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SCMP Asia·Friday, December 26, 2025

SCMP Asia - Friday, December 26, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

01

India’s rice exports face price pressures as Trump threatens more tariffs

India, the world’s largest rice exporter, could see its shipments to the US become more expensive if President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs after accusing the country of dumping rice. Industry executives said the move was unlikely to significantly dent export volumes, but warned of potential wider repercussions, including pressure on prices in other markets, efforts by importers to divert shipments and renewed strain in trade talks where agriculture and dairy

02

Japan stabbing rampage leaves 15 injured at Yokohama rubber factory

Fifteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a rubber factory in central Japan on Friday during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, emergency officials said. “All fifteen people were sent to hospital,” said a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima, southwest of Tokyo. The official, declining to be named, said that of the 15 injuries, eight were the result of stabbing and seven due to the liquid. Some local media outlets, quoting unnamed sources, said the liquid.

03

Thailand rediscovers ‘extinct’ flat-headed cat after 30 years

An elusive wild cat long feared extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered three decades after the last recorded sighting, conservation authorities and an NGO said on Friday. Flat-headed cats are among the world’s rarest and most threatened wild felines. Their range is limited to Southeast Asia and they are endangered because of dwindling habitat. The domestic cat-sized feline with its distinctive round and close-set eyes was last spotted in a documented sighting in Thailand in 1995. But an...

04

Malaysia’s Perlis state in turmoil after chief minister’s shock resignation

Malaysia’s smallest state, Perlis, has been plunged into political uncertainty with the resignation of Chief Minister Mohd Shukri Ramli and the sacking of three assemblymen from his party, sending ripples across the country’s political alliances. Shukri, from the Islamist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), cited health reasons for stepping down, but said he was blindsided by the withdrawal of support from state assemblymen from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition made up of PAS and Parti...

05

In South Korea, vouchers to curb county’s falling population draw new residents

A novel approach by South Korea to stop its rural areas from dying by paying people to live there appears to be working. Okcheon in North Chungcheong province saw its population grow by almost 1,000 in just over two weeks since it became a participant in the state-backed programme earlier this month, according to The Korea Herald newspaper. The farming community was officially designated a “population decline area” in 2021. By the following year, its population fell to below the 50,000...

06

Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal: Najib sentenced to 15 years in jail for abuse of power, money laundering

A Malaysian court on Friday sentenced jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to a further 15 years in prison after convicting him on all 25 charges linked to the plundering of billions of dollars from the scandal-tainted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The High Court found Najib, 72, guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering, after taking account of his “direct role” in the siphoning of 2.3 billion ringgit (US$568 million) from the troubled...

07

South Korea’s ex-president Yoon faces 10-year jail term over first of 4 failed coup trials

Prosecutors on Friday demanded a 10-year prison sentence for former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in the first of four trials linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law, as a potential ruling against Yoon next month could keep him behind bars even before his most serious case is concluded. This first case focuses on Yoon’s actions before and after the martial law decree was issued on December 3 last year, including obstructing his arrest, bypassing Cabinet procedures and forging..

08

As India’s US$70 million obesity drug market bulges, so does price war

Global pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are scrambling to cement their lead in India’s booming obesity drug market before cheaper generic versions hit shelves ‌in March next year. Novo’s strategy emphasises price cuts and accelerated launches, while Lilly’s products benefited from hitting the market early. Both companies focused on aggressive outreach to doctors, heavier advertising about obesity, tie-ups with clinics, patient incentives and ‍distribution deals with local drug...

10

Japan’s record US$782 billion budget to boost military firepower, tame inflation

The Japanese government on Friday approved a record budget for the coming financial year to pay for everything from bigger defence spending to ballooning social security costs as inflation persists. The 122.3 trillion yen (US$782 billion) budget for the financial year from April 2026 will include some 9 trillion yen for defence spending, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to accelerate Tokyo’s sweeping upgrade of its military in the face of worsening relations with China. The defence ministry

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