as a mockery of Islamic practices. Alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam, and the headscarf is commonly associated with...

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