production model that will compress this timeframe to two to three years. It will allow Japan to better compete with low-cost rivals from China and South Korea and expand its market share.

The result capped 2025 with a full-year average inflation rate of 1.7 percent, the slowest since 2016, when it stood at 1.3 percent. This marks the 10th consecutive month that inflation undershot the central bank’s 2- to 4-percent target.

On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the Sara cash aid would be credited to all adult citizens aged 18 and above as preparations for Ramadan and Chinese New Year.

Forbes’ data showed that as of December 31, Vietnam had five US dollar billionaires, one fewer than at the start of the year, but their combined wealth jumped by more than US$28 billion to reach $40.9 billion.

In response, Japanese car companies have been scaling back production in Thailand one after another. This could deal a blow to supply chains in the Southeast Asia region, which is home to more than 2,700 Japanese parts manufacturers.

The new year is marked by rising living costs, job anxieties, and aspirations that continue to outpace opportunities.

From the unravelling of eFishery saga to corruption probes ensnaring venture capital executives tied to state-backed funding at TaniHub, the year stripped the gloss from Southeast Asia’s most coveted start-up market.

Between 2020 and 2025, authorities nationwide detected and handled about 120,000 - 190,000 cases of smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods each year, with trade fraud accounting for the largest share of around 79-88 percent.

Economists said the mix of institutional reforms, cash assistance and business-focused measures signals a shift from crisis management to execution.

Chairman Aminuddin Zulkipli said that excess durians purchased by FAMA would be content processed into higher value-added products such as durian paste and tempoyak (fermented durian).

Cabinet approves three labour protocols, paving the way for long-term employment opportunities and recruitment through government channels.

Under the proposal, southbound passenger trains would terminate at Hanoi Station, while northbound services would stop at Gia Lam. Passenger transfers between the two stations would be handled by the city’s construction and transport authorities.

South Korea's airports have largely been treated as functional infrastructure — spaces where neutrality, safety, and administrative accountability have traditionally outweighed symbolic commemoration.

Key projects involve undersea cables to Singapore, links to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and enhanced hydropower cooperation within South Asia.

Study finds half of household plants in disuse nationwide, turning decades of investment into stranded public assets.