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  • Malaysia and Indonesia ban Musk’s Grok over sexually explicit deepfakes – Tech Digest

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    Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked Elon Musk’s AI chatbot. The two countries are the first in the world to ban Grok following reports that the tool is being used to create sexually explicit deepfakes.

    This AI feature, hosted on Musk’s social media platform X, allows users to generate and edit images of real people without their consent. Regulators in both nations expressed deep concern that the technology is being weaponized to produce pornographic content involving women and children.

    Malaysia’s communications ministry stated that it issued multiple warnings to X regarding the “repeated misuse” of the chatbot earlier this year. However, officials claim the platform failed to address the inherent design flaws of the AI and instead focused only on its reporting process.

    Consequently, the service will remain blocked in Malaysia until effective safety safeguards are implemented to protect the public.

    In Indonesia, Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid described the generation of such content as a direct violation of human dignity and online safety. The country has a history of strict digital enforcement, having already banned platforms like OnlyFans and Pornhub for similar reasons.

    Victims in the region have shared stories of finding their personal photos manipulated into revealing outfits, noting that the platform’s reporting tools often fail to remove the images quickly enough.

    The controversy is now spreading to the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the situation as “disgraceful.” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned that the government would support regulators if they chose to block access to X entirely for failing to comply with safety laws.

    In response to these growing international restrictions, Elon Musk has accused government officials of attempting to suppress free speech.


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  • French and Malaysian authorities are investigating Grok for generating sexualized deepfakes | TechCrunch

    Over the past few days, France and Malaysia have joined India in condemning Grok for creating sexualized deepfakes of women and minors.

    The chatbot, built by Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI and featured on his social media platform X, posted an apology to its account earlier this week, writing, “I deeply regret an incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user’s prompt.”

    The statement continued, “This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on [child sexual abuse material]. It was a failure in safeguards, and I’m sorry for any harm caused. xAI is reviewing to prevent future issues.”

    It’s not clear who is actually apologizing or accepting responsibility in the statement above. Defector’s Albert Burneko noted that Grok is “not in any real sense anything like an ‘I’,” which in his view makes the apology “utterly without substance” as “Grok cannot be held accountable in any meaningful way for having turned Twitter into an on-demand CSAM factory.”

    Futurism found that in addition to generating nonconsensual pornographic images, Grok has also been used to generate images of women being assaulted and sexually abused.

    “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” Musk posted on Saturday.

    Some governments have taken notice, with India’s IT ministry issuing an order on Friday saying that X must take action to restrict Grok from generating content that is “obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, pedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under law.” The order said that X must respond within 72 hours or risk losing the “safe harbor” protections that shield it from legal liability for user-generated content.

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    French authorities also said they are taking action, with the Paris prosecutor’s office telling Politico that it will investigate the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes on X. The French digital affairs office said three government ministers have reported “manifestly illegal content” to the prosecutor’s office and to a government online surveillance platform “to obtain its immediate removal.”

    The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also posted a statement saying that it has “taken note with serious concern of public complaints about the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the X platform, specifically the digital manipulation of images of women and minors to produce indecent, grossly offensive, and otherwise harmful content.”

    The commission added that it is “presently investigating the online harms in X.”

    Anthony Ha

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  • Malaysia’s Jailed Ex-PM Najib Files Appeal Against 1MDB Conviction

    KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Jailed former Malaysian ‌prime ​minister Najib Razak has filed ‌an appeal against his conviction last week on corruption charges ​related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, which saw him sentenced to an additional 15 years ‍in prison, his lawyer said ​on Tuesday.

    Najib, 72, has been in jail since 2022 on graft offences linked ​to allegations ⁠that about $4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund he co-founded while serving as premier in 2009.

    U.S. and Malaysian investigators have said more than $1 billion of the misappropriated funds made their way into accounts linked to Najib, who ‌has consistently denied wrongdoing.

    On December 26, Najib was found guilty of four charges ​of ‌abuse of power and 21 ‍counts of ⁠money laundering for illegally receiving about 2.3 billion ringgit ($567.90 million) originating from 1MDB, in the biggest trial he has faced.

    He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and slapped with a record fine of nearly $3 billion. The court ordered Najib to begin serving the additional sentence after his current six-year jail term ends in 2028, though the term may ​be reduced by one-third for good behaviour.

    Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Farhan Shafee confirmed in a brief text message that an appeal had been filed on Monday night against both the verdict and the sentence.

    Najib has also filed an appeal against a separate court ruling this month denying his bid to serve the remainder of his current prison term under house arrest, media reports said.

    Both court decisions have stoked tensions within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling alliance, with some members of Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), ​expressing disappointment with the verdicts.

    UMNO campaigned against Anwar in a 2022 election but joined his coalition to form a government after the poll resulted in a hung parliament. Anwar last week urged calm, calling on parties to ​accept the court’s decisions with “full patience and wisdom”.

    (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by David Stanway)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • China Says It Drove Away Philippine Aircraft Above Disputed Scarborough Shoal

    BEIJING, ‌Dec ​12 (Reuters) – China’s ‌military said ​on ‍Friday it ​had ​driven away ⁠a Philippine aircraft that had “invaded” ‌airspace above ​the disputed ‌Scarborough ‍Shoal in ⁠the South China Sea.

    The Embassy ​of the Philippines in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for ​comment.

    (Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing ​by Andrew Cawthorne)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Thailand and Cambodia Keep Fighting Across Contested Border Ahead of Expected Trump Calls

    BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Fighting between Thailand and ‌Cambodia ​entered its fourth day on ‌Thursday as both sides waited for a promised telephone call ​from U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he believes he can again end the conflict between ‍the two Southeast Asian nations.

    On ​Wednesday, clashes at more than a dozen locations along the 817-km (508-mile) Thai-Cambodian border saw ​some of ⁠the most intense fighting since a five-day battle in July, which was the worst conflict in recent history.

    In July, Trump stopped the fighting with calls to both leaders in which he threatened to halt trade talks unless they ended the conflict. Trump ‌says he expects to speak with the countries’ leaders on Thursday.

    “I think I can ​get ‌them to stop fighting,” Trump ‍told reporters ⁠on Wednesday. “I think I’m scheduled to speak to them tomorrow.”

    However, Thailand has reacted more warily this time to overtures from Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who helped broker the July deal, which resulted in an extended ceasefire signed in October. Thailand insists the matter is for the two countries to resolve.

    Ibrahim said he had spoken with leaders of Thailand and Cambodia on ​Tuesday and, though no definitive resolution was reached, he appreciated “the openness and willingness of both leaders to continue negotiations in order to ease tensions”.

    Thailand and Cambodia have blamed each other for the latest clashes that started this week, and traded accusations of targeting civilians in artillery and rocket attacks.

    In a Wednesday evening update, Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said homes, schools, roads, pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by “Thailand’s intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian population centres up to 30 km inside Cambodian territory”.

    The clashes have ​taken a heavy toll on civilians, with 10 people killed in Cambodia, including an infant, and 60 people wounded, according to its government. Eight Thai soldiers have been killed in the fighting and 80 were wounded, the Thai army ​said. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from border areas in both countries.

    (Editing by Michael Perry)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Rescuers Step up Recovery Operations as Southeast Asia Flood Deaths Reach 129

    JAKARTA/BANGKOK (Reuters) -The death toll from floods across large swathes of Southeast Asia rose to at least 129 on Friday, with authorities in the region working to rescue stranded citizens, restore power and communications and coordinate recovery efforts as the waters began to recede.

    Large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been stricken by cyclone-fuelled torrential rain for a week, with a rare tropical storm forming in the Malacca Strait.    

    On badly hit Sumatra in Indonesia, 72 people had been confirmed dead by Friday morning, said Abdul Muhari, spokesman for Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency.

    Communications remained down in some parts of the island, and authorities were working to restore power and clear roads that have been blocked by landslide debris, he said. 

    Indonesia will continue to airlift aid and rescue personnel into stricken areas on Friday, he added.

    Thai authorities said the bodies of at least 55 people killed by floods were found in the southern province of Songkhla.

    In the city of Hat Yai in Songkhla, the rain had finally stopped on Friday, but residents were still ankle-deep in flood waters and many remained without electricity as they assessed the damage done to their property over the last week. One said he had “lost everything”. 

    In Malaysia, where two people have been confirmed dead, tropical storm Senyar made landfall at around midnight and has since weakened. Meteorological authorities are still bracing themselves for heavy rain and winds, and warned that rough seas could pose risks for small boats. 

    A total of 30,000 evacuees remain in shelters, down from more than 34,000 on Thursday.   

    Malaysia’s foreign ministry said on Friday that it had already evacuated 1,459 Malaysian nationals stranded in more than 25 flood-hit hotels in neighbouring Thailand, adding that it would work to rescue the remaining 300 still caught up in flood zones.  

    (Reporting by Stanley Wisianto in Jakarta, Danial Azhar in Kuala Lumpur, Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Australia will enforce a social media ban for children under 16 despite a court challenge

    MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government said young children will be banned from social media next month as scheduled despite a rights advocacy group on Wednesday challenging the world-first legislation in court.

    The Sydney-based Digital Freedom Project said it had filed a constitutional challenge in the High Court on Wednesday to a law due to take effect on Dec. 10 banning Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on specified platforms.

    Communications Minister Anika Wells referred to the challenge when she later told Parliament her government remained committed to the ban taking effect on schedule.

    “We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by Big Tech. On behalf of Australian parents, we stand firm,” Wells told Parliament.

    Digital Freedom Project president John Ruddick is a New South Wales state lawmaker for the minor Libertarian Party.

    “Parental supervision of online activity is today the paramount parental responsibility. We do not want to outsource that responsibility to government and unelected bureaucrats,” Ruddick said in a statement.

    “This ban is a direct assault on young people’s right to freedom of political communication,” he added.

    The case is being brought by Sydney law firm Pryor, Tzannes and Wallis Solicitors on behalf of two 15-year-old children.

    Digital Freedom Project spokesperson Sam Palmer could not say whether an application would be made for a court injunction to prevent the age restriction taking effect on Dec. 10 before the case is heard.

    Technology giant Meta last week began sending thousands of Australian children suspected to be younger than 16 a warning to downland their digital histories and delete their accounts from Facebook, Instagram and Threads before the ban takes effect.

    The government has said the three Meta platforms plus Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube must take reasonable steps to exclude Australian account holders younger than 16 or face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32 million).

    Malaysia has also announced plans to ban social media accounts for children under 16 starting in 2026.

    Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this week his Cabinet approved the move as part of a broader effort to shield young people from online harm like cyberbullying, scams and sexual exploitation. He said his government was studying approaches taken by Australia and other countries, and the potential use of electronic checks with identity cards or passports to verify users’ ages.

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  • Thailand Eyes Drones to Boost Flood Relief Efforts; Deaths Climb in Indonesia

    By Cong Sun and Huey Mun Leong

    HAY YAI, Thailand/KUALA PERLIS, Malaysia (Reuters) -Rescuers in Thailand readied drones on Thursday to airdrop food parcels, as receding floodwaters in the south and neighbouring Malaysia brightened hopes for the evacuation of those stranded for days, while cyclone havoc in Indonesia killed 28.

    Severe floods after a week of heavy rain have killed at least 33 in Thailand and two in neighbouring Malaysia, with tens of thousands huddling in evacuation centres, some after being cut off for days by waters as much as 2 m (7 ft) high.

    “It’s a race against time,” Thai government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat told Nation TV, adding that rescue teams were preparing to use drones to deliver food parcels, relying on satellite internet in the face of telecoms outages. 

    “We have to help them out,” he added, saying authorities expected to rescue even more people on Thursday.

    The receding floodwaters are allowing disaster teams in Thailand and Malaysia to boost aid deliveries and efforts to move people out of waterlogged homes.

    The floods affected nearly 3 million in nine southern Thai provinces, authorities said, with 3,000 moved to safety from the worst-hit city of Hat Yai, including some critically ill airlifted on Wednesday from a partially swamped hospital.

    Thousands have been marooned on rooftops in the commercial hub by record rainfall, which stood at 335 mm (13 inches) on Friday, its highest in a single day for 300 years.

    Thailand pushed relief efforts into higher gear when the military drafted in at least 20 helicopters, planes and convoys of trucks to deliver food, medicine and small boats on Wednesday, and made a public appeal for boats and jet skis.  

    The country’s only aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, is also providing air support, food and medicines. 

    TROPICAL CYCLONE DEVASTATES INDONESIAN PROVINCE

    In Indonesia’s province of North Sumatra, a tropical cyclone unleashed floods and landslides to kill at least 28, with 10 missing. Power outages and damaged bridges and homes hampered rescue efforts, the disaster agency said.

    Kompas TV showed images of earth sliding down a hillside to pile up in front of homes, while gushing waters higher than 1 m (3.5 ft) high swept along debris and the branches of trees.

    Meteorologists say current extremes of weather in Southeast Asia could stem from the interaction of two active systems, Typhoon Koto in the Philippines and the unusual formation of Cyclone Senyar in the Malacca Strait.

    Global warming can bring more frequent extreme events as higher sea surface temperatures supercharge tropical storms.

    The most recent floods follow a series of deadly typhoons and heavy monsoon rains that have lashed the Philippines and Vietnam and swelled floods elsewhere.  

    ‘THE WATER WAS LIKE THE OCEAN’

    In Malaysia, with floods in seven states, authorities said more than 34,000 people were evacuated, and about 500 nationals were still stranded in the Thai tourist destination of Hat Yai.

    Container lorries were used to bring home some Malaysians, the foreign minister told parliament on Thursday, as smaller vehicles were unable to traverse the floodwaters.

    In the smallest state of Perlis, Gon Qasim said rising waters trapped her in her home in the middle of a paddy field.

    “The water was like the ocean,” the 73-year-old evacuee said.

    Teams in Hat Yai worked into the dark on Wednesday, racing to reach the stranded after more boats arrived for the rescue effort, navigating the challenges of both strong currents and shallows.

    A tearful Kritchawat Sothiananthakul described the inexorable rise of waters in his home, as he waited with his dog to be rescued.  

    “We had to climb down from the roof, get into the boat,” said the 70-year-old, stroking the animal while sitting on a mat in a makeshift evacuation centre in a sports hall.

    “I needed to carry it and then get onto a truck.” 

    (Reporting by Cong Sun in Hat Yai, Thailand, Mandy Leong and Hasnoor Hussein in Kuala Perlis, Malaysia and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok and Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Martin Petty)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Thailand to Airlift Critical Patients as Southern Floods Kill 33

    By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng

    BANGKOK (Reuters) -Authorities in Thailand plan to send helicopters on Wednesday to evacuate critically-ill patients from a southern hospital marooned by some of the region’s worst floods in years, as the death toll rose to 33, with more rain expected.

    Floods have swept through nine Thai provinces and eight states in neighbouring Malaysia for a second successive year, prompting both countries to evacuate nearly 45,000 people.

    In Indonesia, eight to 13 people are estimated dead following floods and landslides this week, while one has died in Malaysia.

    In Thailand’s hardest-hit city of Hat Yai, a public health official said helicopters would deliver food and ferry out patients after the first floor of the main government hospital treating 600, some 50 of them in intensive care, was inundated.

    “Today, all intensive care patients will be transported out of Hat Yai Hospital,” the ministry official, Somrerk Chungsaman, told Reuters.

    About 20 helicopters and 200 boats drafted into the Hat Yai rescue effort have had difficulty reaching stranded people, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat told reporters.

    BOATS CAN CARRY IN SUPPLIES WHEN WATERS RECEDE

    Patients, relatives and medical staff at the hospital number around 2,000 and boats should be able to carry in food as the waters recede, Somrerk said.

    On a single day last week Hat Yai received 335 mm (13 inches) of rain, for its highest such tally in 300 years. 

    Military helicopters were also carrying generators to the hospital, the Thai Navy said, posting photographs on social media of equipment being moved to a rooftop under dark grey skies.

    Floods across nine Thai provinces, including Songkhla, where Hat Yai is located, have affected more than 980,000 homes and over 2.7 million people, the interior ministry said.

    Thai weather officials forecast scattered thundershowers and heavy rains on Wednesday in several southern provinces, including Songkhla.    

    Convoys of aircraft and trucks were moving flat-bottomed boats and rubber dinghies towards Hat Yai, along with medical supplies and personnel, said the Thai military, which took charge of relief efforts on Tuesday.

    SOLE THAI AIRCRAFT CARRIER JOINS RESCUE

    Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, set out from its home port on Tuesday to provide air support, medical assistance and meals in the relief efforts, the navy said. 

    Rescuers pulled stranded families, including children and the elderly, from homes inundated by swirling brown waters, photographs posted by the Thai army showed.

    Many of the stranded took to websites and social media to seek help.

    “Please help. I’m very worried about my mother,” wrote one person, adding that she had been unable to contact the 53-year-old in Hat Yai since Saturday, when domestic supplies were down to just a bottle of water and two packs of instant noodles.

    (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok; Additional reporting by Stanley Widianto in Jakarta and Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Thailand to Send Aircraft Carrier for Flood Relief as Rains Intensify

    By Chayut Setboonsarng and Ashley Tang

    BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Thailand was preparing on Tuesday to send an aircraft carrier with relief supplies and medical teams to its south, where more heavy rain intensified the worst floods in years, which have killed 13 people and hobbled rescue and evacuation efforts.

    Floodwaters running as high as 2 m (6.6 ft) in some areas have hit nine Thai provinces and eight states in neighbouring Malaysia, across a swathe of hundreds of kilometres devastated last year by seasonal monsoon floods that killed 12.

    The Thai navy said it was readying to send a flotilla of 14 boats and the aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, accompanied by helicopters, doctors, supplies and field kitchens that can supply 3,000 meals a day.

    “The fleet is ready to deliver forces and carry out actions as the Royal Navy orders,” it said in a statement, adding that the carrier could also serve as a floating hospital.

    An estimated 1.9 million people have been affected in Thailand, where the meteorology agency forecast sustained heavy rain and flash floods on Tuesday and warned small boats to stay ashore to avoid waves taller than 3 metres (10 ft). 

    “Calls have been coming in non-stop in the last three days, in the thousands, asking to be evacuated and others for food,” said a member of volunteer group the Matchima Rescue Center in the worst affected city of Hat Yai. 

    The rubber trading centre is Thailand’s fifth largest city, where authorities have ordered evacuation after days of rain that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said had brought the worst flooding in 15 years.  

    NO PHONES, RICE OR DRINKING WATER

    “We are five people and a small child without rice and water,” Facebook user The Hong Tep posted in an appeal for help on the Matchima group’s page. “Phone reception has been cut – water is rising fast.”

    Hat Yai, also popular with Malaysian visitors, received 335 mm (13 inches) of rain on Friday, its highest in a single day in three centuries.   

    Television images showed brown waters rushing through its commercial streets, while residents waded through high waters, clinging to floating polystyrene boxes as rubber boats evacuated others in orange life vests.

    The waters submerged cars and flowed around a fire truck abandoned in a street. 

    In Malaysia, more than 18,500 people moved from flooded areas to 126 evacuation centres set up mainly in northern border areas. 

    In the state of Perlis, rescue teams waded through knee-high water to enter homes, while rescue boats ferried the elderly to safety, images from its fire department showed.

    ‘DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING TIME’

    A team of rescuers sent to the worst-hit state of Kelantan bordering Thailand could fan out to other states if needed, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Facebook.

    “Family safety must be the priority,” he said, ordering authorities to provide maximum support to affected communities, whom he asked to comply with orders to evacuate.  

    “In this difficult and challenging time, I pray that all flood victims are granted strength, resilience, and protected from any harm.”

    The floods could wreak disruption in Thailand’s rubber industry, among the world’s largest producers and exporters of the commodity, where the government rubber agency has estimated the rains could cut output by about 10,300 tons.  

    Posts from stranded people desperate for help ran into the thousands on the Facebook page of Hat Yai’s Matchima rescue group.

    “Water is on the second floor now,” wrote one of them, Pingojung Ping, who said she was one of six trapped, two elderly people among them. “Pray. Please help.”  

    (Reporting by Chayut Seotboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok and Ashley Tang in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Popular rapper freed on bail in investigation of influencer who was found dead in hotel bathtub in Malaysia

    Malaysian rapper Namewee was released on bail Thursday after the musician was named a “person of interest” in an investigation into the death of a Taiwanese influencer, police said.

    Namewee, whose birth name is Wee Meng Chee, was released until November 26 pending the results of an autopsy of Iris Hsieh, also known as Hsieh Yu-hsin or “nurse goddess” to fans, Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus said in a statement.

    The musician has maintained his innocence, denying any wrongdoing and said in an Instagram post earlier this month that “the truth will speak for itself.”

    Following the autopsy, the investigation will be referred back to the deputy public prosecutor’s office, Marsus added. Authorities did not offer the amount of the bail.

    Hsieh, a 31-year-old influencer, was found dead on October 22 in a bathtub at a high-end hotel in the Malaysian capital.  She was in Malaysia to discuss a commercial video Namewee had agreed to direct, her social media manager previously told the BBC.

    Namewee, 42, is believed to have been the last person with Hsieh before she died, police said.

    Namewee, an actor, filmmaker and outspoken hip-hop artist who mainly sings in Mandarin, has found success in China and Taiwan.

    Malaysian rapper Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, gestures during a press conference in Taipei on November 15, 2021.

    SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images


    Known for his trademark beanie, which on occasion he pairs with sunglasses, Namewee was blacklisted by Beijing in 2021 after he penned a Mandarin song mocking Chinese nationalists — that amassed more than 30 million views on YouTube.

    Namewee is no stranger to controversy, however, sparking widespread criticism in his home country over the 2007 release of “Negarakuku”, a parody of the Malaysian national anthem.

    He was also detained in Malaysia in 2016 for several days after he allegedly insulted Islam in a video partly filmed inside a mosque in the Muslim-majority country. Namewee insisted the video for the song “Oh My God” was intended to promote religious harmony, the BBC reported at the time.

    Just two years later, he was arrested again for insulting Islam with a Lunar New Year video that featured dancers wearing dog masks and performing suggestive moves.

    Malaysian media reported Namewee contacted emergency services shortly after midnight on Oct. 22 after he found Hsieh unresponsive in the bathroom.

    Police arrested Namewee that same day, after they found nine blue pills believed to be ecstasy in the hotel room, the BBC reported. Namewee denied he had used drugs but tested positive for several illicit substances, including amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC, police said, according to the BBC.

    He pleaded not guilty to the drug charges, the BBC reported.

    Hsieh has over half a million followers on Instagram. She had four other social media accounts suspended for “adult sexual solicitation,” CNA reported.

    Hsieh’s social media manager, who asked only to be referred to as Chris, told the BBC that her family were unable to go to Malaysia to follow up on the case because of their “severe disabilities.”

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  • US Signs 10-Year Defence Pact With India, Hegseth Says

    KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -The United States has signed a 10-year defence framework agreement with India, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday.

    The framework is considered a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence, enhancing coordination, information sharing and technological cooperation between the two nations, Hegseth posted on X after a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh.

    (Reporting by Danial Azhar; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Pentagon Chief Joins Southeast Asian Meet to Shore up US Ties

    KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected on Friday to hold two-way meetings in Malaysia during a gathering of Southeast Asian counterparts, as Washington seeks to strengthen security ties amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. 

    Hegseth is expected to meet defence ministers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, among others, said an official speaking on condition of anonymity, who warned the schedule could change.

    It was not clear if the Pentagon chief would meet any Chinese officials while in the Malaysian capital for the two-day meeting.

    In his meeting with Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh, Hegseth was expected to discuss a review of India’s plans to buy U.S. military hardware, as well as a new India-U.S. defence cooperation framework.

    Delegations from Australia, China, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia are also attending the meeting of defence ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.   

    CHINESE GREY-ZONE TACTICS

    Hegseth met Malaysia’s defence minister on Thursday and both leaders committed to maritime security in the disputed South China Sea.

    Beijing has deployed a coast guard armada in the busy waterway that has clashed repeatedly with Philippine vessels and been accused of disrupting the energy activities of Malaysia and Vietnam. 

    “Grey-zone tactics, such as hydrographic research conducted under the protection of foreign coast guard vessels, threaten sovereignty and are a clear provocation and threat,” Malaysian minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in a joint statement.

    China claims almost the entire South China Sea on its maps, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

    Unresolved disputes have festered for years over the sovereignty of multiple islands and features. 

    Beijing says its coastguard has operated professionally in defending Chinese territory from incursions.  

    The United States has sought to shore up its presence in Southeast Asia and counter the growing influence of China.

    On Sunday, President Donald Trump told ASEAN leaders the United States was “with you 100% and we intend to be a strong partner for many generations”.

    Washington has a defence pact with the Philippines that involves dozens of annual military drills and use of some of its bases, in addition to similar exercises with Thailand and Indonesia and exchanges with Malaysia.       

    ORDER TO RESUME NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING

    Shortly before meeting Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. military to resume nuclear weapons testing amid a rapid expansion of China’s nuclear stockpile.

    His administration’s efforts to persuade its allies to spend more on defence have caused friction, but Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Trump this week that she was determined to boost defence capabilities.

    On Wednesday, Hegseth urged Japan to hasten plans to boost defence spending to 2% of GDP, saying the alliance between Washington and Tokyo was “critical to deterring Chinese military aggression”.

    (Reporting by Danial Azhar; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • China Urges Joint Efforts With Japan, South Korea, ASEAN in Science and Tech

    BEIJING (Reuters) -China has called on its neighbours Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN countries to make greater efforts in science and technology, including carrying out joint scientific and technological research, according to the official Xinhua.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang pointed to opportunities in artificial intelligence, robotics, and biomedicine, brought about by scientific and technological revolution and an industrial transformation.

    In remarks at a leaders’ meeting with ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea in Malaysia and published by Xinhua late on Monday, Li said China is willing to continue to cooperating in the digital economy, electric vehicles and clean energy.

    “We must persist in properly resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, oppose external interference, and avoid artificially creating tension and conflict,” he said in a speech at the meeting.

    (Reporting by Liz Lee and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Michael Perry)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Two U.S. Navy Aircraft From Same Carrier Crash Into South China Sea

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—A U.S. military helicopter and a jet fighter from the same aircraft carrier crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday.

    The two aircraft’s five crew members were rescued and are in stable condition, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said on X. Both aircraft had taken off from the USS Nimitz, America’s oldest aircraft carrier that is returning to its home base on the U.S. West Coast for decommissioning scheduled for next year.

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    Gabriele Steinhauser

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  • World Leaders Look to Build Economic, Trade Ties After Trump Departs ASEAN Summit

    By Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar

    KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -World leaders gathered in Malaysia on Monday will discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade ties in the shadow of looming U.S. tariffs after President Donald Trump left a summit of Southeast Asian nations to continue a tour of the region.

    In a flurry of deal-making on his first Asia stop, Trump oversaw the signing on Sunday of an expanded ceasefire pact between Cambodia and Thailand and four regional trade deals.

    None of those framework deals reduced steep U.S. tariffs on Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, the White House said, though they left room for some exemptions.

    “Our message to the nations of Southeast Asia is that the United States is with you 100% and we intend to be a strong partner for many generations,” Trump said on a day when U.S. and Chinese negotiators agreed to a tariff pause in their trade war.

    While Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio fly to Japan, top officials from China and the leaders of Brazil, Canada, the European Council and the 11-strong ASEAN bloc will work to solidify economic partnerships and hammer out trade pacts.

    Chinese officials are expected to press for trade multilateralism and look to shore up regional relationships, while other U.S. officials attend the summit after Rubio’s departure.

    Also on the cards is a summit of the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which groups 10 ASEAN members with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

    The world’s largest trading bloc, RECP covers about 30% of global gross domestic product and is touted by some analysts as a potential buffer against U.S. tariffs.

    European Council President Antonio Costa met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and said he conveyed strong concern about Beijing’s expansion of export controls on critical raw materials.

    “I urged him to restore as soon as possible fluid, reliable and predictable supply chains,” Costa said after the meeting, adding that he had also sought China’s help in efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    Rare earth magnets and minerals have been a major sticking point in Beijing’s trade war with Washington, with China using its control over 90% of global supply as leverage to combat U.S. tariffs.

    Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his meeting with Trump on Sunday “guaranteed” a more favourable trade deal.

    The United States has imposed tariffs of 50% on Brazilian products in retaliation for the sentencing of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

    “I told him it was extremely important to take into account Brazil’s experience as the largest country in South America, as the most economically important country that has almost all of South America as a neighbour,” Lula, as he is popularly known, said on Monday.

    The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.

    (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, Xinghui Kok and Danial Azhar; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Trump Heads to Tokyo for Trade, Security Talks Before Xi Summit

    By John Geddie, Tim Kelly and Trevor Hunnicutt

    TOKYO/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump departed for Tokyo on Monday, where he was scheduled to meet Japan’s emperor and newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as part of an Asia trip aimed at securing trade deals, investment and increased defence spending.

    Trump, on his longest journey abroad since taking office in January, announced a slew of deals with Southeast Asian countries and oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during his first stop in Malaysia.

    His trip is expected to conclude in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, as negotiators for the world’s top two economies seek to avert rekindling a devastating trade war.

    While Trump has already landed a $550 billion investment pledge from Japan in exchange for respite on punishing import tariffs, Takaichi is hoping to further impress Trump with promises to purchase U.S. pickup trucks, soybeans and gas.

    “Just leaving Malaysia, a great and very vibrant Country. Signed major Trade and Rare Earth Deals, and yesterday, most importantly, signed the Peace Treaty between Thailand and Cambodia. NO WAR! Millions of lives saved,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social shortly before his departure.

    “Such an honor to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan!!!”

    Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister last week, told Trump that strengthening their countries’ alliance was her “top priority” in their first phone call on Saturday.

    Thousands of police have been deployed across the Japanese capital for Trump’s arrival, with the arrest of a knife-wielding man outside the U.S. embassy on Friday and an anti-Trump protest planned in downtown Shinjuku adding to the tension.

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his Japanese counterpart Ryosei Akazawa, architects of the tariff deal agreed in July, are set to hold a working lunch on Monday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, travelling with Trump alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is also expected to meet with his new counterpart Satsuki Katayama for the first time.

    IMPERIAL WELCOME FOR RETURN OF TRUMP

    Trump’s first engagement in Japan will be to meet Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo.

    Trump was the first foreign leader to meet Naruhito after he came to the throne in 2019, continuing an imperial line that some claim is the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy. Naruhito’s role, however, is purely symbolic and it will be with Takaichi on Tuesday that the meaty diplomacy will take place.

    Takaichi was a close ally of assassinated Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, who formed a bond with Trump over hours spent on the golf course during his first term, and appears to have already impressed the U.S. president.

    “She’s great… we’re going to be seeing her very soon. She’s very friendly,” Trump told reporters on Saturday after their call. “She was a very, very close ally and friend of Prime Minister Abe and you know he was one of my favourites.”

    The two are due to meet at the nearby Akasaka Palace, the same venue that Trump met Abe six years ago, where Trump will be welcomed by a military honour guard.

    As well as investment pledges, Takaichi is expected to reassure Trump that Tokyo is willing to do more on security after telling lawmakers on Friday that she will accelerate Japan’s biggest defence build-up since World War Two.

    Japan plays host to the biggest concentration of U.S. forces abroad and Trump has previously complained that Tokyo is not spending enough towards defending its islands from an increasingly assertive China.

    “Some kind of statement on standing shoulder-to-shoulder together to deter and respond to attempts to change the status quo in the region by force or coercion would be useful,” said Kevin Maher, a Japan expert at NMV Consulting in Washington and former U.S. diplomat.

    While Takaichi has said she will accelerate a plan to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP, she will struggle to commit Japan to any further increases that Trump asks for due to her weak political standing, sources told Reuters earlier.

    To do that she would need to win approval from parliament. Her coalition government is two seats short of a majority in the decision-making lower house.

    (Reporting by Tim Kelly and John Geddie in Tokyo and Trevor Hunnicut in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Optimism for U.S.-China trade deal as Trump kicks off Asia trip

    Ahead of a high stakes meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both sides are signaling optimism for reaching a new trade agreement. Weijia Jiang reports.

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  • The Effort to Court Trump Abroad: Deals, Flattery and Jet Fighters

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—World leaders have developed something of a blueprint for President Trump when he comes to visit: produce a lavish welcoming ceremony and launch a charm offensive in hopes of securing relief from U.S. tariffs and demands to spend more on defense.

    Recent overseas trips have involved escorting Air Force One with jet fighters during its final approach and lining red carpets with uniformed soldiers and traditional dancers. Upon Trump’s arrival, foreign hosts often exalt him for his role in reaching a significant trade or peace deal. There have been repeated pledges to nominate the president for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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    Alexander Ward

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  • Trump Reaches Trade Pacts With Southeast Asian Nations

    The Trump administration said it reached trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia, and frameworks for deals with Thailand and Vietnam during President Trump’s trip across Asia. The announcements, while not legally binding, represent significant progress in Trump’s quest to lower trade barriers for U.S. goods abroad.

    Here’s what to know:

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    Gavin Bade

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