Lebanon says Israeli attack kills 3 emergency workers

Chinese online users circulated a manipulated image of a fake social media post by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rebuking Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the Truth Social platform. However, AFCL found no credible records of such a post and detected signs of digital manipulation. Trump has not publicly rebuked Musk in the manner described, as confirmed by keyword searches and photo analysis. Full Article

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 budget into law, increasing government spending by 10% to a record 6.33 trillion pesos ($109.2 billion) to boost economic growth and reduce poverty. The budget allocates 1.053 trillion pesos to education, 1.034 trillion to public works, and 35 billion to military modernization, with some cuts drawing criticism from advocates. Marcos vetoed over 194 billion pesos in proposed spending, aiming to achieve 6.0-8.0% economic growth in 2025. Full...

Cambodian opposition politician Sun Chanthy has been sentenced to two years in prison and banned from politics for life for "inciting social unrest." He criticized the government's policy on poverty cards, claiming they were only for ruling party members. The ruling reflects the CPP government's ongoing crackdown on dissent and suppression of political opposition in Cambodia. Full Article

A group of around 50 US tourists watching a cargo ship pass along the Panama Canal dismissed Donald Trump's threat to possibly reclaim control of the waterway as nonsensical, with one tourist stating that it is "100 per cent Panama's" and should remain so. Trump has claimed that American ships are charged "unfair" fees for using the canal and alleged that China controls it, but none of the tourists interviewed supported his assertions. Panama's government...

Gone are the days of slow deliveries, as quick commerce (q-commerce) emerges as the third evolution of e-commerce with foodpanda expanding rapidly in Asia. Benjamin Mann, CTO of foodpanda, discusses the challenges faced by his tech team during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of adapting quickly to customer feedback and data to maintain efficiency and agility in the fast-paced food delivery industry. Full Article

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a policy-setting key meeting of the ruling party, declaring a "strongest" response strategy towards the United States for national safety. The trilateral alliance between South Korea, the US, and Japan was criticized as a "nuclear military bloc", with South Korea labelled as an "anti-communism outpost". The meeting also discussed flood response, plans to promote relations with friendly countries, and wrapped up a year marked by a mutual defence...