Tears and hope as Syrians return home from Turkey

YAYLADAGI, Turkey (Reuters) - Ala Jabeer cried as he prepared to cross from Turkey into Syria with his 10-year-old daughter on Tuesday, thirteen years after the war forced him to flee his home. He returns without his wife and three of his children who died in devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria last year. Father and...

Airlines industry to strengthen profitability in 2025 amid supply disruption

GENEVA: The global airlines industry is projected to strengthen its profitability in 2025 with a net profit of US$36.6 billion (RM161.8 billion), representing a 3.6 per cent net profit margin amid ongoing cost and supply chain disruption, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Meanwhile, total industry revenues are expected to be US$1.01 trillion (RM4.46 trillion),...

Actress Michelle Chen mourns father’s death, no response from husband Chen Xiao

Rumours of an alleged split between Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen and her husband, Chinese actor Chen Xiao, continue to swirl after her father’s death. On Dec 7, Michelle mourned her father Chen Chin-jung on social media, sharing several photos of her growing up with her father. “Daddy, I will always love you,” she wrote in English on...

Syria’s Assad is in Moscow after deal on military bases, says Russian state media

(Reuters) -Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday, and a deal has been done to ensure the safety of Russian military bases. Russia's Foreign Ministry said earlier that Assad had left Syria and given orders...

Syrian community in Malaysia marks fall of Assad regime, swaps to rebel flag at embassy

KUALA LUMPUR: The Syrian community in Malaysia gathered to mark the fall of the government led by president Bashar al-Assad. A video has gone viral, showing Syrians outside the Syrian Embassy here replacing the Assad regime flag with the Syrian rebel flag. The flag representing Syrian rebels features three horizontal bands in green, white, and black, with...

Ukraine shows off new ‘rocket-drone’ in bid to boost long-range strikes

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine showed off a new locally-produced "rocket-drone" on Friday which it said could fly 700 km (430 miles) - more than twice the longest range attributed to missiles supplied by Western allies. The unmanned craft, called "Peklo" - which means hell in Ukrainian - is the second such "rocket drone" unveiled by Kyiv...

Chinese man arrested after fatal multi-car crash in South Pattaya

BANGKOK: A Chinese national was arrested on Thursday (Dec 5) night after crashing his Toyota Alphard into several cars, killing one and injuring four others, on Thepprasit Road in South Pattaya. A 30-year-old Thai driver, identified as Saphaprom Wongmak, was found dead at the scene, police said, citing CCTV footage showing his black sedan being hit...

‘Good listener’ Japanese man travels for 5 years, stays in 500 strangers’ homes for free

TOKYO: A Japanese man has become an online sensation after couch-surfing in 500 homes of strangers, offering emotional support as a “good listener” to his hosts in exchange for free accommodation. The 33-year-old, named Shuraf Ishida, conceived this idea five years ago after quitting his job. He set out on a journey across the country with...

(Photo gallery) Less than martial: the South Korean political crisis in pictures

SEOUL: Whatever South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol thought of when he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday (Nov 4), it didn't work. Less than 24 hours later, he has revoked the martial law after lawmakers defied him, and his own position now is in jeopardy. South Koreans hold signs reading "Expulsion of Yoon Suk Yeol" during...

Fugitive Singapore tycoon held in embezzlement case was mastermind behind scrap syndicate

SINGAPORE: The rogue Singapore tycoon, who was arrested in Malaysia on Dec 3 after being on the run for 19 years over an embezzlement case involving more than US$51 million, was the mastermind behind a syndicate that sold scraps that were repackaged and sold as new products. Ng Teck Lee, 58, who was arrested together with...