This Week in Asia /
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Anwar Ibrahim
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Malaysia
Malaysian rapper Namewee acquitted of drug use charge after negative test
The 42-year-old still faces a drug possession charge and remains under investigation following the death of a Taiwanese influencer.
22 Dec 2025 - 3:44PM
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Malaysia
Malaysian court blocks Najib’s bid for house arrest
22 Dec 2025 - 6:40PM
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Malaysia
‘We just want to live’: fear grips Malaysia’s LGBTQ community
21 Dec 2025 - 2:35PM
SCMP Highlights
US singer marries sultan, paraglider’s 28,000ft stunt: 8 viral stories in 2025
From US singer marrying Malaysian sultan to Chinese paraglider cheating death, here are our stories that have gone viral in 2025.
20 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM
Brittany Porter poses with Sultan Muhammad V. Photo: Instagram/its.brook.lynn
Malaysia
‘Was he the Hulk?’: Malaysian officer goes viral after ripping off car door
The officer became an unlikely internet sensation when a dashcam video showed him ripping apart a suspect’s car door ‘like a banana leaf’.
19 Dec 2025 - 5:24PM
Indonesia
Indonesian helper who died in Hong Kong fire ‘was always there’ for others
Desi Widiana, one of nine Indonesian helpers killed in the Tai Po fire, was found huddled together with her elderly ward.
18 Dec 2025 - 3:51PM
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South Korea
Vietnamese woman’s death amid raid in South Korea spurs visa policy debate
The 25-year-old, who reportedly hid at a factory’s air-conditioning unit, was just two weeks into her illegal part-time job when she died.
17 Dec 2025 - 6:50PM
The death of Vu Tu Anh, a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman, amid a South Korean immigration raid in October has intensified scrutiny on the country’s restrictive work visa rules for international students who graduate from local universities. Photo: handout
South Korea
South Korean court rules Yoon’s ‘self-coup’ illegal as walls close in
Judges are fast-tracking verdicts to beat statutory time limits, dashing the ex-president’s faint hopes of walking free early next year.
17 Dec 2025 - 3:02PM
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Indonesia
Calls to halt Indonesia’s free meal drive after horror crash injures 21 children
One child lost 18 teeth and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Critics blame the scheme’s ‘chaotic’ roll-out for the tragedy.
17 Dec 2025 - 5:06PM
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The Philippines
Can UN anti-corruption pact bring Zaldy Co back to Philippines?
The former lawmaker, who is facing charges linked to the Philippines’ flood control scandal, is suspected to have fled to Portugal.
16 Dec 2025 - 9:04PM
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Malaysia
‘Just say thank you’: Malaysians fume as Indonesian minister belittles flood aid
Tito Karnavian dismissed the US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared to Jakarta’s own disaster response, touching a raw nerve online.
17 Dec 2025 - 5:59PM
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Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian as he appeared on the Suara Lokal Mengglobal podcast. Photo: YouTube/HelmyYahyaBicara
Indonesia
Hong Kong fire victim sent frantic final video to husband in Indonesia
Darwati, 48, died alongside the elderly woman she cared for, refusing to abandon her ward as the Wang Fuk Court fire spread.
15 Dec 2025 - 4:19PM
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Malaysia
Malaysian religious authorities probe viral claim of woman having ‘2 husbands’
The allegation has renewed focus on cross-border marriages between Malaysia and southern Thailand that are used to bypass domestic approvals.
15 Dec 2025 - 2:19PM
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South Korea
Martial law plot was Yoon’s plan all along, South Korean prosecutors say
Announcing the results of a massive 180-day inquiry on Monday, special prosecutors said Yoon Suk-yeol aimed to form a military junta.
16 Dec 2025 - 3:36PM
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Japan
Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns
Prime Minister Takaichi’s plans to tighten spying and secrecy rules could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom, analysts say.
14 Dec 2025 - 10:01AM
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
South Korea
‘Wanted to make her ugly’: South Korean man arrested over scalding of partner
Police were called in after the couple went to hospital for treatment, raising suspicions of assault.
11 Dec 2025 - 5:47PM
The Philippines
Philippines denies ex-mayor Alice Guo has received special treatment in prison
Officials refuted reports that Guo, who recently began serving a life sentence, possessed a phone and had received unauthorised visitors.
11 Dec 2025 - 2:06PM
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Indonesia
Prabowo’s push to end direct election for Indonesian regional heads stirs debate
The president says the move is to stop wasteful spending and vote buying, but critics warn that it risks a return to Suharto-era politics.
10 Dec 2025 - 6:30PM
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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto greets flood survivors during his visit to Southeast Aceh on December 1. Photo: Indonesian Presidential Palace/AP
Malaysia
Malaysia’s ‘moral police’ slammed over dress code dispute
The skirt-wearing women were barred from entering a police station to report a car accident, which lawyers say is a ‘violation’ of constitutional rights.
11 Dec 2025 - 8:18AM
South Korea
Thais attacked in South Korea as conflict with Cambodia spills over
Attackers reportedly asked ‘which country are you from?’ before hitting four men with bottles, leaving two with head injuries.
10 Dec 2025 - 5:21PM
Indonesia
‘She loved us so much’: Indonesian family mourns mother killed in Hong Kong fire
Siti Khotimah was working to fund her children’s education when she died in the Tai Po fire. Her husband wants to see that wish fulfilled.
10 Dec 2025 - 3:55PM
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Cambodia
Cambodia quits SEA Games in Thailand amid deadly border clashes
The national team had attended the opening ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday, but was ordered home less than 24 hours later as fighting surged.
10 Dec 2025 - 4:15PM
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Cambodia’s delegation is seen during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games in Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
South Korea
Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House
After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.
10 Dec 2025 - 8:22AM
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United States
‘Death sentence’ averted as sick Filipino man removed from US deportation flight
Advocates warned that deporting Greggy Sorio, who lost a toe and 10kg while held in US immigration custody, would be a ‘death sentence’.
9 Dec 2025 - 5:46PM
The Philippines
Philippines ‘flood control queen’ faces arrest over corruption scandal
Prosecutors accuse Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya of pocketing millions for a government-funded flood control project that was never built.
9 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM
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